hatfield's: good food but don't believe the hype

i took a girlfriend out for a birthday dinner the other night and she chose hatfield's because she heard a lot of hype about the place. this being her birthday dinner and all, i acquiesced.

we started off with the following amuse: (left) a shot of cauliflower soup - served hot with an understated sweetness and (right) deviled quail egg with smoked trout - possibly my favorite of the night. the trout did not overpower the quail egg.


for my appetizer, i ordered the croque madame with prosciutto, quail egg and hamachi on brioche. i love quail eggs. i love prosciutto. i love hamachi. and i love brioche. unfortunately, the hamachi did not work. it had a weird taste. but then again, i kinda like my ham and cheese with egg just that, i.e., ham, cheese and egg on bread.


the birthday girl had the scallops on a bed of something that i do not remember right now. clearly, it was not memorable.


i had the roasted duck on a bed of quinoa and mushrooms, and butternut squash. i actually enjoyed the duck.


the birthday girl had the pork loin with chinese broccoli and yam puree. i thought it was ok.


i believe this dessert was a chocolate cake with peanut butter. again, it was just ok.


below were mini cupcakes with peanut butter. they were not too sweet.


the verdict? it was good but nothing to fawn over. the space was small and intimate and the service amiable. the price for two without drinks was about $120.