Hash House a Go-Go
Crispy Potatoes – Green Onions
Buttermilk Biscuit – Butter, Housemade Strawberry Jam
Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Flapjack – Cinnamon, Sugar, Cream Cheese Frosting, “Maple Syrup”
Big O’ Turkey Pot Pie – Cracker Crust Hat filled with roasted Turkey, shaved Sweet Corn, Mushrooms, Broccoli, Carrots, Red Potatoes, Pan Gravy with hand-mashed Potatoes
Homemade Pumpkin Bread Pudding – Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Whipped Cream, Housemade Caramel and Chocolate Sauce
Having taken everyone from family to wealthy out-of-town guests to Hash House A Go-Go for their oversized plates of “Twisted Farm Food” it was early morning on Thanksgiving Day that three guests entered the Henderson location, the fifth such Restaurant and second located outside of a Casino every bit as good as the rest but without the wait that often frustrates those stuck in line at The Linq for over an hour.
Founded in 2000 and since expanding from San Diego to several cities from Coast-to-Coast, Sin City actually boasting the most by a wide margin, Hash House A Go-Go suggests that its cuisine is similar to that which one might find in the Midwest by way of states like Indiana and having spent more than thirty years as a Buckeye those claims certainly seem to be valid as everything from Sage Fried Chicken to pounded Pork and Meatloaf Sandwiches are rib-sticking hearty and served in portions large enough for two.
Spacious in design with a central bar area serving Beer and Cocktails while the Detroit Lions kicked-off another Turkey Day loss, the décor best described as Barnyard-chic with an antique tractor out front and everything from Stalks of Wheat to tattooed farmers lining the walls, it was shortly after checking in with the hostess that guests were led to a sizable four-top on the left half of the restaurant, a server soon dropping off menus with a big smile before filling water and describing the daily specials.
Not a place known for subtlety, the festive mood stoked by holiday music overhead with patrons all talking loudly as large parties continued to file in as the morning went on, it was perhaps twenty minutes after placing an order that plates arrived to completely crowd the table, share plates and bowls both delivered beforehand and everyone ready to dig in after a Pumpkin Pancake was topped with 100% Maple Syrup brought from home, the hubcap-diameter disc nearly an inch thick but cooked through with bold Cinnamon notes and quite a bit of pureed Pumpkin folded into the Batter.
Tacking on sides of Crispy Potatoes and a Buttermilk Biscuit served with Housemade Strawberry Jam, the former decent but a bit overpriced at $4.95 in the setting of a menu also offering several pounds of Fried Chicken and Waffles for just fifteen dollars, it also seems as though the Biscuit recipe has become slightly more dry since visiting The Plaza in 2015, though perhaps this has something to do with Yardbird’s arrival on the scene with a vastly superior product that is actually priced slightly lower at $7 for four while Hash House a Go Go charges $1.99 each.
Continuing the Thanksgiving feast with two additional holiday specials, HHaGG’s signature Snickers Bread Pudding replaced with an equally decadent version made with Pumpkin Bread but similarly decorated with Ice Cream, Whipped Cream and two types of Sauce, it was not without Turkey that the meal would take place, the decision to eschew both a half-pound Turkey Burger and plate featuring sliced Breast plus all the fixins’ leaving plenty of room to work on an inverted top-hat made of Cracker-thin Biscuit Dough filled with roasted White and Dark Meat plus shaved Sweet Corn, Mushrooms, Broccoli, Carrots, Red Potatoes and Pan Gravy anchored to the bowl by a generous helping of hand-mashed Potatoes.
THREE STARS: Certainly not a gourmet restaurant, and arguably the sort of place Americans should be rallying against in the setting of an obesity epidemic, Hash House a Go-Go nonetheless provides a good meal at a fair price with service that is better than most while taking several steps that they could get away with not doing in terms of making many of their sauces, jams and gravies from scratch.
RECOMMENDED: All Holiday Specials were quite good, which might be expected as ingredients and preparations were specific to the day.
AVOID: Potatoes were overpriced and not really anything one cannot find elsewhere while the Biscuit was drier than memory serves. Also, fake Maple Syrup…no.
TIP: A Children’s menu is available for those concerned about portion sizes while most adults could easily get away with sharing an entrée.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
http://www.hashhouseagogo.com/
