Are you game enough for Wild Hare?
Written: Jun 19 '01
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Pros: Interesting and delicious cuisine, dramatic decor.
Cons: Not the most well-informed staff.
The Bottom Line: If you're looking beyond the standard chicken and salmon dinner entrees, Wild Hare is a great place to be an adventurous diner!
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| tanster's Full Review: Wild Hare |
Now this isnt something you often see in health-conscious Silicon Valley: a restaurant devoted to game.
Wild Hare was opened two years ago by ebullient celebrity chef Joey Altman, former head chef at The Palace in Sunnyvale. For you local Bay Area types, you might recognize Altman from his BayTV food show, Bay Caf, which won this years prestigious James Beard award for best national television cooking show.
Julie (my younger sister, or MiniTan as she used to be called before she got married) and I decided that we were going to order adventurously so no chicken, salmon, or beef.
The quick story
Surprisingly good cuisine. (Yes, the game, too!)
Big-city decor in small-town Menlo Park.
Surprisingly casual clientele.
Cuisine
I would describe Wild Hares cuisine as game-heavy New American, with Asian and Italian influences sprinkled throughout. The menu is divided into three main sections: from the sky, from the land, and from the sea. Unfortunately, from the land did not include items from the earth; Wild Hare doesnt offer much for vegetarians.
Starters
Our meal started with an awesome bread basket filled with spicy curry cracker bread, hearty walnut bread, and delicious onion foccacia. The breads were accompanied by a highly unnecessary (and rather bland anyway) chunky eggplant puree.
We decided to order the very unusual-sounding wood oven roasted mussels ($9.95), served with soft polenta, wild boar chorizo, and chipotle aioli. Yes, it was indeed a weird combination of ingredients to grace a plate, but they harmonized beautifully. The plump mussels, caramelized onions, spicy chorizo, and aioli tasted wonderful together, and the bed of buttery polenta at the bottom of plate sopped up the yummy juices. Id definitely order this again together with the bread basket, it wouldve made a meal in itself.
Other appetizers included rabbit tortellini, scallop and prawn dumplings, and sweet corn chowder.
Entrees
And now, on to the main courses. My sister ordered the grilled venison chop ($30.95), while I opted for the bison steak au poivre ($31.95).
Against the suggestion of our server, Julie ordered her venison chop medium instead of medium-rare, which may explain the resulting tough and dry texture of the meat. Her entre was accompanied by spring onion spaetzle and asparagus, which, while delicious on their own, were unfortunately overpowered by the sweetness of the wild huckleberry sauce. A definite no on the venison chop.
I had much better luck with the tender and flavorful bison steak au poivre, which was topped with a generous pat of Gorgonzola butter and served with a generous portion of herb-potato gnocchi (potato dumplings). The steak was enormous, well-seasoned, and tender, with no visible trace of fat or sinew. The toothsome gnocchi were freshly made, lightly bathed in a creamy cheese sauce, and garnished with a big pile of fried onion shavings. Does eating get any better than this?! I would have quibbled with the $32 price tag had it not been for the fact that the leftovers made for a second fabulous meal the next day.
Other entrees included chicken, ostrich, duck, rabbit, salmon, and sea bass.
Dessert: the ubiquitous oozing chocolate cake
Wild Hare offers half a dozen desserts, all priced at $7.50. On the evening of our visit, choices included a mango and mixed berry parfait, chocolate praline mousse cake with crme anglais and raspberry sorbet, and strawberry shortcake. Julie and I split the ubiquitous warm chocolate oozing cake, drizzled with caramel and chocolate sauces, and served with a scoop of mint chip ice cream nestled in a tuile cup. A fine, fine rendition of my Beaus favorite dessert. (Too bad I couldnt take a doggie bag home to him!)
Wine
As Julie does not drink, I ordered a single glass of wine for myself the Pinot Noir Costa de Oro Gold Coast Vineyard 99 ($8.50). The helpful wine list described it as medium-full body, very fruity with blackberry and cola notes. It turned out to be not so fruity at all, but I still enjoyed its light and smooth taste. Besides more than 200 wine choices, Wild Hare also offers a full bar.
Service
We were seated promptly by a cheerful hostess, and served by a young and well-groomed staff. While courteous and efficient, we didnt get impression that the staff knew the menu in great detail. Not a big deal since we were able to peruse the menu without having to ask any questions.
Dcor and atmosphere
Wild Hares warm and dramatic dcor is characterized by olive-colored banquettes, soaring loft-like ceilings, exposed beams, and lots of wood and candlelight. A long bar flanks the main dining area on the right side, while counter seating in front of a wood-fired oven is available on the left side, providing a refuge for single diners. An impressive sixty-foot mural of wild game appears above the booths facing El Camino. (Prime seating here.)
For all its big-city accoutrements, Wild Hares clientele is surprisingly casual: Silicon Valley dress-down mode is perfectly adequate attire here. And while the menu is hardly what I would call child-friendly, we did see children in the dining room.
Cost
Our two and a half hour meal comprised one appetizer, two entrees, one dessert, one glass of wine, and one cup of coffee. Total: $100.
All in all
Aside from the dried-out venison chop (which we were partly responsible for), we had a wonderful meal at Wild Hare. How does it compare to the other big destination restaurant in the area, Spago? Both restaurants have superlative bread baskets, and offer delicious entrees, provided you order the right thing. I would say Spago caters more to the beautiful and trendy crowd, while Wild Hare is a little more relaxed. If youre game for more adventurous cuisine, though, Wild Hare cant be beat.
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Wild Hare
1029 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA
650-327-4273
Street parking or city lots (easily available on Saturday night), skip the $3 valet behind the restaurant and take a nice walk after dinner instead.
Reservations: I easily secured a 6:30pm Saturday night reservation by calling just a couple of days in advance.
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: No
Best Suited For: Friends
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Epinions.com ID:
tanster
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Location: Palo Alto, CA
Reviews written: 111
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About Me:
Happily reviewing cool gadgets and SF Bay Area restaurants since 1999. Pass the gravy, please.
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