199 replies to this topic

[Fat Guy]

I'm pretty sure -- a least this was the deal as of a million years ago, when I last ate at Hearth -- that there are only three seats at the pass.

[SobaAddict70]

Wondering if the chef's pass is a good place for a party of four or if conversation will be difficult.

zEli --

There are four seats at the pass, although please recognize that seating there is first come, first served. I recommend getting there as early as 6 pm.

Conversation was perfectly fine the last time I was there with companions.

S.

[foodhunter]

There are four seats at the pass. I've eaten there once with a companion and it seems better suited for parties of 2 vs. 3 or 4. I only say this b/c you will have a hard time focusing on the conversation at hand -- at least I did, as I was riveted by what was going on in the kitchen. So not really ideal for something like a first date either. That being said, service there was as good as it is at the tables, though (understandably) more frenetic and succint.

[SobaAddict70]

Some pix from last night's dinner:


Big Eye tuna, capers, pickled mushrooms, vitello tonnato sauce.
2002 I Clivi, Galea, Friuli, Italy


Seared hamachi, black radish, celery, Granny Smith apple.


Butter-poached lobster, gnocchi, chantrelles.


Roasted skate wing, sunchokes, sunchoke chips, beets.


Seared scallop, Black Mission figs, pistacho, and braised cabbage.


Pork three ways: tenderloin, spiced sausage, pork belly. Served with pomegranate sauce, baby brussel sprouts and chantrelles.

[Nathan]

Had an excellent meal here last night.

snapper crudo was pretty good, big eye tuna with capers and pickled mushrooms was even better.

skate entree was one of the better ones I've had.
pork three-ways was almost superb...the only downside being the overcooking of the loin slices. there was practically no discernable pink at all....making for a bit of a dry result.

nice wine list...that wine bar they're opening should be a lot of fun.

[oakapple]

Now that the review cycle for Insieme is over, where do Marco and Paul spend the bulk of their time?

[Nathan]

I think Paul was there. didn't see Marco.

[Nathan]

btw, those entree sizes are mammoth...

and ordering the maitake mushrooms on top of them turned out to be complete overkill...

[adrman]

Now that the review cycle for Insieme is over, where do Marco and Paul spend the bulk of their time?

The last time I was at Hearth (about a month ago) I wanted to ask Paul something and was told both he and Marco were full time at Insieme.

[MichaelZ]

Now that the review cycle for Insieme is over, where do Marco and Paul spend the bulk of their time?

The last time I was at Hearth (about a month ago) I wanted to ask Paul something and was told both he and Marco were full time at Insieme.

That isn't right. I've seen Paul there within the last few weeks, and know tha Marco divides his time. The fact is that the Hearth kitchen runs smoothly in his absence, and Insieme is still the newer place with, I guess, a few more things to tinker with. I really love the quality and consistency of what Hearth's kitchen turns out.

[SobaAddict70]

no posts for the past six months? hmph.

I'm going again in a couple weeks. I'm looking forward to it immensely.

Some pix from a dinner in February....


Big Eye tuna, honshimejji mushrooms, capers, vitello tonnato sauce


Seared scallop, hen of the woods mushrooms, parsnip puree, caviar viniagrette


Sweetbreads, pickled cauliflower, shallot marmalade


Lamb pappardelle, tomato concasse, picholine olives, black truffles


Pork tenderloin, lentil ragout, winter root vegetables


Orange flower water panna cotta, candied pistachios


Apple cider doughnuts, creme fraiche sorbet, apple sauce

There's no restaurant I'd rather go to. Not even Ko. There's really no comparison.

[Nathan]

I had that big eye tuna dish a couple months ago (and some others)...very nice.

[phoenikia]

SobaAddict70,
have you dined at Hearth recently? Would you still say you prefer the food at Hearth to Ko?

Beautiful photos, btw!

[Dryden]

Don't know if it means anything, but I've been to Hearth recently. I love Hearth. I love eating at the pass at Hearth. It is not, on its very best night, anything like (or as good as) Ko. But it's really doing both a disservice to compare them.

[phoenikia]

Thanks Dryden.

I ended up having a lovely meal at Hearth. I ordered the autumn tasting menu ($68) which included a pear and mixed green salad, tortelli di zucca, venison, pear ginger sorbet, bittersweet choc bread pudding and orange ice cream. Other people at my table tried the scallops, veal/ricotta meatball, chocolate pappardelle with wild boar ragu, and the cucina povera prix fixe ($35) which was a meal of ribollita, braised rabbit with olives and butterscotch budino.

It was a good meal overall, although I would probably order the prix fixe (which was a great value at $35) or a la carte on future visits, rather than the autumn tasting menu.

[jm chen]

Had a great meal here last Saturday and thought it was worth calling attention to the Cucina Povera deal, which can be had any night of the week, 3 courses for $35 with an optional wine-pairing add-on for $15. No choices, so you take what they give you, but Saturday it was a chilled zucchini soup, cavatelli with pork sausage, and amaretto panna cotta. All delicious.

(I also thought the saffron lasagna was pretty mind-blowing, though a little less economical. Bright and citrusy, and one of those dishes you want to eat repeatedly to figure out how they did it.)

We'll be back.

[Fat Guy]

For the past several years, every time someone reports on a great meal there and every time I'm in the 'hood, I've been thinking it has been too long since I've been to Hearth. The other night I finally did something about it and went there with some friends from out of town.

Man, is Hearth a terrific restaurant. It was good when it opened but has now matured into something with more finesse.

I haven't tried every salad on every menu in town, or even on every menu at the places where I've eaten. But I'm still fairly confident in saying that the Autumn vegetable salad is the best salad going right now. It contains a variety of lettuces plus kabocha squash, parsnips, cauliflower, butternut squash, pumpkin seeds and maple-sherry vinaigrette. Not only is the combination brilliant, but also each component is prepared just so and the salad is dressed with a thin film of vinaigrette -- not too much, not too little. There are actually five salads on the appetizer menu (out of 11 dishes). Marco Canora likes salads. Also terrific, the escarole salad with pecorino, walnuts, red onion and honey. For a non-salad appetizer, the ribollita (a soup) with black cabbage, white bean and crispy bits of parmesan warmed me to the core. I know the notion of upscale, refined, comfort food is a bit hackneyed, but when it's done with this level of flair it can't be beat.

It's rare that I have a meal with two bests, but in addition to that Autumn salad I think Hearth's Lola duck with confit pink turnips, Concord grape passata and red quinoa is the best duck dish I've had. The breed of duck must get partial credit, because it is an exceedingly tender and flavorful bird, but the preparation is also spot on. The bowl contains several parts of the duck prepared different ways, and the vegetable and grain elements are worthy backup. I'm not going to say the veal-and-ricotta meatballs, served with spaghetti, are the absolute best in town, but they're right up there. Our friend from North Carolina described the lamb papardelle with black cabbage and olives as "The best damn thing I've ever eaten." I won't go that far, but pasta dishes don't get a lot better. The one dish I didn't love was the cod with black cabbage (yes, from a whole-menu perspective black cabbage is overused right now), smoked chickpeas, garlic confit and baccalá. I thought the smoked chickpeas imparted a little smoky flavor to a fish that doesn't benefit from it.

I don't think the desserts are all that strong. If I had it to do over again, I'd have ordered cheese in lieu of dessert. The cheese collection is nicely curated. The sweet desserts are mostly run-of-the-mill for this level of restaurant, the one big exception being the chocolate and banana tart. But "Mama's ricotta cheesecake" had an unpleasantly dry outer layer, and the apple cider doughnuts are not as good as the similar dish at several other restaurants.

We drank Chateau Musar from Lebanon -- at the restaurant they are big advocates of Musar. The sommelier who helped us, Matt (I have never crossed paths with him before), was exceedingly helpful, as was our server.

The bread from Sullivan Street is also a nice touch.

I have to remember Hearth more often.

[kathryn]

Who do you think does apple cider donuts better (sit down restaurant, not at the Greenmarket)?

[Fat Guy]

With apple cider as the specific flavoring, I don't know if anybody's doing it right now (the doughnut trend feels about five years old), but the plated doughnuts desserts at Craft ("sugar and spice" doughnuts) and Tabla (with orange-blossom essence and three sauces) are both, I think, better. If you widen the scope to include beignets, you can add Artisanal and the Modern to that list. I don't think Greenmarket doughnuts are a direct comparison, but I know this dessert is inspired by them -- and I think if you're going to base a plated restaurant dessert on a street-food item it should be better than that item, not make a person (like me, who is not the slightest bit inclined toward inverse snobbery) wish for the street-food item instead. Based on only one recent meal at Hearth I can't say whether it was an off night for pastry or if the program has fallen off since Lauren Dawson moved out West a few years ago. But I did think dessert was the weak link in the meal.

[Fat Guy]

In Googling for Hearth's address in order to send it to our friends, who were to meet us there for dinner tonight, I came across a piece on Eater on "20 of NYC's Most Underrated Restaurants." Restaurant #1: Hearth. I agree. The meal we had tonight was as good as anything at any restaurant anywhere near the price range. And if Hearth is the most underrated restaurant, the whole roasted fish for two people is the most underrated dish. Today it was a wild striped bass from Long Island waters, roasted with fennel, red onion and potatoes. It comes standing upright nestled in a bed of potatoes and the rest, scored and partly filleted such that with a spoon you can neatly pull sections off the sides. It's the kind of dish that, when they bring it to your table, all the other people in the dining room wish they'd ordered it. The same friend also shared with me as an appetizer the platter of house-made charcuterie containing duck liver pate, rabbit ballotine, pork rillette, smoked ham, cured duck breast, air-dried ham, pickled vegetables, beer mustard (the mustard is house-made too) and toasted Sullivan Street bread with lardo. Amazing in every way. Also, if you're into Riesling or you want to get into it, Hearth is the place. The Riesling selection is hilariously deep.