M D.
Yelp
We ate at The Hoot twice today. First, we did take-out for brunch. Hubby got the delicious Breakfast Burrito, and I made the mistake of ordering two cider donuts. They are huge, so one was plenty! :-) It was delicious, although just a teeny bit dry in the thickest parts. Still, I snarfed it down. I still prefer 'county fair' cider donuts--smaller, more cake-like and melt-in-your-mouth tender. The Hoot's donuts were very good, but not 'fair donut' good.
The Monday dinner menu was intriguing, so we decided to give it a try. It was Korean night. On Mondays, they have a single entree, and then a number of small plates. The menu is more limited, so if you're not inclined to the entree, you might opt to go 'tapas' style. We were both eager to try the Bibimbap with Bulgogi Beef ($25).
The food was tasty, but it missed the mark on two fronts. First, Bibimbap is great not only because of the flavors, but the way it is prepared and served. It's usually served in a sizzling hot bowl, so as you eat, the rice on the bottom forms this crispy brown crust that also incorporates the flavors from the ingredients and sauces. It would have been EASY to crisp up the rice in a hot pan, giving it that crunch and warmth and then topping it with the tasty morsels of carrot, greens, sprouts, Bulgogi and shiitake mushrooms and give it that extra flavor, texture and authenticity. The Hoot's Bibimbap, while tasty, had none of that authenticity or soul. It's served at room temperature. It's not hot, it's not cold, and it's not quite Bibimbap. However, the Bulgogi beef was meltingly tender and tasty, and the Gochujang sauce was so very yummy.
The second miss was the fried egg. It was fried almost hard. It's great when you have a softly fried egg on top of the Bibimbap where you break the yolk and it runs down and mixes with the other ingredients. Having a floppy, overcooked, flabby fried egg on top was kind of grossly unappetizing.
While these issues with the food didn't fully detract from enjoying the meal, I found the service to be wholly lackluster. Our server never once checked on us after serving our meal. She came back after we were finished. I also asked her specifically not to put any onions or scallions on my Bibimbap, and of course, both our bowls came garnished with scallions. To her credit, she did offer to remake mine. But I wasn't about to wait another 20 minutes for them to remake my meal due to a few scallions, and, well, I wasn't about to ask them to remake my meal due to a few scallions. However, the server just dismissed it then and never mentioned it again. It was service with a fake smile.
For dessert, we had the poached Asian pear in ginger syrup and black peppercorn with cinnamon ice cream. That was the star of the evening. The flavors together were outstanding. I almost licked the bowl!
I found that the quality of food was good (albeit a bit pricey for what you get), but the lackluster service and the few details that missed the mark make me give The Hoot four stars instead of five. The food is tasty, but lacks attention to the fine details, and the service can use some work. And c'mon guys, learn to fry an egg the way it should be fried, okay? Rubber eggs are unappetizing any way you plate it.
*****
Went back again this morning to try their brunch. The Lemon Ricotta pancakes were really delicious, with a lovely orange zest compound butter and maple syrup. The texture was fabulous--light, but dense as well due to the ricotta. It was almost like marrying a pancake and a crepe. The Peach Bellini was tasty--not too sweet. Service was much better, but we were seated and served by one of the owners/managers. I think the gal we had the other night was just phoning it in.
If I could, I would up my rating to 4.5 stars.
