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Yankee Ingenuity
The High and the Mighty: Sous chef Joseph Garcia and executive
chef James Bocast hold both their heads and their food high as they show off
an assortment of the Hindquarter's finest fare.
A welcoming new entrance and a menu strong on American classics position
Hindquarter Bar & Grille for the long run
By Christina Waters
TAKING BACK SEAT TO NO enlightened steak house, the Hindquarter
is basking in its attractive new exterior, hands-on proprietorship and
confident kitchen. The news is good for old-timers, who remember the
high-life days when Hindquarter was a lively bar that served steaks on the
side. There's still a bar--though upbeat and free of smoke--and there are
still steaks, bigger and tastier than ever.
To attract newer patrons, Hindquarter recently installed contemporary patio
seating, open to the air in warm weather and handsomely equipped with heaters
for those who crave al fresco no matter what the temperature.
The menu boasts a whole lot more than beef, though the baby back ribs
continue to attract their own cult following. When we blew in from the cold
last week, the nightly listings featured grilled swordfish, local halibut,
grilled sirloin of lamb and a few exotic pasta dishes. The place was filling
up rapidly as we took our favorite booth in the small front dining
room--reservations are strongly recommended at Hindquarter.
So what is the secret? The decor is solid yet untrendy--wainscoting, a
ceiling border of tiny white lights, Lindé Martin's colorful paintings
and a few plants are pretty much the whole package. It could be the excellent
service--always swift, always attentive. The menu aims to please every taste
and includes a fine Caesar salad, plenty of seafood specialties and a deeply
satisfying roast free-range chicken plate, in addition to every conceivable
variation on beef and pork.
The dress code scorns pretense--your neighboring table will be Levi's-clad,
or I'll eat my hat along with the basket of exceptional breads that arrives
the moment you're seated. My companion adores the tightly textured
pumpernickel, but I'm a sucker for the francese and the multi-seed sweet
Italian.
A pint of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale ($3.25) and a balloon goblet of Rutherford
Merlot 1994 ($5) joined us as we attacked an appetizer of crisp,
herb-battered calamari ($6.50). Here was calamari--tender and moist inside
its crisp jacket of tasty batter--that gave "deep-fried" a good name, not to
mention the excellent tartar and cocktail sauces on the side. Had the pieces
been smaller--little rings are easier to navigate--they would have been
perfect.
Next, we moved to a cup of the evening's Coney Island clam chowder (think
Boston clam chowder with fresh tomatoes) and a dinner salad of "baby
lettuces" with blue cheese and sugar-glazed walnuts ($2 extra). Wait a
minute, my companion insisted dramatically, this is serious soup. And
it was--distinguished by a zesty broth packed with pepper, potatoes, tender
clams and onions, and flecked with crimson tomatoes. Great, intensive chowder
flavor--this was soup fit for a cold night.
My salad was really quite a handful, so overladen with large, as well as
baby, lettuces and blanketed with blue cheese that it almost refused to stay
on its plate. I loved the crunchy-sweet walnuts, though, and tried to warm to
the vinaigrette that suffered from an underabundance of vinegar. The salad
was a split decision.
Entrees at Hindquarter leave no doubt as to the kitchen's generosity. A thick
T-bone the size of Dallas took over most of my companion's plate ($20.99).
"That's why they call it a Texas T-bone," he pointed out smugly. Rising above
its one-notch-over-doneness (my companion had suffered temporary linguistic
amnesia when ordering), the steak had flavor of Lone Star State proportions.
But so did my gorgeous plate of lamb loin, whose rare crimson slices fanned
out against a sauce of rosemary and apple-infused demi-glacé ($19.99).
We each enjoyed the vegetables--a few steamed Brussels sprouts, wonderful
tender cauliflower, a pureé of sweet potato, the latter too laced with
pumpkin pie spices for my taste. My red potatoes were a bit mushy, and my
companion's beef rice pilaf really needs to be put out to pasture.
Our entrees, which included our choice of soup or salad, were
bountiful--enough came home for huge lunches the next day--and packed with
big flavors. Only the incredible noise level, that can rise to bedlamic
proportions when the dining room is full, intruded.
No wonder Hindquarter keeps on kicking.
Address: 303 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz
****Great, ***Excellent, **Good, *Okay
This page was
designed and created by the Boulevards team.
Robert Scheer
Hindquarter Bar & Grille
Phone: 426-7770
Hours: Lunch Mon.Fri. 11:30am2pm, dinner Mon.Sat.
5:309:30pm (Sun. 5pm9pm)
Prices: Moderate
Executive Chef: James Bocast
Ambiance: ** Solid, comfy Americana
Service: *** On-target, knowledgeable delivery
Cuisine: ** Some big hits and expertise, but also some inconsistencies
Overall: The reputation seems secure--this updated landmark deserves its
following
From the January 16-22, 1997 issue of Metro Santa Cruz
Copyright © 1997 Metro Publishing, Inc.