HB - Hearty Boys Cafe

I tried HB - Hearty Boys Cafe for brunch thinking the place has to be good since the chefs landed on the food tv network. At least with respect to brunch, I was very wrong (of course, I'm guessing these two chefs were not the ones preparing brunch).

In any event, my friend and I started off with beignets, which were ok -- only ok because I suspect the oil was too hot. The beignets were doughy in the middle and slightly burnt on the outside. Certainly did not make me feel like I was sitting in the French Quarter at Cafe du Monde.

I ordered the Lobster Bread Pudding Eggs Benedict. The bread pudding was nicely and lightly infused with terragon. However, the bread (supposedly brioche) used in the bread pudding was stale, which is not a problem with bread pudding so long as there's enough custard, which unfortunately was not the case. Thus, parts of the bread pudding (around the edges) were hard and dry. Also, I searched and searches for lobster pieces but they were nowhere to be found. Perhaps this only affected my serving? Otherwise, the flavor was decent (and very rich) although I'm not sure I actually tasted lobster or any other shell fish.

Perhaps worse is the fact that the bread pudding was served on the same plate as the restaurant's special potatoes. The potatoes were seasoned heavily (I believe with Ancho Chiles), which is fine, except that the Ancho flavor on the same plate as the tarragon simply did not work.

Of course, the menu specifies that ALL egg dishes come with a biscuit and strawberry butter and your choice of potatoes or beans. After I did not receive my biscuit, our waitress explained that, in fact, some of the egg dishes do not come with a biscuit or do not come with potatoes/beans -- which ones, she did not know. Oh well, probably not a big loss.

My friend ordered a dish called Eggs in a Basket, which is two poached eggs served in a buttery pastry crust, with your choice of fillings. My friend chose the Andouille and Smoky Cheddar filling. This dish was pretty good -- the crust had a nice buttery flavor and a flaky texture. The Andouille and Smoky Cheddar filling was also very tasty. Easily the highlight of the meal.

Perhaps the worst part of the meal: We split a side order of biscuits and gravy. The gravy was cold (not even lukewarm) and the biscuits were hard as if they had been sitting around for a day or two. Then the taste of the gravy -- the flavor was so off. We suspected that they might have used bad milk, although it is possible that they simply used way too much buttermilk. In any event, it was horrible and we sent it back. We asked the waitress if they used buttermilk and if the biscuits and gravy were supposed to be so sour and she explained that she did not know and had never tasted them herself.

This was definitely one of the most disappointing brunches I have ever had. I have heard that the dinner service and food is quite good. Does anyone else have any experience with this place? Should I give dinner a chance or should I consider this brunch experience to be my warning?

BR wrote:I tried HB - Hearty Boys Cafe for brunch thinking the place has to be good since the chefs landed on the food tv network.

It is my understanding that Dan & Steve are not the chefs at HB but the brains and businessmen behind it. I believe they hired a new chef when they wanted to change from a simple cafe to a more sophisticated destination.

Best,
Michael

I have heard them say in more than one interview that they are primarily caterers, rather than restauranters.

I appreciate the heads up. This suggests that maybe it's possible for them to have a successful Food TV network show and yet have a restaurant that might not be up to par.

I went to HB back in July for dinner and had a great (not fantastic) meal. I had the chicken breast with brussel sprout hash (bacon,potatoes,brussel sprouts...) and that was very good. My brother-in-law had a fish dish that he said was good (again, not great but good). For dessert, we had the Cookie Dough cheesecake which was VERY good.

As far as service goes....just OK. That was a big dissappointment to me. Our waitress barely checked in with us and then forgot to give us a sample of the complimentary cinnamon shortbread at the end of our meal. I had to ask what the other waiter was handing out otherwise we would not have been invited to sample the samples.

Would I go back....yes, but....only if I was going with someone that had not been and wanted to try it out. On my own....probably not again unless I was in the area and hungry and they had an open table.

Don't worry. As soon as their show hits the air, you won't be able to get a table.

Has anyone been here recently? I'm going with a group for dinner tonight and am curious what the hits/misses are. Thanks.

I think it is the same place, but just so there is no confusion I'm asking about HB: a Hearty Boys Spot not the cafe. Initials and a colon; I better wear my nice belt.

This suggests that maybe it's possible for them to have a successful Food TV network show and yet have a restaurant that might not be up to par.

Like Emeril?

Is their food network show even successful? They won the competition, but they only got an order for 6 episodes. I haven't seen any of those episodes air yet. FLN, though, is airing a "behind the scenes" of their new show. It isn't particularly impressive..

Edit: Huh. Apparently they're getting a second season. So I guess they're at least moderately successful. I take it all back.

"Party Line with the Hearty Boys" hit the airwaves last September (airs Sunday mornings at 8:30 a.m.). They begin taping season two this June.

As with the current season of NFNS, the first season's competition guaranteed only a six-episode run for the winner. While it airs at a pretty weird time right now, I'm fairly certain the original run was at a time people would see it -- you'd have to be pretty cynical to think FoodTV would go through that whole reality show deal, all the marketing and publicity, to park the winner somewhere between Sunrise Sermon and Meet the Press.

I find the NFNS series fascinating, as it's a pretty naked glimpse into the minds of the network's programming and marketing departments; watch it and quite aside from who's winning and losing, it's a look at what to expect over the next year or two of the network. For better or worse.