Chef Lenny Russo
What a fun time we had at Heartland last night! The St. Paul, MN restaurant, packed with (nearly 50) local food lovers and friends, was a beautiful setting for a memorable meal.
Celebrating Sally's birthday
I started off the evening with a short discussion about taking our time to eat, quoting Carl Honore’s book “In Praise of Slowness” for effect. After a toast to growth - for our food and ourselves, with a nod to my new friend Sally (celebrating her birthday with us) - we sat down to a fantastic walleye amuse bouche.
Next, Heartland chef and owner Lenny Russo spoke about the menu - which offered “flora” (vegetarian) and “fauna” options, saying “what comes through the back door goes on the menu.” Lenny is serious about keeping his food local, eschewing olive oil (”crazy for an Italian,” he joked) and sourcing 75% - 90% of his food from area farms.
The meal we settled into was terrific from start to finish. I picked “fauna,” which included (and I’m vastly simplifying the menu here, I’ll have to scan the thing later) outrageously good “fromage de tete,” free range poussin, and chocolate-cherry torte with peppercorns. My wife chose “flora”: fruit soup, sheep milk ricotta cheese-duck egg pasta ravioli with mushrooms and radicchio (!), and a blackberry and rhubarb pumpkin seed tart with juniper-caramel creme anglaise. We traded desserts - both terrific.
I’d love to say that the food was the highlight of the evening, but - amazing as it was - it was overshadowed by the sense of joy, camaraderie, and good vibes in the room. 3 monthly Simple, Good, and Tasty meals into this crazy foray, I continue to be surprised and delighted by the people I meet, the food I eat, and the experiences I enjoy.
Thank you to everyone who was at Heartland - staff, guests, friends, family - everyone helped make it a memorable night. If you were there (like cool food and booze bloggers Kate - who took photos for Les Petites Images - and Kris and Mag from MSP Beer), please comment below and let other folks know what you thought.
You can see more pictures and join my Facebook group here. I’ll let you know when Kate’s photos are ready too.
