Clove & Hoof: Hog Heaven

I finally made my way to Clove & Hoof for dinner last month with two friends. Located on Broadway street in North Oakland, Clove & Hoof is a butchery and restaurant. While we had to wait about ten minutes to be seated, we spent that time wisely touring the business. I was in what you might call “hog heaven,” as I gazed down at their meat case. My eyes widened as I examined the shelf full of homemade jars of pickled vegetables.  

The three of us were hungry and excited. We ordered several things to share. We started with a chicken liver mousse from the butcher’s fresh charcuterie board. It came well complimented with pickled vegetables, jam, and crostini. I really do enjoy a good chicken liver mousse and this one was smooth and decadent.   
 We shared a side of beef tallow fries with pickle mayo. These french fries are cooked in beef fat giving off a bonus flavor. The texture reminded me of the fries from In & Out Burger except much thicker which I liked. I thought the mayo was unique and creative. 
 I am a huge fan of deviled eggs, so when I saw chicharonne deviled eggs with anchovy salsa verde on the menu, I knew I had to order it. The chicharonne sprinkled on the egg was genius, but the anchovy was a bit too powerful for me. 
 We also ordered the chorizo and mussels which came with duck fat fingerling potatoes and crostini. This dish had amazing flavor and I continued to dip my tallow fries in the liquid until the plate was dry. 
 We shared a salad of Blue lake and yellow wax beans, fried bread, radishes, and assorted lettuces. It was dressed with a fish sauce chili vinaigrette and hoisin aioli. This salad was fresh, crisp, and well balanced.  
 One of my friends ordered the 16 oz grilled rib eye steak with summer corn chow chow, Swiss chard, duck fat potatoes, and fig Demi glaze. I was in complete awe when it came out. I had a bite of this tender, perfectly cooked, well seasoned, piece of beef. I really had to stop eating now. I was in seventh heaven. 
 The cheesesteak sandwich that my friend and I were splitting was also served. The hero roll was filled with thinly sliced sirloin, onion confit, grilled and marinated mushrooms, matchstick turnips and warm beer cheese fondue. I took a bite and was pretty disappointed after having just eaten a bite of the steak. I decided to pack it up. I heated it up the next day in my toaster oven and it was actually pretty good.   
 We ordered two desserts. One was the butterscotch pudding with vanilla wafers, bruleed bananas, and peanuts. Every item in this dessert was yummy, but it seemed to be a bit of a hodgepodge.   
 I wanted to try the Cheerwine float which is a cherry soda poured over vanilla ice cream, port cherries, and cocoa nibs. This was a fun dessert to end the evening and the blend of cherry, vanilla, and chocolate worked well together. 
 Clove & Hoof is full of awesomeness and I look forward to many return visits.