The Hart and the Hunter: Superb Mac n Cheese and Shrimp Boil with Sausages in the Heart of West Hollywood

I initially had some doubts about The Hart and the Hunter, a Southern spot in the middle of trendy West Hollywood, let alone Lalaland, but stranger things have happened here. The food was good, if not entirely Southern as far as I know. The best dishes were the cheddar grits and the spicy sausages that came with the spicy shrimp bake. I like my grits grainy with strong corn flavor and my sausages spicy. The scalding hot grits had just the right amount of oozing cheesiness mixed in.

The spicy shrimp boil with sausages was solid, not necessarily spicy enough for this palate but the subtle spiciness went well with the sweetness of the corn and neutral flavor of the potatoes. Throw in the delicious sausages (not Andouille although similar) that we got on the side and you have a great match.

I later added these sausages to my fried rice with eggs at home and it was pretty spot on. Sometimes the re-purposing of leftovers and its possibilities are what make me want to get things boxed to go.

The smoked trout with pickled veggies, sliced hard boiled egg and avocado toast got a lot of raves online but I was underwhelmed. The trout was dry and not particularly flavorful (Trader Joe's version came to mind...). The combination was curiously bland and nothing special.

Speaking of hype, the cheddar biscuit also got raves but alas, while they were perfectly browned and crispy on the outside, they were virtually raw on the inside like we were chewing on dough. Not good. Then it usually comes with three condiments but that very day, they only offered the pimento cheese and cinnamon honey butter. Where's our persimmon jam? Our unlucky day. The pimento cheese was good if not on the thick side so harder to spread even accounting for melting upon contact with the piping hot biscuit. Didn't like the butter but I'm not a big fan of cinnamon.

The perfectly seared scallops were sweet and paired with some baby zucchini, snap peas and baby potatoes, it was a well executed if not particularly Southern-tasting dish. Be forewarned: Portions are small.

Speaking of small portions, our crab cake was, one lousy crab cake with some greens thrown around it. It was above average but too skimpy.

The dessert was somewhat disappointing. The hazelnut chocolate cake with whipped cream on the side was rather dry. I love chocolate and anything hazelnut but even I couldn't have more than a few bites. I think this dessert would work better as a souffle -- light, fluffy and gooey. Yeah.

The decor was adorable. Very farm chic and homey. Sure, there were plenty of hipsters around but I would like to return for brunch or dinner to try other dishes.