Despite the din, Hush has its moments

SHHHH! Naming the noisiest restaurant in town Hush may have been wishful thinking or merely irony on the owner’s part. Maybe we are just getting old, but we actually like to hear the person talk who is sitting right next to us. In fact, we really enjoy having a conversation over dinner.

Maybe we’re out of step, since so many new restaurants seem to be designed with acoustics that amp up the volume. Does the hip crowd have so little to say to each other? Does the buzz mean you are in the spot that’s hot? Whatever! Noisy restaurants are on our pet peeve list.

Despite the daunting decibels, Hush is an extremely attractive place to dine, with an outdoor patio as large as the interior dining room. It is sleekly styled with overtones of Calvin Klein. The walls and floor are a soft beige. Lining two sides of the room, banquettes and booths are covered in a creamy textured fabric. Accents of dark chocolate in the carpet are repeated in the woodwork.

The main dining room is dominated by two large, square, fabric-covered light fixtures that pick up the beige tones in the room. There are candles everywhere, creating a warm glow. The outdoor patio has a retractable roof and low glass walls above the banquette seating that edges the room.

It is a lovely spot for a summer night’s dinner, yet warm and comfortable in winter. There is a separate bar area with a long communal table and one large, curtained, private booth at the back. The bar has its own menu serving such items as spicy shrimp spring rolls, goat cheese wontons, a cheese plate and a cheeseburger with fries. Hush also has a fixed-price, pre-theater menu from 5:30 to 6:30 nightly.

After being seated, you are presented with the menu and a veritable tome that turns out to be the wine list. This list is world-class! The owner is a wine connoisseur and collector and has included bottles from his personal collection as well as an extraordinary range of wines at every price. If you are overwhelmed, consult with the knowledgeable sommelier.

On the first occasion we dined there, very early on a Saturday night, the restaurant was relatively empty and fairly quiet and the service was excellent. Unfortunately, on the second evening, a Tuesday, there were two very large Christmas parties and our service was erratic and indifferent with a parade of rotating waiters.

The menu follows the current paradigm for high-end restaurants, without surprises except for a caviar service and an intriguing-sounding appetizer -- lobster-crayfish macaroni and cheese spiked with truffles and leeks. The obligatory foie gras with fruit compote was tasty but not outstanding because it didn’t have a heavily seared crispy exterior to contrast with the custardy interior.

The tuna “hushimi” was interesting in concept but boring in execution. The lovely platter had three separate tuna preparations: quickly seared, raw sesame seed-coated and tartare. All three were surprisingly bland. Other alternatives are pancetta-wrapped shrimp, half a dozen oysters, a composed cheese plate and roasted tomato soup. Although our butter lettuce and pear salad with cranberries and candied walnuts tasted quite delicious, it was meagerly composed with only three leaves of lettuce.

On the entrée menu, there are three different fish -- including poppy seed-crusted Hawaiian ahi tuna with glass noodles and shitake mushroom broth, miso-cured sablefish with baby bok choy, Manila clams with basil broth and Scottish salmon in Pernod cream with potato and fennel gratin.

The day-boat scallops with potato gnocchi and mushrooms in raspberry mustard demiglace were impeccably cooked, all three of them. The buttery sauce balanced sweet and sour flavors against the delicate scallops. The excellent mini-gnocchi and mushrooms provided more of a garnish than an accompaniment.

Among the meat dishes, there is a veal porterhouse with mushroom barley risotto and a free-range chicken in green pumpkin seed mole with chorizo, picholine olive, lemon and caper couscous.

Outstanding is the Snake River Farms Kurobuta pork chop served with sweet potato puree in vanilla and cherry sauce. Kurobata pork, like Kobe beef, is a style of raising the animal to produce a fattier meat, which makes it more flavorful and tender.

The “other white meat” was an attempt by the American pork industry to promote it as a healthier product, and for many years pork has been bred in this country to be lean, which is why most pork nowadays is tough and tasteless. The trend is now reversing.

This large and delicious portion was beautifully cooked and well-seasoned. The contrasting sweet and spicy potatoes were an excellent accompaniment. The braised short ribs were less successful because they were overcooked and dry.

As we were about to look at the dessert menu, a gentleman in a suit stopped by our table and said to Terry, “Aren’t you on a talk show on TV?”

“Not yet,” she replied with a smile. He walked on by and returned a few moments later.

“Well, how did you enjoy your dinner,” he asked.

“It was fine,” Elle said, “but it is very noisy in here.”

“Would you like to continue on the patio? The large party has left and it’s quieter out there now.”

We took him up on his offer, and he and a waiter took our menus, wine and glasses out to a nice table on the patio that was indeed quieter.

“Have you made your selection yet,” he inquired.

“The pumpkin Napoleon,” Elle quickly responded.

“Very nice choice, but do you like chocolate? Let me bring you this delicious little thing that we make as well.”

A lovely bittersweet chocolate pudding decorated with a gold leaf flower arrived with our dessert. Light yet richly flavored, the exquisite pumpkin mousse was layered between crispy sheets of filo, drizzled with ginger caramel and garnished with Armagnac ice cream.

Other choices include the ever popular Valhrona molten chocolate cake, Tahitian vanilla crème brulee, and mixed seasonal berries. More unusual are the citrus “Dreamsicle” and the coconut banana tower. There is also an artisanal cheese plate. Can’t make up your mind? Try the chef’s tasting plate.

IF YOU GO

*WHAT: Hush

*WHERE: 858 S. Coast Highway, (949) 497-3616

*WHEN: 7 days

Bar Menu: 5:30-10:30 p.m.

Pre-Theater Menu: 5:30 -6:30 p.m.

Dinner: 5:30-10:30 p.m.

Late Night: 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday

*PRICE:

Bar menu: $10 - $14

Pre-theater dinner: $39

Starters: $9 - $24 Caviar: $55-$350

Entrées: $25 - $38

Desserts: $9 - $22

*WINE: $20 - $3,200;

by the glass: $8 - $2020060106isli7mnc(LA)Hush offers a pork chop served with sweet potato puree in vanilla and cherry sauce.