Hyeholde Restaurant — Restaurant in Moon Township

Last night was my first time at Hyeholde. I had never heard of it before, so I was walking into my experience blind. My girlfriends sister is looking for somewhere to have her baby shower and was curious how Hyeholde and it’s atmosphere might be for this event. So we decided to have dinner there and see what the establishment had to offer.

I was intrigued by its appearance when we first arrived, but my curiosity began to turn into disappointment as the night went on.

We decided to start the meal off with some appetizers and drinks. The drinks were fine, but nothing spectacular by any means. My drink of choice is whiskey and ginger and it would’ve tasted just about the same if I had the ginger ale by itself. Some of the others at the table had the specialty “Reanimator” drink. The consensus was that it was fine, but nothing really more than that.

Our bread plate arrived and was later followed by our appetizers. The buns on the bread plate were fine, as were the crackers and pear purée. But again, nothing spectacular. Our cheese board and pierogi appetizers arrived. The cheese board was average to okay, but the bigger disappointment was in the pierogi’s. 4 out of the 5 people at the table took about 1 bite and decided to not eat any more.

After we were done with the appetizers, our soups and salads arrived. Everyone got soups except for me. It seems as though everyone enjoyed their soup for the most part. The salad on the other hand, was very lackluster. The greens looked good, however , there was little to no dressing on the salad, leaving it to taste very bland and uninspired.

After a rather extensive amount of time after completing our soup and salad course did our entrees finally arrive. Our dinner reservation was 6:30. By the time we received our entrees it was pushing into the 8:30/8:45pm hour of the night. I don’t mind a longer drawn out dinner experience, but one that no one is overly thrilled about, really begins to make the dinner experience drag on.

The entrees we ordered were 2 Delmonico Steaks, 2 chicken breast dinners and a beef cheek dinner. The Delmonico steaks were about 1/3 fat. I understand that is characteristic of that type of cut, but this plays into the later part of this review. I had rapini and Boursin potatoes to accompany the steak. Both sides were of average taste, but nothing that I was ecstatic about. This sentiment was reflected by everyone else at the table about their entrees as well.

It seemed as though we were all rather speechless and not in a good way. Some of the dinner attendees had looked up reviews and saw the amount of praise the establishment got. Which left us so perplexed and confused considering the quality of the food and experience we had thus far.

We decided to get desserts against our better judgment. Seeing as how all the meals prior had been throughout the night. However, the dessert may have been best part of the whole meal. And not because it was exceptional. Rather, it was about the only average to above average part of the whole dinner that night.

I had the Afagotto dessert which consisted of praline ice cream, chocolate sauce and espresso. The taste of the praline ice cream and dessert was fine, however, the serving size was more comparable to a pup cup from Starbucks than a dessert intended for an adult. The cinnamon macaroons were, in my opinion, the best part of the entire meal that night.

My girlfriend’s mother got an alcoholic coffee and crème brûlée. She took a sip of her drink when it arrived and said that the coffee was cold.

The cherry on top of the whole experience was when our bill arrived for my girlfriend, her mother and me and the total was $432. With a 20% tip it took our bill just north of $500. I was sick to see this price for the experience we had. I have eaten at places that aren’t a third of the price that the experience was exponentially better. This place needs a lot of work to charge these exorbitant prices. IMHO go to Arlecchinos twice for this price and experience a far better meal...

This was the wife's first time at the Hyeholde, and probably my sixth or more (best if company is paying!). I knew she would like it, but I was waiting for a special occasion, as it's not the cheapest place in town. As we both have our birthdays around the same time we decided to splurge.

First, I have to mention the ambience, which is really the main draw. Built in 1930 by a man who promised his wife a castle, when I say built, I mean he hand-built it. It's not really a castle, more like an Arts & Crafts style house with lots of rooms, levels and some castle-like features, like round towers, oak timber trusses, fireplaces and lots of wood. We'd driven by it so I could show her the outside, and she was looking forward to seeing the inside.

We started with glasses of wine and appetizers. She had the special, a portion of Mahi Mahi, while I went for the sherry bisque, a Hyeholde staple since 1937. The wife was a bit concerned, as often the starter course fills her up and she can't enjoy the dinner. Not really a problem here, as portions are more continental, not huge American portions.

For our main courses, she went for the Elysian Fields rack of lamb, but did substitute mushroom fricasse for the Moroccan lentils (not due to a lentil aversion, to the contrary, she did not think they would be as good as ones she has had in the Middle East). I'm a steak guy, but usually I go for filet mignon, as I prefer very little fat, and I tend to waste a lot on other cuts. I decided to go for the 12oz prime beef strip steak, as the other steak dish, the special, was described as being higher in fat content.

For dessert we shared a blood orange tort and the creme brulee.

So, the review. I confess I wasted some of the steak, as there was some fat and a portion was too underdone for my tastes. Maybe I should have tried the ostrich, as the server said that was a very lean cut of meat. (They also had elk, but neither of us were experimental enough to try either). The portion size was more than sufficient, as I said they could butterfly it for a more even cook. It covered my whole plate, although as a result it tended to crowd the other items, resulting in a messier appearance. The rack of lamb was very nice, and the portion size more than enough for the wife, who bagged half to bring home. Desserts were very tasty, particularly the blood orange tort, which was the special.

Overall it was a very pleasant experience. The food is very good, as is the service, and the atmosphere is unlike any other in the area. That said, be prepared for some sticker shock with the bill. In my opinion, there are other places with equally good food at lower prices, such as Ditka's or Monterrey Bay, but the atmosphere is completely different. That is partly what you're paying for, and if you accept that going in, you won't be disappointed. It's hard to say if Hyeholde is a great value, as much of what you pay for is subjective. How much is the atmosphere worth? Only each person can say...

Our take on Hyeholde rated 1 - 5. Atmosphere: 5. Hyeholde is so unique, formerly a mansion with different rooms and areas for tables some out in the open, some in secluded nooks. Very pretty and "Norman Chalet" with exposed hewn-wood beams and tapestries hanging on the walls. Our table was up a flight of stairs and down a couple of steps to a balcony area with three tables overlooking the main room. There is an nice selection from the "adult beverage" bar of wine, beer and spirits. We like Bourbon and they offer so many of our favorites that it was hard to choose which one! Service 5. All the servers are dressed head to foot in black and are somewhat reserved, but ours warmed up when we starred asking questions and for recommendations. She was attentive but not intrusive and offered to check with the kitchen about an odd food intolerance that one of our party had. She also remembered that we were celebrating a birthday and decorated one dessert with a candle! Food 4.5. Pretty good, we liked what we ordered, and the Sherry Bisque and bread selection we started with was amazing! However, they asked if we minded substituting a different fish for the local trout in one of our entrées because they were out of the trout!? We also wished that the chicken in another dish had been pounded flat, it was good, but would have been so much tastier if it had been tenderized. Serving sizes are not huge, but some of us couldn't finish all of our meal. For dessert and we would recommend the Chocolate Pretzel Napoleon, it was delicious and was enough to share, also the Affrogato-- an ice cream and espresso dish. Attire; dress is "business casual" and people wore everything from slinky satin dresses to pants and a nice shirt. This confirms our suspicion that nobody really knows what "business casual" means, just DON'T wear flip-flops, jeans and a t-shirt! Need to know; RESERVATIONS ARE A MUST! Hyeholde is usually in demand and it's unlikely there will be a seat for walk-ins. It took longer to get there than we thought it would, Parkway traffic 'n'at, so leave earlier than you think you need to leave, but there is no bar seating, so don't pull into the lot too early. The only parking option is "free" valet parking, so bring cash for a tip. THIS IS NOT A PLACE FOR KIDS. Find a babysitter-- both you and your precious children will have more fun that way. This place is somewhat expensive; for two "adult" drinks, two entrées, and two desserts plus tips for the waitress and valet you may spend $200 - $250. Is it worth it? We would say yes. We enjoyed the experience, the food, and the service and it was a delightful, low-key way to celebrate an...