I went back & forth on this one w/ my hubs - 4 stars? 5 stars? In the end, the sum total…read moreexperience was a solid 4 - good food, great aesthetic/vibe, great server, but the lack of accommodation/hospitality, some of the food, the price point on some of the food were drawbacks.
One negative happened *before* we arrived. This special evening was to celebrate the 80th birthday of one of my sisters-in-law. We called to arrange a special dessert plate, etc, in advance, but the young woman who answered instantly told me no and said we could order a dessert and they would put a candle on it. I asked if we could choose a few desserts in advance and have them arranged on a platter with "Happy Birthday" written on it in some way, but again this woman said, "No, we really don't do that." Womp womp. Could've been an easy win. She actually encouraged me to bring an outside dessert and they would put a candle on that. She could've suggested a bottle of champagne or glasses of champagne being delivered to the table in advance, but no. Disappointing to say the least, especially at a restaurant of this caliber.
Moving on...
When you roll up to this location up a winding road, you get how special/unique Hyeholde is. The Tudor-influence is charming, as is the thoughtful gardening & its romantic evening uplighting. A valet pops out immediately to whisk away your car. (One sis-in-law arrived before they opened & was alarmed at no handicapped parking, but this is clearly why: the valet.)
Another negative happened before we entered the restaurant -- the valet informed us that our pretty, small birthday balloon would not be allowed inside.
The restaurant door opened as we started toward it - the owner & exec chef (we would learn later) welcoming us. Nice touch.
One snag: both my sis-in-laws have some challenges walking/climbing stairs; no one asked the SIL who made her own birthday reservation (at her insistence!) about this. So, the 2 were a bit surprised when told that we would be headed upstairs to dine. While our host seemed somewhat willing to change up our location, there was a handrail up the stairs, so both SIL's opted for the climb.
Our server, Ryan, was great - enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and cheerful throughout.
The food: They had just changed to their spring menu, but three of us opted for the creamy mushroom soup, a winter menu holdover. While it was mushroomy and flavorful, I really do prefer my mushroom soup to have a splash of sherry. The artisanal greens with honey pear dressing was fresh and light. We all agreed that the dressing was excellent & the greens crisp & flavorful. (Slight drawback: It's fairly small & very simple; $14 is a bit much for this).
The bread plate that came with our appetizers was good. One of my SIL's is a master baker, and she positively sang the praises of the brioche rolls. There's one for each in the party. Drawback: We wanted more and were happy to pay, but Ryan told us that wasn't possible. They only make enough for each person to have one each night. The homemade apple butter was excellent.
Star appetizer: Smoked olives (!!!) - it sounds crazy, but all 4 of us could not get enough of these. The Applewood smoked treasures were to die for, especially the massive Cerignola olives. WOAH.
The truffle mushroom pasta with chestnut cream was also positively standout. Huge, meaty mushrooms were slathered in a rich, flavorful cream with what seemed like campanelle-type pasta - YUM!
Ryan recommended the tuna crudo app/small plate - but we just didn't have room. Next time...
Main courses: birthday girl & I ordered the seafood tagliatelle which was excellent. The seafood - a blend of shrimp & scallops - was nestled in a saffron beurre blanc with a hugely flavorful blend of fennel, sun-dried tomatoes, & yummy black garlic.
Hubs & other SIL got the Delmonico. Neither would recommend it. It was cooked perfectly but was a bit salty, not terribly juicy, and at ***$75**** - I can confidently say (after tasting a piece) that it was not worth it. The bordelaise sauce was nice, but the multi-layered mille-feuille potato creation - while definitely impressive - was too salty, according to the SIL who ordered it.
Wine - we brought our own (bday girl had been saving 2 v special bottles) & paid their $40 corkage fee.
Dessert time!
Birthday SIL got the Ryan-recommended NY Cheesecake (his fave). First - this isn't NY cheesecake! BUT - it is quite good -- creamy, flavorful with a nice, thin, crunchy Graham cracker crust, and a spoonful of succulent preserved cherries. Ryan even magically stuck a little candle to the plate for our celebration.
The standout fave, though, was the special carrot cake -- a creative version with a yummy, coconutty/pineapply ice cream colored with carrot juice and garnished with a crunchy, thin sliver of dried parsnip and carrot. Really good! My other SIL got the passionfruit pavlova and thought it was good (I don't do meringue - so I didn't try it).