HATCHET HALL (LOS ANGELES, CA)

Hatchet Hall
12517 W. Washington Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90066
Hatchet Hall
Tel: 310.391.4222
Cuisine: American
$$$ ($30-$45)
Fri, 12/16/2016, 6:30pm reservation 
    (4 Piglets)

You know those farm to table restaurants that are popular in California and pretty much, throughout the States? Well, this is another one of those restaurants. With an emphasis on utilizing fresh ingredients from local farmers, Hatchet Hall applies American techniques with wood fire cooking. 

The interior is composed of casual elegance. There is a hidden bar in the back. It's dark, so reading the menu was a task in itself. The cuisine almost touches on a bit of the south. It's different and something you don't find at most restaurants. 

The interior

MY FAVORITE DISH. BENNE YEAST ROLLS ($6.00): Honey Butter, Sea Salt. If you're a big fan of bread, you'll love these rolls. They were light and airy and warm and moist...everything you would want in a roll. It was so good and the honey butter melted perfectly onto the roll. It was so delicious that I was sad it only came as a set of two. 

OCTOPUS ($19.00): Cranberry Beans, Treviso, Lemon Aioli, Salsa Verde. The octopus was pretty good. It wasn't overly rubbery and was quite tender. The first time it came out, the dish was quite cold and they actually refired the dish for another, which I appreciated. It had good flavor and I liked the beans a lot.

GULF SHRIMP ($17.00): Sausage, Greens, Calabrian Chili, Polenta. This is HH's take on shrimp and grits. I recently just came back from New Orleans and nothing compares to the shrimp and grits there. This is a good take on the dish. The polenta was creamy and the shrimp was cooked well. I liked the little spice from the chili.

CORNBREAD ($11.00): Jalapeno, Cheddar, Cultured Butter, Honey. This bread was actually pretty darn good. It was moist and the butter went well with the cornbread. It looked burned at first, but that's cause they flipped the cornbread over.

GRILLED SWEET ONION ($8.00): Bagna Cauda, Lemon, Bread Crumbs. I loved these onions. This was probably my second favorite dish. It was sweet and had so much flavor. I loved the garlic. It is a must order.

Duck (I forget the price cause it was a special). The duck was just ok in my opinion. It was a little dry and I felt like it lacked some flavor. It's probably best to skip this dish and order something else.

BEEF FAT POTATOES ($8.00): Roasted Garlic Aioli, Salsa Verde. The potatoes were crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. The aioli was great. I don't think the potatoes were anything spectacular. They were just good.

WINTER SQUASH ($8.00): Calabrian Chili, Mint, Gingerbread. This dish was pretty good. I actually enjoyed the touch of gingerbread. Of the side dishes, I would pick the sweet onions over this.

Overall, Hatchet Hall has some good potential. I thought the food was decent, but it didn't blow me away. The yeast rolls that they have are amazing, but they make them in limited quantities. I think it does a good job for being a cool local eatery serving food that is Southern inspired. There is valet parking and street parking, though the street parking maybe a little difficult to find.


Notable Dishes: Benne Yeast Rolls and Grilled Sweet Onion