Ready, willing and Table
Hearth & Table welcomes diners to its wood-fired bistro
By Heather Papp
For the TODAY
Hearth & Table’s March recent reopening in the newly renovated Escallonia building in Lincoln City has delighted fans of Danelle Lochrie and Ethan Granberg’s celebrated, from-scratch cooking.
The restaurant’s 31 seats are popular, with diners cozying up to an open kitchen that centers around a gigantic Forno Bravo pizza oven known for its impressive temperatures exceeding 700 degrees. Most dishes, including all pizzas, are fired in this oven on oakwood, lending a compelling depth of flavor and char to all it touches.
Dishes are designed to be shared and can be enjoyed a variety of ways, whether dining solo at the counter or celebrating with a group of friends at one of the dining room’s elegant marble tables. The top of the menu is divided into “Served Cool” and “Served Warm” sections. Rosemary Spiced Pistachios tossed with rosemary salt, whole in the shell, are a perfect snack-able accompaniment to pre-dinner drinks. Antipasti (marinated olives, focaccia, salumi and cheese, as well as a crave-able Chicory Caesar) are easily shared as starters or complements to main event dishes.
The Lamb Koftas are a stand-out warm option: two ground lamb kabobs served with pomegranate molasses, a rich, creamy tahini dressing and herb salad. The lamb’s depth of flavor is nicely offset by liberal use of garden herbs and freshly squeezed lemon.
“We wanted to use herbs and lemon everywhere” Granberg said, “to have them, as well as the best locally-produced ingredients available to us, be the stars of the show.”
Pizza-lovers have a dizzying array of choices: the Agrodolce features seasoned crushed tomatoes, mozzarella, pickled chilies, sweet onion, fennel sausage, chili crisp and honey, making it sweet, tangy, crunchy and fiery; while the Fungo highlights the umami earthiness of mushrooms with hearth roasted sweet onions, rosemary, porcini powder and Parmigiana Reggiano. Each 12-inch pie is made from cold-fermented dough using Shepherd’s Grain flour and showcases premium ingredients from local artisan purveyors such as Olympic Provisions. Fired in the oven until perfectly blistered, pizzas are finished with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil from Durant Vineyards of Dayton, which mills fresh, award-winning olive oils and vinegars.
A board offers more to enjoy, a pizza of the day as well as market-fresh options like Oysters Rockefeller or Roasted Acorn Squash with Whipped Ricotta and Maple. The versatile drink list includes a line-up of wines by glass and bottle, as well as beer and cider selections from celebrated producers such as Heater Allen, Breakside and Arch Rock Brewing. Cocktails, both spirited and non-alcoholic, are a balanced range of well-executed classics or riffs on classics that highlight seasonally fresh ingredients. Drinks land full of color and cheekiness, as with the pink flamingo swizzle stick and amarena cherry garnish on the Cherry Crush, a recent special.
Hearth & Table is located at 304 SE Highway 101 in Lincoln City is open Thursday through Saturday from 3 to 8 pm. Happy Hour is Thursday through Saturday from 3 to 5 pm, featuring $15 Margherita pies, $2 off wine by the glass, and $6 N/A cocktails.
Brunch is served Sundays from 9:30 am to 3 pm and includes Eggs Benedict as well as rotating specials such as Shrimp and Polenta or Wood-fired Shakshuka with Flatbread.
• Guests at Hearth & Table enjoy dining in a cozy, elegant space designed by Shelby Locke Cunningham of Salt coffee shop and Tyler Cunningham of Schooner Creek Designs. The couple will open Studio 304, a custom furniture and design showroom, right next door to Hearth & Table in the near future.