Hatfield's
Categories: French, American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhoods: West Hollywood, Mid-City West7458 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036 (323) 935-2977
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 6:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat 6:00 p.m.-10:30 p.m. - Price Range: $$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Valet
- Attire: Dressy
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
23 reviews
Neighborhood: West Los Angeles
"Buddhist rejoice. Come to The Stand on Mondays after 5pm and for only one dollar they can make you one with everything. Not enlightened…" read more »
111 Reviews for Hatfield's
Hmmm....how to describe this place....as far as ambiance goes, it could be a bit more romantic, maybe with dimmer lights/candles. The food was stellar.....but I don't know, I think the portions were super tiny and as another reviewer mentioned, the time in between the dishes (we had the tasting menu w/wine pairing) seemed a little long, especially when it wasn't really packed. I enjoyed all the dishes but it was one of those restaurants that I'm glad I tried but don't have a desire to go again, unlike Osteria Mozza for example....I can't wait to go back there and try everything on THEIR menu......
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A very cute romantic small restaurant, the only con? Too expensive.
I ordered their Foie Gras and Croque Madame for Appetizers, and they were both Amazing!!! The raw fishin between the croque madame was the perfect touch to the crusty bread! And, the foie gras i must say, was well-flavored and deicioussssso! I think i love their appetizers more than the desserts and main entrees.
So! we ordered the Halibut and Prime rib/ Steak dishes. I didn't liek the halibut, they were soft (yes), tender (yes, oh wait thats the same as soft), but bland... SO BLAND! Good if you're on a healthy diet, bad if you want to eat realllly flavorful good food. I like my prime rib/ steak dish, it'sa duo thingy and both meats tasted Just Awwwesome.
Thier desserts was really dissapointing. i tried the beignet, dang i expcted so much more! een the milkshake shot that came with it was way better than the beignet itself. Tasted like one of those powdered donuts i could get from som unknow shops. We had to walk to Milk (2 blocks away) for desserts......
Great for aromantic night out, but a lil too expensive. I could get a better meal at other restaurants with the same price and better desserts. Oh we got free appetizer + dessert though (this soup shots with egg on teaspoons thing and devils food cupcakes) YAy
Oh Hatfields, I've heard so much about you! That you're romantic, beautiful and delicious on the inside. Let's open you up and see.
I was pretty stoked to visit this soft and supple restaurant with the girl. We got all dolled up and hit the town. Before coming, we knew we'd be doing the tasting menu. What I didn't know was how much it was going to cost since many reviews list different prices. Well I'll add to that, the seven course menu was $85 per person that night with a $44 wine pairing. Luckily we're not alcoholics so one wine pairing was enough for both of us. A note on that; we were told the pours would be 2oz each, they were all more like 4oz each! Our server had a very heavy hand =D
I won't go into details on all the dishes because that's been done and I can't remember. The automatic amuse bouche everyone was given was nice, quail egg and corn/melon soup. Interesting and nice combo, http://www.yelp.com/bi...
We were both underwhelmed by the over hyped Croque Madame. The bread tasted like oil and the process of deconstructing the tower just to eat it was a little annoying. The only dishes that really wowed me were the poultry with foie gras course and the beef rib http://www.yelp.com/bi.... The lamb was good but nothing special and none of the fish dishes helped me find jesus. I did enjoy the three desserts but again, I think if we walked a block down to Milk, we could have had something bigger, better and for much cheaper in that department. http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Don't get me wrong, it was all really good food and the wine pairings all went really well with everything. It just wasn't a 5 star dining experience.
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Being pregnant sucks!!!!
No, I'm not pregnant, but I did have a little preview of how it's like to grow a human in your body a few months ago. For my BD, the boy took me to the most gorgeous meal that I've ever had in my life at Ritz Carlton Hotel. The food was great... up till about 4th course out of 9. Then I started to get some sort of allergic reaction. Feeling nauseous, goose bumps, shivering, and some hives on my arms... Anything that I put in my mouth made me run to the bathroom as if I had a morning sickness. Poor boy finished the rest of the meal practically all by himself as I was in the bathroom or outside getting fresh air for the most part.
Remember, remember, the 16th of May...
So this time, when he offered to take me out to Hatfield's for its 7 course tasting menu, I swore to never let that happen again. This time, I will sit across from him throughout the dinner and enjoy this gorgeous meal together! Well, that mission was accomplished, but the food was nowhere near what we had at Ritz.
I absolutely loved their amuse bouche. Deviled quail eggs with a hint of salmon flavor and a shot of corn and melon potage. This and the warm cheese bread with herbed butter raised my expectation so high. Too bad the rest of the "real" food wasn't up to that level.
As their tasting menu offered different menu for two, it was as if we had 14 course meal. Almost every single dish came out with thick puree of some vegetables. I mean, it was thick as mashed potato. It got a little too heavy for me towards the end. Most of the seafood/meat that sat on top of that thick puree had close to no flavor. They were bland, but it wasn't like the puree had any distinct flavor to help them taste better. I just didn't see them fuse together to create a nice flavor out of it.
Over-all, ok food. Nothing made me want to lick the plate. Well one thing to note is that their wine pairing was great. All the wine given to us, I very much enjoyed, and the portion was generous. So my mission was accomplished. Yes, I sat through the dinner, but I just wish the food was as good as Ritz. Fantastic tasting menu at a romantic settings without allergic reaction... I think I'll take the boy to Providence soon.
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Obviously this place has plenty of reviews and so I will refrain from a long and witty (in my own mind, at least) narration about how amazing the food was. Instead I just want to address two of the issues that some of the other reviewers had about dining here.
First off I've noticed that some people felt the size of the tasting menu dishes were too small. My husband and I both felt that the serving portions were perfectly sized. By the last dish we were both pleasantly full and didn't feel like we needed anything more to complete the meal.
It also seems like the time between the courses was an issue quite a few people had. Fortunately for us we did not have a problem at all. In fact, during the course of our meal the server asked us twice if the time between dishes was satisfactory to us. So maybe the concerns that people have had in the past are now being addressed by the owners.
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Super-chill back east style (stuffy?) spot...perhaps a little too white for the average Los Angeline chowhound. But great food and well paced.
Deviled quail eggs!
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Hatfields is one of my absolute favorite restaurants in LA. Food's always amazing, consistently excellent service, chill ambience, good wine list and delicious little amuse bouches - I particularly love the deviled quail egg stuffed with smoked trout. Even their bread is good...piping hot rolls fresh outta the oven with a cheesy crust baked on top. Yay.
Appetizer-wise, you must , must, must order the Croque Madame. This appetizer alone is one of the main reasons I am so in love w/ this place. As far as entrees go, their poultry (duck/chicken) dishes are exceptionally good from my experience.
This is a good date spot simply b/c it's quiet. On that note, if you're into venues with a 'scene' or good people-watching, this is not the place.
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I once heard that for a relationship to work, a man needs to wait for the right time in his life whereas a woman needs to patient and wait for the right guy. Right time and the right guy, ha!
I have now been waiting for 20+ years for this right guy... And I swear he's never coming for me. According to my parents, I am slowly making my way to SpinsterDo(o)m...
So it was frustrating for me when Hatfield's took 20+ minutes in between each of our courses. Crikey, so in addition to waiting for some fool to rescue me, now I have to wait for my food! Not what a Hungry Single Girl wants to hear.
Sure, 20+ minutes doesn't seem too long for a 7 course meal, but the portions were teeny tiny! I would say the courses could fit a tablespoon. So you can imagine me using that whiny voice that children use on road trips, "Is the next course here yet?"
I mean I didn't even know if I was hungry or full. =/
The amuse bouche was the highlight of my meal. A little shot glass of corn soup with a deviled quail's egg. After that I don't really remember much except that I was hungrily anticipating the next course.
The subsequent courses thereafter all seemed to have a theme of, my mom's let's hide the peas in the mashed potatoes. The purees that accompany the main entrees were from a variety of vegetables: from parsnips to celery root. Thanks for making me eat my veggies and making my mom proud!
I will go back, but only for the regular sized entrees.
Is he here yet?
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I will definitely be back. It was such a pleasant experience. I would rank it as one of my best meals in LA. Everything was perfect.
i loved the simplicity of the ambiance. i also love the fact that the chefs are always there. the food was amazing and very well presented. the cocktails a pretty good too. my favorite dish was the croque madame served with a sashimi and a quail egg. pretty dam amazing.
Very small and quaint restaurant. If your claustrophobic.... beware of the space. Ambiance was great and the food was excellent. We tried the warm octopus salad, house made corn agnolloti and charred Boston Mackerel appetizers. All were good, but the agnolloti was exceptional. As entrees we tried the branzino and lamb. The branzino was ok, but the lamb was very delicious. I'm usually squeamish to lamb, but their lamb was yummy.
One negative comment..... the owner/manager of the restaurant was a bit weird. She kept walking past our table w/ an unpleasant face and even asked our waiter what we ordered and made a face. If you encounter this, ignore her and enjoy your meal.
Also, for the gentlemans..... very small portions. But please do take your dates here, they will be impressed.
Hatfields is this tiny place that I had really had to hunt for. I was seriously going up and down Beverly for 10 minutes before seeing it man am I blind. Anyway the menu changes daily and they offer a set menu a tasting menu and a regular menu with 6 items on it. I had quail eggs and corn soup as well as ravioli as an appetizer and halibut for the main course. I really enjoyed the food and the waitress was very nice even though she said EVERYTHING was delicious so she couldn't be asked for a recomendation.
ex.
Me: Whats the most popular dish on the menu
Waitress: EEEEVERYTHING!
Me: But if you were to pick one thing....
Waitress: EEEEEEVER:YTHING!
Me:Um, well I guess Ill try this
Waitress: with EEEVERYTHING on it?
Me: ......
Yeah really good food and nice servers
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Quite literally this had to be one of the finest dining experiences I've ever had, in any city, at any price range, period.
We'd originally wanted to go here for a celebratory dinner with about a dozen people--not knowing about the cramped dining space and their inability to seat large groups. (Though to be honest, the staff taking our call and attempt to reservations should have been able to handle the situation far better--they weren't even willing to consider seating us as two separate tables of 6).
Undaunted, the chance came for a smaller group of us to try it again, and so we took the opportunity, this time coming with a far more manageable group of five foodies. So we swung for a late reservation slated at 8:45 PM.
Upon seating, the wait staff were warm and friendly right from the onset. Within a minute of being seated, water was poured, and out came two amuse bouches. Quail eggs with a touch of trout and egg mousse (smokey and tasty) and a shot of a wonderfully colored and very tasty broccoli soup. Wine, appetizers and entrees are ordered, including the restaurant making sure they did anything necessary to accommodate the two vegetarians in our group.
Started with a ravioli of mustard greens in a rich butter sauce. Absolutely delicious. I found myself wishing that the portion of the appetizer was a bit larger as it was just that good. I then debated the skirt steak on special but instead opted for the mint and date encrusted lamb chops after the waiter highly recommended them. They were perfectly prepared and laying atop a puree of chive and fava bean. Scrumptious though for my personal tastes, the puree while good, was a touch too sweet for me, as the date crust on the lamb already added a sweet touch to the meal. Minor nitpick however.
Finished the night with an order of one of each dessert available that night. My favorites were strawberry napoleon, the beignet, and the chocolate and peanut butter truffle cake.
Great staff, a small, cozy dining space, and excellent food from beginning to end. I absolutely would come again and again to try the rest of the menu along with the daily menu specials. We came in at just under $100 a head for 3 courses, cocktails, and a bottle of wine--so while not cheap, this has to be easily the best $100 I've spent on a meal in a very long time.
I'm one of the biggest red meat eaters you'll ever meet in your lifetime. The things I enjoyed by far the most here? The vegetarian dishes (broccoli soup, mustard green ravioli). That pretty much says it all in my book. I ate my veggies and I *LOVED IT*.
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I was so excited for this meal...I mean, look at all these 4-5star reviews!!! ..............sorry men & women of Yelp......Bastide still sits high above all else....
1. Decor: Simple....not impressive, much smaller place than I thought
2. Bathroom: Not elegant...good smelly candles though (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
3. Service: great. Friendly & courteous staff.
4. Menu: on-line it said 7-course meal for $79...it's actually $85...Daily market menu it says is $46, it is actually $48
5. Pre-appetizer: A shot glass of melon/corn soup --I would have never thought to put the 2 together...it was VERY good & refreshing (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
6. Pre-appetizer: A tiny little spoon with a jazzed up version of the devilled egg --quail egg with smoked trout. This tasted just like salmon
7. My appetizer: "Croque Madame" - grilled brioche, hamachi, prosciutto, quail egg -- ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS! loved the brioche (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
8. Other person's appetizer: Creamy Dungeness crab salad, tarragon, preserved lemon, sauté of pea tendrils and radish --very good, but not as good as the crab salad at Grace
9. I went with the daily market menu:
(a) Appetizer Salad: Chino Farmhouse Salad,Persian cucumber, pee wee potatoes, avocado, Cavaillon melon, wild mizuna lettuce --this salad had so much stuff going on! and it was all PERFECT together! (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
(b) Entree: Pan roasted hanger steak, horseradish creamed polenta, sautéed heirloom spinach and baby beets ---Horseradish polenta was very.....horseradishy....the sauteed spinach had too much salt...I liked the beets and the steak was good too. Not as good as the beef at Bastide though (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
(c) Dessert: pine nut tartlett , marinated organic raspberries & figs, sorbet ---In words, this dessert doesn't sound that great, but in taste......mmmm! It was really good! I don't like nuts and I don't like figs...but this worked well. The best part was the sorbet (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
10. Companion's Entree: Slow cooked beef rib, crispy spaetzle, Chinese broccoli, mustard infused garnet yam puree --Ok, this beef rib was sooooooooo tender and melt-in-your-mouth delicious!!!!
11. Drinks: I got the cucumber/mint gimlet....it tasted just like a mojito to me, nothing that special really. Instead of spending $12 on this, I would have rather gotten another appetizer =] (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
12. Mini-mini cupcakes: came with the lovely bill....tiny chocolate cupcakes with espresso mouse on top. VERY espresso-y and sweet! Perfect size for after dinner....(http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
Over all, I'm glad I finally got to try this restaurant, but I wasn't impressed or WOW-ed by anything. Everything was good, but not AMAZING. This is a bit lame but.........it bothered me a little how the servers' shirts matched the light green paint on the walls. Did they plan it that way??
I had a great dinner and very good food, but I don't feel like I have the need to come back here.
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What can I say about Hatfield's? From the music / ambience to the food itself, this place is top notch. Makes me wonder how other restaurants can even survive with places like this around.
Now onto the details...
The staff is attentive and knowledgeable, but not intrusive. The chef's complimentary appetizer which was a pea soup in a shot glass accompanied by a deviled quail egg with toasted rosemary (was it) was just perfect for a pre-appetizer, pre-dinner snack.
Our appetizer the "Croque Madame" was awesome. Hamachi, Prosciutto, a sunny side up quail egg, in between two slices of grilled brioche. We had the rack of lamb and slow cooked beef rib for our entrees - both were superb.
And of course for dessert, the "Sugar And Spice Dusted Beignets" with a side of chocolate sauce and "vanilla-chai milkshake shot" to close out the meal.
I highly recommend this restaurant, and would definitely go back.
1. Contact friend and fellow Yelper Reg T. for a recommendation for a joint you've never been to that has food up to one's own high foodie standards. You will not be steered in the direction of an over-rated hype machine or sub-standard celebrity depository.
2. Make reservations at Hatfield's.
3. Walk up to the tasteful front, take the small steps inside, and get seated. You will immediately notice the calm, self-effacing, filtered atmosphere that somehow feels like it's really all about the food. This does mean that you will probably not feel too welcome if you're wearing a cape and styrofoam chaps.
Have a seat and you will soon enjoy the calm, friendly, grounded, and knowledgable waiter's service. He will bring you something "complimentary" to start things off immediately; ours was two deviled quail's eggs and a long shot glass of some sort of potato/herb soup, which we sipped with eyes already half-closed in ecstacy.
Everything here is made to be visually arresting, with fresh and seasonal varietals of food, and creative combinations of texture, flavor and color that that are unusual and absurdly flavorful. I had my eyes shut half of the time in an effort to fully capture what was going on my mouth. Worth mentioning is the bread: perfection (no joke).
Highlights:
- "Croque Madame" grilled brioche, hamachi, prosciutto, quail egg. (appetizer - likely one of the greatest things I've ever had in my life).
- Slow cooked beef rib, crispy spaetzle, Chinese broccoli, mustard infused garnet yam puree. (Also one of the greatest things I have ever had the opportunity to eat - an unusually fantastic combination).
The whole experience is balanced and very well thought out, from the food to the atmosphere. Pretension is done away with in almost every way, and the reward for that is my feeling that this was clearly one of the best dinners that I have ever had in this town. We were perfectly full and felt the afterglow for hours afterwards. The prices are high, but not nearly as high as many other places that purport themselves to be truly fine dining, yet really aren't.
You can have your share of Angeleno restaurants that try too hard and rarely really succeed on this level; it will simply reserve this place as the divine sanctum for food that it is. Well done, Hatfield's. I'm a hard critic and difficult to please; you are worthy of all the praise.
Do you like movies about gladiators?
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This is hands down my absolute favorite restaurant in Los Angeles. The prix-fixe is priced very reasonably and every course is delicious. The warm summer salad and the duck entre are 2 of my favorites. The menu changes weekly and they serve everything from Octopus to Salmon to deviled quail eggs. The service is great, the decor is tasteful and the wine selection rocks. I would come hear every night if I lived closer.
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In Los Angeles, it's inevitable that you'll run into celebrities. How one reacts in these situations is usually a pretty good barometer of how cool you are.
The lowest level of this totem pole is occupied by the overzealous fan who can't help from breaking into mortifying hysterics upon spotting a celebrity. This type of behavior is usually limited to tourists from the flyover states. Your normal LA local tries a little harder to act indifferent to the presence of celebrities, but on the inside they're secretly hoping to strike up a conversation and gain admission into their inner circle. High atop the pyramid of coolness are those rare people who are so indifferent to the presence of a celebrities that they genuinely don't even notice them. This past Friday, I learned that I am one of these people.
I was having a lovely, leisurely-paced meal at Hatfield's. Every bite of food was delicious. As my dinner companion and I got up to leave the restaurant, she made a cryptic comment about how "cool" I was. While I couldn't disagree with her analysis, I was a bit perplexed at its timing. What had I done to elicit this compliment? She replied that she was amazed that I didn't once glance over at the A-list actress who was seated not twelve inches to my left for the past two hours (who coincidentally had starred in several movies produced by my current employer). I explained to my date that I wasn't intentionally ignoring this celebrity. I was genuinely not aware of her presence as I'm not in the habit of craning my neck 90 degrees in the middle of dinner to check out the people directly adjacent to me.
But the truth is that I could have been seated next to a clown juggling kitchen knives or a rampaging grizzly bear and I wouldn't have noticed them either. I was too transfixed by the vision of loveliness who was seated directly across from me. My date had captured every bit of my attention and, in her presence, I became completely oblivious to the world around me. And that is a very good thing.
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If it's a nice warm(ish) evening and you are looking for a secluded, intimate spot to take your sig other, this is the place! We sat and ate on the veranda on a particularly warm evening.It was lovely and felt very special.I remember (it was 3 weeks ago) the food being good, but it didn't blow me away. A real gem though...you feel like you have found somewhere special.
I had such high expectations for Hatfield's, after reading everyone else's reviews and from seeing it on the After Hours show. Simply put, all of my expectations were met. The food was just exquisite; every single detail was so well thought out and nothing was overlooked (my date and I had the 7-course tasting menu). The service was excellent; our waitress engaged us in just the right amount of conversation and was able to pick just the right times to bring the next course out or check on us. The design of the restaurant is very simple and pleasant, which was nice compared to some places these days that attempt to be art studios (memo: the decor should not out-"wow" the food). If you are a fan of the new american movement and have an appreciation/understanding of the way gourmet food is/should be served, then Hatfield's is your place.
I hate that I can't give half stars. Hatfield's is definitely inbetween a 4 and a 5 for me.
After nights of Yelping and comparing and looking up menus and (GASP!) even seeing what other sites had to say about several different restaurants, I decided that Hatfield's would be the spot to take the boy out for his birthday dinner. I figure he'd like the simple decor and have fun with the tasting menu and wine pairing -- and that he did. The decor was far from ostentatious and loud. It was simple and very suiting for his taste. The tasting menu allowed us to try 14 different items between the two of us -- not to mention the amazing amouse bouche of the pea soup and quail egg. I don't even like pea soup but it was so delicious coming in that shotglass. It felt kind of adventurous not knowing what was going to come next! We'd get antsy each time. :) Many of the dishes were delicious! I don't get how the chef could make something like a piece of vegetable taste like it had several layers of flavor!
So why 4.5 stars instead of a solid 5, you ask? Well, even if you didn't, I'm going to tell ya anyway. I didn't like how salty some of those dishes were -- and I'm one of those people that'll put more salt on a fry. I especially didn't want the rib dish to be so salty. :( Really did make me sad, everything else was absolutely marvelous too!
I think I'm always a lot more critical of these fancier places than I am with other places I yelp.
Anyway.
Fun and yummy food, great wine, friendly non-pretentious service, amazing bread and amouse bouche! All of that for a great price. :)
I'll round the 4.5 up to a 5 for the star rating though because a 4 seems too low for this place. Ahh! Wish I could give half stars -- have I said that already?
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Great price for a 7 course pre-fix. If you go with a date you're actually tasting 10 savory courses and 4 desserts. I found all the savory courses to be remarkably light and delicate in flavor. The most memorable course was the "Croque Madam" which was yellowtail sashimi sandwiched between brioche and prosciutto topped with a quail egg. Unfortunately, foie gras courses fell short.
The BEST birthday dinner a girl can ask for. We did the infamous 7-course meal with a wine pairing ($78 for the food plus an additional $44 for the pairings). We started the evening off with cocktails, I ordered the cranberry margarita and Kieran ordered the cucumber mint gimlet. BOTH were excellent.
The service was amazing. The cheese bread and butter, perfection. Their BOTTLED water was even good for crying out loud. Speaking of crying out loud, I about did after our 2nd course, tears of joy! (no joke!)
It was a WONDERFUL and ROMANTIC evening with the rain pouring on the roof top and a newly 26 year old girl standing in the rain in her dress smiling with a full and happy stomach.
I think everyone needs to try this place and do the 7-courses with the wine pairings. You will not regret it! When we got home my roommate asked, "OMG did you guys get engaged?" That is how much I was glowing, I shook my head and said, "No, I just had the best meal of my life."
Also, reservations are "not nearly as hard as they once were earlier in 2007", according to my date.
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"Happy moments."
I define happy moments as specific times in life where everything fits. When the planets and stars are aligned, the world is at peace, and the gods are shining good fortune down upon you. When everything in your frame of vision is absolutely perfect and you hold your breath in hopes that you don't ruin it.
I had a happy moment at Hatfield's last night. It was absolutely, utterly perfect.
I've had Hatfield's bookmarked on Yelp for a long time now - since September 15, 2007 to be exact. I've consistently thought about coming here for the past eight months, wishing for any opportunity, any excuse to give it a try. Well, lucky for me, the boy is a foodie and lucky for him, I was treating him to dinner.
We ordered the tasting menu with the wine pairing. 7 dishes (but two varieties for each course, totaling 14 courses between the two of us) and 6 glasses of wine (the wine pairing is a must!). All of it was absolutely amazing.
Before I get to the food, Hatfield's ambiance and service was impeccable.
Hatfield's has none of the Los Angeles hype. It's inviting and comforting, like a restaurant hidden in a vineyard somewhere, instead of feeling like every other modern LA restaurant on Beverly. The boy and I sat at an amazing table on the front patio, basking in the last bit of sunlight of the day.
Our waiter, Hans, was amazing as well. Well informed about the dishes and wine, he went into incredible detail about everything that was put on our table and always had an answer to our questions. Not only was he knowledgeable and informative, he went as far as to hand write all 14 courses and 6 wines down for us on a menu so we wouldn't forget our meal for the night. He was superb.
Now onto the food...
- Amuse-bouche: Split pea soup. Deviled quail egg with salmon.
- Course 1: "Croque madame", made of grilled brioche, hamachi, prosciutto, and a quail egg. Cuttlefish, celery root puree and moitoke mushrooms. Paired with a 2006 Coenobium from Italy.
- Course 2: Warm octopus salad, royal trumpet mushrooms, asparagus, a nettle puree and buckwheat crisps. Mustard green and ricotta ravioli, cinnamon banyuls beurre fondue and armentizia cheese. Paired with a 2006 Albarino Morgadio.
- Course 3: Olive oil poached halibut, herbed asparagus, hon shimeji mushrooms and pickled ramp vinaigrette. Hamachi collar, hemp seed, ginger snap peas and chanterelle. Paired with a 2005 Gamay Grosjean.
- Course 4: Foie gras with squab breast, golden lentil puree and royal trumpet mushrooms. Foie gras with chicken breast, sunchoke and squash, zucchini basil coulis. Paired with a 2005 Blaufrankisch from Austria.
- Course 5: Slow cooked beef rib, crispy spaetzle, baby rapini and mustard infused garnet yam puree. Braised pork belly, vanilla turnip puree and pea tendril and carrot. Paired with a 2004 Cotes du Rhone.
- Course 6: Buttermilk panna cotta with tangerine sorbet. Strawberry napoleon with rhubarb ice cream. Paired with Moscato d'Asti.
- Course 7: Chocolate mousse tartlet. Peanut butter tuffle cake with salted caramel ice cream.
All I'm going to say about the food is that my happy moment occurred in Course 4, when I took a bite of the boy's foie gras and chicken breast. That dish was breathtakingly perfect.
**SEE PICTURES POSTED**
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My my my...I definitely was not in my elements.
I'm pretty sure my faithful readers over the year have read enough of my reviews of dim sum, noodles, ramen, sushi, and KBBQ places that would last them a year's worth. So it's probably would be thrown into a loop to see me coming into a place like this.
No major hiccups in the reservation except I couldn't get an early booking at prime dinner hour. All the reservations before 9pm on a Saturday was booked, so I had to settle for that 9pm reservation.
My first impression coming into a place was that it was a bit tiny of dining place. A lot of people got it right in their reviews in that this is an unassuming and very simple in terms of decor. Nothing flashy or extreme to shout for an attention. Maybe a low-key was to go for a place like this. It's not because it was lack of trying, but just simple, clean and easy on the eye. It was a very dimmed with candle lights, so the place was going to be a slick and cool interior.
We were seated inside with a nice looking table that is facing the door. It was going to be raining and chilly that night, so I was uttering "please don't screwed me like you did to Minty". Please read her review for outdoor seating with the decor and ambiance.
Our table decided to have tasting menu ($79 for each person). You can also wine pairing for that feature. I was not as adventurous and went with a cranberry margarita cocktail which was essentially a strong shot of tequila with a dash of lime and snippets of cranberry juice mixed together. Very potent and a much needed drink to relax you.
We started off with interesting soup that came in a shot glass. I missed on what that being called. It also had a quail egg on a spoon. Nice little presentation to start off with. Eventually several rounds of baked rolls would come, but we as experienced buffet connoisseur would called these little bread as "appetite killers". So we tried not to eat them as much.
What followed was five different tasting courses of different plates with two desserts that was going to end with a bang.
The three highlights in my LUCKY tasting course were Olive Oil Poached Ocean Trout, the Beef Rib, and the Squab. For the trout, it was very tendered and well seasoned. It was so soft, it almost melted in my mouth. I had other experiences with something that soft, but it was usually greasy, but not with this trout. With a nice puree (a very delicate soft mashed potato) and watercress salad, it completed that dish very well.
My favorite was the beef rib. That one is probably the one course I would ordered as a full main course if I ever stop in again at Hatfield's. The slow cooked beef rib was finely cut and well presented. It was very flavorable that put the meat on the pedestal of its echelon. This was sided with a dash of some veggie (they called it Chinese broccoli, but I would protest on the name) and a mustard yam puree (that would go well as a sauce for the beef).
The squab is an off menu course. This delicate bird came in the same time my dining companions got foie gras. At first I wanted to trade with them, but I wound up getting something that was different and quite delicious. I was glad I didn't trade the dish away.
Interestingly, the tasting menu comes in two different sets. With three people in our table, one of us would be getting a different dish. If you noticed in other reviews, the couples who ordered the tasting menu would get 14 different items from a 7 course meal only because both will not get the identical item. It was a good way to test our mates dishes and sample all 14 dishes if we are that curious.
The other two main course dishes was an octopus dish with a nice set of beans. That was actually pretty good, but I would have stuck with the trout. The only miss that I would gave on the whole tasting menu for me was the catfish? I got. It may be a butterfish type dish, but that one was also an off-menu item, so I won't miss it.
The desserts put a great ending to some wonderful dishes that we have tasted. I got a Peanut Butter souffle & a caramel ice cream. We always love chocolate souffle, but peanut butter that is served warm gets the same YUM-O treatment from me.
The Panna Cotta was a fine creamy dessert. This custard can look like a flan, but if I ever can get a recipe, I would be happy to make this dessert every day.
Our server was an excellent tour guide as he effortlessly answered all our questions and did a great job at presenting each of the dishes. The things you are going to be surprised on every dish because the tasting menu does not list the courses and you will know the dish only when presented. The tasting menu get change often, so you are not getting the same thing every month.
This was well worth it as the evening goes by quickly. I definitely would love to come here often (if I could afford it). Now I had a good idea on what to order from the main menu and may try again on tasting menu.
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Really, it was a 3.5 for me. I hesitate to give this place such an average rating after all the hype but it wasn't truly mind-blowing. Ah, how I lament that since in general, it was a good time and the food generally was tasty.
I made reservations about a month ahead of time for four people. I inquired whether or not it was possible to have three of the four of us do the tasting as one of our party has a medical condition that would prevent them from doing the tasting. I received a phone call the next day from an unidentified person saying it was fine.
About a week ahead, I called to confirm the reservation which apparently surprised the hostess.
The night of, we walked in right on time and was shown right away to the side patio. I was a bit disappointed. I made these reservations so far in advance and the best table we could get was in the "patio" that was really the alley between the restaurant and the psychic next door. Sure, it had a roof and some potted plants but staring at stucco walls for almost three hours was not really enhancing my experience. And since it was December, I would have liked to be indoors but fortunately, the heat lamps were working very well that night. I also disliked the fact I could smell someone smoking near the front. The waiter lied to another table saying it was grilled meat. Um, yes? I know the difference between nicotine and charred meat.
I liked my cucumber mint vodka drink. I forget what it's called but it's on their specialties cocktails list. You can definitely taste the fresh cucumber in it. --edit, I looked it up. It's the cucumber mint gimlet made with Grey Goose pear vodka. Yummy.
We were allowed to do a split table tasting. Our friend got a fish dish and was served after we had gotten two dishes. Everyone was given two Amuses. I enjoyed the quail egg very much and the ginger carrot soup was lovely. Though, it was a bit too thick to "shoot" from the shot glass it came in.
Two of our party would always get the same thing and one would get the other option in the tasting. I had wondered how Hatfield's would handle this with three people since every review I had read said you got 14 different dishes in the 7 course tasting for two. I'm not going to try to remember all 14 but here are some of thoughts; good and bad.
I was so in love with the idea of the quail egg hamachi croque madame. Unfortunately, the hamachi was VERY fishy tasting to me and that ruined the perfect bread and egg. Ah well.
Next came the very tender octopus which I throughly enjoyed but did not like that it was sitting on top of an edamame puree. It just didn't taste right together. I had a bite of my friend's scallop and it was also very good but again, didn't go well with the puree.
The puree would haunt us on every course. Presentation was lovely but after many, many dishes, we just wanted whole veggies with that textural crunch rather than baby food.
The next course was the fish course. I liked my fish but didn't think it was that exciting. I noticed it was just a tad smaller than my friend who only had the fish. I didn't think her meal price was worth it considering how much food we got (for yes, $50 or so more).
Next came the meats. I expected to have an epiphany with the the foie gras but nah, it's just some fat. And the tiny boneless chicken wing...hmm. Eh. The duck my friends had was pretty good. It also came with foie gras.
I actually liked the short rib but thought it picked up too much bitterness from the veggies. How did they make the yam bitter? It couldn't have leached out from the Chinese broccoli since that was fine. My friends did not like this dish at all.
The pork belly was not rendered enough so it was not tasty to me. My friends actually liked this. I thought the beans that accompanied it was too hard. Hmm, perhaps this would be the dish to actually have a puree?
Throughout the tasting, food runners would bring our food but the waiter disappeared often. Which was a shame since my friend was making eyes at him. He would inquire if we needed more drinks but what we needed was someone to better explain the dishes to us. Bussers would also constantly refill our water and offer us bread which was good. It was nice they cleared our utensils with every course (as they should).
Finally, we had the last two courses which were two desserts. The lemon panna cotta was fabulous. Just like a lemon bar (which I love) in flavor. But I have to say the chocolate and peanut butter cake with salted caramel ice cream was the best. I also tried the chocolate mouse tartlet that came with espresso ice cream (which I thought was better than the salted caramel).
Would I go back to this restaurant for the tasting menu? No. But I'd go back definitely for dessert...if they sat us on the inside!
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What is there to say that hasn't already been said. Hatfield's is amazing. I love the small and quaint atmosphere...where the senses focus on the food...not on the loud dinning room or over the top decor. The presentation of all the dishes were impeccable and had the flavor to match. The movement of the tasting menu from foods that were lighter to heavier on the palate was so well done and balanced. My favorite is the pork belly...I've been chasing that taste ever since.
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WOW, WOW, WOW, WOW, WOW (5 WOW STARS)
A fabulous and unpretentous restaurant. I love the fact that Hatfield's is so passionate and confidence about their craft that they just pay no attention in trying to keep up with the rest of the usual mode of nowadays run of the mill "modern, fusion, whatchama call it" restaurant process and presentation.
Instead, Hatfield's focus their energy on the most important aspect of the restaurant business. The FOOD! And boy they get it right effortlessly. My wife and I finally had a chance to step into this humble little space so we can experience the chef's own creation.
Hatfield's subtle reinterpreting flavors is a joy to experience. Their ideas of combining traditional with unexpected but pleasantly welcoming surprise of decadence is the essence of Hatfield's less is more approach.
We are talking about the 7 course shared meal dinner that we had splurge on ourselves. Actually for my wifey's bday dinner. Definitely worth every pennies! You get what you pay for. And what you pay for is a chance to experience the chef's perspective on their presentation and recreation on their concept of food. And it's such a great journey. If you are the type of foodies that appreciates the nuances in the preparations, in it's sauces, it's drips, it's texture, it's delicate and complex coexisting balance of sweets and savories, boy o' boy, you are in for a trip.
Service is exceptional. For example, I've notify our waiter that I will not be drinking and just need some flavor in my drinks, thus my virgin drink order. Instead, my waiter surprise me with the bar's creative answer to my need for flavor by serving me a mix of ginger beer with pomegranate toped with a nice zest of lime, tasty. Now that's service!
No need for me to go into the reviews of the food as you can get all of these details from the rest of the reviews from fellow yelpers.
In summary, the focus is on the experience of the food instead of the misguided attention toward the decor, the architecture and it's model-esque waiter. Hatfield's gets it in this sea of many fly by night modern fusion confusion.
Next stop, King Taco cause we broke Biatch! hah hah.
Bon Apptit
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Hatfield's was were I celebrated New Years Eve (2007) The location is adorable, we were sat in the side room. A little more intimate than the front main dining room.
The prices were substancially higher that night just like everywhere else. The 7 course tasting menu was $175 vs the regular $79.
We had several of the delicious holiday drinks. I had the margarita's and my husband the martinis, the presentation was nice and the flavors were great. We also ordered a bottle of bordeaux and enjoyed our celebration of the new year. I can only remember what I took pictures of. Not because it wasn't good, but because I probably had a little too much to drink. I remember the starter (quail eggs and soup) being really good and the panna cotta being divine. My husband looks very happy in the pictures so I have to assume he really enjoyed his meal.
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Hands down one of the best restaurants in Los Angeles. I've dining here 5 or 6 times and it is consistently delicious. Playful, fresh, unpretentious.
This is a true example of people doing what they love and it being reflected in the product.
"Ugh, our anniversary is this week? How is this possible," I thought to myself while fielding calls and following up on emails Monday afternoon.
It was our four-year and we were both extremely busy; L with her job and I with mine. I just started a new position at an Internet company and was pushing sixty to seventy hours a week!
"No excuses," I told myself and dialed the number to Hatfield's. We had tried to have dinner there multiple times but the stars never aligned. Schedules were checked, phone calls were made, appointments were cancelled. This time, it would be different. We cleared our calendars. We crossed our fingers. And waited.
Thursday rolled around and, miraculously, no cancelled reservations, no critical deadlines on Friday! We made it. I guess this relationship had staying power after all?
The Hatfields helmed the kitchen (Quinn the executive chef, Karen the pastry chef) at Cortez in San Francisco (where I had a great meal when I was up in Union Square for a conference) and have been creating their own following here in Los Angeles with their rustic and yet refined cuisine.
We reached the restaurant five minutes late for our reservation , but were greeted warmly by Karen who, although very pregnant, had a smile on her face and seated us immediately at a table in the small side patio which was a romantic, secluded spot.
I handed our server our bottle of Saintsbury Pinot Noir and requested it be put on ice briefly as it was sitting out for a while, which he did without hesitation. We looked at the menu while we waited. We were hoping to order one tasting menu and a few additional dishes but unfortunately the tasting menu needs to be ordered by the entire table. We opted to order a la carte instead, requesting to share the kabocha squash ravioli with fresh black-eyed peas and brown butter and ordering the striped bass with creamy Swiss chard, chanterelles and parsley-garlic broth and the slow-cooked beef rib with spaetzle, Chinese broccoli and yam puree for our entrees.
Before too long, we were brought warm cheesy rolls, which were delicious with the butter showered with salt, pepper and chives. Wine poured (which had opened up and was showing extremely well considering all the abuse I put through it with moving and lack of cellaring) and rolls buttered, things were looking great.
Our appetizer came, which we dove into. Honestly, it was absolutely an example of how something so simple could be so impactful. Kabocha squash with brown butter, potentially a standard pairing, but combined with earthy, fresh black-eyed peas, gave the dish another dimension that left me wanting a second serving! Since we are small eaters, I held off and waited for our entrees, which arrived not too long after our plates were cleared.
The beef rib was extremely solid with the spaetzle a standout (resembling an exceedingly refined macaroni and cheese) and the rib meat being tender and yet crispy on the outside: a perfect texture contrast. Both the yam puree and Chinese broccoli were also delicious components that added their own unique element to the dish. L's striped bass was slightly weaker if only because the fish itself was under-seasoned, but every component of her dish was well executed, with the chard having an incredible, savory depth of flavor (Quinn really has a way with vegetables!). She was ambivalent about her entre but I demolished the rest