Hoof Cafe

ATTENTION ALL MEAT LOVERS AND BRUNCH LOVERS! HOOF CAFE WILL BE CLOSING FOR GOOD ON FEB. 28!!!

After discovering that in 2 days the restaurant will be closing its doors I had to push my boyfriend to take me there. Lucky I was browsing around otherwise I would have missed a chance to dine at one of the top most rated brunch spot in the city. I have been wanting to try this place since last year. It's insane that they are closing when they are doing so well. Hoof Cafe will be transforming into BHCO (Black Hoof and Company). Click here to read more about it. One highlight of the new place will be that it will now accept reservations. Thank god!!!

We arrived 10 minutes prior to opening time . At first we saw only a few people waiting so we figured we made good timing. Unfortunately the lineup was for the restaurant Saving Grace. At Hoof Cafe the lineup was 10 times longer. I think there were at least 50+ people ahead of us. Guess we weren't the only ones who heard about the bad news. Once the doors opened we gave our name and number and off we went to kill some time. We stumbled upon The Communal Mule and stayed there for at least an hour which wasn't too bad. Finally an hour and a half later we received the long awaited phone call we've been yearning for. Our table was ready. YES!!!

Once we were seated I didn't waste any time and immediately began ordering. I ordered all the items that everyone kept raving about. Since they were closing I had to splurge and order everything I had my eye on which luckily wasn't the entire menu. (Ok maybe almost half of the menu lol)

Since we waited so long for a table I decided to order a drink. I rarely have a drink so early in the morning but since I'm going all out might as well go all the way. I ordered the Hoof Caesar since I saw practically everyone holding the red drink in their hand. It consisted of pink peppercorn, vodka, Marmite syrup, Clamato, house hot sauce and worcestershire. The glass was rimmed with rock salt, pepper, and dehydrated horseradish. It gave a great punch with the bold spicy and salty flavor.

We were fortunate to get a seat by the window so it wasn't as crowded compared to sitting at the counter. People's arms were literally right up against one another where there was no gap between them at all.

I had to order the beignets since I read that these were sold out by afternoon so it was on my list to try. These were baked fresh and were stuffed with sour cherry jam and bone marrow. I'm not quite sure how bone marrow taste but these sugary donuts were delightful.

Here is the infamous suckling pig benny. It consisted of buttery homemade dough biscuits with tender pulled pork under poached eggs topped with Hollandaise sauce and served with a side of arugula salad and a few pieces of pork rind. I thought this dish was magnificent however, my boyfriend did not agree. He prefers the benny at Steve's Restaurant over this. Let's just say we agreed to disagree on this one.

The tongue grilled cheese was exceptionally astounding. I don't think I've tried tongue before but I did not expect it to taste that good either. Absolutely mouthwatering.

The brioche french toast with foie gras was pretty pricey ($27 with foie gras and $13 without). But without a doubt a major sugar rush. Who would've thought foie gras and french toast would be a match made in heaven. The foie gras was extremely buttery that it just melted in your mouth. It was so rich with all the sweetness and the delicateness of the foie gras it was impeccable. I loved the added crunch from the bits and pieces of hazelnuts. You do not need to order dessert after this dish. It was overly sweet that I could only eat half of it. My boyfriend only had 2 bites and that was enough for him.

Although the pictures made the dishes looked bigger but in actuality I thought the portions were small. But since everything was so rich and heavy the portions were perfect after all. I was stuffed to the max. In the end was it worth all the hype. ABSO-FREAKIN-LUTELY!!!

This is the second restaurant I have ever waited in line for. Guu being the first. At least with Hoof I was able to stroll around even though there wasn't much in the area to look at. Regardless, they were both well worth the wait.

It's so sad that Hoof is closing but at least I got to experience it before they shut their doors for good.

TOTAL BILL $78...EAT HERE NEXT!!!