We had passed the Open Hearth on our way into Gatlinburg and decided then that we’d be back for dinner later that day. We’d been intrigued by the rambling restaurant built on stilts and backed into the mountainside where a natural stream was allowed to meander behind and then beneath the establishment. I imagined that the chef only needed to drop a handled net out the kitchen door to scoop up the rainbow trout, the signature dish of Open Hearth. Then there was the distinct smell of the hearth itself, a smoky-sweet woodsy scent that always seems to be an indication of something delicious on its way.
We managed to wait until the dinner bell chimed at 5:30 p.m. before we parked the bike in the gravel drive (there seems to be a lot of gravel in this neck of the woods). We weren’t the only anxious diners; the place was already filling up and we were lucky to get a picture window table with a view of the stream pouring off the mountain backdrop.
Even though Open Hearth is "Voted the best dining in the Smokies," it is not a high-class stuffy restaurant. That may be obvious by observing the prices; $14.99 for the special of the house (trout) which amazingly also includes, "your choice of homemade soup or fresh garden salad … choice of homemade dressings, … choice of baked potato, garden blend rice pilaf, baked apples, big orange potato, steak fries, or fresh sauteed Italian vegetable of the day, and fresh baked croissants." It is also obvious from the reception we encountered at the front door that the Open Hearth was also Open Arms. What stuffy maitre ’d would have embraced us so warmly showing up as we did still wearing leather, road dust and helmet hair? Since we had come directly from a ride through the mountains, it was a relief to find the owners and waitresses totally at ease with our rather rough-hewn get-ups. But of course! All sorts of people congregated here, couples on dates, vacationers, RV drivers, families with children, backpackers and local regulars.
Our waitress was filled with southern charm and hospitality herself, patiently guiding us as we stepped through the menu’s many available side dishes; vegetable soup (homemade and aromatic,) pilaf (better than most steak house rice,) baked (not microwaved), house dressing (delectable with sweet mustard.) She recommended the honestly fantastic prime rib; big meaty, juicy, smoky, tender rib meat that revealed why this restaurant has been drawing visitors for almost fifty years. Since I don’t find fresh stream rainbow trout often offered, I ordered it, not expecting to be as delighted as the last time I’d had it in Italy’s Lake Como. However, here was proof that it is not essential to venture far from home or spend loads of money to find the best that life can offer.