Hearth on 25th is an enigmatic representation of culinary ambiguity in Utah, so it’s only fitting that it’s positioned, oddly, on a rather scenic second-story corner lot in Ogden on 25th and Lincoln. Inside, you will often find an ambience of the distant clattering of steel pans, sizzling dishes, and pleasantly aromatic breads, perhaps baked in the large wood-fired oven at the center of the kitchen. You’ll be asked over dulcid tones of jazz classics if you have a reservation, yet regardless of your answer, you will immediately be guided through an empty dining room to your table, on a lucky day, positioned many booths away from the only other patron. Here, after the water is poured into the glasses, does the curiosity of Hearth only begin.
The tasting menu is highly recommended; It’s complex, wild, challenging, and (sometimes) delightful. I’ve been through Hearth now 5 times, and each visit has been an entirely different experience, leaving me perplexed on how exactly I feel about the establishment. To start, we order an appetizer of garlic truffle fries, combined with a kind of fry sauce aioli, a delightful beginning to the adventure ahead.
After appetizers and drinks on the tasting menu, guests are guided through a series of seasonally inspired canapés that have often left me speechless, and equally so turned off from the experience. The presentation on each however, is remarkable; Our chef certainly knows how to plate, if only to lack a few fine details that come with the haste of preparing multiple meals in a small-town dine-in setting. I have been served delightful mixtures of summer pear salads, winter grilled mushrooms, and desserts that are to die for. However, there’ve been plenty of these little dishes that came out not-so-little; one in particular, last year’s winter duck confit, was more of a meal in itself than a dish of 5 courses. While some might celebrate this achievement, “getting more for what you pay for”, I’m a bit of a subscriber to Keller’s theory of intensity; that the dish should be only a bite or two, no more per guest, that leaves them pondering the experience, remembering the notes, the highlights, and the experience spent at the resturaunt during service. If given too many bites, the dish, in its extravagance, becomes overwhelming and intimidating with a Western philosophy that an unfinished plate is an insult to the kitchen.
And that brings us to the final dish, the primary chosen entree, which has also existed as a kind of Shrödingers-Steak for me, ordering the same dish three of the five visits and having a variety of results in the requested finish. As if reliving a childhood fairytale, one steak was too rare, another too well, and finally one magnificent dish that, as my first time dining at Hearth, made me a staunch believer in their quality. But the inconsistency in dishes I’ve found is just outrageous for a joint you’re paying upward of $100/guest, 20% gratuity automatically included. Which may also highlight the service of the resturaunt, which has been equally paradoxical: I’ve had waiters who have guided me down incredible adventures of flavor, descriptions of the processes and where ingridients have been sourced, and other that seem to be just interested-enough to remember silverware, annoyed at a request for a different sample of the myriad of infused oils Hearth offers.
All in all, my experience at Hearth has left me a bit confused. Would I go back? Yes, if I didn’t care about my checkbook. But will it ever live up to my first experience that was so profound and delightful? I don’t think so, and I don’t know if I would recommend Hearth to my friends given the inconsistency. The highs I’ve experienced in during their service have been some of the best culinary experiences I’ve ever had, while the lows have left me so frustrated I’ve felt compelled to never return.
Which leaves me at a 5/10. It’s just too inconsistent, especially given the competition downstairs.
