Conscious Choice: HB Restaurant Goes Beyond Beignets

August 2005 | Conscious Dining

HB Restaurant Goes Beyond Beignets

By Janine MacLachlan

HB, A Hearty Boys Spot is a spirited neighborhood place with a friendly staff and playful atmosphere. Formerly a catering, brunch and takeout locale called The Hearty Boys, the restaurant’s eclectic menu is inspired by the French Quarter in New Orleans. Its signature beignets are modeled after the famed Café du Monde, where locals and tourists alike line up for a cup of joe and the steaming fresh-fried sweet dough.

When you enter this Chicago establishment, you notice the vintage-framed mirrors that punctuate the ocher and terra cotta walls, reflecting small votive candles. Quotes form a frieze near the ceiling citing food wisdom of diverse characters like Beethoven, Virginia Wolff, Scarlett O’Hara and the Bible. (Who knew the good book is where we get “eat, drink and be merry?”) The wall tells us it’s from the Old Testament’s Ecclesiastes. My favorite quote is from that legendary food enthusiast Miss Piggy: “Never eat more than you can lift.” Good advice for devoted diners everywhere.

Hearty Fare With Focus On Fun

Although I was more of a Nancy Drew fan and not a big Hardy Boys reader, I always smile when I see the logo that mimics the classic fiction series. And hearty is indeed a good way to describe the food.

Blue cheese butter and foccacia triangles greet us at the table. For starters, I liked the fried green tomato caprese ($9) with fresh mozzarella and basil. However I wanted the fried green tomatoes to have a little more forward flavor, although they were crispy and not greasy. The side of house-made yellow tomato catsup had a back-for-more flavor and chunks of fresh tomato. The artichoke and prosciutto fritters ($7) (more frying, but after all it is New Orleans style here) were just as crispy and came with a creamy tart lemon dipping sauce. The goat cheese, cremini mushroom and leek ravioli came with more fresh basil in a lovely broth. The pasta sheets were rolled a little on the thin side for my taste, almost wonton-like, but the flavors were nicely balanced.

For main courses, the double cut pork chop ($19) was butterflied and presented on a bed of succotash with bacon, corn, celery, white beans and onions and topped with a roasted oyster bread pudding.

The orecchiette ($14), an ear-shaped pasta, was the only vegetarian selection, with wild mushrooms and a pink tomato cream sauce and fresh thyme. And while I had more pasta than mushrooms, I was still happy to take the leftovers home for lunch. The roasted breast of chicken ($16) was topped with lemon poppy seed butter with fingerling potatoes, Brussels sprouts and bacon hash.

The New Orleans devotion to the sweet tooth comes out loud and clear at HB. They also fed my ongoing love affair with cupcakes: The mini-cupcake flight ($9) was a heavenly trio and well worth the price of admission, with orange blossom cake and rose icing with a sugared rose petal, followed by lavender cupcake garnished with lavender flowers and a chocolate chili cupcake with enough heat for a nice kick at the end.

Not to be outdone, the beignets ($8) came out perfectly crisp with vanilla bean ice cream and a drizzle of orange-blossom infused honey. My dining companion suggested that orange essence would make a nice addition to the ice cream and set off the beignets, an excellent suggestion. And the chocolate crème fraiche ($8) with caramelized banana slices went over big.

Be There for Brunch

I felt a connection with HB because I also have painted quotes on my own kitchen walls, and a favorite is “all happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast.” HB is a place to indulge in that leisurely weekend meal. Its earlier permutation, The Hearty Boys, carved out its reputation on the beignets, here again as a staple for weekend brunch ($2.25). Eggs are served with buttermilk biscuits and strawberry butter and either breakfast potatoes or spicy pinto beans. The beans are billed as low carb, but choosing them for that reason would mean we’d have to skip the biscuits too, which wouldn’t be any fun.

As with any restaurant, it’s the details that make the difference, like the dill onion toast with the poached eggs ($5.95), or the spicy hollandaise on Cajun crab eggs benedict ($10.95). Don’t miss the orange blossom griddle cakes ($7.95) with berries and sweet mascarpone — the Italian-style cream cheese used in tiramisu — or the homemade granola with honey yogurt ($5.50) for a lighter breakfast. The French country tarts are another popular option, and the menu touts the artichoke heart, olive and tomato tart ($6.50) as the Provencale Julie recipe that started it all when the owners brought back the inspiration from France.

The Final Word

HB’s BYO policy makes it easier on the wallet, although the $2.50 per person corkage fee seemed a little much since so many bring-your-own places don’t charge any corkage at all.

Owners Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh were finalists in the reality program “The Next Food Network Star.” The victor of that program wasn’t decided as of press time. Regardless, they promise to keep the neighborhood happy with their latest incarnation.

HB, 3404 N. Halsted St., Chicago, 773-661-0299. Tuesday through Friday 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Brunch Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed Monday.

Janine MacLachlan is a freelance writer, cooking school owner and farm groupie who seeks out restaurants that focus on well-raised food with a high yum factor. Her website is www.rustickitchen.com.

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