PEORIA MAGAZINE November 2023

Hugh Higgins is the owner of Hearth restaurant in Peoria Heights

DISH AND DRINK

HEARTH AND HOME It’s a family affair at the Peoria Heights restaurant, where the unique entrees and a vast spirits selection turn diners into regulars

BY NICK VLAHOS PHOTOS BY RON JOHNSON

A ccording to various sources, about 60% of new restau rants fail within a year of their grand openings. Almost 80% close within five years. Those statistics suggest Hearth is an outlier. One of the anchors of Restaurant Row along Prospect Road in Peoria Heights, Hearth is celebrating its 10th anniversa ry this month. The restaurant combines fine-but-casual-and-affordable cuisine

with an impressive array of whiskeys and wines. Hearth has survived changing trends in dining, national and regional economic fluctuations and the coronavirus pandemic. That might speak to the quality of the food, but at least one longtime frequent customer believes there’s more to it. “The service is fantastic and always has been,” Peoria resident Phil Lundquist said. “They’re incredibly personable. We

probably eat here four or five times a month, and the food, I’ve never had a bad meal. The food’s always good.” Lundquist spoke as he, his wife and two of their grandchildren were finishing lunch at Hearth one recent, rainy afternoon. Hearth Manager Tim Downey has committed to memory their usual drink orders, but he suggested such regular patronage isn’t uncommon. “We have a lot of people who come

16 NOVEMBER 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE