Photo by Caitlin Abrams
Chefs behind the counter at Heyday
Drats, rats, curses and foulness—I talked to Heyday chef and owner Jim Christiansen, and it turns out the very exciting plan of turning Heyday into two things, a bar and a smaller restaurant, is dead.
What happened? Christiansen told me that after the restaurant closed, he got very sick. Months passed as he fought his illness, and the team was unable to go forward with any certainty, eventually leading owner Mike Prickett to decide he wanted to focus his energy on his other big business, MCG Energy. Word on the street says more than a few people have toured the space, and one is close to signing.
Sadness. I loved Heyday so much. Right now I fear we'll look back on 2016, when we had both dear departed Piccolo and dear departed Heyday, as the high-water mark of Twin Cities. We don't have anything that cerebral, that daring now, do we? Also I'm still sad about losing Rabbit Hole. But then I remember I thought 2007, when we lost Levain, Five, and Auriga, was a low-point from which we'd never recover. And then we did. But it took three years. (Piccolo opened in 2010.)
Darn, darn, darn.
What else can I say? That Food & Wine Best New Chef Award that Christiansen took home in 2015 was so very well deserved. It was a great restaurant.
The good news, such that it is, is that Christiansen tells me he's staying in town, so perhaps we will see another restaurant from him someday. Till then, thanks for pushing every limit and making us see food anew, chef. Thanks for giving it your all, team. You did great work and we were all ennobled by it.
Sign up for our newsletter to get inside access to the latest local food and dining buzz.
