Hyeholde

Amid the tranquility of the suburban neighborhood sits an English Tudor style country castle, a house that was first built in 1937 and operated as a restaurant and living quarters for the owners. Several expansions and many years later, the Hyeholde is still being operated as a restaurant, now by the daughter of the original owners.


This is one of those places that only the locals would know about and be able to find. We drove up and down the curvy quiet streets of the residential neighborhood; we just couldn’t find this place on our own.

Walking into Hyeholde is like walking into a mid-century country house. High ceilings, exposed beams, and large tapestries on the wall. You would expect to see one of Henry VIII’s wives having tea with her ladies-in-waiting in one of the cozy dining rooms.

Sherry Bisque


This traditional Hyeholde soup is made from a base of tomato and peas, with a few carrots, celery, onions thrown in and a little bit of pork and ham hock for flavoring. It is pureed, strained, then mixed with butter, cream, sherry; and served with a layer of whisked cream on top.

The soup had a medium consistency with lots of sherry (minus the alcohol) taste on the initial sip followed by the tomato flavor coming along behind. It was not a heavy soup and was very easy eating.

Cervena Elk


Two pieces of generously cut elk loin resting on top of rapini and smashed potatoes, served with Rossini sauce and decorated with large turnip pieces.

That was the best elk I have ever had! The meat was tender, juicy, and cooked to a perfect medium-rare. This rareness and tenderness of the meat was like eating steak tartare and allowed me to taste the natural and not overly gamely taste of the elk. Absolutely delicious!

I am not sure if there was any actual foie gras or truffle in the Rossini sauce but its rich earthy flavor suggested that some blood might have been used in the recipe. The sauce served as a nice complement to the grainy textured smashed potatoes that had a good kick from the black pepper seasoning.

The Spill


Two bites into my elk heaven, the waiter accidentally spilled the water glass on the table and drowned my dinner. With profound apology, he immediately removed the plate and promised me a replacement in five minutes. As I was looking at him walking toward the kitchen with my spoiled dinner, the thought of a replacement getting to the table just in time for everybody finishing their desserts flashed in front of me. My thought was further reinforced when he returned with a big glass of blood orange sorbet and apologized further indicating I could have this intermezzo as I “wait” for the dinner.

I am never a big fan of sorbet. To me, it is just frozen fruit juice with lots of sugar added. Since I had nothing else to do at the table while everybody was eating, I took a bite of this blood orange sorbet.

I was pleasantly surprised by the natural blood orange flavor in this granitas-like concoction. Maybe it was the grainy texture, maybe it was the not too sugary ice crystals, maybe it was the zing from the blood orange; I did enjoy this sorbet until surprise number two appeared in front of me.

As the waiter had promised, elk number two did arrive within five minutes! It was just as well made and delicious as my first plate. The efficiency and prompt action of our waiter and the kitchen totally impressed me.

Chocolate Hazelnut Tart


Warm chocolate mousse in a medium light pastry shell sprinkled with crushed toasted hazelnuts and topped with a scoop of coffee ice cream. The chocolate mousse was not particularly heavy or sweet. It had a lighter melty consistency that made it delightful to eat, especially with the textural contrast of the crushed hazelnuts. Separately, the coffee ice cream was wonderfully full of coffee essence yet creamy and light. The whole dessert was a treat to enjoy.

When I walked into Hyeholde at the beginning of the evening, I did not know what to expect. With a name that means “house” (I think) in Olde English and decorated as such, I would not be surprised if the food was still in the Middle Ages as the restaurant’s theme suggests and with the same standard to match.

Never expected the un-expected. For a place putting such emphasis on its history (the original owner had written a book on the history of the Hyeholde), the food and service certainly weren’t stuck in time. It was a very pleasent modern day experience.

Too bad I live so far away.

http://www.hyeholde.com/