The Hobbit
2932 East Chapman
Orange, CA 92869
People get a little worked up over my grading system. My dad has always said I should do it on a scale of 1 to 10, but as I have explained countless times, with the half-stars that I give out, it's already like that. My friend Erven has another passionate gripe about my rating system.
He laments that I have not given out a five-star review to any of the restaurants we have been to. The fact is, most restaurants hover right around the average to slightly above average level. I'll share these stats with those who think I'm too harsh of a critic. Of the 655 restaurants rated so far (we don't rate restaurants that we get invited to), 189 have been average or below, leaving 466 restaurants scoring higher than average. I'd say that's pretty generous.
As for the upper echelon of places we've been to, seven restaurants have gotten 4 and a half stars. A five-star restaurant would have to be exceptional in every way. Such a restaurant would be world-class and make me want to forget about eating at all other restaurants. I have not been so blown away by such a restaurant yet, but I hope it will happen someday. Erven was hoping that the five-star drought would be broken on a recent Sunday evening when he suggested we dine at one of his favorite restaurants, The Hobbit in Orange.
The Hobbit has been around for a ton of years. 45 years this week, which is pretty impressive in the restaurant business. They have been around so long that I remember being left with a babysitter when my parents came here. Okay, that was only last year, but still impressive that I recall that far back. For the last 30 years, The Hobbit has been run by Executive Chef and Owner Michael Philippi and his wife, Debra Philippi, who holds the title of Executive Coordinator and Owner.
The Hobbit is not really so much a restaurant as it is an event. They have one seating Wednesday thru Sunday at 7pm. The menu is a seven-course prix -fixe affair, and their website is regularly updated so you can make reservations based on your preferences. The food price only is $88 a person, with all beverages, excluding the champagne served in the wine cellar, added to the bill for an additional charge. The setting is a red-tiled, Spanish-style house on Chapman Avenue, next door to Johnny Reb's. Unfortunately, I could not find out much about the home online, and the wait staff here did not really elaborate on any of the history of the place, which I would date at about the 1940s, give or take a decade or two.
We got to The Hobbit at about 6:30 and got a cocktail upstairs in their bar. We took them downstairs and enjoyed them on the patio in front of the restaurant. A half-hour later, we were whisked down to the wine cellar for champagne and, as you can see from the pictures, quite the array of hors-d'oeuvres. All were very good, but the standouts were the Liver Mousse Pate, which had an incredible creaminess and a smokiness that rivaled bacon over an open fire. The best pate I have ever had. The French Sandwich was another winner. Ham and cheese sandwiched between some very soft bread cut into small pieces. So simple but as addictive as anything. I wanted to fill my pockets before leaving the wine cellar. The Steak Tartare, Mussels in a delicious wine broth, and the Artichoke Dip were all memorable and excited me for what was to come.
After about an hour of noshing on the hors-d'oeuvres, we were ushered back upstairs and directed to our table. We were seated in the front dining room, which had no more than ten tables inside it, with a very comforting ambiance. We could hear ourselves talk but were not bothered by the other parties' conversations. I enjoyed the table setting and was especially fond of how the butter was presented as a rose. Very unique and appreciated. The dinner rolls were a cross between a regular dinner roll and a popover. These kinds of rolls always remind me of my grandmother, a cherished memory. They were not shy about keeping them coming either, which was nice.
Course number two was a Seared Diver Scallop perched atop a sweet corn succotash and a smear of house-made pesto streaked across the plate. The scallop and the pesto went well together, but the corn succotash was the weak link here. A little out of place and not really adding too much to this. The scallop was tender and seared perfectly. I could have eaten a bunch more of these.
I'm always excited to see quail on a menu, which was the case when this Grilled Quail sat in front of me. A few bites of this quail were delicious, but then I got down to the meatier part of the bird, and it was slightly overcooked and dry, and the blueberry and red wine reduction could not save it. Also adding to my discomfort with this dish was that it was served alongside white quinoa, which is my arch nemesis. My disdain for quinoa also held true in The Hobbit, as I found it to be flavorless and left a lot of it untouched. The rest of my dining party enjoyed it, so it might have just been my quinoa bias rearing its ugly head again.
Salads were out next, and we were given this Frisee Salad, which for those of you that do not know, like me until I looked it up, is made up of curly endive. This one was served with a black pepper caramel gastrique and at the center of it all was a mission fig stuffed with gorgonzola cheese. Unfortunately, this salad did not work for me. The endive was a little too bitter, and the gastrique promised caramel but did not deliver. All I got was a slight peppery tinge. The fig was okay, but I expected more from the gorgonzola. Blue cheese would have been a better choice as it would have woken up this kind of sleepy salad.
After the salad course, we were asked to vacate the dining space so they could reset the table for the main course and the dessert to follow. We were encouraged to explore the house and even tour the kitchen. The chefs were very generous with their time and answered everyone's questions. I was shocked at how small and hot their workspace was. It gives you a better appreciation for how many meals they can crank out in such a cramped and uncomfortable space. Much respect for all the kitchen workers out there.
The main course on this particular evening was a Wild Mushroom Stuffed Filet Mignon. The beef was tender, but I wished the mushrooms had added more earthiness. The meat also needed to be seasoned more, as I was waiting for a big rush of flavor that did not come. However, I did enjoy the veggies here. The Chinese long beans, squash, and radishes were all done expertly. Solid, but nothing that really made this dish too memorable.
Last but not least was dessert. Almond Cake was topped with some house-made vanilla ice cream, surrounded by some streaks of strawberry across the plate. The almond cake was fair, but this show's star was the well-done ice cream. I should have asked for an extra scoop. I love small batched ice cream. Since it was Rocio's birthday, we were presented with some truffles, which were a nice touch to end our meal.
If you've read this review up until this point, you can probably guess that this is not our first five-star rating. Sorry, Erven. We had a good time with our friends this evening, but the company overshadowed the food. When someone asked me my thoughts on The Hobbit the next day, I said it was like elevated wedding food. I enjoyed the event more than what was sitting in front of me. I admire what they do in such a tiny space; they should be commended for it. The highlights were the excellent appetizers in the wine cellar and the scallop. Everything else was fine, but nothing that would make me return to The Hobbit anytime soon. Service was impeccable, and I can see why they get very high marks and awards for their waitstaff. I thought the pricing was fair, but the cocktails were overpriced at $14 per drink. The Hobbit is an OC restaurant institution and something to experience at least once.
Out of five rings (because, of course, when you hear the name of this restaurant, you automatically think of the Lord of the Rings work by J.R.R. Tolkien), five being best to zero being worst, The Hobbit gets 3 rings.
For more information about The Hobbit, head on over to their website here: http://www.hobbitrestaurant.com/
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