Hearth

[Bux]

babiemindy will undoubtedly clarify, but the tone of her post suggested to me that the wait wasn't more than 5 minutes because they pushed to be seated early and weren't happy with "no" for an answer:

[...]My friend gave them this look and they got a hint[...]

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Indeed, babiemindy said "My reservation was at 7PM but we arrived 25 minutes early and they were not very accommodating. So we waited for 5 minutes and then my friend got anxious and asked them what the hold up was since there were apparently plenty of empty tables available. To that the host replied, "Right now we're seating on-time." Meaning that they would not seat us before the time we reserved our table."

I find it hard to believe precisely because I don't understand the reasoning that might lie behind such a policy. I understand that reservations are timed to spread the kitchen work load, but surely seating a party early can be handled if there are empty tables. It's a simple matter to say, you're early, please come to your table and we'll be with you in a few moments. Don't get me wrong. That it's unbelievable is no proof that it didn't happen. I just posted about service that was so bad, I wouldn't believe it if someone else wrote about it.

[Pan]

I hope everyone will forgive me if this has already been covered, but have any of you ever showed up at Hearth without a reservation? How were you treated under that circumstance?

[Bux]

I've showed up on time for a reservation, but before one of my dining companions and I've always been seated. I've been to many restaurants that won't seat you until your table has arrived. So, on that score they've been very hospitable. I've been there and had to wait for a table once. We had a reservation and had to wait beyond our time, but we were a party of six plus a baby. There were few places for six and we all wanted to be out of the way and near the door so we could walk the baby if he made a fuss. We were more eager to wait for a certain table than the staff was to make us wait.

[hshiau]

I hope everyone will forgive me if this has already been covered, but have any of you ever showed up at Hearth without a reservation? How were you treated under that circumstance?

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My wife, daughter and I went to Hearth for an early dinner once without reservations. I think it was on a Friday evening around 6pm. They seated us at a table by the bar which was not in the dining room itself. Since we didn't have a reservation and the restaurant filled quickly, we figured we were lucky. Service was still excellent as was the food.

[Cornellrob]

My reservation was at 7PM but we arrived 25 minutes early and they were not very accommodating.  So we waited for 5 minutes and then my friend got anxious and asked them what the hold up was since there were apparently plenty of empty tables available.  To that the host replied, "Right now we're seating on-time."  Meaning that they would not seat us before the time we reserved our table.  My friend gave them this look and they got a hint, we got a table in the small room in the back . . .  the service was polite impeccable and the food was great . . . this is definitely more of a neighborhood place rather than special occasion.

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I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but i'm a little confused with this entire post. If you show up 25 minutes early, to a restaurant that is essentially a "hot spot," how can you expect anything at all really? If they seat you before your scheduled time, then in my opinion, they are doing you a serious favor.

To say they are seating "on time" suggests that they are seating people according to the reservations attached to a particular party or table. Even if a table is empty, it doesn't mean that the restaurant or host is discriminating or being nasty. It means they are waiting for the appropriate reservation to arrive. (how would you feel if you arrived at your correct time, only to find out that your table had been given away to someone who arrived way before their own reservation?)

In spite of your early arrival, they still sat you 20 minutes early and provided you with fantastic service and food -- to most people, this would be a great experience.

I could understand your gripe had you shown up 5 minutes early and maybe received some attitude, but you were 30 minutes early, and that is a significant difference, and one which seemed to be met with reasonable accomodation for such a crowded place.

I've been to Hearth a few times (i'm from NJ, so can't really get out there too often), and have had nothing but superb dining experiences there. For me, it is definitely a destination restaurant....

Again, perhaps i'm a jerk and don't understand how these things work. Sorry if that's the case.

Edited December 24, 2004 by Cornellrob (log)

[Babiemindy]

Bux- restauranteurs could learn something from you!

"... It's a simple matter to say, you're early, please come to your table and we'll be with you in a few moments..."

I did not mean to say at all that the host was being "discriminating or being nasty." I do have to apologize if that's what it seemed like from my post. It was definitely "less than welcoming." There were people that showed up after us and were seated immediately (but they seemed like regulars), there were no one waiting ahead of us. I wouldn't doubt that they would've let us stand there waiting until 7pm if we hadn't hinted at the empty tables available. They do make a decent revenue from guests having drinks while waiting at the bar! I was simply trying to find out what other diner's experiences were when they arrive early at Hearth (or any restaurant actually)... I don't have any gripes with this place

The fantastic food and service lived up to the great reviews- it's a complete different issue from the attitude of the host of the restaurant at all (being a native NY-er I often see that they like to "exercise" their power and have their ego stroked)

I only said that Hearth is a neighborhood place because there are other places in around me in Murray Hill that serves the similar assortment of quality and delicious dishes that I wouldn't need to revisit Hearth unless I was around East Village.

People that show up without a reservation were welcomed to wait- perhaps at the bar.

[Pan]

My brother and I just had a great lunch at Lupa yesterday (which I posted about separately in the Lupa thread). Would anyone like to compare Hearth and Lupa? What about comparing Hearth to Bianca?

[Bux]

I only said that Hearth is a neighborhood place because there are other places in around me in Murray Hill that serves the similar assortment of quality and delicious dishes that I wouldn't need to revisit Hearth unless I was around East Village.

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I'd be curious to know which places you like in Murray Hill and particularly which you think compare to Hearth. I was impressed by Hearth, but probably see it as short of a destination restaurant, which is not to say I don't go out of my way to go there. I do.

[Bux]

My brother and I just had a great lunch at Lupa yesterday (which I posted about separately in the Lupa thread). Would anyone like to compare Hearth and Lupa? What about comparing Hearth to Bianca?

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I have a hard time getting a reservation at Lupa. It's ridiculously popular, but I'd say Hearth is a more grown up restaurant in terms of service and ambience. It's certainly quieter. It's hard to compare the food. Hearth seems to have more complex dishes, but some of the simple things at Lupa are really quite sophisticated. Bianca is a nice little place, but there's no comparison in my book.

[Pan]

Thanks, Bux.

Go to Lupa for lunch, and you won't have such trouble getting a reservation or even getting a table for two or three without one.

[Bux]

Thanks, Bux.

Go to Lupa for lunch, and you won't have such trouble getting a reservation or even getting a table for two or three without one.

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I had lunch there two or three weeks ago without a reservation. We got the last table, although there were still seats at the communal table which is fine. It's noisy even at lunch when the bar isn't full. We've also got dinner reservations for later next month. January is a very slow time for most restaurants in NY.

[Babiemindy]

La Petite Auberge, Bistango, L'Impero, I Trulli, Tabla, Eleven Madison Park, Lasaro's, IXTA, Park Bistro, Les Halles...

an assortment of different places near me that I go to every so often (different kinds of food and price range). I particularly like Bistango (3rd ave & 29th) and would compare it to Hearth. You won't find a review of this place anywhere and it's not a place by a famous chef or "complex" dishes but it has great dependable food and service... would Hearth have gotten this much attention without Marco and Paul's names attached?

Tastes are simply a matter of preference...

[Bux]

I know only a few of those from recent experience. I'd say those I know are in Hearth's class. Your Murray Hill may be larger than I think of Murray Hill. Others I may know, but don't choose to revisit and wonder if they might be quite in that class. I think Les Halles gets more attention that it deserves because of Bourdain, who's really no longer in the kitchen. On the other hand, Hearth may get attention because of the people who opened it, but it's the food and probably the service that get it the return visits.

Tastes are very subjective, and the ultimate choice of where to dine may be entirely subjective, but there are objective things that can be said about chefs, restaurants and their food that go beyond taste.

[Pan]

[...]there are objective things that can be said about chefs, restaurants and their food that go beyond taste.

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You mean like their resumes or something? Sure, you can say that X chef worked at Y restaurant and staged with Z somewhere. But is any of that important if you don't like the taste of their cuisine? Or is there something else you're thinking of here?

[MichaelZ]

IOn the other hand, Hearth may get attention because of the people who opened it, but it's the food and probably the service that get it the return visits.

That's right. Marco and Paul are unquestionably talented, but the true mark of Hearth's quality is that the food, service and experience don't vary, even on the rare nights when one or both of them isn't there.

[Bux]

[...]there are objective things that can be said about chefs, restaurants and their food that go beyond taste.

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You mean like their resumes or something? Sure, you can say that X chef worked at Y restaurant and staged with Z somewhere. But is any of that important if you don't like the taste of their cuisine? Or is there something else you're thinking of here?

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Is there nothing qualitative that you can say about a restaurant's food? Is the difference between two meals nothing but a matter of taste? I'm a firm believer in relativity and the subjective nature of taste, but there are some objective standards by which one can judge, compare and recommend restaurants and those standards can be examined blind of the chef's resumes.

[Pan]

Is there nothing qualitative that you can say about a restaurant's food? Is the difference between two meals nothing but a matter of taste? I'm a firm believer in relativity and the subjective nature of taste, but there are some objective standards by which one can judge, compare and recommend restaurants and those standards can be examined blind of the chef's resumes.

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OK, then. What objective standards? There are probably some pretty clear objective standards about ingredients. Are the lettuce leaves turning brown? OK, that's a problem. But generally, I would answer that there are plenty of qualitative things one can say about a restaurant's food, but that the difference between two meals is fundamentally one of taste, unless perhaps we're dealing with something egregious like obviously spoiled meat.

[Bux]

Let's go with salad. Suppose you had some fine herbs and baby lettuces and distributed them to two restaurants or two cooks. They'll taste the same. Now suppose you had both cooks whip up a vinaigrette from the same recipe, dress the greens and serve the salads. The dressings may even taste the same. Will the salads "taste" the same, maybe, but will they be of completely equal quality? I'm using this example because of a discussion I had some half dozen or more years back with a young cook who was then working in the kitchen at Daniel and had recently worked at Commander's Palace in New Orleans. What he was telling me was that this was the first time in his life that he had worked under such exacting demands. As an example of those demands, he cited having to prepare a salad of herbs in which every leaf was coated with dressing on both sides, but not with so much that any leaf would drip. This is the difference in standards between restaurants and it can be applied to every cut a cook makes with his knife and the cooking of every piece of food.

I think it's fair to set a standard for chocolate that's based on using the purest and best grade of ingredients that would include chocolate and cocoa butter. Nevertheless, I've been told by someone from the UK that they prefer the taste of chocolate when some of the cocoa butter has been replaced with some sort of non-chocolate hydrogenated fat. This is not a moot point. Belgium and France fought hard to prohibit what they have long considered as an adulterated product, from being legally sold as chocolate. Unfortunately the lobbyists from the UK have won and I now have to read the fine print on the labels in all EU countries to know if the chcocolate I'm buying is real chocolate. A review of chocolates may be more useful to me if it tells me which chocolates meet my standards than if it tells me which taste better. Not knowing the taster's taste, I shouldn't much care what he likes.

Back to salad, if I don't know the critic, knowing he liked the salad doesn't really tell me too much. Knowing that each leaf was coated with dressing, but that there was no residual dressing on the plate gives me an indication that the kichen has rigorous standards and that may be a better clue that the food will taste good to me.

Ultimately, you will like a restaurant if the food tastes good to you, but there are qualitative standards that we can use to communicate about food that are not reliant on our taste.

[Pan]

Thanks for that detailed answer, Bux. I see your point now.

[SobaAddict70]

Dinner at Hearth tonight.

Hearth continues to be one of my favorite restaurants in New York, and tonight was no exception. As I've said earlier, if I had the funds to make it possible, I'd go there every night for the rest of my life.

Before I get to dinner specifics, here is their current menu for January 2005:

First Courses

Baby lettuces

Shallots, beets and red wine viniagrette (9)

Arugula and shaved fennel

White anchovy and cipolini onions (12)

Ribollita

Black cabbage, white beans and parmesan (10)

Red snapper crudo

Lemon, red pepper and rosemary (11)

Hamachi

Honeycrisp apple and pickled celery (13)

Marinated sardines

Soffritto crudo and parsley (12)

Red wine braised octopus

Celery root, celery and potato (13)

Nantucket bay scallops

Salsify and prosciutto (16)

Rabbit ballotine

Picholine olives and frisee (12)

Stuffed cabbage

Sweetbreads, pastina, veal and broth (14)

Roasted quail

Tomato preserves, farro and poached quail egg (13)

Game bird and foie gras terrine

Red oak leaf, pears and pickled crosnes (16)

Mains -- Fish

Braised barramundi

Artichokes, black olives, romanesco and cockles (26)

Chatham cod

Baccala mantecato, red peppers and salsa verde (24)

Steamed black bass

Saffron risotto, black trumpet mushrooms and red wine (28)

Monkfish "cacciucco"

Calamari, pepperoncini, fennel and tomato (25)

Mains -- Meat

Roasted and braised domestic lamb

Lamb sausage, squash and yellowfoot chanterelles (28)

Braised veal breast

Crispy sweetbreads, porcini and black cabbage (27)

Roasted dry aged sirloin

Braised shortrib, swiss chard, turnips and baby beets (30)

Wild boar pappardelle

Cipolini onions, red wine and rosemary (22)

Mains -- Vegetable

Pumpkin tortelli

Amaretti, chestnut and sage (20)

Sides

Anson Mills polenta (6)

Potato puree (6)

Gnocchi (9)

Sweet potato puree (7)

Tasting Menu (62)

First Course -- Celery Root Soup

Maine diver scallops, black trumpet mushrooms and chervil

Second Course -- Roasted Striped Bass

Winter vegetables, parsley root puree and black truffle viniagrette

Third Course -- Stone Church Farm Duck

Confit leg, quince and brussel sprouts

Dessert Amuse -- Pomegranate Granita

Greek yogurt and pomegranate molasses

Dessert -- Apple Tatin

Vanilla ice cream

Dessert Menu

Goat Milk Panna Cotta

Huckleberry compote (8)

Pecan Tart

Sweet potato ice cream (10)

Olive Oil Cake

Roasted pears and burnt sugar ice cream (10)

Cheesecake

Cranberry compote and cranberry-orange sorbet (9)

Apple Cider Doughnuts

Apple compote and maple cream (9)

Milk Chocolate Tart

Semolina crust and peanut brittle ice cream (10)

Ice Cream Sampler

Peanut brittle, burnt sugar and vanilla (9)

Sorbet Sampler

Anjou pear, cranberry-orange and Meyer lemon (9)

Cheese Plate (3.25 per piece)

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I had the tasting menu, which was surprising because I didn't think it would be possible for me to get it.

Along with the usual shot of soup (parsnip in this case), there was a bite of red snapper crudo and a bite of the hamachi. Memo to self: get the snapper crudo next time. I can't believe after all this time I haven't had this. Tonight was my fourth visit to Hearth.

Next, the striped bass. Nice melange of vegetables; what I thought was a hint of vanilla in the parsley puree was actually the black truffle making itself known. The brussel sprouts in the duck were enough to convert a die-hard hater of brussel sprouts into a convert. There was a side of gnocchi provided gratis. Ethereal with a hint of black pepper.

My wine education continues. Had a riesling to start off and a red (St. Joseph Cuvee? or something.) About 3 oz. of each. Ok, ok, not a lot of wine, but it is a lot to this non-drinker.

Had a digestif (kirsch) at the end, but I think it'll be some time before I work up to something in excess of 20% alcohol. Still, it was nice for what it was, and I was not charged for the little bit that I had.

The apple tatin was a "mini" tarte tatin and provided a perfect capper to a wonderful meal. This is grown-up apple pie a la mode. Luscious caramelized apples enclosed on top of flaky buttery pastry served with a quenelle of vanilla ice cream. *sigh* I suppose those apple cider doughnuts will have to wait till next time.

Bill came to $107 with tax and tip.

RUN, do not walk to this restaurant.

Soba

[SobaAddict70]

I'd like to add that Mr. Bruni was sighted at the restaurant tonight.

Talk about near misses.

Soba

[SobaAddict70]

Dinner at Hearth, this past Sunday.

Click here for the menu.

I had the tasting menu. Bond Girl joined me for a few bites, along with dessert. We sat at the pass, where Chef Canora once again showed me why Hearth is one of my favorite restaurants. If I could go to one place for the rest of my life, this restaurant is it.

Things to get for next time -- the roasted dry aged sirloin (braised shortrib, bonemarrow and honshimeji mushrooms (32)), rabbit pappardelle (black olives, white wine and rosemary (22)), braised veal breast (crispy sweetbreads, morels, peas and pea shoots (27)), and stuffed cabbage (sweetbreads, veal, pastina, peas and broth (14)). There was a side of asparagus and lemon risotto (9) and I keep kicking myself for not having ordered it.

Diver Scallop Carpaccio

Blood orange, black truffle, herb salad

Sweet, luscious scallops in a gentle blood orange emulsion with bits of black truffle and herbs. A pleasant introduction to the evening.

Daurade

Smoked mussel soup, saffron and spring vegetables

Stone Church Farm Duck

Confit leg, pickled ramps, mustard seed

This was a pleasure to have. Buttery slices of meltingly tender duck breast, along with a confit leg and slightly pickled ramps. Mustard seed added sharpness and piquancy.

There was a side gratis of gnocchi, as ethereal as I remember them, this time mixed in with saucing for the rabbit pappardelle.

Carrot Soup

Buttermilk pistachio semifreddo

Passion Fruit Meringue Tart

Strawberries

I felt the two desserts were not as strong as Hearth's regular offerings, which is to say not much considering that the rest of the meal more than made up for it.

I confess that my memory (yes, four days past) isn't reliable as I don't remember taste impressions apart from the scallops and the duck.

Oh well, it's a la carte next time...unless that tasting menu lures me back again. A little under $110 (can't remember the exact total, but this included wine, tax and tip).

Soba

[oakapple]

I had dinner last night at Hearth with two collegues. I ordered:

FOIE GRAS TORCHON ($18)

with Endive, Mission Figs, and Brioche Toast

STEAMED BLACK BASS ($27)

Heirloom Tomatoes, Leeks and Fine Herbs

I know that Hearth has a lot of fans on this board, but I found both dishes underwhelming. The foie gras was extremely bland (I enjoyed the toast more), and the bass practically devoid of taste. The bread service was also a disappointment (tasted stale; the butter wasn't spreadable).

My colleagues did enjoy their meals, so perhaps I just ordered the wrong things.

[chefboy24]

that's discouraging. i just sent them my resume.

[iain]

Anyone else been lately?