Q: One of my favorite places to breakfast on the weekends in my hometown of San Diego is Hash House a Go-Go (or just plain Hash House to locals). Being in Las Vegas and knowing that Sin City has its very own Hash House (three in fact), there was no way I was going to miss a taste of home. Arriving at a time that would cause a 45 to 90 minute wait at the San Diego location, I was surprised to be told that I would be seated in between 15 and 20 minutes. Happily taking my pager, I shuffled off to wait and in due course was buzzed. Setting my sights on a "Campfire s'mores" mocha ($7) which arrived in an over-sized cup (visibly cracked as seen in the picture) topped with gooey, charred marshmallows, chocolate syrup and Graham crackers. The first spoonful was thick with marshmallowy goodness and its smokey, crunchy crust brought me immediately back to childhood outings in the woods by the campfire, roasting s'mores with family and friends. If the coffee itself had been better, this mocha would have been perfect but it falls just short of the mark. Having had many of the offerings on the standard menu over the years, I decided I'd order one of the brunch specials. The Nappanee hash ($14.95) with fresh tomatoes, green beans, marinated steak, smoked mozzarella and crispy potatoes was ordered and anticipated. Things began going pear shaped when I asked my server If I could add fresh roasted corn (available in the other brunch offering), to my hash and was told "the Chef can't guarantee the flavor profile if changes are made so we don't allow substitutions or additions." FAIL! In due course my server arrived clutching a medium sized cast iron skillet in a heavy oven mitt. What a great idea, the cast iron would keep my food hot and steamy while I enjoyed it...WRONG! The skillet seems to have been used solely for presentation and not preparation, it was stone cold and after a bite, I realized temperature of my meal was not far off. FAIL! The "marinated steak" was a perfectly cooked medium but lacked flavor. The green beans, which I felt were a strange choice for a breakfast dish, were a bit too al dente and the whole skillet lacked seasoning. Curiously, the server pointed out the days freshly made strawberry citrus jam and asked if I would like butter to go with it and my buttermilk biscuit to which I replied "yes," but somehow said butter never materialized. FAIL! In all the meal was mediocre, there were several opportunities to meet or exceed expectations but none were taken advantage of. The server could have noticed the large, clearly visible crack in my coffee mug, If cast iron was to be used for presentation only, there's no reason it couldn't have been warmed so as to keep its contents at the desired temperature and finally, when asked to add roasted corn to the dish, the server could have suggested i have it on the side instead of basically telling me the Chef understands my palate better than I do. I have a warm place in my heart for Hash House a Go Go and have recommended breakfast/brunch there to many friends and acquaintances alike, I can only hope that this particular meal was an aberration.

A: negative

Q: My husband and I ate here last weekend (Aug 2014). The atmosphere is nice and old-style homey, similar to other restaurants in Madison. -Best things- Porchetta was melty, tender and delicious. Also, the waitress put a bottle of water on our table so we could refill our own glasses. The poutine was also very tasty. -Worst things- DO NOT order the ravioli. This was one of the worst dishes we have ever ordered. It was essentially a raw egg wrapped in pasta with some cheese on top. Yuck. Also, one of our dishes was served to another table. When the other table notified the waiter, he lazily just moved the dish to our table. I wish the kitchen had remade the dish for us since it had been served to someone else, even though they did not eat it. A restaurant of this caliber should have better policies on this. The food at this restaurant was mostly enjoyable, but this is not a place I would like to eat at regularly. The food is just too rich, dense and calorie-laden. I left feeling like a heavy blob. There were very few healthy or light items on the menu. I feel like the menu needs to be rebalanced. I doubt we will go back here.

A: negative

Q: It's cheap...VERY cheap so thats why I can see people loving this place. MAJOR downer was they had NO high chairs...my one year old was stuck trying to sit in a booth (wasn't happening). The owners were super nice and the service was great but the food was what you pay for. It wasn't bad it wasn't great by any means but I love mom and pop places and I will be back to give it another shot...just not with my kids.

A: negative

Q: So good! The biscuits are amazing, and I highly recommend the filet. We learned that they butcher a couple cuts including the filet at the restaurant. Definitely recommended.

A:
positive