Inside The Hearth & Hound, the Warm and Wonderful Restaurant by April Bloomfield

Matthew Kang is the Lead Editor of Eater LA. He has covered dining, restaurants, food culture, and nightlife in Los Angeles since 2008. He's the host of K-Town, a YouTube series covering Korean food in America, and has been featured in Netflix's Street Food show.

After two years of fanfare, April Bloomfield, the inimitable chef of New York City’s The Breslin and The Spotted Pig, will open the Hearth & Hound in Hollywood on December 8. Founded in conjunction with partner Ken Friedman, this fully transfigured space was once the iconic Cat & Fiddle, an English pub built into a glorious Spanish building.

They’ve retained the courtyard but organized the seating into a squared-off patio area under the stars. Inside, they’ve removed the low ceiling to expose warm wooden rafters and a full skylight, while opening up the kitchen to give a theatrical look into the massive hearth, which features live fire and an enclosed oven for roasting.

There’s a fireplace and small lounge area just past the host stand, along with a U-shaped bar that juts into into the room. Toward the right, the main dining area with two- and four-tops afford sweeping views of the entire space, though some farther tables divided by a mid-level wall extends to a secondary dining room. Out on the patio, a serene and rather gorgeous patio with plenty of cover, some heating lamps (they’ll provide blankets too for those that get cold in the winter), and the Cat & Fiddle’s old tiled fountain, which has been totally restored. Throughout the space, find remnants and Easter eggs of dog-shaped decor, a hallmark of The Spotted Pig and its pig-related paraphernalia.

The fireplace and small lounge seating area

The menu has loads of easy-going familiar plates from a Caesar salad variant, beets with walnuts and goat cheese, pork with roasted quince, and hangar steak. Everything has an honest, homey plating with a lot of singed greens, redolent wood-fire aromas, and sturdy Mediterranean seasoning to go along with the pristine seasonal produce.

Wine director Maxfield Schnee (2016 Eater Young Gun, formerly of Orsa & Winston) and Mike D of the Beastie Boys compile a food-friendly wine list. A crisp Savannierre from a 250-year-old French vineyard works great with grilled shrimp with browned butter. The Hearth & Hound opens for dinner, with eventual breakfast, brunch, and lunch service. Find reservations at OpenTable or Resy.

The Hearth & Hound. 6530 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028.