My Plate Is Full

In order to taste some of the best and most creative food, a diner had to travel to New York, San Francisco, LA or one of the other major cities where the best chefs always seemed to land.  However, now in this age of the “celebrity chef”, Food Network, Top Chef and yes, food blogs like this one, there are many top quality restaurants that can often be found very close to areas that you wouldn’t think would house high caliber restaurants, smaller cities or even rural areas.  Even looking at the James Beard Awards Semifinalist list from 2011, there are many cities represented there that you wouldn’t think of immediately when you think “really good food”.  I feel that is how I stumbled upon the delightful Hobnob in downtown Brevard, North Carolina.

Hidden in the Blue Ridge Mountains in downtown Brevard, Hobnob is located right on Main Street in an old house.  Reconstituted to be a restaurant, you’re first greeted by walking through an iron gate and many eclectic items that go with the decor of the house and border on kitsch, but don’t detract from the overall beauty of the restaurant.  I was in Brevard for a retreat and a few of us did not know where we wanted to eat dinner.  So along with my friends Katie and Caroline, we piled in my car and after passing Hobnob, decided to try it.  When we walked in the door, we were greeted by the hostess.  We were then asked if we had reservations.  Thinking we were going to be met with disappointment, we answered no.  The hostess then told us that we would have to be seated upstairs.  Taken upstairs, we were met with a what was essentially a private room.  They seated us next to a window trimmed with light strands looking out upon Main Street.  Despite the rain, the view was incredible.  After hearing about the specials from our waitress, we ordered a bottle of wine.  After checking the inventory, it turns out that the bottle that we ordered was not in stock.  The waitress then brought a bottle of the same type at the next higher price, but charged us at the lower price of the bottle that we had ordered.

Oysters Rockefeller

To start out, we ordered oysters rockefeller.  They were highlighted by a Tabasco beurre blanc which was delicious.  They were salty, spicy, rich and incredibly delicious.  For an entree, I ordered one of the specials: pork belly.  The pork was paired with mashed sweet potatoes as well as spinach.  The pork was rich with flavor and the slight sweetness of the sweet potatoes brought

Pork Belly

out the natural sweetness of the pork belly that had came out through the cooking process.  The pork itself was cooked perfectly as pork belly can be too tough or chewy if not cooked for long enough, which is often the case.  Needless to say, it was a wonderful dish.  Caroline ordered the stuffed chicken breast which was stuffed with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and boursin cheese.  It was complemented with garlic mashed potatoes, julianne vegetables and a tarragon cream sauce.  The chicken was moist and full of flavor from the stuffing.  The cheese and tomatoes perfectly complemented the tarragon cream sauce and cut through it to not make the dish too rich.  Katie selected one of the other specials, a dill encrusted flounder which also featured garlic mashed potatoes and julianne vegetables.  The fish was fried to perfection and was not greasy and flaked like well cooked fish should.  Both dishes, while I ate less of them than my own, were very good.  For

Stuffed Chicken

dessert, we ordered the warm center chocolate cake.  The cake wasn’t like a lava cake which oozes from the center, but was moist, warm and melted the ice cream, which ran all over the plate, allowing the cake to soak it up.  It was a very well done dessert.  While Brevard may seem out of the way, it is well worth the drive to go and visit Hobnob.  I can’t emphasize how warm and inviting the house and the staff are, which exponentially increases the enjoyment that can be had at Hobnob.  The prices for the food are great.  For a mountain dining experience in a beautiful setting and quaint downtown, Hobnob is the place.

Flounder

Hobnob

Open Seven Days a Week

Lunch: 11:30am – 2:30pm
Dinner: 5 – 9 pm
Sunday Brunch: 11:30am – 2:30pm

828.966.4662

192 W. Main Street, Brevard, NC 28712; http://www.hobnobrestaurant.com