Hearth
403 East 12th Avenue (at 1st)

It was the start of "Restaurant Week" in New York for the summer...which means sub-standard prix fixe food for most of the city's restaurants. So for me to find a place to eat, it has to be a place not participating in this shambolic promotion...if you like me to elaborate, let me know.

I went to Hearth, as I had a recent good meal at its new sister restaurant Insieme. Me and a friend went on a Monday evening and had a wonderful night in the East Village restaurant, despite a few blunders.

The space was nice and open in the busy East Village, where few good restaurants are. But it was full and happy on a Monday night, rare for the summer in the city -- many restaurants in the West Village and TriBeCa were half-empty...

We enjoyed a beautiful Lagrein red for our dinner, which complemented nearly everything (my favourite). The "veal tongue" was a disappointment -- in the fact that there was just 3 pieces of thinly-sliced tongue over a ton of greens. This was not what I expected, so that started poorly.

After a rather long wait, we were informed that my friend's scallops were ruined for some reason -- so we were given a special mid-course -- the crab and pea soup. It was okay, as a mid-course I guess. After my friend gave an alternate, we were soon presented with the main course. I had the sturgeon, which was actually very nice -- cooked very well, with much flavour. I was not too thrilled with the excessive use of beans, but everything balanced out well. The main course made me happy. My friend liked his replacement dish too.

For dessert I enjoyed the ice cream selection, which was nice -- especially with the unique douglas fir eau de vie -- a little bit of "Christmas spirit" in the summer I guess! I had this earlier at Insieme and loved the uniqueness. I also had a few grappe afterwards to enjoy the night. One thing about this place and its sister restaurant, the winelist and post-dinner drinks list is just amazing...always fantastic, just a treat in itself.

Despite the problems, the staff was incredibly smooth and covered up any problems. This is how a good restaurant is operated, and kudos to them for dealing with any problems quickly and efficiently. Food was okay, but the service was excellent. Always a good choice.

Food: B
Atmosphere: A-
For Lone Diners: B- (*)