Almond wood-grilled chicken thighs are served over red sauce with vegetables and a crown of arugula.
Photo by Merrill Shindler
Highland Park—Hippo the restaurant doesn’t get its name from the Greek word “hippopotamus,” meaning “river horse” or “water horse.” Rather, it’s an acronym for what its eccentrically sprawling space used to be – the Highland Park Post Office.
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And when I say sprawling, I’m not overstating – the space is large enough to hold Hippo the Restaurant, its crust-and-cheese offspring Triple Beam Pizza, Highland Park Wine and Go Get ‘Em Tiger Coffee. The wall décor owes a lot to cartoonish artist Keith Haring. The food owes everything to Chef Matt Molina, who was a major player at Nancy Silverton’s Osteria Mozza.
Hippo’s house rolls arrive with glossy brown tops and a sprinkling of coarse salt.
Photo by Merrill Shindler
Actually, my bent sense of humor prefers to think of Hippo as being named for that barrel-shaped critter with the giant head and a set of teeth that look like fireplugs. We have a long history of eateries named for animals – joints like The Fat Cow, The Lazy Ox, Little Bear, The Surly Goat and The Blind Donkey. But this is our first Hippo. And this is an Italian Hippo at first browse. But then, Matt Molina has been a fan of well-worn culinary paths and gone the way of the obvious.
Shaved lettuce dressed with radish vinaigrette and finished with grated cheese at Hippo.
Photo by Merrill Shindler
Consider, for instance, that one of the pizzas at his Triple Beam is topped with roasted spring corn esquite – a Mexican prep that consists of corn kernels sautéed in butter with the tea-like herb epazote, then mixed with mayo and cotija cheese. Another comes with acorn squash with honey. The pies are sold by the slice. The menu has a warning of “allergens” for some of them – mostly dairy and gluten, but also honey and tree nuts.
Hippo’s royal hamachi crudo pairs raw fish with fruit, fresh herbs and a bright marinade.
Photo by Merrill Shindler
There are no warnings on the Hippo menu – I guess you’re on your own. We are told that the pasta is “made fresh by hand every day.” And the trio of proteins are cooked over a grill that “burns almond wood.” The choice of pastas is relatively brief – just eight. But so tempting you might want to bring along a table of heavy forks who’ll gobble through all of them. How to choose between the herbed ricotta tortelloni (tortellini on steroids) with funghi misti…and the duck ragu tagliolini (a ribbony cousin of spaghetti)? Between the seashell-shaped conchiglie with fennel sausage and broccoli rabe ragu…and the celery root stuffed, three-sided triangoli with shallots and chives?
Silky prosciutto surrounds a ball of burrata garnished with olive oil and fresh basil.
Photo by Merrill Shindler
But once you get to the dishes adjacent to the pastas, Hippo goes Italian south-by-southwest. The shaved Brussels sprouts with toasted almonds and mint are Italian mostly because of the presence of parmesan-like Grana Padano from Piedmont. The grilled cauliflower – one of the several dishes in today’s world that’s brought cauliflower back from the sorrowful mistreatment by our parents – has a walnut-raisin-caper relish. There’s hamachi crudo with plums, a Japanese fish in an Italian marinade.
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Hippo’s fett’unta brings deeply charred bread glistening with olive oil to the table.
Photo by Merrill Shindler
The entrée of cedar-smoked trout with sweet corn succotash is red, white and bluish. And the barbecued honey balsamic hangar steak comes with a smattering of Great Northern white beans. Only a few of the wines are from Italy.
Like the hippo itself, Hippo the Restaurant seems to have been made from an assortment of mismatched parts and pieces. They are unforgettable once seen…and even more so once tasted.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Beyond Sublime⭐⭐⭐ Worth Every Penny⭐⭐A Good Neighborhood Destination⭐ Might As Well Stay At HomeHippo5916-1/2 N. Figeroa St., Highland Park323-545-3536www.hipporestaurant.comDinner, Wednesday through SundayModerately priced
Diners fill Hippo’s lively dining room as cooks work in the open kitchen.
Photo by Merrill Shindler
Food Dude Merrill Shindler has written about the joys of eating in New York, San Francisco, Taipei, Hong Kong, Italy, Peru, France, Thailand, Guatemala, the Netherlands, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Iceland and right there on the Eastside. He loves Hippo because it combines a pizzeria with a coffee counter with a wine shop with a grill and a pastaria. It also has a memorably wacko name.
If you know of a standout but overlooked neighborhood restaurant, please submit the details here.
Hippo shares its Highland Park home with Triple Beam Pizza, Highland Park Wine and Go Get ’Em Tiger Coffee.
Photo by Merrill Shindler
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Dining and Cooking