My favorite things about this quaint and at the same time
chic spot are: the décor, the neighborhood, the drinks and the desserts, bar-none.
Hampden is not a neighborhood I have had much chance to frequent, but must say,
after having eaten here, and getting a gander at the surrounding shops and
businesses, it is a neighborhood to which I shall be back. Just down the street
and on the corner is the famous Café Hon, which I have heard of but have never
known where it was located. The space which, not surprisingly, used to be a
row-house in which some family or other lived, greets you with tables with
wide, white, quilted slabs against the wall, backing benches, on the other side
of which are two chairs decorated with white and tan fabrics. This space is
bright and well lighted. Upstairs is a fully stocked bar and tables and chairs,
no benches, decorate the space.
The
lighting upstairs here is much lower than the bright airy space downstairs, but
it too works. Downstairs is where you would want to be to hang with coworkers,
friends or family. Upstairs lends itself to more romantic and intimate
encounters .As for the food, we should mention that they have a talent for
adding just the right cheese to whatever dish they are going for and their
sauces are very ambitious and for the most part, hit the right note, whether
salad, main course or dessert. The desert we had was to die for, literally
among the best ever, probably owing itself to the fact that the pastry chef is
also the owner and the ice cream is made by a shop just down the way. However,
they had some seasoning problems along the way. You can safely say here that
when the food is good it is above par bu
t at times the
food completely missed the mark, not having individual parts of the whole dish
seasoned appropriately, and thus letting down the palate overall. I would have to give them
♪♪♪ and ½ notes due to this fact.
