#12DaysOfChristmas Hippo Does A Good Ragu… But Don’t Tell Your Italian Mother!
If your mother cooks Italian food… Why should you go to a restaurant?
-Martin Scorsese
I grew up in Eagle Rock a little suburb of Los Angeles nudged in between Glendale and Pasadena. Highland Park adjacent. As teens we never ventured over the hill to Highland Park because ” That’s where people got shot!”
Thanks to “Gentrification” it’s now a place to be seen with interesting people, swanky bars, and awesome duck ragu!
Scorsese says it best, why go out for Italian when your mother is Italian?
But when there’s a place like “Hippo” in Highland Park sporting some gnocchi with duck ragu all bets are off! I just won’t tell my mother I was here.
Every time I would stop for a slice of pizza next door at Triple Beam, I would always sneak a peek at Hippo. It was definitely a place not to eat alone but with a very entertaining friend!
And that would be my foodie pal Mathew aka “my hairdresser!”
(Yes, I know I look like “sally Jessie Rafael” with my red reader Peepers on)
The place gets packed, even on a Sunday night so make reservations! We made them but didn’t like our table so we decided to sit at the bar where the bartender told us ” These are the best seats to people watch!” And boy, was he right on! So many interesting characters adorn this joint making it a voyeur feast!
First course: Burrata lots of yum. Crispy olive oil laden bread. Creamy cheese. Heaven!
Second: The Duck Ragu Gnocci it’s literally a party in your mouth when the duck ragu dances with the pillow soft gnocci. Savory to the core. This sauce alone would make my Italian mother cry!
Ok, so it was super hard for us to decide between the duck and the pork ragu. Eh, we ordered both. The House tagliatelle was slap your Italian mama good! Drenched with the pork ragu that made my mouth water as I swirled it on my fork! There were no words…
And lastly dessert: Sticky Toffee Pudding… perfect for the season ooey gooey yumminess… though you gotta experience it on your own!
As we got our bill, I was a bit surprised to find a 3% healthcare tax that I was charged. I didn’t know I was now responsible for paying someone’s healthcare insurance. I can go on and on about this one. My employer does not pay me benefits. Should I now give my patients a bill and ask them to pay an extra 3% for my insurance?
Despite the 3% healthcare cost I was charged, the food was definitely good enough for an Italian… though I can’t tell my mother I ate here!
notoriouslysinglegirl 
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