As someone who's enjoyed a couple of meals at Hatchet Hall (Brian Dunsmoor's previous restaurant, out in Culver City), I've been looking forward to trying his titular new restaurant in Eagle Rock/Glassell Park. As people here have reported: reservations ain't that easy but I wasn't in a hurry so I booked 2-3 weeks in advance and found a first-seating option, at the bar, on a Thursday night.
We were seated right across from the wood-fired oven where the cornbread and other items are made and it was really enjoyable to have dinner and a show in terms of watching the cooks do their work, right there. And in general, I really liked how inviting the space felt; HH isn't "cold" by any means but it's size does make it feel a bit overwhelming at times whereas Dunsmoor felt like just the right size to be warm and lively but not too intense.
Ok, so the food. Alas, there was only two of us and we weren't starving so we only had three dishes this time around.
- Chicory & Mustard Greens salad: This was a great way to start the meal: really bright with acid and seasoned well. Stellar opening. 9/10
- The Cornbread: I know this is a favorite of many folks here and while it certainly wasn't bad—and plus points for being gluten-free so my wife could share in it—but personally, I thought it was a touch too sweet, almost like a dessert cake. I didn't need the massive mountain of butter on top either. That said, having had wack, dry cornbread too many times in the past, this was beautifully soft. I'm glad we tried it but I wouldn't order it again. 7.5/10
- Aunt Emmy's Pork & Green Chili Stew: It was cold that night and this just sounded good to me. Especially with just two of us, levelling up to, say, the pork chop just felt like too much. Overall, this hit all the notes I like: savory, hot, melty, good chunks of tender pork, well-seasoned, etc. But it also felt like a slightly upgraded version of a chile verde with refried beans plate I might get at any number of Mexican family spots around town. That is not a knock; it's just that the dish was good but didn't feel remarkable. It comes with flour tortillas and I really think this pairs better with corn tortillas: flour tortillas are too floppy and I'd prefer to spoon this into a tortilla that can hold its shape better. 8/10
Overall: we would absolutely come back again. Even if this meal didn't blow me away, it was solid enough to warrant another visit down the road; I do want to try that pork chop at some point and when they were toasting those thick slices of bread in front of us, I almost wanted to add an order of one of the appetizers just to get some toast with it.
And if you are planning on coming here with just 2-3 people, totally worth trying to get a reservation at the bar to watch the cooks do their thing.
by soulsides
Dining and Cooking