For
a long time I avoided this place. First because of the location. Every city has
a few buildings that seems to be jinxed and no matter what goes in it
fails. This location seemed like one of those and it scared me off. Then,
the name and the stylized art deco logo made me believe that it was a
Hollywood/movie themed place and that seemed tacky.
Turns out the name was inspired by two streets that intersect nearby, Hollywood Place and Third Ave and there is no movie theme. Question for management: Why confuse the public?
In the end, I heard enough good things about the food that it merited a visit. Gladly, I didn't find a Walk of Fame sidewalk or a gift shop in the lobby with T-shirts and posters of Humphrey Bogart.
The building in question has a warm, homey feel with lots of stone and wood and a high exposed ceiling with big wood rafters. This was originally an auto showroom and garage in the 1940s. The flip side of the high ceilings is the noise level can be very high, especially with the omnipresent frenetic jazz that plays non-stop- even during Sunday brunch. Turn it down please.
The layout remains largely intact from the Gibby's days- one big open lodge-like room- with the addition of a partition between the bar area and the dinner tables and an exposed kitchen. There is some outside seating under an awning but it is severely cramped. Too bad, as it's a fairly quiet neighborhood and it would be a nice place to eat alfresco.
The menu was another source of confusion, as at first glance it is very, very ordinary, bordering on a basic bar menu. There's humdrum choices like chili, pimento chip & dip, Cobb salad, fish sandwich, hamburger, etc. at prices that are double what you'd expect.
Which leads me to a general price rant. When did mediocre wine start costing $10-15 a glass? This has become an epidemic that drives dinner prices into the $100+ for two in places that don't warrant that kind of expense, including Third & Hollywood. Pricing for both wine and food does seem on the high side, especially for brunch.
So I wondered why is everyone raving about a place that seems to serve overpriced basics?
Thankfully, the plainness of the offerings is belied by the high quality of the ingredients and the skill in preparing them. They know what they are doing in the kitchen, if not on the marketing side.
In two visits, we sampled the grilled fish sandwich (fresh grouper), the hanger steak, the hamburger (1/2 lb. ground fresh daily), the scallops, the shaved radicchio and arugula salad and the cheddar herb biscuits. Every dish was perfectly prepared, spot on, A+, 5 stars.
The fish filet on the sandwich was remarkable- fresh and moist- and is worthy of being an entree outside of the boring bun it came on and the sublime cheddar biscuits are so rich and savory that you have to be careful or you may find yourself drooling like you just came from the dentist. Compliments on the shaved salad too. The sweet, deep fried onion bits contrasted perfectly with the bitter greens and vinaigrette. I've since knocked off the recipe and serve it at home.
The open kitchen inspired confidence and the parade of other dishes that passed us on the way to other tables were enticing, certainly enough to tempt another visit. I do think there is room for innovation on the menu and hopefully, over time, they can be more inventive. Certainly the chef is capable of stepping up.
Maybe others are not as confused as I was with the name (Am I over thinking this?) and the menu and they will recognize Third & Hollywood for the, um, star that it is.
Turns out the name was inspired by two streets that intersect nearby, Hollywood Place and Third Ave and there is no movie theme. Question for management: Why confuse the public?
In the end, I heard enough good things about the food that it merited a visit. Gladly, I didn't find a Walk of Fame sidewalk or a gift shop in the lobby with T-shirts and posters of Humphrey Bogart.
The building in question has a warm, homey feel with lots of stone and wood and a high exposed ceiling with big wood rafters. This was originally an auto showroom and garage in the 1940s. The flip side of the high ceilings is the noise level can be very high, especially with the omnipresent frenetic jazz that plays non-stop- even during Sunday brunch. Turn it down please.
The layout remains largely intact from the Gibby's days- one big open lodge-like room- with the addition of a partition between the bar area and the dinner tables and an exposed kitchen. There is some outside seating under an awning but it is severely cramped. Too bad, as it's a fairly quiet neighborhood and it would be a nice place to eat alfresco.
The menu was another source of confusion, as at first glance it is very, very ordinary, bordering on a basic bar menu. There's humdrum choices like chili, pimento chip & dip, Cobb salad, fish sandwich, hamburger, etc. at prices that are double what you'd expect.
Which leads me to a general price rant. When did mediocre wine start costing $10-15 a glass? This has become an epidemic that drives dinner prices into the $100+ for two in places that don't warrant that kind of expense, including Third & Hollywood. Pricing for both wine and food does seem on the high side, especially for brunch.
So I wondered why is everyone raving about a place that seems to serve overpriced basics?
Thankfully, the plainness of the offerings is belied by the high quality of the ingredients and the skill in preparing them. They know what they are doing in the kitchen, if not on the marketing side.
In two visits, we sampled the grilled fish sandwich (fresh grouper), the hanger steak, the hamburger (1/2 lb. ground fresh daily), the scallops, the shaved radicchio and arugula salad and the cheddar herb biscuits. Every dish was perfectly prepared, spot on, A+, 5 stars.
The fish filet on the sandwich was remarkable- fresh and moist- and is worthy of being an entree outside of the boring bun it came on and the sublime cheddar biscuits are so rich and savory that you have to be careful or you may find yourself drooling like you just came from the dentist. Compliments on the shaved salad too. The sweet, deep fried onion bits contrasted perfectly with the bitter greens and vinaigrette. I've since knocked off the recipe and serve it at home.
The open kitchen inspired confidence and the parade of other dishes that passed us on the way to other tables were enticing, certainly enough to tempt another visit. I do think there is room for innovation on the menu and hopefully, over time, they can be more inventive. Certainly the chef is capable of stepping up.
Maybe others are not as confused as I was with the name (Am I over thinking this?) and the menu and they will recognize Third & Hollywood for the, um, star that it is.
RATING: 4 Bites
1433 W. Third Ave.
Grandview Heights, OH 43212
614-488-0303
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