Third and Hollywood in Grandview
The skinny: This is an MBA’s vision of fine dining, not a foodie’s.
Food review or summary first? Hmmm.
What I said above really sums it up. The restaurant has the feel and execution of a fine dining restaurant created in a boardroom by MBAs who’ve had no real and personal dining experience. The same relation to crunchy-style joints that Northstar has and the same portable concept. Some of the food was very good, but I have absolutely no desire to return.
The space is very nice. Great use of natural lighting with the windows and mirrors on opposite walls. Odd choices like a layout of tractor seats seem to bespeak of what I was told the original concept was.
Ginger mojito w/ Rogue Rum (didn’t know it came to OH) was very good. Wine list is appallingly banal and has no vintages listed - just a nice example of how the place apes fine dining w/o getting it.
Alec and I has the biscuits(3$/3)which were quite tasty. Those we’d go back for. Other apps was the Sage/Fontina toasts w/ Benton Prosciutto. Little grilled cheeses w/ slices of Benton (domestic) “prosciutto” which is more like ham. Tasty, but the ham just gets too salty. Both of our salads (caesar and mixed) were nice.
Alec got the “Hollywood” burger w/ fries. Pretty much a thumbs down as the relatively thin patty has no beef flavor underneath the blue cheese and carmelized onions. Fries tasted like they’d seen some truffle oil which is also a pass.
I got the pork chop. Not bad. I am not a fan of brining as the gains in moisture are less than the loss in true pork flavor. Mashed potatoes were pretty flavorless (”water-tasting” according to Alec.)
The lemon square dessert was lemony, but also tricked out w/ whipped cream and a non-traditional crust. Pecan pie sundae was totally forgettable.
Except for the biscuits, the food just totally lacks any soul nor does it have the precision of better kitchens. (I expect Christensen to rave about it.) It is not bad, just pointless.
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Related Tags: Andrew Hall • Dining • Grandview • openings • restaurants • reviews • Third and Hollywood
May 29th, 2009 at 7:36 am
The choice of Rogue Rum is interesting, all right. May have to get over there and try it while it lasts.
So what are the takeaway points, the recommendations? A better beef-to-bleu ratio, less brine… well, recipe adjustments across the board, it sounds like… and, what… an infusion of artlessness?
May 29th, 2009 at 7:37 am
No recommendations - I just don’t care enough. (Maybe one - give away the biscuits as an amuse to every table. ) And I don’t care because there is virtually nothing they could do short of a reboot. It is just not a place made for me.
“artlessness” - That is an interesting way to put it and by interesting, I mean raises a good discussion point. It is not exclusive, but a general rule is that restaurants above a certain level are either artful or soulful. A rare handful of the truly great can manage both. Artful, at the acme, is technical cuisine where everything is precise in cooking and presentation. Soulful is where you have a personal touch to the cooking and ingredients over ‘correctness.’
3rd and Hollywood is neither. It is technocratic.
A.
May 29th, 2009 at 7:37 am
Nicely put. I was angling for “artless” in the sense of “genuine,” “guileless,” or “unaffected”… so in that sense I guess not too far from what you’d intended by “soulless.” That’s a shame.
May 29th, 2009 at 8:35 am
I have to chime in here.
Everyone in the food blogging world loves to be the first or among the first to review a place. That is all good and fine HOWEVER
This BEAUTIFUL restaurant has only been open a few days. Yes they should be good to great on that opening day but gimme a break.
I can’t wait to visit it and I am certain that I will love it as much as I do Northstar. I spend quite a few dollars and free time lounging and reading at both locations.
Have a good one
May 29th, 2009 at 8:51 am
And its only been open since Tuesday
WTF!!!
May 29th, 2009 at 9:37 am
Everyone’s entitled to an opinion. Great thing about the internet, and CU, is that you are more than welcome to share your opinion of this establishment.
May 29th, 2009 at 10:25 am
When a restaurant is newly open, it is premature to evaluate the technical details of the service or the food. Regardless of how much lead time and practice, the team doesn’t gel until it has been in the weeds a few times. My write-up didn’t really focus on execution or service for that reason.
What I am criticizing is the ambition and thought process behind the restaurant and the food itself. Plating that shows no concern for plating or a wine list w/o vintages are not random mistakes, but demonstrative of what the restaurant wants to say about itself.
A number of years ago, I went to what is now considered one of the best restaurants in the US about 2wks after opening (and an even longer set-up time than 3H.) It was one of the most abysmal meals of my life. I went back 2 mos later and had a sublime experience. What made the meal abysmal was execution, but that the restaurant clearly had a focus and chef (known genius) meant that execution errors would likely be fixed. That is why I went back. Philosophical issues can’t be readily fixed.
While the philosophy of the restaurant is fairly objective, how well it meshes with the diner’s is clearly subjective. Others may very well like it. For me, a restaurant which can neither hit the high marks of haute cusine (or even consider that part of their goal) nor produce a soulful expression of chef and ingredients is simply not worth visiting.
A.
May 29th, 2009 at 10:28 am
“Third and Hollywood”? That’s really the name of this restaurant? Well that’s it’s first problem. I don’t see anything new or inspiring in the amateur photos of the cuisine or the space, however that doesn’t mean the food isn’t decent. I am, however, wondering if the reviewer has a personal gripe with the owner(s)- or possibly some other chip on their shoulder- since it is quite apparent that the kind of review a place receives is directly related to the relationship the critic has with the owner. Amateur- both the review and this restaurant.
May 29th, 2009 at 10:41 am
You are completely wrong. I have absolutely no relationshop - positive or negative - with anyone involved. My opinion, whatever merit it may have, is simply the summation of my dining experiences.
Photos were taken w/ my Android G1 and not altered other than cropping.
A.
May 29th, 2009 at 10:47 am
AndrewHall is actually the person who first recommended to me and then actually took me in person to Northstar several years ago. As far as I know he’s still a regular customer.
I do not think he has some kind of bias against the management.
I admit I like some of the things about the place too. Praline Scone FTW.
May 29th, 2009 at 11:09 am
AH, I make some mean cheddar biscuits. For $1 a biscuit I’ll even home deliver :)
May 29th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Hmmm, I just thought Andrew was giving the place the benefit of the doubt by spending his own money to try it. I appreciate his feedbackand I know his taste and opinions have merit. Given all the discussion about this place, coupled with the fact that I have a limited budget for dining out and it’s really disappointing for me when I have a bad meal that sets me back $60 for two people, feedback from a long time member of this site is always appreciated.
May 29th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
I’ll second that. If anything, AH was being more than fair with the review, that is one thing I’ve come to expect/respect about his reviews. It’s not like he just did a one off review of a restaurant, if you think that is the case you need to go back and check your history.
May 29th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Suspecting AH of having a grudge against the owners of Northstar is about as ridiculous as it comes.
If he really wanted to hammer the place, he’d have pointed out the costs of everything.
That burger? 16 bucks.
That pork chop? 24 bucks.
Now again…I want you to look really hard at that photo of burger and fries…now say out loud “16 bucks”.
May 29th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Oh, and just for the record, AH is no amateur, in any sense of the word.
May 29th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Ugh… more people coming to the defense of this restaurant by posting personal attacks?
May 29th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
btw…
Prosciutto & Melon Skewers + Pork Center-Cut Steak + Pistachio Creme Brule at Rosendales = 29 bucks.
Prosciutto & Sage Fontina Toast + Pork Chop + Pecan Pie Sundae & this joint = 45 bucks.
Sorry, but you do the math.
p.s. If you ate that meal at Rosendale’s and saved the 16 bucks, you could buy a burger and fries with it at Third and Hollywood though…
May 29th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Thank you for the kind words.
I happened to chat w/ two separate people ITB today. Both put it in their own words, but immediately lit up and concurred with my statement that it was fine dining by via an MBA formula, not a food perspective.
That said, I hope they make a run of it. Like I said many moons ago in defending NS soup- it will only encourage more food-oriented people to create a better 20$ pork chop entree and a better 35$ one.
A.
May 29th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
ilovethiscity Says:
I have to chime in here.
Everyone in the food blogging world loves to be the first or among the first to review a place. That is all good and fine…
I should point out that this review originally appeared inline, eight pages deep, in the forums, without embedded photos — not on the front page. In that context it served to help settle a (substantial) debate in that thread regarding the merits of the establishment, and to do so relatively quietly. I’m guessing that Walker decided it was good enough to be elevated to front-page status (I agree)… but it wasn’t originally written with that end in mind.
JackWells Says:
it is quite apparent that the kind of review a place receives is directly related to the relationship the critic has with the owner. Amateur- both the review and this restaurant.
Well, it isn’t the Dispatch… which I think may be the source of much of your discontent. ;-)
May 30th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
This is disappointed to hear, as someone who LOVES Northstar and has always applauded their food. I could eat there everyday, for every meal, and never be bored.
I’ll still check out 3rd & Hollywood but this is good information to have. My hope was that the restaurant would focus on local food, with a modern American fair - casual but upscale dining.
And a quick note: folks who are surprised by the sticker shock of the food price, shouldn’t be. Northstar isn’t an inexpensive lunch cafe either. The first time I had lunch there, I was a bit taken aback.
June 12th, 2009 at 8:54 am
I’m not enjoying these reviews. I live at 3rd and Sunrise, which is the next street East of 3rd and Hollywood. I would walk by so often, glancing into the restaurant while under construction, and now I feel some what robbed by all of the negative press. The only positive review I’ve heard so far is that it’s “close to Jeni’s”…I’m not sure I want to take the 2 minute walk over and try it now…(although I usually like making up my own mind), but just how wrong can so many bad reviews be.
November 23rd, 2009 at 9:36 am
very dark in the restaurant, poor lighting choice, cannot even tell what restroom was for men and what was for women, food pretty decent, quite good guacamole.
January 2nd, 2010 at 9:32 pm
I finally got around to going here today. I’m a huge fan of NS. I wanted to get takeout since I had some place to be but that is apparently not an option after 6:30 and the restaurant opens at 5:30. It had a good crowd, but the wait was supposed to be 40 minutes for a table. I was luckily able to snag a cocktail table after waiting about 10 minutes which was tiny even for one person. Cheddar biscuits were awesome. The syrah that I had was okay and not really worth the $10. I decided to get the meatloaf and mashed potatoes which was $19. I was going to get the steak or seafood entree but I really wasn’t in the mood for a 16 oz ribeye or trout. Great char on the crust of the meatloaf. Mashed potatoes were pretty good. Great use of rosemary and other spices that I could taste. Overall, the meal for one was around $40 bucks. Pricey and a great place to take a date. Very beautiful space. Probably better for cocktail hour. Not sure if they take reservations over the phone so expect to wait. Don’t go if you have somewhere to be. I can appreciate that they have different vegetable, steak, and seafood entrees every day, but the pricing is a little nuts. You can easily get a similar quality meal at Surly Girl, Betty’s, or Cap City at a fraction of the price.