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!

Hash House a Go Go - The Back Story

When I decided to do a whirlwind trip to San Diego (leave Saturday morning, return Sunday afternoon), I solicited recommendations for a great place to go have brunch on Sunday and was told in no uncertain terms by Tony Morales and Erin Forney two people I highly respect, that I must visit Hash House a Go Go. I checked the website, forwarded the link to my wife and the couple we would be brunching with in San Diego, and properly salivating we made a plan.

So let's set the scene: Apparently, unbeknownst to me, the Hillcrest CityFest 2010 was happening on the same street as Hash and so not only were the streets blocked of and there were detours, but there was no parking for blocks around. So we circled the block, and finally found parking and while I was paying the meter, my wife went ahead to get us on the list. Once she did, she was told the wait was 45 minutes to an hour, which is to be expected of any decent place on a Sunday morning.

We were fortunate that the wait was only what it was, because as we waited we heard the wait grow to upwards of an hour and a half. So as we waited we fed the baby, and talked and people watched, and I noticed how helpful and efficient and unnerved by the ever growing crowd the staff at HH was. But as the wait became an hour and the baby started to become cranky, after all it was now after 11 and we had a 6 hour drive ahead of us.

Well about the time we were seated was about the time the baby's patience gave out and he remembered he was four months old and capable of ratcheting up the tension in any situation! He wanted a nap and he wanted one now and he didn't care who knew it. So now with all of the stress of the mini vacation, and the trying to get seated and the baby not being happy, and my blind determination to eat here, I made my final and largest mistake. Instead of going out on a limb and trying one of the more eclectic choices on the menu like Sage Fried Chicken Benedict or Rabbit Sausage, I settled for what was basically Pancakes and Eggs - The Tractor Driver Combo.

Why? A number of reasons but mostly being worried about an upset stomach in the middle of nowhere on the way back from California. So... like I said this meal was destined for failure because on top of everything else I was not confident in my food selection.

We now return to our regularly scheduled blog, already in progress...

(that means click here)