THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Hawthorn

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Hawthorn Restaurant Review:

In a strip center on Kirby Drive, next to a car wash, you’ll find Hawthorn tucked away at the end of the building. But step inside and you’re transported back in time to an era when fine dining was all about the service, the cuisine, white tablecloths and crystal. The dimly lit dining room is tiny with close-packed tables and a piano player in the corner, the dark wood walls accented by flocked wall paper. If you have to wait for a table, sit at the bar and enjoy the foie gras paired with a wine selected by partner/sommelier Cory Graff. Partner/chef Riccardo Palazzo-Giorgio turns out a seasonal menu, often based on farmers market selections of the day. We like the mix-your-own steak tartare; Texas quail with farro, toasted pine nuts, dried cranberry, baby kale and natural jus; and pork chops, filet of beef and roasted veal sweetbreads. But we generally go for Palazzo-Giorgio’s Italian offerings, such as the daily risotto or the gnocchi di zucca swimming in brown butter and sage. End the meal with the ricotta cheesecake.