As a fan of their sister restaurant, Tiburon, I dined at Hoof & Vine nearly as soon as they opened a few years back. I recall finding it neither outstanding nor terrible, but unexciting enough that I harbored no desire to return. During the pandemic, in an effort to support small and local businesses, I have actually been eating out more; so on a Wednesday night, when H&F was serving up their burger special, I placed a take-out order.
I called shortly before 6pm, and it was ready within about 25 minutes. We pulled into a parking space, they shouted for our name, and quickly brought the food out. Easy peasy! Back home, everything was still warm and well packaged. I had the salmon, which includes a side of funeral potatoes, perfectly tender-crisp vegetables, and a salad. The salmon was a touch fishy and overcooked, but still delicious. The Hoof & Vine house salad is good, and I quite enjoyed their rich bleu cheese dressing, but it pales in comparison to Tiburon's exemplary fontina and apple bedecked creation. Currently, you have your option of either with take-out orders, but this may change once business is back to usual, so take advantage and eat all the Tiburon salad you can now!
The ($20) burger special changes weekly, and though we cried to have missed one featuring mozzarella sticks (!!!) about a month ago, found ourselves pleased with what we received: a well-seasoned and juicy patty topped with swiss cheese, sautéed mushrooms, and arugula, on a Stoneground bun. I very rarely enjoy a bun with my burger, but this excellent brioche was a happy exception! As a side, it included flavorful and crisp seasoned fries along with excellent lightly pickled vegetables. If looking to give H&F a try without spending $30-$40+ an entrée, this is a great option. Note: you can sub the beef with a Beyond patty.
Lastly, the still-warm slices of baguette and slightly sweet roasted peppery butter are worth a visit on their own merit. I had forgotten how incredibly delicious that is. Get some!
I was truly surprised by how much I enjoyed everything. I found myself wishing we had waited for their Thursday dinner special, which is incredibly generous as it features a whole spread of food for four, plus dessert, at $100. Which leads me to the main negative: they are in the sphere of fine dining, and the price can feel high. I was satisfied and not unhappy to have paid what we did, though $35 salmon should be a bit more skillfully prepared. I don't think the interior and ambiance of the restaurant quite matches up with this, either, which may have contributed to my former disinterested feelings. Lastly, much like the Tiburon, while most of the food is very good to excellent, inventive and creative it is not. Options consist of the standard chicken/steak/fish. Still, I was pleasantly surprised, and certainly will not wait so long to have a meal here again.
Update: We returned exactly a week later, again on a Wednesday for the burger special. They killed it once more in the bun department, this time with a pretzel variety and mustard cream cheese smear(!!!). I had the crab cakes as an entree, and would highly recommend them. The sauce and pepper-based relish is delectable, crab cakes moist with little filler, and the whole thing came together beautifully with their sides (in fact, as I was carrying my plate of food at home, I tripped and fell, but landed on my elbow with the plate in the air, sacrificing a good deal of skin with a fantastic scrape, but saving my meal, and I don't regret it one bit!). Yay, Hoof & Vine! read more