Clusters and Hops, Tallahassee

So, I guess I should start updating this thing again- I can’t believe the chef at Villa Rosa liked it! I mean, I did gush about the food there, but that is only because it’s wonderful- I’m so honored that someone of importance actually looked at my silly project.

Tonight, then, I’ll write about another truffle mac ‘n cheese I had- at Clusters and Hops here in Tallahassee. (Side note: I’ve moved to Tallahassee, FL. It’s really sad, I desperately miss NJ, but I’m trying to make do.)

First of all, I’ll admit I wasn’t impressed with the place. (I should also point out it's very hard to find- it's a small little place attached to a sleep center on Monroe, with no visible sign. Keep an eye out!) The establishment itself was pretty cute- there’s a nice little gourmet shop at the entrance with fine cheeses and truffle oil and imported chocolate, and I thought that was pretty awesome. And it was a nice dining location- beautiful bar, nice lighting, all that good stuff. But I just felt a little out of place there- the wait staff didn’t seem to take as much pleasure in making their customers happy as in other restaurants; they seemed to take more pleasure in their own prestige. I'll admit I'm pretty sensitive, so maybe it was in my head, but I went to this place wanting to like it. Our waiter was very nice, but when I ordered their 9-cheese macaroni and cheese with truffle oil, he asked, “are you sure? This dish has a very strong truffle flavor, sometimes people who haven’t had truffles before don’t like it.” I don’t know, it just rubbed me the wrong way that he assumed I wasn’t familiar with gourmet food. I suppose given my youth it is a fair assumption, but I don't think anyone ever likes it when a waiter indicates that they have made any sort of judgement about them.

He was right though, it did have a very strong truffle flavor. That's not to say it wasn't delicious- the cheese sauce was wonderful and the pasta just the right texture, and there was some sort of herb mixed in but I’m not sure what it was. But the truffle almost overpowered the cheese sauce, which is a shame with something as complex as a sauce made of nine cheeses. I’m not saying the dish was bad- it was lovely- but I would personally prefer the truffle be toned down a bit. I also got a root beer float with my meal, and my gosh if it wasn’t the best root beer float I’ve ever had in my life. The vanilla ice cream was noticeably of a very high quality, and the root beer was just divine.

Moral of the story: I plan to go back to sample some of the other things on their menu- and to get that wonderful float again- but I don’t know if it’s friendly enough for me to become a regular. It’s worth going at least once, the food is lovely and I found the prices to be reasonable.