I returned to Hearth on the Lower East Side to celebrate my friend’s birthday. I chose it not only for its good food but for the moderate sound level of the dining room. I wanted to be able to hear her without straining.

I started with their Vieux Carré ($22) with Whistlepig 10-year rye, Dudognon aged cognac and a splash of Benedictine. I liked the combination. My birthday friend sipped the Chablis Courtauld-Michelet, 2021, Burgundy, France ($22).

We nibbled their cecina with our drinks, a chickpea flour pancake topped with olive tapenade ($9). I recommend.

She had been to Hearth before and yearned for their bun-less burger made from grass-fed brisket and liver, heart and bone marrow ($29). The burger came topped with Fontina cheese and caramelized onions with a side of garlic aioli. With the burger came some of the best-ever crispy beef-fat-fried potatoes ($29). I’d return for those and a glass of the also-crisp Chablis—that good.

She also tried their cauliflower, which included broccoli and was served — oddly, we thought — at room temperature.

I opted for something a bit lighter, as I was recovering from an upset stomach and didn’t want to miss the celebration. I had a bowl of Chef Marco’s Tuscan (semi-pureed) white bean and vegetable soup topped with breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and thyme ($16).

Of course, since it was a birthday celebration, we had to have a dessert for the candle! Our birthday cake was an olive oil one with poached quince and whipped cream fraîche ($16).

I recommend a visit.

Hearth
Lower East Side
403 E 12th St
New York, NY 10009
(646) 602-1300
restauranthearth.comrestauranthearth.com