SLCeats: Highlighting the best restaurants in Salt Lake City and Park City

When someone asks me where they should eat in Park City, I usually respond by asking them if they’re looking for a “Main Street” dining experience or if they’re open to straying a bit from Main Street PC. If they are open to expanding their radius a bit, Hearth and Hill is usually at the top of my recommendation list.

I just really like what Hearth and Hill represents. Founded by Brooks Kirchheimer and his parents in 2018, Hearth and Hill has expanded its empire to also include bakery/cafes called Hill’s Kitchen, elevated dining via Urban Hill in Salt Lake, and their bread-and-butter, family-friendly concept, Hearth and Hill, with locations in both Park City and Salt Lake City.

I appreciate the Kirchheimer’s approach to taking care of their staff: offering full benefits packages, and enabling their employees to have careers in hospitality rather than just creating restaurants that are temporary landing pads for those looking for a paycheck. I think this level of attention paid to their staff translates to their staff “paying it forward” to customers in the form of elevated service and food, provided by employees who have fully bought in to the mission of the Hill restaurant group.

A recent visit only reinforced my confidence in recommending this group’s restaurants. We began our meal with their spicy tuna plate, featuring crispy sushi rice on a garlic-sesame aioli, topped with a deliciously-spicy tuna and pickled fresno chili. This was at the upper end of my spice tolerance, but the wonderful flavors had me coming back for second (and third) bites. We didn’t try the Chicken Tinga Eggrolls, but they were calling my name, featuring corn, cilantro, chihuahua cheese, avocado, red onions, and a citrus crema. Next time.

For the entrees we went with the namesake burger, the H&H burger, and the Birria Tacos.

The burger was a simple and straightforward affair, featuring a thick hamburger patty topped with Gold Creek smoked cheddar, lettuce, tomatoes, fry sauce, and a brioche bun. The burger was really well executed and perfectly cooked to a medium. I think if I had a do-over I would have had them add some pickles or onions to cut through the richness a bit. But it was a solid burger. And can we take a moment for the fries? Oh, the fries. I’m a strong believer that the best fries in the region are at Feldman’s Deli, but these fries had me reconsidering my convictions. If I’m being totally fair, the fries at Hearth and Hill are every bit as good as those from Feldman’s, and that’s saying something. The ketchup for the fries threw me for a loop, as it’s a homemade affair that features a not-so-subtle kick of apple cider vinegar. It was delicious and unique, but probably not what most people expect. I asked the server if the ketchup was polarizing, and she said that for most people it’s a “love it or hate it” experience. They have Heinz sitting in the back as backup. My wife loved it so much she requested a take-home container of the stuff.

The Birria tacos were equally delicious, featuring a generous helping of tender, shredded beef, smothered in melty cheese and accompanied by a rich consommé, rice, and black beans.

The kids each ordered mac and cheese after confirming with the server that it was “white” mac and cheese and not orange mac and cheese. One kid ate it and one kid decided after they got their food that they don’t like white mac and cheese, which would have been a helpful thought to have prior to ordering it. So that one just ate my fries and a giant pudding cup for dessert.

The rest of us shared the Cookie Skillet, which was a criminally dangerous amount of cookie, ice cream, and chocolate for $12. The three of us couldn’t even finish it, but it was absolutely incredible.

Service was stellar, with someone stopping by to refill our water glasses whenever they were even close to the halfway-full mark. Our server, Rori, was fantastic and rolled with our punches when we changed our order up after we had made our initial selections.

I’m really glad to see Hearth and Hill doing so well as they approach their ten-year mark of Utah hospitality, and wish them many more years of success.