Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Hash House A Go Go



In retrospect, this breakfast was destined for failure from the beginning, through pretty much no fault of the restaurant's at all. You see... well, let me back up for a moment.

Click here to read the whole story

Did you go read the back story? Really? And you are still here? Cool. So let's talk about the FOOD!

The best part about the food, the most commonly discussed part, the gasp inducing part, is the sheer size of the food. I mean check out the size of this pancake:


So I know what you are saying, that looks good and all, but how big is it, reeeallly?

BOOM!

The portion sizing is enormous and the twists are ridiculous, Snickers FlapJacks, Beer and Bacon, Smoked Salmon and Basil Pesto scramble.. Yup, you need to take some time to drink in the entire menu. So with this whole diverse menu I ordered the Tractor Driver Combo with bacon and scrambled eggs and bumped it up to a Snickers FlapJack from a regular buttermilk. Other selections at the table were the Buttermilk FlapJack, another Tractor Driver (with potatoes), and then there was my wife who very wisely chose the Kokomo,which was griddled meatloaf, roasted tomato and smoked mozzarella on old fashioned milk bread.

When my food came and I dug in, I was less than impressed. I found the flapjack to be tough and chewy, except around the chunks of actual snickers bars, in which case there was a decadance and richness that was missing from the rest of the cake.

The eggs, which had I been thinking clearly I would have ordered fried, were very bland and slightly underdone, in the end i barely touched them. The bacon was, nothing special, it was just two slices of bacon. When Steve mentioned that he regretted not getting the bacon, Sarah and I simultaneously said "You're not missing much. So up until this point I was having serious second thoughts about the entire visit.

And then my wife spoke the magic words, "Here, try this." And try the meatloaf sandwich I did. The meat was moist and flavorful and the roasted tomatoes were so incredible that after taking that bite I poked my eggs with my fork, as if to say "Who are you, and how did you come from the same kitchen?"
The mozzarella was oozing out of the sides of the bread and the tantalizing smell of the tomatoes lingered just for a moment. This was purley delicious. This was the food that people raved about when describing the joint.

That sandwich alone convinced me that I had to come back again and try something more outlandish than pancakes and eggs. I do truly believe that they can put out some especially twisted food.

Lastly, I would be remiss if I were not to mention that the service was spectacular, the hostesses were welcoming and accomodating and the atmosphere of the restaurant was warm and inviting. This is not meant to be a negative review but rather an explanation of how poor circumstances surrounding the visit led me to not enjoy the entire experience.

If you are in San Diego, go try it out, step up and try a hash or a burger, and let me know how it is. And I promise you next time I'm there, I know a sage fried chicken benedict with my name on it!

3 comments:

  1. I also did a mini vacation this past summer to San D while looking for a beach front rental to use at a later date. Like you and your family we had heard nothing but good things about HH-a-GoGo, even saw it on "Vacations with Rachel", like you we went on Sunday morning on the way out of town as we were headed back to Maricopa. On the morning we went they were celebrating something, I cant remember exactly what now but the place was packed with a huge crowd of people standing outside and waiting to be seated. The wait was fun for us because they had a live DJ on this morning and the atmosphere was electric and fun. Best I can remember was, once seated I ordered a egg scramble of some kind and a tall and spicy Bloody Mary that was delicious. I don't recall what my girlfriend had that morning, I do remember that we both enjoyed our food very much. We cant wait to go back. I want to try the meatloaf dish you wrote about.
    Anyway you're doing a great job here. By the way look for me (Henry Davis)on Check Please Arizona on channel 8 sometime this month (Janurary 2011). The show premieres Jan. 5th on channel 8.
    P.S. you should go to the Check Please Arizona web site to fill out an application and possibly be selected to be on the show and review your favorite restaurant.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I also did a mini vacation this past summer to San D while looking for a beach front rental to use at a later date. Like you and your family we had heard nothing but good things about HH-a-GoGo, even saw it on "Vacations with Rachel". Like you we went on Sunday morning on the way out of town as we were headed back to Maricopa. On the morning we went they were celebrating something, I cant remember exactly what now but the place was packed with a huge crowd of people standing outside and waiting to be seated. The wait was fun for us because they had a live DJ on this morning and the atmosphere was electric and fun. Best I can remember was, once seated I ordered a egg scramble of some kind and a tall and spicy Bloody Mary that was delicious. I don't recall what my girlfriend had that morning, I do remember that we both enjoyed our food very much. We can't wait to go back. I want to try the meatloaf dish you wrote about.
    Anyway you're doing a great job here. By the way look for me (Henry Davis)on Check Please Arizona on channel 8 sometime this month (January 2011). The show premieres Jan. 5th on channel 8.
    P.S. you should go to the Check Please Arizona web site to fill out an application and possibly be selected to be on the show and review your favorite restaurant.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the comments Henry. I'll be sure to look for the new show. Be sure to check out my new site http://www.adventuresincusine.net.

    ReplyDelete