Food -
Hometown has changed their menu over the years. Their previous location had a wide variety of things to choose from including a full selection of milk teas. They have since dropped the milk tea bar and slimmed down the menu to only their best items. I think this is a fabulous idea as it gives customers only the very best of what Hometown offers. Even though the menu is smaller, there are still plenty of items to select from. And I have a hard time choosing exactly which dish I would like when I go.
I'd say the most popular item at Hometown is the beef noodle soup. It's a large bowl of noodles along with savory broth and tender cubes of beef. It's a very warming meal that is perfect on a cold day. The menu indicates that the dish is spicy, but I found it to be just a tad spicy - definitely nothing that will scorch your tongue.
If I'm feeling more like a rice dish, I typically get either their chicken plate or their hock meat bowl. The cut of chicken you get when you get the chicken plate is quite large and comes with a tasty crispy skin. It is accompanied by rice, some hock meat, and egg, and green beans. The hock meat (which is a flavorful pork) is a simple rice bowl with just the meat, egg, and some green beans. Basically it's just more of the chicken dish without the chicken.
Also on the menu are dumplings, cold noodles, and other rice plates and soups. Each item has a distinctly Asian taste to it. It's a taste that is hard to describe, but I'd say that it is a taste that reminds many Asian visitors of home.
Service/Atmosphere -
There aren't too many workers at Hometown. It's usually just the wife and husband duo and a server or two helping to get the food out. The wife is usually at the register while the husband takes care of ALL the cooking. I've found that the wife is very friendly to talk to and will engage with you in some conversation. She speaks Cantonese, so if you do too, feel free to order in that language and fire up some friendly talk!
The dining area at Hometown is relatively large. There are two areas to eat in - the main area in front of the ordering counter and the sides close to the windows. The center area has large tables enough for six to eight people. You could easily get a bigger group to come and enjoy a meal together.
The overall atmosphere of Hometown is clean and functional. It's not really decorated in a way that is trendy or modern, but the place just gets the job done.
Price -
Dishes at Hometown hit at about the ten dollar mark. The portion sizes of the dishes are appropriate for the asking price and can definitely fill you up. I mentioned the chicken plate before, and it is quite large for just over ten dollars. I'd say that Hometown is a moderately priced restaurant that you can visit frequently without breaking the bank.
Special Tips and Recommendations -
Since there is only one cook (the husband), it can take a long time to get your food - especially at a rush hour during lunch or dinner time. If you're in a hurry, you may want to skip out and try someplace else. At one of their former locations, I had to wait almost 45 minutes for my order to come out. Just be very mindful of this if time is limited for you. It really is best to come when the restaurant is less full of people.
Bottom Line -
Hometown is a Davis institution and is well worth a visit. Because it's a mom and pop type operation (and mom and pop are getting older), it's not going to be here forever. Come and get your Taiwanese fix in before they decided to shut the doors forever!
Letter Grade
A-
Beef noodle soup.
Rice plate with delicious sauce and an egg.
Chicken and shrimp noodle soup.
Small menu with just the favorites from years past.
No comments:
Post a Comment