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| - Heritage, you did not disappoint, but there are just a few things that hold you back from perfection. I have had the benefit of getting to know you after two visits now. Both times away you left me satisfied and curious about what else you offer, wondering if it would be better than what I just put inside my body.
Upon entering Heritage, you are greeted by a very trendy decor. Heritage is slightly below ground level so it has a sort of old basement feel to it with the splash of exposed brickwork, along with the wood paneling. The furniture, lighting, bar, and chairs all match this feel perfectly. I love the small touches like the fox head cut into the back of all the chairs. For me, the restaurant was perfectly lit. It was dim enough for the atmosphere to be intimate, but it was bright enough to still have your food well lit.
Warning! Due to being underground, getting a cell signal can be dicey. Luckily, Heritage has free Wi-Fi for you social media fiends. You may have to use Wi-Fi to check in while inside.
I started with a glass of a Grenache blend wine, priced at $6. It was quite drinkable for the price, but it wasn't amazingly complex (not expected at that range). I was originally looking at the beer selection but nothing really blew my socks off or seemed interesting. Wine seemed like it would pair better with the cuisine anyways. My wife ended up ordering a Sao Paulo Smash, one of the many craft cocktails. All of the cocktails at Heritage are made by a mixologist and well executed. While I did not appreciate the rose water in the cocktail, I can appreciate the proper execution of this drink.
We ended up starting with one of the charcuterie boards. When you order a charcuterie board you get to decide how many and which items you want on the board. We chose bacon wrapped dates and two cheeses. The board was very well assembled and came with three spreads and some toast. I appreciated the light snack before the main course. The three item board ran us $15.
On a separate visit I had an order of the deep fried cheese curds on my quest to find notable cheese curds in Madison. These cheese curds are NOT traditional in any sense, but they are incredibly well executed and pleasing to eat. The curds are wrapped in bacon and lightly fried in tempura. They are served with three dipping sauces, all of which are very interesting. Heritage has earned a well deserved place on my notable cheese curd list with this menu item! They are fantastic, but do not expect your typical pub curds!
For our entree, we ordered "family style," which is a menu option for 2+ parties. All of the food is on one massive plate, and you pass it around to share it like a family would at home. Cool concept! The typical family style meal includes braised pork, tuna sashimi, lettuce with Asian sauce, fried headcheese, pickled veggies, and something on special (in our case, porcetta). Ordering family style will run you $30 per head.
Every single individual component of our meal was well executed and enjoyable on its own. My main issue with Heritage is an issue of pairing. I didn't really "get" why sashimi was being served on top of a roasted pork shoulder. Why? They didn't really go together what so ever. While they were delicious on their own, they didn't complement one another or really go. The entire meal (for the most part) was on a single plate as a mound of food. I do not think food should be served in a giant mound if it isn't all meant to be consumed in a bite that contains all of the components on the dish.
The whole dessert menu was kind of pricey and there were some very interesting items on it (beet ice cream, anyone?). Between the price and the interesting culinary decisions, we were not feeling adventurous.
Our service was very attentive, and I really felt taken care of while at Heritage. I appreciate the well thought out dish descriptions and attentiveness to detail. Our server, Paige, always made sure that we had everything we needed and that our waters were topped off.
The decor, atmosphere, service, and food are all great at Heritage. The beer list definitely leaves me wanting more, but I am satisfied with the wine list. The cocktail list is well assembled and well executed. Unfortunately, the food just seems kind of thrown together and lacks cohesion. I can appreciate individual elements of a dish, but I just can't love the whole package that Heritage offers. Heritage, we can be good friends, but I don't think we're besties yet.
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