When was the last time you were at Heyday? On my last visit, they had some new menu items. I ordered the butter-poached asparagus appetizer, $12. Two asparagus spears, grilled parsley, and a dollop of horseradish cream, poorly plated (photo posted here). I also ordered the pigs feet plate, $16 (no longer on the menu). At most, a teaspoon of meat mixed in with the grains and legumes. I find far better "value" and care in preparation at Heirloom.

I don't think Heirloom aspires to be haute cuisine. Rather, dishes prepared with care. And I can get out of there for under $75, and still be satisfied. If you experienced execution issues, though, that was unfortunate. Good move for them on renaming the trout. I think they are still finding their way.

To be fair to Heyday, they did send me a gift card apologizing for those two dishes. And I'm happy to return there.

Even so, restaurants offer wines for one reason: they make money on them. I'm not against them making money. I'm not against anyone making money. And higher margins on wine probably supplement the lower margins on the food--for some restaurants.

You and I are both in overwhelming agreement regarding what the market will bear. Ultimately, it all comes down to that. For some consumers, unfortunately (or fortunately given your Hamptons example), that means they are not part of that restaurant's market.

Ryuthrowsstuff has given a good, if general, answer on restaurant economics. And diners can better stomach the markup if they experience proper storage, proper stemware, knowledgeable staff, proper service, etc. Minus those things, however, the argument rings hollow at a certain point. There is always the need to markup, but the amount should be in line with the service. Just like you pay more for the same cut of steak in a restaurant with a better chef, kitchen staff, dishes, decor, etc., than at Sizzler.

But I've seen "standard" markups with cheap stemware, poor storage (reds too warm), uninteresting selection, unknowledgeable staff, and inaccurate lists.

And, if the diner is unhappy with or shocked by the prices, there is no mandate that wine must be purchased. Beer and spirits see a higher percentage markup, but the dollar amount is less, and you're not committed to an entire 750ml of the beverage. There is also the rule of two feet.

Fortunately, I live where BYO is legal (it is not legal everywhere). And I have no issue paying a restaurant's corkage fee (if they charge one). I know my wine has been stored properly. The higher the corkage fee, though, the higher my expectations with service--stemware, decanter, ice bucket, etc.

If you stick with swordfish, I'd push you to a white wine. But one that has a lot of skin contact during fermentation, deepening the color and adding texture an even some tannin. These are red-drinkers' white wines. Don't know what type of Italian selection there is where you live, but here are some suggestions...

Monastero Suore Cistercensi "Coenobium" Lazio Bianco
Bisson "Marea" Cinque Terre
Luigi Ferrando "La Torrazza" Erbaluce di Caluso
Paolo Bea "Santa Chiara" Umbria Bianco
Pierluigi Zamaglione "Don Chisciotte" Fiano

My wife and I returned last night, this time for more than just drinks.

Trout pastrami. Misnamed. There's nothing pastrami-like about it. That doesn't mean it wasn't good. We enjoyed it very much. Expect something gravlox-like in texture. As others have said, the components on the plate complemented the fish nicely.

Gnocchi. Well balanced. Egg was a little overdone (would have liked more runny yolk. Not worth sending back, though.

Black pudding. Much larger portion than I was expecting. Very similar to black pudding I had in Ireland. Well done. Celery root foam, apples, and juniper crumble were good accompaniments. Could have been served at a warmer temperature.

Squash soup. My wife liked this one. I thought it was too much on the sweet side, even with the chili oil. Wonderful velvety texture, however. Also could have been served warmer.

Roast chicken. They hit it out of the park with this one. Accompanied by some of the Interesting Vegetables. The chicken was perfectly executed. I plan to go back to Heirloom anyway. But I would definitely go back just for this dish.

Attentive service. I should add--and I don't think this has been mentioned yet--18% service charge is included in the bill, regardless of party size. I like this trend--whether it's including service at the end or figuring it into the cost of the individual items.

My wife and I stopped in for a nightcap only on Saturday night. I spoke with the manager and the bar manager about the menu, the beverages, the decor, etc. Lots of energy right now, and I dearly hope this place succeeds.

As Laura mentioned, the menu is divided into three sections, but it's all pretty much smaller plates for sharing as was described to me. There are also specific bar snacks for 'social hour" (what Heirloom is calling happy hour).

The beverage program (wine and beer only--St. Paul is stingy when it comes to full liquor licenses) is one of the best I've seen. These are food-friendly wines and not necessarily popular, well-known labels. But I'm a wine geek, and could easily navigate the list. The average diner might need some "hand selling" from what I hope is a knowledgeable staff. Not being elitist here. But there are limited familiar grape varieties and producers that are recognizable. Good number of craft beers on tap and in bottles and cans. One tap from Tin Whiskers was brewed exclusively for Heirloom.

The decor is farmhouse. Lots of repurposed wood. Tables and chairs are rustic-looking. Chairs are intentionally mis-matched. Lots of variety for seating, including a well-lit room in front, a room in back that is badly in need of a makeover from a decor standpoint, a banquette along one wall. Two tables are close to the door, which will be a tough sell in winter with no vestibule. There is also a counter overlooking the kitchen, but the counter is not very deep. The counter space at the bar is very spacious.

The entirely place is brightly-lit, especially the room off to the right in front. Some people may find it too bright. I'd probably lose the fluorescent indirect lighting where walls meet ceiling. Floor is tile, which is an interesting choice. This will be a place where people come for food and bev and not necessarily ambience. Hopefully the food and bev will be consistently strong and the decor tweaked a bit to appear warmer-feeling.

Parking may also be a challenge. Heirloom is on the south side of Marshall, just west of Cretin. There is only parking along one side of Marshall there, and no parking on Cretin. Expect to walk a bit--but it should be worth it.

My soft opening experience. Agree 100% with Seige about the space. Top drawer all around. Very glamorous. Great spot for a romantic night out as well as for entertaining friends. Spacious bar upon entering. Up the stairs to the left is a lounge, to the right is another bar, through the bar is the dining room, through the dining room is the banquet room. Full menu served in every space.

Drinks. Cocktails are nice. No flaws. Classic with some slight riffs. Wine list is well chosen. Markups appear to be roughly two times retail, which is not bad. Bottled and canned (Hamm's) beer only.

Food. The chef came over from the University Club on Summit. The food is solid, and will probably improve. Some classics here as well, nothing too avant garde. Great variety of appetizers, salads, burgers, and entrees. Steak tartare was good. So was the Waldorf salad.

We were asked for our feedback. The main thing I would improve is the front of house. I'll allow some room for nervousness and wanting to get things right, but the reception we received was not very warm. The service from the rest of the staff, though, was very good.

I'm curious what this will mean for "fine dining" in the Twin Cities. I'm not defining such by amount spent at dinner but on factors such as dining room formality, professionalism of staff and servers (long-tenured), dishware, stemware, flatware, etc. IMO, the Twin Cities food scene continues to get better and better, but that growth has been in the neighborhoods and in the trendy districts of the downtowns. Perhaps special occasion has been changing, and is no longer limited to such places.

Vincent and La Belle Vie have closed for different reasons (I'm not sure Vincent if fully showing his cards). Both will be missed, and both together will leave a void.

Lots of factors, not just the agenda Dara chose to push. There is no shortage of places putting out great food in all price ranges and dining experiences. So MSP is an increasingly great food town, but we still don't have enough residents and visitors to sustain that many "fine dining" options. The dining room at LBV (510 before that) has always been one of, if not the, best rooms in the Twin Cities. I hope it will continue to be so in the next chapter for that space.

A few of us tried to book a reservation the day following the announcement, and found that both the dining room and the bar were fully booked for the remaining days. Maybe one could grab a seat at the bar itself.