The place was loud and busy but our food was served at a nice pace. We munched on burrata and fett’unta bread andhamachi crudo while waiting for the main dishes. The spaghetti with clams and jalapeño pesto as well as the sweet corn cappellacci were amazing. I think the pastas are the restaurant’s star dishes . The grilled scallops and chicken were burnt. The latter came with a very salty aji panca sauce. The desserts were a sweet finish and we loved our drinks.
My friend and I drank over 2 liters of water over the course of this meal. Some dishes were just SO salty.I'll start with the good:- Hippo bread with the honey butter was so fluffy and delicious. It's like Texas Roadhouse rolls but better- Celery root pasta has great flavor. The cream can make this a very heavy dish.- Cauliflower dish was tasty though a bit salty. Enjoyed the relish on top.The dishes that could use work:- Wax bean salad was drenched in a mustard dressing. Loved the mustard flavor but because there was so much dressing, the flavor stuck to my mouth during the entire meal.- Chicken thigh was way too salty! We barely touched this since the predominant flavor was SALT.The gelato was great. We enjoyed both the coconut stracciatella and Meyer lemon flavors.
Amazing restaurant with great atmosphere. I loved, loved, the chocolate martini ?
Reservation required, but they seem nice. If your party is small and there's empty seats maybe they'll let you in. The open kitchen is pretty nice, when you're bored can watch them plate and cook. Food was pretty good, on the pricy side. Not great for huge eaters and drinkers me eating alone was pretty high.
There was a wait day before Mother's Day, but we got in sooner than expected. 4 of us Sat upstairs. Excellent food. My extra rare filet mignon was perfect. Nice drinks. Professional waiters. Lemon cake was huge. Too much! I wish I know before ordering it. Only thing was music electronica too loud but we told them and music changed...
The waiter was rude about a few things, and so we gave him a low tip. This happened after the table next to us had a confrontation with him about their check. Anyhow. So he waited for me outside the bathroom and confronted me about it. At that point I told him that he was worth less than I gave him. But then called the manager, to whom I told I would not be returning. I’ve been to Hippo at least 20 times, so am bummed to see it hit rock bottom.
It's hard to characterize this place as the food is delicious and creative, it's not family style or tappas but perfect for sharing, the setting is casual and hip and the cocktails are excellent.Add a super friendly and helpful staff and you'll want to add this to your East side short list for repeat dining.Start with the brussel sprouts and cauliflower. And don't miss the duck ragu or squash brown butter crispy sage pastas.
Dependably excellent cuisine, cocktails and wine, plus service to match. An ideal vibe for most any occasion.
This place has been on the list for some time now and it did not disappoint. The food could stand on its own, but the service we had honestly served as the icing on the cake. I didn’t catch the name of our waiter but he (tallish with about chin length hair) was fantastic. We wanted a few suggestions off the menu and he did not lead us astray.Before arriving we had our mind set on the duck ragú tagliolini (it was a popular in reviews), the hamachi crudo, and the butternut squash ravioli, but the list of ‘firsts’ (their appetizers) threw us. Everything sounded delicious and we decided to ask our waiter so we could observe his initial reactions and the way he described the food. We ended up adding the burrata with prosciutto, grilled cauliflower, and a bonus entree - grilled chicken thigh to the order. I gotta say that I was not that thrilled about the chicken thigh but boy did that turn out to be surprise of the evening. It was seasoned so well and grilled to perfection. Thank goodness the portions were not stingy. They also give you huge chunks of focaccia seasoned with salt as something to nibble on while you wait for the food to arrive.By the end of the meal it was hard to make a call on which dish was a favorite. I suppose if I would say the hamachi crudo and grilled cauliflower stood out the most for the unique flavors the dish had.While this would make for a nice date, I think you’ll have a more comprehensive dining experience if you go as at least a party of 4 so that you can order family style.
Wine by the glass is on point.Bread is a must, even if you are a gluten free person.It’s more like a 4.2 place. But Google does not have that rating and it’s def. Not a 4 star spot.Thank you. Come again!