Heavenly Hash House a Go Go Orlando: an extreme review

My friends always say I never know when to quit. They say I like to take things to the extreme and go over the top. They say I never know when to stop. I don't know about that. I think I just get a little carried away sometimes, that's all.

Oh, but what would my friends say about Hash House a Go Go that recently opened a location on North International Drive in Orlando?

Talk about going to extremes -- Hash House a Go Go offers some of the biggest portions you've likely seen at a restaurant and each dish is stacked a foot high or more on oversized plates. This is a restaurant that doesn't know when to stop. This is extreme eating. I like this place.

Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, with an emphasis on over-the-top breakfasts, Hash House offers up what it calls "twisted farm food" and puts a big emphasis on fresh, farm to table food sourced locally.

The restaurant location Hash House occupies is prime real estate on the north end of International Drive, but, for some reason, no other restaurant has been able to make it here. Maybe the rent is just too high, or maybe the right concept hasn't moved in. I give Hash House good odds. It's unique, and the food is good. What more do you want?

On a recent evening visit, a friend and I dined at Hash House sans big appetites. That's a mistake from the beginning, but I thought it would be a good chance to critique the food for taste, not portion size.

Of course it was a bad idea, as the first thing delivered to us was a plate of the biggest biscuits I've ever seen. Drenched in honey, the biscuits were a sweet delight, but for dinner, biscuits seemed a little odd. Yes, I know, this is a big breakfast place, but still.

Aware from reading about Hash House that the portions were huge, I was tempted to not order an appetizer. Tempted to not I said. We chose the Fried Green Tomato Stack and were wowed by how tall it was actually stacked. Held in place with a stick, atop a large watermelon slice, the tomatoes slices alternated with swaths of chicken salad and goat cheese and drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette.

The dish was certainly artful and impressive but it was very hard to eat. And overall it was just a little too much for my taste. I wasn't feeling the chicken salad, I just wanted fried green tomatoes.

My guest chose the Stuffed HH Meatloaf for an entre. When the dish arrived, the plate was the size of a serving platter and from a quick lift, seemed to weigh a pound or two. The portions were just amazing. Luckily, the meatloaf lived up to the hype. The marsala cream sauce poured over top was delicious and made for an interesting meatloaf. Since when has meatloaf ever been interesting?

Looking around the dining room, it seemed that one in three tables had ordered the Sage Fried Chicken and Waffles. I almost went along, but decided on the namesake Corned Beef Hash instead. To tell you the truth, I don't remember ever eating corned beef hash any other way besides out of a can. I was looking forward to some homemade hash. I wasn't disappointed.

The dish wasn't stacked like the others, but the portions were just as enormous. Served in a skillet with a side of asparagus, the tender beef was topped with red onions, Swiss cheese and diced potatoes and accompanied by two fried eggs -- over easy. Oh, and another watermelon slice too. I really enjoyed the hash and I'm almost embarrassed to say it, but I nearly finished. Maybe I was hungry after all, or maybe it was just that good.

Hash House a Go Go is a very fun place to dine. The food is great and the portions are huge. What more do you want? I'll be back soon to try the breakfast. And I'll come hungry.

4 Over-The-Top Goodness out of 5

Note: I dined compliments of Hash House.