Ho-Ho-Kus Inn and Tavern

Date
1/3/2012

Location
1 East Franklin Pike, Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ

What I ate
Fall squash soup with marshmallow, roasted pear, and brown butter
Sea bass, "sugo alla fagioli", broccoli rabe, smoked garlic
Fig hazelnut tart

Who went
The whole family

Website
Ho-Ho-Kus Inn and Tavern

Thoughts
Disclaimer - I wrote this almost 4 weeks after we actually went, so the details are a little fuzzy.

Our directions were a little screwy, but we found the Inn without too much searching.  The bar area seems like a great place to hang out, a nice relaxing evening with good food.  The dining room has a very cozy feel to it, complete with a fireplace.  Yes, they had candles in it instead of a real fire, but that probably would've made things uncomfortably warm and unnecessarily exciting for anyone coming too close to the flames.  I'm glad we were one of two families in our section of the dining room; it would've been a little cramped to have more people in there.  I don't remember much about our waiter other than that he was particularly knowledgeable about the food and the area (we had to get Dan at the train station), both of which were helpful.

When we were looking for a place to go, I remember the marshmallow in soup as a pretty striking idea; it lived up to expectations.  The little bit of burnt sweetness made those spoonfuls quite good.  I know it's tough to balance, but I would've liked that little background sweet taste to be throughout the soup, not just the little spot where the marshmallow melted.  The pear should have helped, but I couldn't detect much of that flavor.  The smoked garlic was pretty strong and helped keep the broccoli interesting.  The fish was well cooked; crispy fish skin is quickly becoming one of my favorite things.  I'm still not entirely sure what sugo alla fagioli is, but it was mostly beans and a tasty way to make it a more filling dish.  All of the things that go into that dessert are among my favorites, so I was off in my own blissful world during that course.

It looks like they do a bunch of special events, notably craft beer tastings.  If you're in the area, I'd keep an eye on their calendar and find something that sounds like fun; it shouldn't be difficult.


Recap
Pros - Good food, comfortable setting
Cons - Probably not great if crowded
Overall - It was a really good meal and a great time to catch up with my grandparents.  I don't know if the food alone was worth the hour-long drive, but that was because we were finding a central meeting point.  If you're in the area, I definitely recommend stopping in and getting a meal.