Not to be confused with a long time Las Vegas staple "Hash House", Hash House A Go Go is a very different restaurant. With very large portions that rival local favorites such as The Cheesecake Factory or Claim Jumpper, HHAGG creates their own niche. They call it "twisted farm food" which means something I don't think that I understand.

The place just opened and I took it upon myself to give it a try for the good of TalkVegas. It's pretty much assured that you will not leave hungry. The food is not bad at all. It is all very fresh and flavorful. There is a nice variety of choices for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

For dinner one evening, I had a grilled beef tenderloin. The menu said it had garlic mashed potatoes, smoked griddled mozzerella cheese, fresh veggies and fried leeks with roasted corn and peppers and a sauce. Yep, that's what I got. The presentation was a little more than I bargained for. It started with a round plate that was about 18" in diameter and must have weighed at least 5 pounds. In the middle of the plate was a huge serving of skin on red mashed potatoes with several noticeable hunks of roasted garlic. On top of that was a layer of very flavorful smoked mozzerella cheese. On top of that was a tender steak, then a layer of tomatoes, then another layer of steak, then another layer of tomatoes, then cheese topped with the sauce. Then it was all surrounded by tall sprigs of fried leeks. This was all held together with a large stalk of rosemary speared into the middle. The food was well over 6 inches thick, the fried leeks make it another 4 inches taller, and the stalk of rosemary make it stick up another 6 inches or so. So the plate was 18 inches around and the food was about 18 inches tall. Around the edges of the plate were cherry tomatoes, a roased pepper and corn salsa, asparagus, and fresh basil leaves (or maybe it was fresh baby spinach). That's quite a serving in my book.

To eat that beautiful presentation, I decided to reconstruct it. I tasted the fried leeks. They had a tobacco taste often comes in certain onion cooking methods. I'm not an onion fan, so I set them aside with the rosemary. I used the tomatoes, cheese, and baby spinach together, because...they go together nicely. That left me with a steak, potatoes, and asparagus which was easy to eat. Everything was very good. I am just not used to eating those items combined as they were.

And I had the more sane dish. On the crazy side was sage fried chicked with bacon waffles and maple syrup, or rosted butternut squash stuffed with risotto and rock shrimp & sundried tomato olive oil. IMHO, most of the dishes looked alike, piled high and held together with a big rosemary stalk. The biggest exception was the chicken pot pie. It looked like a full brimmed hat turned upside down and full of goodies.

For breakfast today, I had griddled meatloaf with mashed potatoes, eggs, and fruit. This came on an oval plate that was about 18 inches long. It had eggs on the left side, then a huge chunch of meat loaf laying on the side of a big helping of mashed potatoes. The taters and meatload were stabbed wtih a rosemary stalk. A huge biscuit was next to it, then watermellon and strawberrys, with sliced tomatoes on the right end. There was a drizzle of bbq sauce along the edges. On the table was a container with homemade strawberry preserves with big chunks of strawberrys.

Other breakfast options included a selection of various hashes and a selection of various benedict plates. And for lunch, the signature dish might be the 1 pound stuffed hamburger. I saw a few desserts too, and the portions are not small at all. I saw a snickers bread pudding that was getting big compliments along with a peach cobbler.

Both meals were good. The dinner was about $25 with drink and tip. The breakfast was about $15. I finished both meals and I overate more than I care to explain. And drinks? That's another story. They have a drink menu with coffees, fruit juices such as fresh squeezed kiwi strawberry lemonade, or lime ginger coolers. They have a seperate wine list too.

This place started with one restaurant in San Diego. Now they have a Las Vegas location on Sahara, just east of Rainbow. Their niche is still beyond me. Twisted Farm Food might mean that the food is piled on to excess. Or it might refer to the relationship between the end product and the sum of it's parts.

I'm still not sure how to rate this place. EVERYONE that I heard and saw raved about it. The presentation has a wow factor that will knock your socks off. If you like hash or eggs benedict, this might be your key to the ultimate. If you like lots of food, you'll get it here. This place will be a big hit to most everyone that tries it. For those that don't understand the concept of huge protion restaurants, it probably won't be a hit. For those that live nearby who don't want to stuff themselves that often, it might not be a big hit. And that's where I fall. I live nearby, but couldn't eat there more than a few times a year. I don't really understand the location of place like this relative to the tourist traps where people often plan on having a big meal. It's only 4 or 5 miles west of the strip, so it's not that far. So give it a try, if you have a hearty appetite. (as opposed to heart healthy appetite)

Sounds like my kinda place!
Thanks for the review. I'm not into over stuffing myself, that feeling is horrible, and only makes me sleepy. But the presentation and breakfasts sound unique enough to make me want to try it.

It sounds great to me too - I love seeing interesting presentations of food. Of course if it doesn't taste good fugedaboutit. But sounds like it was darn tasty.

I like big serving places when I am at home, and can make another meal from leftovers. But I dont feel too guilty leaving food behind when I can't do the doggy bag thing.

It does sound like my kind of place too -but then both David and I are a little twisted in the food department (we once made a Rubic's Cheese Cube to bring to a party instead of a cheese ball.)

There are some pictures on their website that include a sample menu and a picture gallery. The menu isn't exactly the same as the ones I saw, although it was very close. The items I picked for both dinner and breakfast from the website were not on the menus in the restaurant. 99% of the menu appeared to be the same. As for the pictures, they don't do the size justice. The round plates are at least the size of a large pizza, and the oval plates are every bit of 18 inches across, probably more like 24.

I forgot to mention that service was very good. A waiter, manager, bus boy, or owner was always walking around willing to help. They just opened, so I would expect service to be incredibly good or incredibly bad.

You get 3 or 4 menus when you are seated. There is a Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner menu, there is a drink menu, a daily specials menu, and a wine list. There is also a full service bar for whatever adult beverage you care to enjoy.

I overheard a manager talking to a customer about the hash. It's supposed to be high quality hand cut stuff and built like a brick hash house. And judging from what I know about the place, the various eggs benedict will probably be special.

I can't wait to wait hear what others think about this place. I think it will be a big a hit based on originality alone. Everything else will just re-enforce it. I don't usually do doggie bags and I don't know if this mix of food would reheat well in an oven. I don't have a microwave.

I love most Benedicts, but this sounds like a place where I need to stay away from the portions<g>. Do they allow 2-3 people to share a meal?

Joe - Thanks for this restaurant review! I think I put on 5 pounds just reading about what you ate! It sounds good but those portions sound way too big!! --Mike