Hash House A-Gogo   

A stone's throw from the heart of Hillcrest, this culinary cornerstone serves hearty breakfasts, lunches and dinners to locals who appreciate the humongous portions and (relatively) tiny checks. Breakfast sees the biggest crowds, especially on weekends, when the wait can be up to an hour long. But for enormous dishes of salmon hash with crispy seasoned potatoes, smoked chicken and sun-dried tomato scrambles or Snickers pancakes, the wait is well worth it. Out-of-towners are usually floored by the surfboard-sized plates, which usually sport a foot-long sprig of rosemary garnish, whether atop bone-in ribeye or penne with spinach and chili cream. Given the attention to detail and fresh ingredients, you might not realize this is gussied-up comfort food -- albeit taken to the nth degree. The warm and subdued atmosphere makes Hash House perfect for fine dining. Seafood is a particular treat, but you could do well to merely point at an appealing dish on a neighboring table. The meatloaf is potent enough to tear die-hard vegetarians away from their tofu. Piled mesa-high, the silky mashed potatoes are so tasty it would be a crime to discuss calories. The crab cakes are similarly titanic, and are served with mashed squash as the perfect compliment. Chicken with waffles and maple syrup? It may sound strange to those unfamiliar with Roscoe's in LA, but after one bite of the dish, you'll wonder why you never thought of it before. Great wine, espresso coffees and a full bar put Hash House A-Go-Go atop the Hillcrest list. Dessert options are limited to only a few choices (including a cobbler of some variety), but it's certainly a case of quality over quantity.