As Told Over Hobnob Brunch
A few months ago, I saw a picture on Instagram of Hobnob's pimento cheese BLT. It looked amazing, dripping in soft, melty pimento cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado on sourdough. Then I forgot about it in the chaos of life and the entire summer went by.
For reasons that I don't understand, the vision of this pimento cheese sandwich came back into my head this week and I began to obsess over a sandwich I've never had (again). The only reasonable thing a gal can do in a situation like this is GO GET THE SANDWICH.
This past Sunday was the day. The night prior, I did what I always do and checked out the menu, despite knowing that I was going to get the pimento cheese BLT. However, upon review of the menu, I also desperately wanted the scallion pancake (which is a scallion pancake with egg, hollandaise and lox), so sounds like I'll be going back. I also was curious if Early Bird Biscuit owned Hobnob, since their biscuits were all over the menu (my research findings on this later).
When we pulled up to Hobnob, the parking lot was full, so we made our own parking spot in a grassy alleyway. I was getting nervous we'd have to wait, but when we walked in, they were clearing away a table for us!
We had just enough time for me to make googley eyes at the dessert cabinet before making our way to the table. Since I knew what I wanted months ago, the hardest decision I had to make was what to drink. The cocktail list included a mimosa, bloody Mary, Irish coffee and a selection of beer and wine. I decided I wanted a coffee with Kaluha -- and yes, I'll have the whipped cream.
When our waitress came back, we put in our food order and waited excitedly. I’m almost positive the only conversation was about the sandwich and if I was ready for it. Which yes, I was VERY READY.
The table next to us got served, and I made eyes at the dishes. The man got what my boyfriend ordered, which was the hash. The woman ordered what appeared to be the caprese omelet — which then launched me into a memory about the time I got the caprese omelet at Boathouse. But then conversation screeched to a halt when our food arrived.
Was the pimento cheese BLT worth the wait?
YES! My word of choice for the dish was 'crispy.' The potatoes were advertised as 'crispy,' and I had high expectations. The potatoes met them and were -- in fact -- crispy. The bacon was cooked to a perfect crisp, and the sourdough bread was crisp and flavorful.
A caveat here, and I say it with love: it’s a delicious, well-assembled and filling pimento cheese BLT with avocado on crispy sourdough bread. When my friends asked, “Was it worth the months of anticipation?” I say it absolutely was, BUT it’s a BLT sandwich. It’s really good, there’s just a ceiling on how mind-blowing a BLT can be. It’s a perfect delivery of what I wanted. It won’t surprise you or shock you, but it’s a well constructed sandwich that will make you happy.
My boyfriend got the pork shoulder hash and he ranked it a 10/10. I was able to snag a bite and the meat was juicy and flavorful. He got it with only one egg because he doesn’t like eggs that much, which is news to me because I make him eat eggs almost every weekend, whoops.
Pork Shoulder Hash
You can practically see in the picture how tender the meat is, and how it’s literally dripping in flavor.
Overall, brunch was exactly what I wanted, with some follow-up dishes that I want to try. I had my eye on some of the sweet dishes, like the french toast or pineapple pancakes. However, next time I definitely want the scallion pancake.
My one remaining question, and associated research: Is Hobnob owned by the people who own Early Bird Biscuit? It appears no, but they do get free biscuits from them, according to North of the James. Mystery, solved!