Heyday

good spot to hit after a long day at the office. highly recomend the squab entrée or the AN2 wine!

I really don’t like this place — it’s overpriced and the menu is small and without much price range. I do like the décor and atmosphere so maybe just going there for drinks would be best.

I’ve been to Heyday for both brunch and dinner, and always have had a great time. The food is creative and consistently delicious. Not the fastest service, but very friendly and helpful to navigate the menu and suggest wine pairings. Great for a date night. Highlights were the chicken liver tart, fifty shades of hey desert, and biscuits and gravy at brunch.

I was in on Saturday night. Food was great! The place had a very nice buzz, but not too loud. I was seated next to a very pretentious snob who was upset about absolutely everything. Nothing was going to make her happy. If you are in a hurry, just let your server know — it is not that hard. I really appreciated the entire staff who tried so hard to please such a ridiculous, unpleasant customer.
Heyday is really a great place to try things you may not have tried before. The drinks are creative, the wines are absolutely interesting, and the food throughout the menu was indeed outstanding!

Hey Not is a better name, we are sitting here on Saturday night, two hours on a wooden bench, no entrees yet. Forty trips to refill our waters, but poooooor service. We have been told the since there are 4 courses, they serve in order and we are waiting for the third. Oh look one entrée served, it is cold… and it isn’t supposed to be. Nothing like cold pork, mmmm.
I thought restaurants served customers, not their precious menu. How pretentious.
Small servings, indecipherable and useless wine list. Sae your money and go have 4 good dinners elsewhere. Oh, my «venison» just showed up, but surprise surprise it is venison tongue. Not stated as such on the menu. Apparently the chef doesn’t think anyone would order it if it was written down, and you know what, he’s right about that. Horrible. How pretentious.

Most uncomfortable chairs EVER. Blocks of hard wood, barely large enough to seat a child let alone an adult.

This place is amazing… finished the 4 course option and every dish was fantastic. This isn’t your traditional steak and potato place, but if you have a little adventure in your pallet you cannot miss Heyday.

Stopped in last night on the way home from downtown for an early dinner. Curve ball was we had our two kids (2&4) in the car. Anyone who has looked at the menu would quickly realize it’s not exactly tailored towards toddlers, bit my wife had been for brunch and wanted to try dinner.
The cooks were nice enough to whip up grilled cheeses, scrambled eggs and bacon for the kids and trotted out some of the best bread I have ever eaten, no joke. I could eat an entire loaf of the sourdough in one sitting. The crust is wonderful, crumb tangy, properly salted, holy cow it’s good.
My wife and I sampled the bison tartare and the mackerel. They were both beautifully constructed, imaginative and perfectly balanced. I had no idea I needed sea buckthorn berries in my life, drastic oversight on my part.
The place is very comfortable feeling inside. Service was impeccable and obviously accommodating.
I will be curious to see if a restaurant can survive long term in this location without a few items more «accessible» on the menu. Not everyone is going to want to stop in for a couple beers and some mackerel, whether they should or not…
So on that note, a few words of caution–
If you (as mentioned by some other reviewers) like your eggs scrambled «extra hard», think duck breast is exotic, enjoy leaving nasty reviews because your free caramel latte mochachino wasn’t what you’d imagined, get pissy when people make jokes about whitefish (It’s called whitefish!!! It swims in Michigan!!! It’s related to trout!!! It wasn’t some bizarre ruse!!!), maybe look elsewhere.
If you like eating inventive food, this place is for you. If you’re willing to put yourself in the hands of a more than capable kitchen for an evening, do it, you won’t regret it! And do stop in for a couple beers and mackerel.

Had a wonderful experience on a Friday, December 11^th, 2015. The interior was executed to perfection! Unlike a number of spaces with high ceiling, the noise level was «not» overbearing! There were five of us dining and we each chose different items from the menu. All were prepared to perfection! What made the entire dining experience top notch was the «attention to detail» the entire staff administered. Kudos to a great HeyDay experience!

We happened in to Heyday on a Sunday because The French Meadow had a long wait time. Upon entering it was immediately apparent that the décor and atmosphere were amazing. I had high hopes for the experience. The hostess asked us if we had a reservation (there were only three tables sat).
The menu is vague as several other reviewers pointed out. Not all ingredients or components are listed so if you have food allergies, like we do, ask for specifics. There were no good gluten free options without modification.
My fiancé ordered the $ 14 lamb dish and when we told the waitress that he had a gluten allergy she said she would put in the order without the bread it’s served on. No bread was listed on the menu. It was maybe a ¼ cup of food. Even with bread an extremely overpriced dish.
I asked if they did caramel latte, no they don’t. I asked about a mocha. The waitress said she thought they could do that. When she returned she told me it was an experiment and it was on the house. Good thing because the watery and bitter beverage she served me wasn’t worth paying for.
I ordered a breakfast sandwich that was supposedly egg, cheese, and sausage on an English muffin. There was some sort of spread with spices and peppers that was on my sandwich that I did not enjoy. Again the menu said nothing about it. The supposed English muffin was not like any I’d ever eaten.
Everything took a long time too even though there were only 3 – 5 tables occupied during our stay.
The only thing that happened promptly was how quickly our dishes were cleared after I took my last bite.
We will wait at French Meadow next time rather than waste our money on Heyday.

What a treat! I arrived with a friend on a week night shortly before the kitchen closed, just because I was nearby and hoping to have a little wine and a nosh after a long day. But I ended up being completely impressed and delighted!
This place has breathtaking décor, creative cocktails and luxe entrees. I ordered the carmelized eggplant and sweet corn polenta were both unusual and delicious, and I can’t wait to go back to try more dishes. I found the service attentive, yet unobtrusive. The owner was walking around talking to the guests, taking time to answer questions and recommend wines, which was such a nice touch.
Something to be aware of is that the serving sizes might seem small for the price. Don’t let that stop you from enjoying a trip to Heyday. Every bite is rich and flavorful – the high quality of each ingredient sings! Also, I would urge anyone who does not like crowds to visit on a week night.

After a long day on my girlfriends and I decide to head out for a wonderful dinner we went to heyday I decide to sit at the bar. As I was a fun places because you get to meet the bartenders and enjoy a good time by yourselves. We decided to go with the tasting menu it was probably her best decision we made everything we had was amazing, the drinks perfectly made. The food was extremely flavorful, this is a must go to place

Visited here on a Saturday night, but I had made reservations a few weeks in advance. The atmosphere here is romantic and chill. The lights were dimmed, the open kitchen looks right into the dining area and the look is rustic. They have long list of creative drinks to order from.
I recommend going with the 4 course menu option. Since there were 3 of us, we tried to order different items to try most everything.
Course I-​bravery paid off, because the chicken liver was sweet and creamy
Course II-​Eggplant is where its at! Candied crunch
Course III-​Hen entrée, there were so many flavors on the plate, but the cream sauce on the bottom was delicious. I also tried a corn/​egg/​polenta dish and some meat on the bone dish that equally tied to eat again
Course IV-​Panna Cotta, it was a beautiful presentation with lots color and flavor. Pistachios are my favorite
Recommended drinks: something with a pear &gin, and Grasevina (sp) wine
After talking with one of the chefs, we learned that most of the food here is local. They even have a someone who forages mushrooms for them! Thanks to chefs, especially Brian, the servers and bartenders, for a wonderful first time experience! We had a Heyday!

Wonderful venue, really enjoyed the chicken liver tart and eggplant. Duck breast and pork ribeye both excellent. Presentation above average but not stellar.
Server was a disappointment.
Over promised, under delivered. Loud annoying voice
Have to say he did recommend a great wine.

I have to admit, I came here about 8 months ago and was far from impressed. I’m glad I went back last night because I was absolutely blown away!
I started by ordering from what looked to be an amazing cocktail menu (with some great whiskey choices!) and ordered the Veronica Corningstone which gets extra points for having an amazing name. I have no idea what was in it but it was based on a peach-​infused scotch and was amazing. Such a good way to start the night.
We opted to share a bunch of dishes and they planned the meal well and delivered each course in really good timing and rhythm. We started with the tuna and compressed watermelon dish. They definitely had me fooled (which i think was the point) as I though the thin slices of shaved watermelon were tuna but alas they were not. The mix of fresh tuna, bright watermelon, nuts and pesto of some sort was amazing. Refreshing and totally delicious.
Second course we ordered the eggplant with bergamot tahini yogurt and sesame candy. The combination of savory eggplant, floral yogurt, and sweet sesame candy was magical. Definitely another highlight of the night!
Third course we ordered the roasted squab with kohlrabi and soured potatoes. While good, the soured potatoes were amazing and outshined everything else on the plate. I wish I could know more about them because the waitress could only tell me they were «kind of fermented».
Lastly, we had the duck which while good, was not up to par with the rest of the dishes. A great complaint is when a completely solid dish is just underwhelming compared to the other dishes. The duck was cooked well and the sauces and zucchini served with it were great, but it didn’t challenge me or make me think like the other dishes. Still a solid dish and the protein was a welcome addition to our tasting!
tl;dr — Great cocktails, amazing tuna and watermelon dish, first and second course dishes are outstanding and the mains are solid albeit underwhelming.

The food was so great. First time here so I tried the Hay Day lamb and it was phenomenal. Lamb was moist with an amazing tangy yogurt and mustard sauce on a bed of greens with toasted almonds. I got the rhubarb Streisand drink which is gin, lemon, rhubarb (obviously) and something else that escapes my mind. Look it up. For dessert I had the panna cotta with pistachios and it was light and airy with just a hint of fruitiness. Sooooo good.
The only reason this place gets 4 stars is because our server was not with it. We were the only folks outside yet our drinks came after we were done with dinner, and ordering was a 20 min wait. He could barely describe any of the menu items or answer questions I had. If I had not been the adventurous eater I am, I would have left. Thankfully the food saved the experience, as it should. Great dining experience, I just hope I’m not served by the same guy next time.

I honestly had to look past the negative reviews (mainly around service quality, which either has drastically improved or I didn’t notice anything at all!) I went with my boyfriend for his birthday dinner and we had a lovely time. I ordered the hen and he had the lamb and we split a starter squab dish — and we enjoyed everything! So lovely, delicious and beautifully presented– and the perfect amount of food! Plus, for a weeknight it was fairly busy and the service was still wonderful!
For dessert, we got the «hay» ice cream, and boy did it deliver. It was homemade and steeped with HAY. Overall awesome. Not to mention a cute birthday treat at the end!
My favorite was when we inquired about wine pairings for each dish. The waiter offered to do half glasses of wine and suggested pairings for the courses and we loved it! Definitely do this if you can! Plus, he gave us one on the house! It was a Pinot Gris but was almost grapefruit colored and very interesting!
Thanks, Heyday! We loved it!

Recently Heyday’s chef was named one of the best new chefs in America by Food & Wine magazine. As such, the bar was set high going in anticipation of our brunch outing.
The space is beyond gorgeous. A rustic and modern-​chic design. Beautiful dark wood paneling and beams accented by glistening chandeliers and a collection of funky fun abstract paintings featuring the animals of the menu at a much happier phase of their life cycle. There’s an open kitchen in the main room, and the bar area features marble-​topped community tables and a matching, very elegant bar space. Awarding the full 5 stars for interior design.
And this is where the good news comes to a screeching halt.
*Service is agonizingly slow. 45 minutes surpassed between order placement and food delivery, and the restaurant wasn’t even full to capacity. The payment process also took much longer than it should.
*The food was not worth the wait. Too many elementary blunders. Over-​salting of several dishes, insufficiently cooked potatoes, hardened yolks that should have ran.
*Inadequate menu descriptions /​incorrect orders. Eggs appeared on things that weren’t described as having an egg pairing in the menu, and one dish seemed to be an entirely different dish then ordered (and perhaps it was a wrong order– it was hard to differentiate between some items as their menu was dominated by dishes featuring pork in /​on /​next to bread).
All in all… a real dissapointment.

This place is trying really, really hard to be something it doesn’t know how to be. It’s like a kid trying to emulate what the grown-​ups are doing, but coming out vaguely nonsensical.
The things I liked: the sangria, the carrot crumble version of the Stilton dessert, the fact that our server looked like Richard Hammond (the short, angry, easily-​excitable one on UK Top Gear), the décor.
The things I didn’t like: all the food in between.
The food options are purposely complex, but the menus are weirdly vague. The ladies at the table next to us asked the waiter to actually explain what the dishes were going to be like, since the menu gives you only the vaguest idea of what you’ll be getting. For instance, all the dessert menu mentioned was one of the ingredients in the carrot crumble would be chamomile. What actually showed up was a giant piece of gelatin chamomile laid over the literally crumbled pieces of carrot cake. The menu gave no hint that was what we would be getting.
If you’re into having your meat mostly rare, then this is probably the place for you. Apparently unless you specify otherwise, they assume that you definitely want your food to still be bleeding. This wouldn’t have been so annoying were it not for the fact that you’re left with a butter knife to cut the meat. They can’t be bothered to provide a proper knife to cut through the half-​cooked meat. I’ve never felt so awkward about the simple act of cutting a piece of meat, but when you have to saw slowly at it to get a bite-​size piece, it gets awkward real fast. I shudder to think how strange and awkward this would be on a first date.
The pork ribeye was decent, but was lacking in seasoning. The grits the ribeye was surrounded by, though! I could use a whole bowl of those. The lamb was actually really good, and I was jealous of my friend for ordering something so much more than just edible.
The veal tartare was just strange. I can’t properly describe just how weird the flavor combination was, but it was just… so odd, so off. It was worth a taste, but I didn’t want to keep eating it.
Everything that was served to us just looked like the epitome of Trying Too Hard. None of it looked comfortable in its own prententious-​looking presentation.
Contrary to other reviewers, I think the portions were good for the price. It’s just not worth it, in general.
Good try, Heyday. Good try. Maybe try doing something you, your food, and your chefs are more comfortable with, though.

This is an awesome place! Can’t believe why the other reviewers would rate this any lower. It’s my first time in this place and they are like a New York restaurant in the Midwest!
They change their menu depending on the season so it’s another good reason to try it at least every new season!
Again, highly recommend! You even get champagne on your anniversary!