Hearth

[Bond Girl]

Hearth being only a block away is making me into a very lazy cook. The gnocchi last night has shaved black truffles on it. I usually don't order Gnocchi at restaurants because they tend to take on a rubbery texture. The ones at Hearth were surprisingly tender and light and made perfect comfort food for a cold evening. The Pear spice cake with buttermilk ice cream is definitely worth every calorie.

[Jason Perlow]

http://www.restauranthearth.com/

Hearth is truly one of the hottest new restaurants in the city, and I mean it.

For starters, I don't know how he does it, but Marco Canora is a true wizard at cooking in tightly enclosed spaces -- the open kitchen at Hearth is unbelievably close quarters, and they seem to not miss a beat or bang into each other in there. For those of you who are single diners and would otherwise feel uncomfortable at a table by yourself, you should definitely sit at the counter in the kitchen and watch Marco's perfectly executed cooking technique and the colorful repartee between the kitchen staff. First class entertainment, definitely.

Rachel sums up our experience pretty well, so I don't have much to add, other than that if you are a big fan of Craft, you MUST go to Hearth. Its a cozier, somewhat Italianized version of the food served there.

The Red Snapper Crudo was definitely my favorite appetizer and like Rachel said, its a very easy one to share.

The Black Bass was really, really good, and I'm not really a cooked fish eater, so that should tell you something. The Octopus preparation was very interesting, very tender, and if you like octopus, you'll enjoy the dish a lot.

The Monkfish itself in the monkfish osso buco I felt was a fairly plain preparation, and it was pretty bland compared to the Black Bass dish -- although the fish itself was perfect. The super rich, creamy saffron risotto milanesa accompaniment (with tender squid rings!) really needed a better contrast. Actually, the risotto milanesa with some other seafood in it would have been a really good dish in and of itself -- its almost as if the monkfish component was the side and an afterthought.

What can I say about the short rib and sirloin other than the fact the steak specimen was perfect and the preparation was perfect. No sauce, just a little kosher salt on it, cooked perfectly medium rare and accompanied with some nice (roasted?) shallots and sautéed mushrooms. The braised short rib that came with it -- extremely tender, falling off the bone -- reminded my of my grandmother's brisket. I was yearning for a green vegetable side like creamed or sautéed spinach or sautéed haricots verts to go with this although there were no such offerings on the menu. However, the whipped potato and mushroom sides went incredibly well with the dish. The polenta was very buttery but compared to the mashed potatoes we all sort of felt like it was an under performer. The Gnocchi were amazing, but like Rachel says, you must eat them immediately otherwise they deteriorate quickly.

Desserts were good although none of them truly blew me away -- but all of us were pretty stuffed at this point so we were probably in sensory overload.

I'd also like to add that Beverage Director Hailey Rose who did the wine pairings did an amazing job of matching with each course, and she picked some interesting stuff that normally we wouldn't have picked. I highly suggest that you allow her to do the same for you as well. The wine list, with many selections by the glass or half bottle, is large and eclectic for such a restaurant of its modest size and they should be commended for picking some really interesting stuff.

For a new restaurant Hearth is putting out some amazing food -- their highs are very high indeed, and although not all their dishes are home runs from a conceptual standpoint, they are all prepared with Marco's perfection and skill that he attained working at Gramercy Tavern and Craft. I'm really looking forward to going back and watching the restaurant mature and see what other seasonal offerings they have during the spring and summer.

[jogoode]

I want pictures, Jason!

[Rachel Perlow]

Sorry, we didn't bring the camera. Maybe you can ask Marco Canora to post some to Hearth's website during his Q&A.

[ned]

Had dinner at Hearth last night. Here's what I've got:

The list of aps is a gold mine. I was interested in nearly everything on the list. Ate the game bird terrine. Beautiful presentation, tasty terrine, a mess of dressed julienned vinegary vegetables of the root variety. Also a teeny pile of pickles, knurled and looking like skinny shrunken cheetohs that my wife and I determined to be the tips of carrots, the part we normally snip off and throw away. Love when the waste bits are used cleverly. The (pregnant so not adventurous at the moment) wife ate what we both felt was an overlarge plate of mixed greens that the menu called baby lettuces. Hmm. Not a bad salad but it and the menu could have been more specific.

The entrees also interesting. I ate veal breast with sweetbreads. Fab. The breast was maybe overbraised a bit, crust on the breads was perfect. Lovely demiglacish sauce, a little pie made of pumkin or something like pumkin, little cheese in it probably cooked in a ramekin. This was one of two dishes on the menu where different parts of the same animal were presented together. Beautiful idea. The wife ate a filet of Dorade with fennel puree and sauteed fennel. The fennel was excellent both ways. I'd like to meet a chef who can make a better than mediocre filet of dorade. I wouldn't bother to try. It's a boring piece of fish. Shouldn't be on the menu. Roasted whole with a guarantee of freshness, then maybe.

There is no salt on the tables. The veal needed it as did the terrine. It's a mark of arrogance on the part of a chef not to allow the diner to adjust his own salt to taste. Occasionally a chef is so good that he should be allowed to do this. I don't think it's appropriate at Hearth, more atmospherically than because of the quaity of the food.

Eat ice cream at Hearth. Particularly the peanut brittle. Also eat the doughnuts. Why must everyone make quenelles out of ice cream these days?

Finally, when you make a reservation, ask for a table in the front room. We sat in a narrow alley-like where it smelled alternately of industrial dishwasher and burning things from the kitchen. I appreciate the difficulties of restauranting and that the more tables the blah blah blah but I spent $128 for dinner last night and I don't want those smells wafting around my table.

Service, timing, the look of the restaurant, excellent.

I look forward to my next dinner at Hearth.

[Jason Perlow]

Click Here for the Marco Canora Q&A/Hearth Pictorial

[jeunefilleparis]

This is a bit late, but better late than never, right?

Beth and I went for a late night dessert run 2 saturdays ago and it was just incredible.

I was very impressed by the way they changed the space. I had eaten at Tappo once a couple of years ago and I remembered it to be rather different.

Anyways, we chose 3 different desserts * hey they re small ok!!*

The first dessert was the apple donuts with apple compote and maple cream. The donuts came out hot and fresh. This was my favorite of the night. They were not too sweet at all, and the apple compote and maple cream were lovely dipping sauces. I could eat a whole dozen of them! They should sell them in the morning!

the second dessert that we had the goats milk panna cotta with huckleberry compote. This panna cotta was perfect. It was really creamy and smooth, with a slight goat cheese taste. The huckleberries, which I dont ever recall trying previously, was a very nice twist and added a nice semi sweetish taste to the dish.

The 3rd dessert was a banana cake layered with mascarpone icing w. sweet potato icecream. This one was a bit less interesting than the other two, but delicious none the less. I mean, really, how can you go wrong with mascarpone icing? The sweet potato icecream was not too differen than a pumpkin icecream.

All in all a great, warm, inviting place! I go back in a second!

Edited February 17, 2004 by jeunefilleparis (log)

[Pan]

Thanks for dropping in to post that, Lauren.

[jeunefilleparis]

I m going to Jean George tonight and I promise to actually post about it in the next day or so!

[Pan]

I hope you had a great time!

[johnjohn]

I had a really nice dinner while sitting at the counter in the kitchen at Hearth last night. Service was awesome. I was a solo diner which always makes me feel weird, but the staff made me feel very comfortable. Marco seems like a great guy. He answered all of my questions about the products or how things were prepared. It was also pretty cool to watch the guys work at their stations in the kitchen.

Started with the Red Snapper Crudo - A great way to open the meal. It was bathed in a spicy, but fruity olive oil with fried rosemary leaves and a dusting of sea salt. I liked how the frying of the rosemary tamed it's flavor - I usually find it to be too strong an herb. The sea salt added a nice crunch to the dish.

Next, was a plate of the Gnocchi with a sauce of butter, parm, and S&P. Awesome. The second best version I've ever had (first being Giorgio's Gorgonzola covered ones on the UES) - Very light and fluffy. I did think they were salty, but in a good way. I only bring this up, because the person next to me also ordered them and commented on the saltiness.

Braised Lamb Shoulder and ribs with Escarole and Barlotti Beans was my main course with a side of polenta. Really soft and flavorful meat with perfectly cooked beans (not mushy - with a little bite) my only comment (and not a necessarily a negative) was that the shoulder and rib had the same mouth feel - I guess I would of preferred a piece of the loin or something more fibouris to chew on. This was the first time I ever tried soft polenta - it was good, but I don't think I'm a fan of the texture - nice flavor though.

My dessert was the Goat Milk Panna Cotta with Huckleberry Compote. I am a huge fan of panna cotta and order it when ever it's on the menu (which seems to be at every restaurant). The panna cotta was soft and creamy with a nice tang. I have never had huckleberries before - I don't know - they really didn't seem to do anything for me. Two small cookies followed with a solid cup of coffee.

Wines were paired with each course - I know nothing about wine, but I really liked the ones they picked.

johnjohn

[SobaAddict70]

The trajectory of mystifying NYTimes restaurant reviews continues, and Hearth is the latest victim.

It starts off promisingly with this:

A dish of hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, direct from Craft, could not be better. The mushrooms are roasted and served on a solitary white plate. Have your fork ready when they arrive; even good friends will betray you.

However, we next see this:

The main walls are covered with thick panels of white felt, affixed with gigantic copper staples. They look like big bandages, actually. Big cozy bandages. Just like home, if you live in an infirmary.

...followed by this:

In some cases, the food's visual clarity is not matched by the power of its taste. The red snapper crudo comes with six snowy pieces of fish, each crowned with a mince of red pepper and a fried rosemary leaf — lots of flavor, none from the snapper.

Hearth (Amanda Hesser) (from today's NYTimes DIGEST update. You may have to scroll down for the appropriate link.)

Is it me, or is there a disconnect in this review? Two stars is not quite the rating I would give based on what has been said regarding Hearth on this and other threads.

By the by, a friend and I have a dinner reservation there in two and a half weeks, and very much looking forward to it.

Soba

[Lesley C]

This review, I liked.

I found it very positive, almost gushing but not quite. Lots of those unique, Hesser-style food descriptions, no snide tone like last week. It sounds like the kind of restaurant one would visit time and time again, not some foodie destination. And I think the stars are bang on. This doesn't sound like a restaurant striving for four stars. Two sounds right. And don't forget, two equals "very good."

[Jason Perlow]

Nah, this is wrong. The place is serving 3 star cuisine. STRONG 3 star cuisine.

The review itself is good, but the star rating is completely off.

[Lesley C]

OK, I haven't been. Also, she doesn't say anything about the service. But, from the picture, it looks pretty casual. I can't quite see bar service (meals served at the bar) at a strong three-star restaurant. I, for one maybe, like a tablecloth in my three-star restaurants.

Jason are you saying this restaurant is on a par with places like Grammercy Tavern and Craft?

[JosephB]

I, for one maybe, like a tablecloth in my three-star restaurants.

Jason are you saying this restaurant is on a par with places like Grammercy Tavern and Craft?

I am also troubled by the absence of tablecloths -- too casual for a 3rd star. Casualness and decor also hurt WD50.

[Jason Perlow]

OK, I haven't been. Also, she doesn't say anything about the service. But, from the picture, it looks pretty casual. I can't quite see bar service (meals served at the bar) at a strong three-star restaurant. I, for one maybe, like a tablecloth in my three-star restaurants.

Jason are you saying this restaurant is on a par with places like Grammercy Tavern and Craft?

Yes, the food and service is on par with GT and Craft.

[Varmint]

I thought Ms. Hesser did a solid job with the review. Notice how she gave much more attention to the food this time around -- she must have been listening to us!! To me, this review gave me a great feel for the restaurant, what it's trying to do, and how well it does that. I don't think they should be embarrassed with 2 stars.

[Fat Guy]

If Craft and Gramercy Tavern are three-star restaurants, we hit a conceptual problem if Hearth gets three stars as well, especially since Hearth has so overtly been designed to feel like Gramercy Craft Cafe. The cuisine at all those restaurants is on a similarly high level of technical accomplishment and quality, but the luxuriousness of the ingredients and settings at Gramercy and Craft are in a different category. To me, the stars should roughly correspond to:

**** - The absolute highest level of cuisine and luxuriousness available in NYC

*** - Restaruants that serve four-star-worthy cuisine but lack the luxuriousness of the four-star restaurants; also, this rating should encompass restaurants striving for four stars, with all the trappings of four stars, but that somehow fall short

** - Very good restaurants that are worthy destinations, but that serve cuisine one notch below that of the four- and three-star restaurants and/or offer very casual/informal atmospheres, service, cuisine, and presentation; the two-star rating is also useful to designate three-star-potential restaurants that somehow fall short.

* - The finest examples of neighborhood restaurants, and the two-star-caliber restaurants that are underperforming.

This, it seems to me, is the language the better NYT critics have spoken in their better moments.

On that scale, two stars is probably the most appropriate position for Hearth. The problem, of course, is that the Times has awarded some real howlers of three-star ratings over the years. Nonetheless, it's difficult to find fault with a two-star rating for Hearth. As much as I think Hearth pushes at the three-star boundary, this is probably the rating I'd have given the restaurant if I had to assign the stars. And in the text I would make clear that Hearth represents the very best of two-star dining, with three-star-worthy cuisine prepared by a tremendously talented chef in a casual, approachable setting and at a very reasonable price point.

[Jason Perlow]

Steven I generally agree with this assessment with some reservations, but as you say, if Hearth is a 2 star serving 3 star food, it requires that the entire "3 star" restaurants rating at the NYT be re-evaluated, because so many NY restaurants that have received 3 stars certainly don't merit them at all.

Overall I have a problem with rating restaurants on stars alone, because you get into problems in some restaurants (like Hearth) with the food and service and decor being in totally different ranges. Hearth would be a 3 star restaurant in -your- value system if it wasn't for its setting and casual nature.

The luxuriousness of the settings at Hearth compared to GT and Craft may be at issue here, but not the ingredients and service. The ingredients and food served there are on par with those other two places.

The tight quarters and casualness of the restaurant may be what's hurting its star rating as far as the Times is concerned, but the only thing that matters for me at the end of the day is the quality of what is being put on the plate.

[Fat Guy]

Absolutely, Jason. It appears manifestly unjust for Hearth to get a two star rating when restaurants like Bolo, 5757, JUdson Grill, L'Impero, Park Bistro, and Patria are hanging on to undeserved three-star ratings. Hearth is significantly better than any of those places.

Were the three-star rating properly limited to the restaurants that deserve it -- restaurants like Craft, Danube, Gramercy Tavern, Nobu, Picholine, and Veritas -- then two stars for Hearth would be a no brainer.

An interesting comparison to Hearth is Bid, another restaurant from a Colicchio protege. Bid was clearly a more luxurious restaurant on all fronts than Hearth. I think it was a slightly better restaurant as well. It also received two stars. And that was probably the right rating. Nonetheless, I'd find the three-star argument for Bid to be more compelling than a three-star argument for Hearth.

[Lesley C]

The tight quarters and casualness of the restaurant may be what's hurting its star rating as far as the Times is concerned, but the only thing that matters for me at the end of the day is the quality of what is being put on the plate.

Jason, that's you. But you would be surprised how many people care about the rest. Hearth looks too casual to be an "occasion" restaurant, and, IMO, a three-star restaurant has to fall into that category (it's a must with a four-star restaurant). When restaurants garner high ratings, they become destination restaurants, and a destination restaurant has to offer more than great food. Again, IMO, of course.

[Fat Guy]

To amplify what Lesley said, readers have a certain expectation of a three-star restaurant. As a reader, one would have a right to be surprised upon visiting Hearth if one had gone there with the expectation of a just-shy-of-four-star, destination/occasion-restaurant experience. Of course, the language of the review can clarify some of this, but the stars have to make sense on their own because so many people rely on them exclusively (and stupidly).

To many people, of course, casualness is a plus -- they'd rather go to Hearth than to a place where most men are wearing coat and tie. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that preference, but the langauge of the star system presupposes the opposite set of expectations.

Overall, I thought it was a very good review. Hesser is an excellent writer, and this time around I think her judgment was on par with her skills as a wordsmith. I also appreciated that the knowledge she has gained over the years as a reporter covering restaurants came into play in her review. For example, her discussion of Paul Grieco and the cocktail/beer/wine program was no doubt informed in part by her extensive reporting on Paul and Gramercy Tavern over the years. This is the sort of thing that William Grimes -- despite being the author of a book on cocktails -- typically missed because he kept himself at a distance from the people behind the restaurants.

[Rachel Perlow]

since Hearth has so overtly been designed to feel like Gramercy Craft Cafe.

Yes! That's it exactly!

[bpearis]

They really do need to rethink the servers dress. Those jeans and awful striped shirts make them look like country musicians.

The food is completely ace, though.