I was among the dedicated horde of enthusiasts who cheered the news that Hearthstone was reopening at Red Rock Casino. And although it took me a couple of months to visit with friends, I’m happy to say that we made it!
A few observations.
Pre-COVID, Hearthstone was one of my social (wine) group’s favorite places to go on a weeknight Happy Hour. Their specials were the best of any other Happy Hours that we tried. Whether it was the $1 oyster or their mini-lobster boil, everything was fabulous, and we always had a good time. In fact, the only disappointment I had was when they stopped stocking the Albariño, which has forever been my favorite wine with oysters. Well, white Bordeaux is pretty special, too. Neither was available, so I had to make do with NZ Sauvignon Blanc. Good wine, but a little too bright for pairing with oysters.
But I digress.
I think we visited once as a group after the lockdown had passed, but it wasn’t the same. Several in our group had either passed on, moved across the country, or had “real life” things to deal with. And in April of 2023, Hearthstone closed. Not because of us, I’m sure, but part of “the whole thing.”
Fast forward to 2026.
Apparently, Red Rock (or someone) underestimated the impact that Hearthstone’s closure would have on its rabid enthusiasts, because it reopened on January 30 of this year. Apparently, Summerlin as a whole had an uprising. I don’t live in Summerlin – kind of Summerlin adjacent, more or less – so I missed the actual war. The result is the reopening. So all is right with the world.
But now that they’re back in their original location with way (way) better decor, it’s only normal to ask about the food. Is it better? Worse? Same?
This isn’t an actual restaurant review because of Happy Hour and $1 oyster night, but I’ll share our observations on the dishes we had.
Food! Drink!
Leslie, her hubby Rick, Debbie (Birthday Girl!), and I met to celebrate and finally enjoy Hearthstone again.
Because I didn’t exactly write everything down, most of this is from memory, so you’ll have to bear with me. There were three, one dozen oyster orders to start, three lemondrop martinis, steak tartare, pizza, meatballs with bread, and a cupcake with a candle for the birthday. I think there were one or two other things, but this is what I can remember.
Briny vs. Salty
“As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans.”
― Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast
Naturally, I ordered Albariño. I’m going to assume that it was Spanish because of the reputation of Hearthstone’s cellar. I was having too much fun to look at the bottle. (Edit to add: Abadía De San Campio, Albariño, Rias Baixas.)
The Albariño was both fruitier and more deeply colored than expected. I enjoyed it, and it paired well with the oysters. Because of its mineral nature, it would have paired well with any light seafood (think halibut rather than salmon), white meat poultry, or light cheeses.
And this is where the first issue arose.
The oysters were as fresh as any I’ve had, but there was one issue. Their liqueur was salty. Not briny.
So, you may be asking, what’s the difference? I knew there was a definite distinction, but I couldn’t quite articulate it. Not at first.
But here ya go. Renie’s definitions. Whether or not they’re accurate may be subject to argument, but this is my take.
Briny usually means something with a lightly salty character, with nuances of minerality, sea spray, freshness, and the ocean. In a word, complexity. Think of the liqueur that usually comes from a clam or oyster.
Salty usually describes something that is pure sodium chloride. Think table salt.
I think that the oysters were freshly opened, and any sandy water was poured out and replaced by regular salt water. So the freshness was there, but they were too salty. In fact, we were all pouring out the liqueur by the time we got to the second dozen.
My cardiologist would have had a heart attack. No pun intended.
I’m willing to put up with a little sand and shell if they taste ocean fresh.
We had a pretty universal opinion on the tartare, which was an overall meh, although we continued to discuss it as we scarfed it down. It was good-ish, but not Capital Grille or Sparrow & Wolf (venison!) good. Of course, we finished every last particle anyway.
Everything was yummy, but then there was the pizza.
OMG it was so good! Crazy good. And I don’t eat pizza much – at least not since I moved from Philly 100 years ago – and most of the pizzas I’ve had are fillers, not food. This pizza was food and the next time I go, I’m going to have it again! Good grub!
Everyone liked the lemondrop martinis and ended up getting a second round. I just stayed with the wine. Of course.
