Hearth

I'd been dying to visit Hearth ever since I saw that the restaurant had won a Best Desserts of 2004 award. After weeks of trying, I was finally able to secure a reservation for my birthday!

The weather was especially frigid last night, and Hearth's spiced masala chocolate, buttered rum, greenmarket cider, and mulled wine sounded like the perfect antidote. However, unbeknownst to me, my mother (who lives in Florida) had called the restaurant beforehand and ordered us a bottle of champagne. (I don't know how she got the number, because I don't even remember telling her where we were going!)

This warm gesture set the mood for a lovely evening. Our waitress brought by the amuse-bouche, a small glass of creamy parsnip soup. After a salad of baby lettuce and beets in a shallot-red wine vinaigrette, we anxiously awaited the red snapper crudo appetizer. What a luxurious dish it was! The paper-thin slices of pristine pink fish were accented with fried rosemary leaves, grains of sea salt and preserved lemon. Each slice of snapper was served atop a small mound of minced fish to mimic a sushi preparation.

The gnocchi were divine. I instantly forgot all of those regrettable potato gumdrops I'd consumed in the past. These were light as air and melted in my mouth in a puff of butter, pepper and Parmesan.

We then indulged in the roasted striped bass in black truffle vinaigrette on a parsley root puree, which was served with sweet-as-honey parsnips, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower, and a plate of roasted dry-aged sirloin and braised shortribs au jus with mustard greens, turnips, and baby beets. By now we were quite full, but no birthday dinner should lack dessert! So, we ordered the tangy goat-milk panna cotta and the moist olive oil cake, which came with a scoop of burnt-sugar ice cream and spiced roasted pears. A bit of sea salt brought out the sweetness in the cake. (Charmingly, the pastry chef had iced "Happy Birthday" on the edges of the plate.)

We finished with some Guatemala Antigua rich coffee, but there was yet one more surprise. The waitress, instead of bringing over the bill, informed us that my mother had decided to pick up the check. (Thanks, Mom!)

Hearth: 403 East 12th St., (646) 602-1300.