Tuesday, October 25, 2011

East Village Gem: Hearth

Sorry I've been gone for so long...midterms took over my life for the past couple of weeks, but everything is now back to normal.  And to celebrate midterms being over, I snuck out with a dear friend of mine Sunday night and had a cozy dinner at Hearth.

We had randomly stopped by Hearth the night before, for a glass of wine at the bar, while waiting for our table at Luzzo's across the street.  As food kept coming out of the kitchen, we found ourselves drooling and wishing we were eating here instead, so like the proactive ladies we are, we immediately made reservations for the very next night.

The menu is concise, clean, and offers a great variety.  I especially love that the chef lists the farms where all of the produce is from on the backside of the menu.  That's a great touch for picky eaters like myself who wants to know where her meats were raised.  The service was very attentive; I never saw the bottom of my water glass.  As far as price is concerned: you pay for what you get, which is all-around quality, and the bill definitely added up, but was not too outrageous.

I was feeling like a Sunday Supper sort of night, so I ordered the veal + ricotta meatballs with spaghetti ($28).  My friend ordered another pasta dish with wild boar ($30).  I'm such a sucker for homemade pasta.  A Piedmont Barbera ($10) sealed the deal and I thoroughly enjoyed everything about my meal at Hearth.  We were there early on a Sunday night, so it was quieter and more relaxing compared to our Saturday night drink at the bar when the restaurant was bustling.  We passed on dessert (somehow), but I ended the evening with a mint hot tea ($4.50).  Hearth is all about finishing touches, and this "coaster" for my mug stole the show.