Jay B.
Yelp
This....was a tough one to review for me. Not just because the service was technically hit or miss due to the holiday. Not just because the menu is a bit pricey, considering the execution of certain courses. But I think because....I wanted to like this place more than I did. I was seriously teetering between 3 and 4 stars because it really wasn't all that bad. Yet, it could be SO much better if it tweaked a few things. Let's discuss.
I should start by saying the wine here is not cheap. In fact, I feel as if the average joe will have to save up a couple of paychecks just to eat here. And ya know....I'm a man about town who's wallet is far from empty. At the same time, I also like to get my money's worth.
I guess what I'm saying is if you're gonna pay $15 a glass for house wine, that stuff better cure cancer. Seriously, that's more than some people earn an hour. Anyways..
We start things off with a clam chowder for me and a lobster bisque for the wifey (which was a soup de jour, btw). The former was better than the latter, but both soups needed more seasoning. It's weird, because the chowder was actually perfect in every single way that did NOT have to do with seasoning. Texture, thickness of the chowder, amount of clams and vegetables...all perfect. It just needed that extra few dashes of salt and it would have been a solid 10. Instead, this one's an 8 for me.
The bisque...*sigh*....what a disappointment. I dunno why my wife keeps taking chances on sketchy lobster bisques. I guess it's a bit like Russian roulette though; you never know how the end result will turn out until you pull the trigger. At any rate, this bisque had virtually NO lobster in it. And what pieces did exist were minced to oblivion. I already mentioned the lack of seasoning. Also, this stuff tasted more like heavy cream with a severe lack of that lobster flavor. I probably wouldn't be as harsh on this...if it wasn't $11 for a cup. The chowder was $9, btw. 4 out of 10, would not recommend.
The steaks. Aah, here we go.
This one's a bit complicated, folks. So, as per usual, wifey got a filet, I got a Delmonico (fancy pants epithet for a rib eye). Let's talk about this filet: apparently, the temperature on the inside was a perfect medium, despite the outside edges being clearly burnt. I mean, that's amazing! Like, I'm not even mad!
Unfortunately, this steak (much like the Delmonico, which we'll get to in a minute) was criminally under seasoned. I dunno if we're just weirdos who like our steaks saltier than everyone else in this state. But we seem to keep running into this problem every single time we order steak up here.
Now, here's the strange part. Despite the seasoning issue, these were actually the best steaks we've eaten since arriving in NH (so far). Because if I can switch gears to the Delmonico right-quick, that steak was juicy, buttery and tender as all heaven! It's a real shame, too...considering you got this perfectly cooked steak mid-rare, melts in your mouth, topped off with truffle butter (which is an add-on, btw)....and the only thing it needed was salt.
I think some chefs under estimate the power of a simple salt and pepper combination.
My final thoughts of the whole thing? The filet would be like a 6 out of 10. The Delmonico...I'll give it a 7. It was good...but I'm a bit disheartened that it could have been great, yet wasn't.
Look, I know I sound really harsh here. The thing is, this is supposed to be a fine dining restaurant. So naturally, I tend to grade the food on that scale.
The bottom line: if you're paying 50 bucks for steak, that steak....better taste like 50 bucks worth. But at least these entrées come with sides.
Side note: the mashed potatoes were pretty damn good. Creamy, savory...still needed salt though. Anyone detect a pattern here?
Again, since this was Mother's day, I can give the spotty service a pass because obviously, they were wicked busy. Even though there were times we waited as long as 20 minutes between table visits to get something as simple as a drink refill or salt (which they bring to you in a fancy pants dish).
If we were in the neighborhood, we would *probably* come back. But I don't see this as a place I would go out of my way to visit again. The parking lot entrances are weird and the location is kinda cramp. Ultimately though, it was an okay Mother's day treat for the misses and I'm glad it didn't completely suck. Hanover Chophouse is worthy of 3 fancy Delmonicos drizzled in truffle butter that melt your mouth out of 5.