At a whim, it was the end of the day, and I completely forgot to pick a place to go for this week. I saw this was on my list, and I figured why not? Mind as well try it. I sure didn’t regret this decision. The Hart and The Hunter is a pretty interesting place.
This is #14 of 52 on my 2014 LA food expedition.
Note for 2022 migration: this is an old post from my other defunct blog. It looks like this restaurant is now closed in Los Angeles, but it seems to have a Seattle location. That definitely makes sense considering how “hipster” this place was.
Ambiance
The decor was pretty interested as you walk into the restaurant. Have you ever watched the first Ace Ventura? Towards the end of the movie where they are at the embassy, the vibe and decor felt very similar. There were throw pillows on the bench I was sitting on. Each plate had a different design, and everything was presented in a rustic feel.
Food
Pickles of the day. This was simply a variety of pickled vegetables including asparagus, carrots, onions, and cauliflower. The pickling was actually pretty good. It was definitely sour but felt very refreshing. The vegetables weren’t soggy or soaked and were crispy.
Chicken Cracklins. At first glance at the menu, I thought this was going to be chicken nuggets. It actually was just chicken skin. It was crispy and oily, but it was also deliciously flavorful and wonderful if you are into fried chicken skin. A little pricey for what it is, but they do give huge chunks of it.
Barbecued East Coast Oysters, Chili Butter, Bread Crumbs. On my list of favorite things to eat so far in my life was Marc Forgione’s chili lobster. I have to say this, flavor wise, ranks very high. The chili butter was freaking good. It reminded me of some Asian spices that I can’t quite pinpoint on. A couple lemon squeezes on top really made everything very good. The oysters were nice and tender and not overcooked.
Smoked Trout, Boiled Egg, Herb Salad, Avocado Toast. Surprisingly the smoked trout (in the jar) was very tender and flavorful. There was not an ounce of fishiness to it. The avocado on the toast didn’t seem much. When you combine all ingredients on the toast, it was really good. The herb salad was pickled similar to the “pickles of the day” entry. Keep in mind, I tried stacking the trout on a piece of toast, but it was just too fragile. I ended up having a lot of left over trout, which I scooped into my empty oyster shell and destroyed it.
Lastly not pictured I got the salted chocolate tart cake. My buddy got the lemon ice box pie which was large but very good. There was some meringue on top of the pie. The lemon parts of the pie was sour but the meringue really toned it down. The salted chocolate tart cake was just ok for me. It had a white wet marshmallow texture on top with some chocolate pudding parts in the middle.
Final Verdict
All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by this place. The food was good, but honestly if I had one gripe, it was that the place was really loud. I had to put effort into talking, and that annoyed me. So I definitely wouldn’t mind coming back here again, but I am hoping next time it’s not as loud.
Revisions
- Nov 13, 2022 - Migrated post from other blog.
- Apr 12, 2014 - Initial revision.