12/23/08

MMMMM

by jordanalorraine

I read about Hush in a magazine at my hotel, and took a chance as I do not know Orange County well. Located along a cute shopping stretch, Hush was upscale and stylish but welcoming, not snobby as one might expect in the area. We snuggled into a booth to enjoy an awesome Oregon Pinot, delicious salads, savory fish entrees and finally, a rich dessert. What a great date-night!

• Pros: Romantic, awesome food, great location

11/10/08

Mad bartender

by RonMash

I have been dining in Hush for many years took many friends to the restaurant recommended and enjoyed the ambiance greatly until last Saturday I was very surprise to see at 11 pm on a Saturday it wasn't very slow and not many people I waited at the bar way longer than before when it was crowded. it was like this new bartender was unhappy working there I was ignored for about 15 min at the bar and finally when I got his attention he acted like he was doing a big favor to me by taking my order no greeting non what so ever. so finally I ordered a drink for my self he served as he looked like he was annoyed the friend of mine took about 10 second extra time to decide and he was very clearly upset already. well he served the second drink with an attitude again I gave him the $100 bill with same attitude giving me the change slamming it on the counter, this was the straw that broke the camel's back for me time to give him the tip I gave his tip with the same gesture he returned the change to me. he look at me I asked him if he had a problem with me being there and he took my drink away and very aggressively called the guy at the door I never ever felt attacked by a bartender in such manner. it was horrible I kept my calm and left with my friend witnessing that I'm writing this to just voice my opinion the best I can I'm not a food expert but as a business owner myself because I cared to let the management know I contacted the management the fallowing day left a message no response what so ever this was my last visit to this restaurant because I don't want someone with an unexpected bad and unfriendly attitude and issues ruin my friends evening or my own evening. sorry to see the decline in your service I think you have lost a loyal customer for hiring people like this to save money on hiring professional people their performance will determine your reputation. and I'm very sorry to see such a thing happen good luck to you Hush. Ron Mashayekh

• Pros: none
• Cons: sevice at the bar

10/01/08

Excellent food, wine and service

by KarimH

I have been to Hush this past weekend, the food was excellent, not expensive for the quality of the food and the wine list is just ridiculously huge. The service was very nice and so as the atmosphere in the restaurant. The chef is only 25 years old and she is really talented, yes it is a she! If you expect to eat for 15 dollars and get a two for one drink formula, go to a fast food, if not I would totally recommend Hush.

• Pros: Food, service, valet parking

06/21/08

THE WORST SERVICE AND PRICES EVER!

by Ilovemypom

This place charges approximately 30-40% more on average for similar items, drinks and wines and simply fails to deliver 30-40% more value. We went to Hush last night for the first time and arrived about 7:45 and oddly enough the bar had only two people in it and the restaurant had many open tables on a SATURDAY night in Laguna Beach. Our servicer was nice, but the prices are so ridiculous that you really expect more. I ordered day boat scallops which were $28 so I thought hey that's reasonable until it arrived with a total of three approximately 1 and a quarter inch scallops served on a tiny bed of sauteed mushrooms with a side of??? mushrooms. Terrible presentation, no color and who serves something on a bed of mushrooms and then serves the same side dish? Then my husband asked which steak to order and they recommended the New York ($48) and the server suggests a side of potatoes ($5) which looked and tasted just like the breakfast potatoes you get at any breakfast house minus the peppers and onions and they served like 7 of them on a small plate. So tacky. We each had a drink and I was HORRIFIED when I got the bill for my ONE margarita (Patron) for $16. What? That would be $12 or less elewhere. The Choc. cake was $10 and a regular cup of coffee was $3.50 (can you say cappucino price?) As far as the service for a not very busy restaurant it was SLOW, SLOW, SLOW. We ordered our food at 8:05 pm (after being seated at 7:50 pm) and did not receive our meal (with a medium rare steak and scallops) until 8:50 pm and in the meantime our server never once checked back to give us an update or to refill drinks (thank God at that price). They had a TON of front staff milling around; mostly empty handed and yes the only female we saw that night was the chef or the line cook came out and one hostess. My husband ordered the chocolate cake and coffee at 9:05 pm and didn't receive the dessert until 9:25 pm and asked for a refill of coffee at that time and they never returned.

• Cons: overpriced, slow service, small portions, no variety, expensive drinks

05/09/08

Cool and trendy atmosphere but not so good food

by Lulu5606

I had dinner at Hush with about 15 friends, for a birthday. My food was okay and a handful of my friends had cold or almost frozen mashed potatoes or poorly cooked meat. Again, I am not sure if it was because there were so many of us. Our server did not seem apologetic or compensating at all. As we proceeded to the dessert menu, we were excited to see the "midnight snack". There were a few yummy items, and we were thrilled to order 3 and share. To our surprise, it literally was a "midnight snack". There were pint sized brownies and quarter sized cookies. I guess it was to our advantage so we did not consume too many calories. Everything would have been okay if it was not about $75 - $100, a person. The drinks were very good but very over priced and the bar scene is very snobby for a beach town. I will say that it is decorated very tastefully.

04/22/08

Skip the restaurant and go straight for the bar

by sctlocal

The Bar:

I like Hush and I've been there several times for dinner and drinks. It's a good place to go for drinks because there's usually a good amount of people at the bar. The croud is usually in the late 20's and older or just plain old. It's pretty easy to find on PCH and they offer valet.

Dinning:

Like I said, I've been there several times for dinner and I've never been satisfied with any of the meals that I've had. The one thing that I had that I actually liked was the Boston salad but I need five of them to make it a meal. The food is way over priced but I wouldn't mind if the food was actually good. They have a good selection of oysters but they only provide a vinegarette as a condiment, some of their fish are really fishy and the portions are so skimpy that I was hungry after a three course meal. The creme brulee crust was soft. The tuna tartar lacked flavor. The cheese plate had boring cheeses.

There are so many better alternatives just down the street. If you want a better alternative for the same price and a more romantic setting, check out the Montage instead. I love their tasting menu with wine parings. If you want just good seafood go to Mosun. Besides great sushi they have a good restaurant menu with reasonable prices and portions.

• Pros: service, bar, valet
• Cons: food, value

02/22/08

Hip/Trendy Fine Dining in the OC

by lpphile8

Hush seems a little out of place--a hip fine dining establishment in a laid-back artsy beach town. I went to Hush last week on Valentine's Day, expecting it to be loud and obnoxious after reading all these reviews. Surprisingly, it was hushed (pun intended). But it was Valentine's Day--go figure. The place was filled with couples having a nice romantic meal. I had the Prime Beef Filet Mignon which was great. I ordered it "medium-rare," but it was more on the "rare" side. Good nonetheless.

01/02/08

Huge Disappointment

by chara719

My friends and I decided to go to Hush for New Years Eve...boy was that a mistake! The fixed price for the dinner that night was $145 and it only included the meal and a glass of champagne. We were all a little reluctant because of the price but we were hoping it would be worth it.

The first thing we noticed was the table was really weird. The bench seats on one side were very high and the chairs across the table were really low so I was looking up at my friends across from me all night. It was also really loud and the lighting was too bright.

We brought 4 bottles of wine knowing we would have to pay the corkage fee for 4 bottles but our server told us that we could only have 2 bottles of wine per table. We spoke to the manager about it and he gave us a huge attitude and reluctantly let us open 3 bottles of wine.

They brought out bread first and it was dry and stale. As the rest of courses began to come out we could not believe how small the portions were, the appetizer was literally one bite and the salad 3 lettuce leaves! For the main course I wanted to order the lobster and requested that the shell be removed but the server refused to do that for me. One of my friends ordered the filet mignon and requested that the meat was cooked well done but it came out very pink and uncooked and had to send it back twice. My friend that did order the lobster said there was hardly any meat and when she asked for some melted butter for the lobster they brought out a tub of unmelted butter.

The dessert I had was awful (and I love dessert) and it was served with this very sour sauce.

I wish I would have checked with another friend of mine first, she said she went for her birthday earlier this year and they paid $150 per head and they were very disappointed in the food and service as well. This restaurant is very overpriced and average. There are far better restaurants in Laguna Beach that I would recommend over this one.

• Cons: Too loud, too bright, horrible parking

10/29/07

Excellent Food, Premium Service, Superb bar scene

by fabulousfoodfan

I have never posted a review and decided that Hush deserved an Excellent rating due to the numerous times I have been there. I must have gone at least 10-12 times and I can say with full confidence that this place is an A+ restaurant. From my first experience to my last (so far), I have been impressed. The staff is friendly and courteous. Everybody is treated like a VIP. The ambience in the dining area is relaxed, yet chic. The patio is a plus, but dining inside is equally appealing. I have never tried anything on the menu that I didn't LOVE. I especially enjoy the Lobster and Crawfish Mac 'n Cheese appetizer and HIGHLY recommend it. Everything I've tried on the main course menu has always been exceptional, especially the veal chop and the lamb....YUM! Not only is the restaurant fantastic, but the bar scene is also chic and very fun to people watch. The drinks are always fabulous and they even serve premium rose champagne by the glass!! It is kind of pricey but its worth it. Highly recommended.

• Pros: Ambience, Food, Service, Driver that will take you home.
• Cons: Bar crowded on the weekends, need more restrooms.

07/23/07

Hush?

by siege_29

Hush, is hip and trendy, which seems to be the goal. The staff was polite, but not an A team by any measure. The glasses on the table were cloudy, not sparkling. There were bread plates, but never any bread. The fois gras was bland. The wine list was good, but when you get charged for a $300 bottle you never ordered nor drank you have to wonder what's going on.

• Pros: In town, Chocolate dessert, good martini
• Cons: Loud, tough to park, best to valet or just walk