Hearth, sister restaurant to 126 and Moonraker's Gastropub, is a cozy little place located above Zephyr copies on East Washington Street. I came here recently with my husband for an early dinner and the food was excellent.
The space is small and simple with cream and brick walls, a pitch black ceiling and white table cloths with tea lights at every table-- great for a date night or other special occasion.. There's also a room in the back that's open for private parties (we had Revival's Christmas party there one year). The menu consists of small plates like vegetable samosas with mint coriander chutney, Italian wood-fired pizzas (all of which are fantastic), a few salads, a selection of cheeses and charcuterie (smoked/cured meats), and a nice selection of entrees with dishes ranging from housemade gnocchi to pork vindaloo.
We came on a Friday and were seated at a nice little table for two. To drink we had Matildas, Goose Island's quite strong and tasty Belgian style pale ale, although they definitely have a very nice wine selection. Everything on the menu looked good but also pricey so we left out the small plates and greens and the lovely cheeses and went straight for the entrees. I had the pork vindaloo en croute; a perfectly spiced, slightly sweet pork stew baked in a buttery pastry crust. It's incredibly good. My husband had the Alsatian tart which is baked in their wood burning oven and topped with caramelized onion, bacon, and Gruyere cheese. Very tasty. Overall we had a great experience, friendly and attentive service and excellent food.
The only thing I could have done without was how the noise level rose as the seats filled up. There isn't much in the room to absorb the sound and towards the end of our meal it was admittedly a little difficult to concentrate on our conversation and not the conversation of the couple next to us.
But, whatever... go to Hearth, enjoy!
xoxo-Shopgirl Sam
Open Dinners Mon-Sat
Tues-Thurs: 5pm - 9:30
Fri-Sat: 5pm - 10
Free Wine Pairing Dinner on Mondays
126 East Washington Street, Iowa City
make a reservation at:
