Five Things to Know About Heyday, Opening April 22nd

After teasing and teasing and teasing, Heyday—the much anticipated Uptown restaurant from Lorin Zinter (formerly of La Belle Vie) and chef Jim Christiansen (formerly of Union)—will be at long last opening next Tuesday.

Eater Minneapolis sat down with Zinter to find out what we can expect upon opening. Although he remains tight-lipped about much of the menu details (and yet managed to more than once highlight the fact that he was his 8th grade free throw champ), we were able to attain some new information about the restaurant, including some hints about the food and drink menus. So without further ado, here are are five things to know about Heyday before it opens.

1. The name. Zinter and Christiansen wanted to base the name of their restaurant on something local. "The Replacements have a song called "Heyday" and we thought it was really representative of Jim and what he's doing, and what we want in a restaurant because you should walk in here and basically have the time of your life. It should be enjoyable, fun, relaxed."

2. The neighborhood. The pair knew they wanted the restaurant to be in South Minneapolis since they like the relaxed atmosphere of Uptown and the eclectic nature of the people living there. "I think people need to realize that we're a neighborhood friendly restaurant; that we're not a special occasion restaurant." While Jim and Lorin are known to come from fine dining backgrounds (Union and La Belle Vie) they want people to know that this is a place you can come multiple times per week, and that it is approachable in terms of both the food and the service.

3. The design. We know that this restaurant comes from duo Jim and Lorin but what you may not know is that there's a third man involved in this venture. Mike Prickett is another partner responsible for business dealings and interior design of the space which they're calling "rustic chic". The building has been at 27th and Lyndale for 100 years and the goal was to make the interior feel comfortable and natural to the space itself. With reclaimed wood and marble table and bar tops, the space combines rustic and modern design. Local artist Terence Payne, who specializes in pop art, has done three 6x6 pieces for the dining room which are a big focal point.

4. The menus. "We don't want people to think we're too fancy-pants, because we're not." Zinter said. "The plan is for Jim to bring the food back to a much more simple presentation. You won't find perfect purees, three drops of this and that, and a mountain of micro-greens." He continued to give one hint about one of the opening day desserts: "the menu is going to say 'vanilla and rhubarb' and then you get to see what Jim's going to do with that; I think that's the beauty of Jim's menu."

Speaking of dessert, if you've been following what's been going on over on Heyday's twitter, you may have noticed a familiar face, local pastry chef Diane Yang. So what's going on with that? "All menu items at Heyday are Jim's creations including both savory and sweet, however, we are very fortunate to have Diane Yang working with us to help develop the pastry program." So there's a hint on desserts, but what about the cocktail menu? The plan is to have a small collection of specialty cocktails, about eight, from Britt Tracy (formerly of Parlour and Marvel Bar). "The focus will be a more simple approach on specialty cocktails highlighting the spirit and the craftsmanship."

5. The date. "Mid-soon" is basically upon us. There's no secret as to when the opening date is if you've been paying attention on social media. Heyday is officially set to open to the public for dinner at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22nd. Following opening day, the 110-seat restaurant will be open daily for dinner only, with eventual plans for Saturday/Sunday brunch.
· @HeydayMpls [Twitter]
· All Coverage of Heyday [Eater MPLS

[Photo: Lindsay Abraham/EAMPLS]