Hearthstone Bistro — Restaurant in Muskegon Heights

The rating for this restaurant is a bit difficult. We enjoyed our dinner, however, our experience was hurt by several missteps, the most glaring was our server.

From the standpoint of the food, I would rate The Hearthstone Restaurant 4-stars. We thoroughly enjoyed our fried perch and fried whitefish. We enjoyed the “Field Greens, Arugula, Beet & Goat Cheese Salad” however, it was not as described - there was no arugula in ours. We also enjoyed the “Oven Roasted Mussels.” However, they were difficult to share. They were served in a very large bowl with quite a bit of a very flavorful broth which we had trouble enjoying. We were not give bowls so we could share the dish, we ended using bread plates. We also were not given soup spoons rather there was only one large serving spoon in the dish. I assume that the chef doesn’t think that someone may want to eat the excellent broth in which the mussels were served. In general, the presentation was wonderful. The kitchen obviously realized that we eat with out eyes first.

From the standpoint of service, I would rate The Hearthstone Restaurant as only one star. Our server was dreadful and did nothing to try and make our experience more enjoyable. In fact, when there was a problem she implied that we were responsible or stupid. Our salad was brought before the bistro classic hot dish, she said that we wanted it that way because we were hungry. We had told her that we wanted to share it as an appetizer. We ordered wine to compliment our entrees. Ir was served well after the entrees arrived. It was also spoiled. When she finally came by and we told her there was a problem with our wine, she reassured us that there was nothing wrong with any of their wines because they sell a lot of wine and she was sure that is wasn’t open in the refrigerator for more than a couple of days. She begrudgingly took it back and acted as if we knew nothing about wine and should have complained. After we finished our entrees, she returned with a taste of the wine in two wine glasses and told us they tried the wine and it was bad. She then wanted to bring us more of this wine to savor after dinner. She obviously knew nothing about wine. In fact, she knew very little about the items on the menu, when we asked her about some items she was unable to explain them. Before my entree, our server properly removed the dirty knife I place of a plate. I asked for a new knife, but never brought it. Fortunately, it was possible to eat my whitefish entree without a knife. Because of the service, and since the service can be a significant portion of a dining experience, I rated this restaurant as only 2-stars. Had we had good service, I would have...

TLDR: This place has a lovely atmosphere, nice lighting, good food, decent wine, good service and overall a very pleasant vibe.

We started with a bottle of the house red and a bottle of the house Pinot Grigio for the table. The Pinot Grigio was nice, and my mom liked it too 🤣. I didn’t try the red- I don’t like red wine in general.

We split a couple apps amongst the group, both of which were super tasty:

SPINACH & ARTICHOKE DIP (served in bread bowl • cream cheese • red peppers• bacon • cheddar • hacienda tortilla chips)

GOAT CHEESE FRITTER (San Marzano tomato sauce • garlic cream • cellophane basil)• focaccia

One thing I’ll say about the apps is that in a lot of places, they don’t give you enough bread or chips to accompany the dip, but here, they did! Quite satisfactory!! 🥖🥖🥖

These were the entrees we ordered:

WIENERSCHNITZEL A LA HOLSTEIN thinly pounded breaded veal • sunny side up egg - lemon caper butter • potato gratin • sweet & sour red cabbage (I was told it was delicious).

JALAPENO PINEAPPLE BURGER house-ground beef patty • shaved ham • smoked blue cheese spread • grilled pineapple • minced jalapeno • lettuce • tomato • peri peri frites (it looked amazing and it was HUGE! I was told that this was also awesome).

BRAISED BEEF BOURGUIGNON Cabernet demi-glace • pearl onions - oyster mushrooms• Yukon potato purée - buttered carrots & green peas (Also heard this was great).

GRILLED WHITEFISH Lake Michigan caught • pistachio gremolata • cauliflower puree - roasted brussels sprouts • Nueske's bacon (I had a bit of this and it was fantastic! Really the flavors on everything here were just right 😎)

MOZZARELLA PANINO pulled burrata mozzarella • provolone • basil pesto • balsamic glazed tomatoes • fresh basil • herbed focaccia - deli chips (it looked amazing and I was told that it was scrumptious).

BAKED MANICOTTI San Marzano tomato sauce • garlic cream • blend ofmozzarella & Provolone (I ordered this and was quite pleased. One other person at our table also ordered it and she loved it too.)

We also got the Warm French Toast Bread Pudding -cream cheese filling, brown sugar cinnamon sugar swirl, vanilla bean ice cream, maple syrup drizzle- and I was obsessed, as you can see from my many photos 🤣.

Overall, I had a great visit, and will definitely return if I’m...

Update 3:

We visited Hearthstone again recently, and I’m happy to report that the restaurant has made some great updates! They have new tables and freshly upholstered seats, giving the space a refreshed and much cleaner feel. The entire restaurant looked spotless, which made for an even more enjoyable dining experience.

As for the food—it was amazing! I had the lobster bisque, and it was absolutely delicious. It’s clear that Hearthstone has stepped up its game, and we were thoroughly impressed. Looking forward to returning again soon!

Update 2:

We decided to give Hearthstone another chance and visited again on 12/07/2024. I’m pleased to say things seem to have improved significantly.

It’s clear the restaurant has taken steps to address previous concerns, and the service was much more attentive and responsive. As long-time customers, we’re happy to see the improvements and will consider returning again in the future.

Furniture needs updating.

Updated Review:

We visited yesterday, 08/24/2024, and unfortunately, our experience was far from satisfactory. We ordered the Delmonico steak and truffle pasta, dishes we’ve enjoyed in the past, but this time the quality was severely lacking. The steak was tough and overly fatty, and the truffle pasta was disappointing, missing the rich flavor it usually has. Despite bringing these concerns to our waiter’s attention, they were never addressed.

As long-time customers who have regularly dined here on a weekly basis and spent a significant amount of money, we expected better. Regrettably, after this experience, we will no longer be returning to this restaurant.

Original Review:

“Wow. This place was without a doubt amazing!!! The pricing was so reasonable for brunch, the food was incredible… the cheese soup and BLT were delicious! The service and ambiance were extremely warm and welcoming. This is definitely a place you want to come to. There were only five stars to give; I wish I could have given this place 10 stars!!! Dinner can be a bit more pricey, but definitely worth it, especially for a...