Hatfield's Restaurant
Average user Rating: 92
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Owners Quinn and Karen Hatfield are constant presences in Hatfield's by the Fairfax Farmers' Market. Their Cal-French cuisine consists of locally grown produce. The intimate ambiance serves stage for Quinn's cooking and Karen's desserts.
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85
6/10/2010
I wandered into Hatfield's on an impulse based off a blogger friend's recommendation to swing by the bar for a snack and a sip . . .
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96
Nice place! Nice price!
4/14/2010
I was impressively surprised by how good and affordable this place was. Went there on a Tuesday night. Nice atmosphere, with a big open kitchen. Diners were dressed smart. Got the 4-course tasting menu, only cost about $55. A steal in this day and age for fantastic food. The standout was the Japanese mackerel, paired with an Italian dry Moscato wine. My wife got the vegetarian tasting, which wasn't as good (except for the mushroom canape). Desserts were fantastic. I'd definitely go back.
Recommended Dishes
tasting menu
93
3/23/2010
This is the meal that started my love for fine dining. I first heard of Hatfield’s in September of 2007, but I didn’t have the opportunity to try it myself until the following May...
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Recommended Dishes
Hamachi croque madame, Foie gras with chicken breast
93
3/15/2010
I have been waiting a long time for Hatfield's to open at their new and much larger space on Melrose and Citrus, right across the street from the Mozzas. And when they finally announced their opening date, I was counting down the days until they started taking reservations.
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Recommended Dishes
Croque Madame
89
8/13/2009
kevinEats wanted to try Hatfields because they're moving to a new locale near ground Mozza in November. I was down for Hatfield's as was my friend Lisa and as was Pepsi Monster, so that's what we did. We ate at Hatfield's.
The appetizer of deviled quail eggs and sweet corn chowder was delightful. I announced "I love eggs". In response, kevinEats called me an "eggslut" - a Bourdainism. Why is that crazy man such a wordsmith?
I just adored this little bite and sip. As for the bread, it was cheeszzzy good like Sizzler's cheese bread gone uptown. At some point, our bread plates were whisked away. But when the breadman strolled by, we insisted he plop three rolls on the sole remaining plate. He did it but you could tell he had reservations. This was most not kosher. But it was worth fighting for our extra roll. Damned tasty.
The 1st course of croque madame with hamachi and cuttlefish salad. They were both wonderful.
The 2nd course of corn agnolotti and charred octopus was delicious. The pasta was quite sweet, so I preferred the octopus. Sorry agno, you're still my pal.
In between courses, we stared, in a scientific manner, at the club across the street. There was a bed and we speculated that this might be where S&M took place. Our neighbors asked the waiter what club was across the street and they gawked while eating their meal. I guess we eaters are pretty square and lead rather boring lives. But that's how we likes it.
The 3rd course of fish was amongst my favorites. I know fish is considered boring, but never, never, never will I agree with that. Didja know in Russian you HAVE to use a double negative? You can't just say never. In order to be grammatically correct, you have to say never not or no never, etc. It adds such an admirable definitiveness to the language. Call me a negator, but I love it. And yes, I took Russian in college to become a spy, but that didn't work out. I'll tell you about that later.
The olive oil poached halibut was better than the hamachi collar in my humble opinion but both were light, fragrant and refined.
As between the buttermilk chicken and the squab, I liked them both. These were precisely executed. These birds went to boarding school. You could just tell.
The outrage and the hatred I invite with this next statement is sizeable, but I care not. I don't like pork belly. There. Sue me. kevinEats and Pepsi Monster looked decidedly kerfuffled by this extraordinary statement. It's just too much fat for me. Maybe when pigs go to bootcamp and do some situps, I'll be more enthused about the ubiquity of porkbelly which has really taken over the world. Despite my prejudice, this dish was really well-cooked and everyone else loved it to death so obviously, it was a high ranking member of the pork belly class.
I really enjoyed the hanger steak and short rib. Look how pretty the presentation is. I was struck by the thematic use of green. It must be Hatfield's favorite color. It's one of mine as well.
I hate to introduce skater/surfer/snowboarder terms into this blog because it's age and person inappropriate. Oh, who am I kidding? I live for that shit. The desserts were SICK! By that I mean they were good. I think to use Russian grammar, we're going to have to use two positives in order to fully convey the heights of happiness inspired by these desserts. They were crazy sick.
Looking at the amber toned images of them (due entirely to a CAC aka cheap ass camera) I feel moved to nostalgia. We'll always have Paris but damn. Why can't we have London too? In other words, I wish I didn't have to share these treasures. If you've ever seen Treasure of the Sierra Madre, an old Humphrey Bogart flick where he's driven nearly mad with greed for filthy lucre, then you'll have some conception for my feelings the night of the Hatfield's dinner.
I concealed them well because I did, after all, aspire to be a spy at one point and my acting skills are quite top drawer, but inside, I was Humphrey Bogart with like a 10 day growth of beard plotting to kill his partner to take over all the gold. ALL MINE!!! I screamed inside. Outside, I kept it cool. Inside, I was all broken up like the meringue you see on the right and all jiggly and soft like the panna cotta you see on the left.
Damn, still smarting. The chocolate peanut truffle cake sounds like the least refined dessert and it was and I recognize that but I like my desserts trashy and street smart sometimes and that's what this was. Rude, crude and mind blowing. This is not to say it was my favorite. Pshaw! They're ALL my favorite but it has a special place on my tooth. That's all I'm saying.
Memories...Right near the heatlamp is where I had those desserts. Good times.
Thanks again to my lovely dining companions who clearly were nonplussed by my love for Monsieur Marcel's, my love of cheap noodles, my dislike of pork belly, my knocking over the milkshake, et cetera. It was a fun good evening but never not will this sputnik eater share my desserts ever again. Never. ALL MINE!!!
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Recommended Dishes
croque madame, cuttlefish salad, olive oil poached halibut, lemon tartlet, panna cotta, beignets, choc and peanut butter truffle cake
93
Hatfield's (Los Angeles, CA)
8/10/2009
When I tweeted that I was going to Hatfield's for the first time ever, @twohatfields responded back: "@kevin_Eats @mylastbite FIRST TIME? Where have you guys been?" Indeed. Hatfield's was one of those restaurants that I'd wanted to try for seemingly forever, but, for some reason or another, just never got around to. Given that the restaurant would be serving its last meal on August 8th, before reopening in another location in November, I felt it fitting and felicitous to finally fare here on its penultimate night of service.
Quinn helms the kitchen while Karen creates the desserts and runs the front of the house. À la carte selections are always a option, but obviously we went for the seven-course tandem tasting menu [$85], with included wine pairings [$44].
1a: Warm cuttlefish salad | sautéed maitake mushrooms, sunchoke purée, baby arugula, crispy artichoke
We started the meal proper with a lovely cuttlefish salad. I really appreciated the gravity and richness provided by the maitake (hen of the woods) mushroom, and how it accompanied the mild sweetness of the sunchoke, with the bitterness of the arugula adding a great accent. Flavor-wise, the artichoke didn't do much for me, though it did contribute a crunchy textural element. Ironically, the cuttlefish itself could've been a bit more apparent.
1b: "Croque Madame" | grilled brioche, hamachi, prosciutto, quail egg
Traditionally, a croque madame is a grilled ham and cheese sandwich (a croque monsieur) topped with an egg. Hatfield's' version adds hamachi and substitutes prosciutto for mere ham to create the restaurant's signature dish. For me, the delicate yellowtail was a base for the rest of the ingredients. The toasted brioche added weight and unctuousness to an otherwise light, mild fish, while the prosciutto contributed a marked salty component, and the egg a rich creaminess. All the various components worked in unison beautifully, making the dish my favorite of the night.
2a: House made corn agnolotti | Dungeness crab, cherry tomatoes, hon shimeji mushrooms, fava beans, sherry beurre fondue
Agnolotti are basically small ravioli, and tasting this dish, I first noted a notably tart attack, leading to the sweet richness of the corn, which was then accented by the tang of the cherry tomatoes. The hon shimejis, meanwhile, added weight and a great crunch. I would've liked the sweet brininess of the crab to have been stronger though, and the fava beans weren't all that apparent either.
2b: Charred Japanese octopus | ginger chermoula, stewed carrots
I really enjoyed the octopus here, which was simultaneously sweet, smoky, with a bit of brine on the finish, reminiscent of the octopus I had recently at Angelini Osteria actually. The cephalopod was deftly balanced by the vegetal carrot and sweetly pungent ginger chermoula (a type of marinade oft used in North African cookery). Very nice.
3a: Olive oil poached Alaskan halibut | herbed asparagus, hon shimeji mushrooms, pickled ramp vinaigrette
This was really a quintessential example halibut: lean, clean, delicate, with a firm, flaky consistency. The fish was tasty enough on its own, but the use of asparagus gave the dish a great vegetal counterpoint, while the ramps provided a lovely, onion-y sapor.
3b: Hemp seed crusted hamachi collar | roasted and charred bok choy
Vis-à-vis the halibut, the yellowtail couldn't have been more different--it was a richer, fattier fish with a much finer, tenderer texture. Here, I appreciated its bold flavor and how it was offset by its lovely, peppery hempseed crust, while the bok choy gave the hamachi a nice vegetal finish.
4a: Buttermilk steamed chicken breast and foie gras | sautéed corn and chanterelles, tarragon sauce
Thanks to the use of buttermilk, the breast here was one of the best preparations of chicken I'd had in a while--incredibly tender, moist, and flavorful. The foie gras, on the other hand, was a bit too sweet for my tastes, though I did appreciate its texture and how it was tempered by the bracing smack of peas and tarragon.
4b: Squab breast and foie gras with squab leg schnitzel | cipollini onion, celery root purée
I quite liked the squab here, as it was immensely flavorful, heightened by the sweet cipollini, and softened by the celeriac purée. Interestingly, the bird was actually much more strongly flavored than the foie, and eating the two together, I noted the liver only on the finish.
5a: Pan roasted hanger steak and slow cooked horseradish dusted short ribs | smoked potato purée
Here we have a duo of beef: steak on the left, short rib on the right. I first tasted the short rib, which was tender as expected, but still possessing a bit of bite. Flavor-wise, the rib was robust, but not overwhelming, and I liked the use of horseradish and potato in tempering the beef's potency. Next up was the hanger steak, which I found quite flavorful, yet surprisingly tender for the cut; it was even better when taken with the included onion.
5b: Slow cooked pork belly | breakfast radish, sautéed spinach
The pork belly was one of the standouts of the meal for me, and one of the strongest preparations of pork belly I've had in recent memory. The pork was comprised of a good ratio of fat and flesh, making it notably decadent, but not overpowering. It was delicious on its own, but fantastic when mitigated by the vegetal, bitter spinach and subtly sweet, crisp radish.
6a: Baked lemon custard tartlet | blueberry compote, shortbread sablé, lemon verbena ice cream
Now moving on to the first dessert, the key here was the interplay between the sourness of the custard and ice cream and the sugary sweetness of the blueberry compote. Texture-wise, I also enjoyed the light, ethereal meringue topping and the use of a crumbly sablé cookie crust.
6b: Buttermilk panna cotta | lime gelée, Meyer lemon sorbet
Here, we had a similar interaction of sweet and sour components. The dominant player in this case was the strawberry, which was foiled by the tart lemon sorbet, and both elements were tempered by the relatively mild, creamy panna cotta. The tuile, meanwhile, gave the dessert a much-needed crunch.
7a: Sugar and spice dusted beignets | Venezuelan chocolate fondue, vanilla malted milkshake shot
I've never met a doughnut I didn't like, and this was no exception to the rule. I loved the beignet by itself, with its rich, friend dough complemented by alternating flavors of sugar and spice. The chocolate fondue, meanwhile, added a further layer of luxuriousness to the dessert. The best part, though, was the milkshake, a perfect amalgam of vanilla and malt--I wanted a whole cup of it!
7b: Chocolate and peanut butter truffle cake | salted caramel ice cream, roasted peanut toffee
This dessert did not bode well for me, given that I have a strong disinclination to peanut butter. And in fact, eating the truffle cake by itself was not particularly pleasant. However, everything else on the plate was superb. The salted caramel ice cream was especially tasty, and I loved the crunch of the peanut toffee. Eating everything together did temper the peanut butter, making for an overall enjoyable experience.
On explaining the move, Karen stated that they "wanted to expand to a larger space and take Hatfield's to the next level, with a larger restaurant, larger menu, lunch and dinner, seven days." While I understand this rationale, I sincerely hope that the Hatfields can translate the current restaurant's honest, intimate feel and top-notch cooking to a larger venue (the new space doubles capacity to around 100). In any case, I wish the Hatfields the best of luck, and look forward to visiting the restaurant in its new digs. I can finally see why so many people rave about the place--Hatfield's is the real McCoy.
Full review with photos: http://www.kevineats.com/20 09/08/hatfields-los-angeles -ca.htm
93
7/10/2009
The restaurant was packed and happening when we arrived for our 8:30 reservation. Our party of four was seated toward the back of the small patio that runs along the front and down one side of the building. Being located next to the kitchen was a ball, especially with Chef Quinn Hatfield popping in and out all evening, and pastry chef and front of the house manager Karen Hatfield constantly surveying the dining room. Quinn and Karen’s hospitable energy and tremendous love of good eating permeates the entire restaurant.
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Recommended Dishes
Croque Madame, every single dessert on offer
96
Hatfield's = win
11/14/2008
Every summer I head back to Los Angeles as I take my hiatus from San Diego. This summer came to an end and what better way to end a summer than to eat at a nice restaurant? Restaurant of choice? Hatfield's (now a 1 star rated restaurant in the 09 Michelin Guide!)
A small restaurant, about the size of your closet, Hatfield's seats around 35-40 people. The bar is right next to the entrance and our table was right next to the bar, which was separated by a window that had an outdoor alley way of 2 tops to seat more guests. You feel cozy and warm due to the soft light colors that adorn the restaurant. I've heard alot of good things about the restaurant and I was excited to try it.
Having a party of 5 we decided to do al a carte dining.
First up was an amuse bouche of creamed corn and deviled egg.
A spiced deviled egg followed by a warm sweet corn elixer that tickles the back of your throat. A sweet and savory start to what will be a pretty fine meal.
For the only appetizer I took a picture of House Made Corn Agnolloti with Dungeness Crab, and Shaved Summer Truffle.
The sauce is a thick and creamy sherry beurre fondue that is almost overwhelming in it's sharpness. Unlike the Corn Agnolloti at Spago, this was on the savory side (opposed to sweet) , you get the undercurrent of warm crab and the saltiness of the truffle. It's a good appetizer, but not quite as good as the corn agnolloti at Spago (which now is the pinnacle of all agnolloti in the world for me). Also there were probably 5 pieces of agnolloti in here, slightly disappointing for $20.
First Entree was the special of the day, Roasted Pork Tenderloin with a Cranberry Dressing.
Moist juicy pork served on a bed of soft mashed potatoes. I don't like cranberries so that was a bit of a turnoff for me, but the pork was cooked to perfection with just a bit of flavoring from the au jus.
Next up is the Olive oil Poached Halibut
The halibut is served on a bed of asparagus and Hon Shimeji mushrooms. Even though the dish looks heavy, it's actually prepared in a very simple manner. The fish is poached in olive oil so you get a softer flakier fish that stands alone in a natural flavor. The vegetables are a compliment but they don't "add" to the flavor of the fish. It doesn't need to, the fish was perfect.
Then there was the Date and Mint Crusted Colorado Rack of Lamb.
The lamb was served on a nice bright green potato chive puree with fava beans, heirloom carrots, and turnips. The lamb is mild almost veal like opposed to the gamey mutton and very tender. No complaints on this dish what-so-ever.
The final entree was the Pan Roasted Hanger Steak and Horseradish dusted Short Ribs.
The beef is served two ways, in the very fatty/oily/flavorful hanger steak and a soft lucious short rib style. Both ways compliment it's respective ingredient pairings and are as different as night and day in flavor profile.
The Hanger steak is served with a smoked potato puree. If you've never had hanger steak (one of my favorite cuts) it's a very rich, meaty, and oily piece of meat. But at the same time it's a bit rough but that oily consistency gives it an extra layer of flavor that you don't get with normal meat. Hatfield's does a great job preparing theirs, the meat was tender yet has the "chewy" aspect of hanger due to all that tendon that was a burst of flavor with each bite.
The short ribs are classic short rib, deep dark concentrated flavors of meat that's been cooked for hours and hours. The horseradish wasn't as prevelant as I'd like it to be, but it was still a very well executed dish.
Since we only had one appetizer.. we went BUCK WILD with the desserts!
First up Fresh Peach Crisp
Large chunks of roasted cinnamon and peach ladden the thick outer crust. The crisp is adorned with plenty of warm crispy brown sugar.
Next is their version of donuts and milk.
This is a dessert. This is what all other desserts need to aspire to be like. The "milk" is a chocolate milkshake that's so creamy and thick with a hint of coffee in the back that makes you want to drink more and more. It's paired with 2 fluffy fried beignets and a decadent chocolate syrup.
The final dessert Chocolate Flourless Cake with Peanut Butter
The chocalate cake is baked with a glob of peanut butter inside. So once you pierce away and it's soft airy exterior you get treated to a gooey lucious sweet peanut butter. It's paired with equally as rich peanut butter ice cream. Woo wee, I gained about 5 pounds eating these desserts.
And on top of it with the check, they served each person a little cupcake.
What Hatfield's may lack in fancy dining areas they make up for in perfectly executed dishes that are proud of the simple and direct flavor combinations that tease your tastebuds and make you want to come back for more.
They also have a 7 course tasting menu for $75, which isn't too shabby!
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