Hearth
403 East 12th Street
New York, NY 10079
646-602-1300

Review
While you now may find yourself cutting back on dinner dates, not even Great Depression II should stop you from an occasional nightcap (shameless plug). And for a really unique experience, check out Hearth in the East Village. As far as we know, Hearth is the only bar or restaurant in New York City that actually serves mead. What’s mead you ask? It’s honey wine — that’s right: wine from fermented honey as opposed to grapes — and it also happens to be the libation that Beowulf and his crew drank heartily the night they kicked Grendel’s ass.

If you’ve never had mead before, and we’re pretty darn sure you haven’t, then Hearth is the perfect excuse to let out a splurge (hmm…maybe we could have worded that better) in these lean times. Impress your date with your knowledge of fine dessert wines and then tell the serving wench, er waitress rather, that you have traveled far and wide under direct orders from King Hrothgar searching for a bottle of her finest mead, and say it with a Scottish brogue if possible. She’ll give you a weird look, but she’ll also be impressed that you know what mead is.

Do we hook you up or what?

Date-ability Breakdown
Original? Yes
Low-Key? Yes
Collaborative? No
Good for Conversation? Yes
Romantic? Yes