What’s Good in The Hood?
Photos by Jessica Ashley Silva
For the past 10 years since arriving in Humboldt, Chef Christine Silver — SoCal native by way of Redding — has immersed herself into the community by way of food. Over the years, she’s brought us: fresh soups, salads and sandwiches from Humboldt Soup Co.; epic burgers from Sixth and E Neighborhood Eatery; and upscale sandwiches and charcuterie at modern deli Delish on 5th. In 2021, she took on the Ecos Cafe at Sequoia Park Zoo, too. But, she says, in an effort to slow down, scale down and prepare for the next chapter of her life, she closed the doors on these beloved ventures to focus on the Hood, a neighborhood eatery at the north end of Eureka (621 Fifth St.) with touches of restaurants past peppered throughout the menu.
The Hood, located in the former Banana Hut space, is a whole mid-century modern vibe curated with little bits of Humboldt’s treasured past. With her penchant for design and her ability to repurpose found items, Silver decorated the place with wood she found from an old, torn-down barn. The long bar on the entry side of the restaurant, featuring local beers and ciders on tap, is made up of wood from the former lanes at the now closed E&O Lanes Bowling Alley; those little black arrows surely stoke some nostalgia for locals. (Join me as I weep for our fallen alley.)
The restaurant expands into the space next door to allow for more seating and large groups. In this room, the walls are adorned with paintings of military aircraft by late local artist Howard Rutherford, placed over a backdrop reminiscent of a Humboldt sunset, a nod to the county’s aviation past. The most prominent artifact, however, is the restaurant’s namesake, a large, antique kitchen hood hanging above the hostess counter, left by the old Mexicali Rose restaurant that occupied Silver’s former restaurant at Sixth and E. These little odds and ends are great eye candy while you wait for your food.
The Hood’s tables made of reclaimed bowling-alley lanes.
In this same spirit of transmuting past to present, Silver brought along Chef Michael Ammon-Mitchell, partnering chef from not only Humboldt Soup Co. and Sixth and E, but also from Silver’s restaurants in Redding before her time in Humboldt. Ammon-Mitchell, whose family hails from Hoopa, started working for Silver early in his culinary career and has been with her ever since. They’ve developed what Silver calls “a special relationship where we can play off each other. He’s learned to play off my palate and my focus on fresh, from-scratch ingredients to then come in and add his touch.” Together, they’ve developed a fine-tuned system for creating, testing and executing the Hood’s menu of traditional fare, with nods to fan favorites from previous restaurants, like the Hood Burger, formerly of Sixth and E.
The menu is expansive, featuring spruced up apps, fresh salads, juicy burgers, saucy sandwiches, classic pastas and grilled steaks. To start, dive into the fried zucchini, which Silver calls a “fork and knife experience,” long strips of zucchini, battered and golden-fried with a sweet chili sauce drizzle and a side of house creamy dressing. For fare to keep you feeling light during our growing coastal heatwaves, tuck into a fresh and vibrant salad — the grilled shrimp and corn salad with chopped tomatoes, crispy tortilla strips, Aleppo pepper flakes and house creamy dressing tastes like summer on a plate. The Mediterranean salad, chock-full of artichoke hearts, salty Kalamatas and crumbly feta is zingy and unctuous with the Hood’s vinaigrette, and it has a satisfying crunch from the house-made croutons. These salads don’t skimp on the flavor or the portion, but for some extra heft, add a protein like chicken, shrimp or, to keep it vegetarian, add a chopped up house veggie patty.
The Hood’s savory Mediterranean salad.
The veggie burger is a seriously “meaty” concoction of chickpea and oat that stands apart from other local veggie patties, served with fresh tomato and house mayo on a freshly baked bun (gluten-free buns are available, too). In the spirit of customization, the veggie patty can be subbed on the other burgers, too, along with upgraded fries from the Jacked-Up Fries menu — don’t sleep on the chimichurri fries, they are straight up herby divinity over melty mozzarella. And for a pasta dish that tastes like childhood, try the mushroom garlic chicken pasta — a creamy garlic sauce with sauteed onions and mushrooms, topped with a citrusy grilled chicken breast over linguini and some buttery garlic bread as a bonus. It’s a vintage dish Silver used to cook for her kids.
The Hood offers plenty to keep your interest piqued for return visits by getting creative with seasonal specials and deals to compete in our current economy amid a spike in new restaurants and food trucks. Check out their Tuesday special: a $5 gift card for your next purchase when you order a burger or a chicken sandwich. And in response to a constant call for more happy hours around the county, small plates called “Bar Bites,” perfectly paired with whatever game is streaming at the bar, are served daily from 2 to 5 p.m. Fried chicken slider drenched in Gouda, anyone? ν
The Hood
621 5th St,
Eureka, CA 95501
(707) 445-8783
hoodeureka.com