We went to dinner at Heidi’s in the Linden Hills area of Minneapolis on Friday night, and it definitely delivered. It was voted best restaurant of Minneapolis for 2008 and I can see why! It is a tiny space with 2 small rooms with about 10 tables in each room. 
We opted for the Chefs tasting menu with wine pairing and got started, our first glass of wine was a Cava to pair with the first appetizer of Beet Sorbet with mustard greens and puffed rice. I am not a fan of beets but this was surprisingly good, nice and refreshing with none of the “dirt” flavor I associate with beets.
The 2nd course was a Foie Gras with a garam masala and yogurt crust over a brush of butter nut squash sauce. I was also a bit worried about this dish since I am not a foie gras fan but again this dish totally blew that fear away, the crust was amazing and had a good hint of spice while the foie gras was seared perfectly. The 2nd wine was a Burgundy from France, it paired very nicely with the Foie Gras.
The pasta course was hand cut papardelle with a parmesan olive oil and truffles, what made this dish so special was a unique ultra high end olive oil that only 29 chefs in the world have access too! I seriously wanted to lick my plate clean. This course was served with a Barbara from the Piedmont region of Italy. A fantastic pairing the really served well with the spice!
Next was the fish course of an arctic char with cuc seeds, heirloom tomatoes in a basil oil. The arctic char had a great flavor the reminded me a lot of salmon.
The ultimate dish was the lamb shank that was braised for 6 hours with a hint of anise flavor served over a wild rice salad, a bit of the braising liquid and puffed noodles. This dish was amazing, a rich and hearty flavor. Lamb is one of my favorite meats and is not served often enough in the U.S. The wine pairing was a Tempranillo Cabernet from the Basque Region of Spain and was an excellent balance to the lamb.
And then there was dessert which was paired with Madeira, there was a rich chocolate sorbet, a caramelized banana torte and a tiny espresso cup of tapioca. The dessert was good, but not my favorite course. I was getting pretty full of wine so I only had a few sips of the Madeira.
To end the meal we had an amazing cheese plate with a endive and pineapple salad that was dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. The cheeses were a cows cheese, a Roquefort, and a Garoucha.
I want a cheese cart for our house! Isn’t it beautiful-
By the end of the meal it was nearly 11 and we were the LAST people in the restaurant. This was a truly amazing meal and it is getting the rank of 3rd in all of the meals I have ever had! (The current 1st is Bistro du Sommelier in Paris, and the 2nd is La Belle Vie in Minneapolis)
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By 7:30 we were faired out and in need of a comfy seat and some relaxation. Chianti Grill is not to far from the fair grounds so we headed to the patio for some cocktails and conversation. I had a bloody mary that came with a meal, good and spicy. Just like a bloody mary should be! 
