Hogstone's Wood Oven pizza is excellent. We arrived late one afternoon, off the ferry, not knowing about the current restaurant overcrowding situation. We didn't have a reservation, and Hogstone's is currently reservation only. But, even though they were full and had just closed the kitchen for ordering, they took pity on my family and took our order for some to-go pies. Maybe the tasted a little better because of this, but we ate them on the back of our tailgate and enjoyed the warm summers evening in Eastsound. Get a reservation and try anything on the menu.
SharonBice
Agree, with other reviewers - good pizza but with Swiss pricing and a bit of lacking to please with their service/attitude toward their customers, again, reminded me of our summer in Switzerland last year. We had the ice cream sandwich and pint of caramel ice cream. Despite staying less than a block away, we probably won’t be back.
ElizabethE64
The pizza was very good but expensive. The menu was limited, the servings were small and the service was pleasant but pretentious. Farm to table is hard in the winter so maybe summer would be a better time to visit.
drpaulSeattle
What an amazing place! Each item on their “small plates” is locally sourced and sounds like something “ordinary “ (like cabbage). Then the server describes how it is prepared and you wonder how can they do that to a piece of cabbage. Then you taste it and you are just amazed! We were a party of four, and I think we ordered everything on the menu (I recommend this!). Plus, we ordered a pizza and it’s probably one of the Northwest’s best pizza. And don’t overlook their carefully selected wine list. Orcas Island is so fortunate to have this place. I wish we lived closer!
Billy
Ya know that wonderful, unique sensation when you feel you’ve experienced a slice of perfection. That happened tonight at the perfectly lovely, comfortably elegant Ælder which, on this night, was a sort of co-dining experience with its sibling restaurant, Hogstone. Jocelyn, one of the owners, handles front-of-house while her partner is the chef, and my friend and I felt like their lucky guests. Familiar and friendly service with a welcomed sense of humor and generosity of spirit, we couldn’t have asked for more. As for the food, we opted for a spontaneous tasting menu, which was excellent. The ingredients, all local, were fresh and the dishes they’re in, all divine. Highlights were *the lamb with spring onion, oysters with spring peas, a wonderful pizza with feta and nettles, pressed red potatoes with a light and lovely cheese sauce, and two of the most refreshing and irresistible desserts I’ve ever had: a “smoked” ice cream, and a riff on morning cereal.*If every dining experience was like this, the world would be a perfect place.
Rich510
We went based on reputation They attempted some expensive exotic things like a mushroom/chicken combo, roasted dehydrated carrots. Neither worked. Mushrooms dull. Carrots chewy like carrot jerky. We had the dairy grain deseret with rye. It was chewy, barely edible, and the portion was tiny, maybe 3 ounces for $10, which did not matte because it was awful. The pizzas are very good, very sophisticated with good crusts.
David M
Wonderful wood fired pizzas and other Northwest fare. The chef adds interesting twists to the all the food he prepares. Cozy atmosphere and friendly, nagging staff.
Spencer Croteau
The quality of ingredients and care of technique to rival many tasting menu experiences on the west coast, stripped of any pretension and at a comparatively much more affordable cost. Book the tasting menu and show up with an open mind and you’ll leave happy and satiated. The owners/operators Jay and Jocelyn seem like wonderful people who really care about their guests’ experience. It’s not fast or easy to get to Orcas Island, but it’s worth it for Aelder alone. They are doing something risky and special here.
Julie Han Kelsey
I dined at both Hogstone and AElder and found AElder to be completely not worth it. It nearly ruined my otherwise amazing trip to Orcas Island. We made reservations at both restaurants with one person and was not told about the extent of the menu overlap. The first 3 courses at AElder were the same as Hogstone except portions were smaller and overall value more expensive. Are you kidding? How do you insult your customers by price discriminating the ones willing to pay more for what they expect to be a better experience? Then we joked that maybe one of the dishes would be the pizza we ordered the night before and by the time that became a reality it wasn’t really funny anymore. We paid so much for this meal and when more than 1/3 of the menu is a repeat from a much less expensive dinner from the night before, it’s offensive to me as a customer. The least you could have done is to inform us of the overlap when making reservations. Since you did not and never apologized afterwards when we politely let you know after paying - my assumption is that you are just taking advantage of your customers. I appreciate unique dining experiences but I expect the restaurant to be thoughtful when I pay this price tag. Even if you didn’t eat at Hogstone, I don’t think this meal was worth it. And by the way, people don’t enjoy a dish of raw carrots not marked as raw carrots on the menu as much as you probably think they do no matter which farm it was grown on.
Billy Zavelson
Ya know that wonderful, unique sensation when you feel you’ve experienced a slice of perfection. That happened tonight at the perfectly lovely, comfortably elegant Ælder which, on this night, was a sort of co-dining experience with its sibling restaurant, Hogstone. Jocelyn, one of the owners, handles front-of-house while her partner is the chef, and my friend and I felt like their lucky guests. Familiar and friendly service with a welcomed sense of humor and generosity of spirit, we couldn’t have asked for more. As for the food, we opted for a spontaneous tasting menu, which was excellent. The ingredients, all local, were fresh and the dishes they’re in, all divine. Highlights were *the lamb with spring onion, oysters with spring peas, a wonderful pizza with feta and nettles, pressed red potatoes with a light and lovely cheese sauce, and two of the most refreshing and irresistible desserts I’ve ever had: a “smoked” ice cream, and a riff on morning cereal.*If every dining experience was like this, the world would be a perfect place.
Got 2 pizzas here. One was excellent. The second a bit soggy. Very good ingredients and thought out toppings.
rmkensington
I have no idea why no one has reviewed this place. It's two restaurants in one, pizza and a multi course fine dining. I made reservations for the tasting menu with my wife last night. It was supposed to be around 12 courses, but we ended up with about 16 and they got us a pizza to take home. It was insanely fresh and local, almost all the food came from the island. I don't think you will find a better tasting off priced menu like this anywhere. Very unique place, small and intimate.
timcarter413
Simply delicious, unique preparation and splendid combinations of flavor cooked to perfection in a simple quaint setting. Small plates and artisan pizza with exceptional service and expertise.
mary j d
Went here for dinner on a summer evening. We had a wonderful experience with the knowledgeable staff recommending some unusual and delicious wines. The appetizers were all top notch and priced to match. On the night we were there we shared the crab (a delicious mostly crab cake) served in the shell of a dungeness, and a lovely slice of perfectly cooked salmon. Our shared pizza was perfect. No room for desert. Only complaint was that we love sitting at the bar (which we did), but the bar stools were terribly uncomfortable. Although interesting; the tractor seats need replacing with something more accomodating. The wine gets lovely glasswear to sit in- the customers should be treated equally.
99susys
Well. Really this was not the best restaurant or the most comfortable. Outdoor seating in a plain backyard with no atmosphere sitting on wood picnic table and old benches. Very limited menu, expensive wine that was mediocre and I believe less than 4 oz. in the glass. The salad was just lettuce and loads of garlic dressing. The appetizers were OK. Some enjoyed the oysters. The pizza was pizza. Overall very overpriced, uninteresting and uncomfortable.
Hogstone's Wood Oven pizza is excellent. We arrived late one afternoon, off the ferry, not knowing about the current restaurant overcrowding situation. We didn't have a reservation, and Hogstone's is currently reservation only. But, even though they were full and had just closed the kitchen for ordering, they took pity on my family and took our order for some to-go pies. Maybe the tasted a little better because of this, but we ate them on the back of our tailgate and enjoyed the warm summers evening in Eastsound. Get a reservation and try anything on the menu.
Agree, with other reviewers - good pizza but with Swiss pricing and a bit of lacking to please with their service/attitude toward their customers, again, reminded me of our summer in Switzerland last year. We had the ice cream sandwich and pint of caramel ice cream. Despite staying less than a block away, we probably won’t be back.
The pizza was very good but expensive. The menu was limited, the servings were small and the service was pleasant but pretentious. Farm to table is hard in the winter so maybe summer would be a better time to visit.
What an amazing place! Each item on their “small plates” is locally sourced and sounds like something “ordinary “ (like cabbage). Then the server describes how it is prepared and you wonder how can they do that to a piece of cabbage. Then you taste it and you are just amazed! We were a party of four, and I think we ordered everything on the menu (I recommend this!). Plus, we ordered a pizza and it’s probably one of the Northwest’s best pizza. And don’t overlook their carefully selected wine list. Orcas Island is so fortunate to have this place. I wish we lived closer!
Ya know that wonderful, unique sensation when you feel you’ve experienced a slice of perfection. That happened tonight at the perfectly lovely, comfortably elegant Ælder which, on this night, was a sort of co-dining experience with its sibling restaurant, Hogstone. Jocelyn, one of the owners, handles front-of-house while her partner is the chef, and my friend and I felt like their lucky guests. Familiar and friendly service with a welcomed sense of humor and generosity of spirit, we couldn’t have asked for more. As for the food, we opted for a spontaneous tasting menu, which was excellent. The ingredients, all local, were fresh and the dishes they’re in, all divine. Highlights were *the lamb with spring onion, oysters with spring peas, a wonderful pizza with feta and nettles, pressed red potatoes with a light and lovely cheese sauce, and two of the most refreshing and irresistible desserts I’ve ever had: a “smoked” ice cream, and a riff on morning cereal.*If every dining experience was like this, the world would be a perfect place.
We went based on reputation They attempted some expensive exotic things like a mushroom/chicken combo, roasted dehydrated carrots. Neither worked. Mushrooms dull. Carrots chewy like carrot jerky. We had the dairy grain deseret with rye. It was chewy, barely edible, and the portion was tiny, maybe 3 ounces for $10, which did not matte because it was awful. The pizzas are very good, very sophisticated with good crusts.
Wonderful wood fired pizzas and other Northwest fare. The chef adds interesting twists to the all the food he prepares. Cozy atmosphere and friendly, nagging staff.
The quality of ingredients and care of technique to rival many tasting menu experiences on the west coast, stripped of any pretension and at a comparatively much more affordable cost. Book the tasting menu and show up with an open mind and you’ll leave happy and satiated. The owners/operators Jay and Jocelyn seem like wonderful people who really care about their guests’ experience. It’s not fast or easy to get to Orcas Island, but it’s worth it for Aelder alone. They are doing something risky and special here.
I dined at both Hogstone and AElder and found AElder to be completely not worth it. It nearly ruined my otherwise amazing trip to Orcas Island. We made reservations at both restaurants with one person and was not told about the extent of the menu overlap. The first 3 courses at AElder were the same as Hogstone except portions were smaller and overall value more expensive. Are you kidding? How do you insult your customers by price discriminating the ones willing to pay more for what they expect to be a better experience? Then we joked that maybe one of the dishes would be the pizza we ordered the night before and by the time that became a reality it wasn’t really funny anymore. We paid so much for this meal and when more than 1/3 of the menu is a repeat from a much less expensive dinner from the night before, it’s offensive to me as a customer. The least you could have done is to inform us of the overlap when making reservations. Since you did not and never apologized afterwards when we politely let you know after paying - my assumption is that you are just taking advantage of your customers. I appreciate unique dining experiences but I expect the restaurant to be thoughtful when I pay this price tag. Even if you didn’t eat at Hogstone, I don’t think this meal was worth it. And by the way, people don’t enjoy a dish of raw carrots not marked as raw carrots on the menu as much as you probably think they do no matter which farm it was grown on.
Ya know that wonderful, unique sensation when you feel you’ve experienced a slice of perfection. That happened tonight at the perfectly lovely, comfortably elegant Ælder which, on this night, was a sort of co-dining experience with its sibling restaurant, Hogstone. Jocelyn, one of the owners, handles front-of-house while her partner is the chef, and my friend and I felt like their lucky guests. Familiar and friendly service with a welcomed sense of humor and generosity of spirit, we couldn’t have asked for more. As for the food, we opted for a spontaneous tasting menu, which was excellent. The ingredients, all local, were fresh and the dishes they’re in, all divine. Highlights were *the lamb with spring onion, oysters with spring peas, a wonderful pizza with feta and nettles, pressed red potatoes with a light and lovely cheese sauce, and two of the most refreshing and irresistible desserts I’ve ever had: a “smoked” ice cream, and a riff on morning cereal.*If every dining experience was like this, the world would be a perfect place.
Restaurantji Recommends
Got 2 pizzas here. One was excellent. The second a bit soggy. Very good ingredients and thought out toppings.
I have no idea why no one has reviewed this place. It's two restaurants in one, pizza and a multi course fine dining. I made reservations for the tasting menu with my wife last night. It was supposed to be around 12 courses, but we ended up with about 16 and they got us a pizza to take home. It was insanely fresh and local, almost all the food came from the island. I don't think you will find a better tasting off priced menu like this anywhere. Very unique place, small and intimate.
Simply delicious, unique preparation and splendid combinations of flavor cooked to perfection in a simple quaint setting. Small plates and artisan pizza with exceptional service and expertise.
Went here for dinner on a summer evening. We had a wonderful experience with the knowledgeable staff recommending some unusual and delicious wines. The appetizers were all top notch and priced to match. On the night we were there we shared the crab (a delicious mostly crab cake) served in the shell of a dungeness, and a lovely slice of perfectly cooked salmon. Our shared pizza was perfect. No room for desert. Only complaint was that we love sitting at the bar (which we did), but the bar stools were terribly uncomfortable. Although interesting; the tractor seats need replacing with something more accomodating. The wine gets lovely glasswear to sit in- the customers should be treated equally.
Well. Really this was not the best restaurant or the most comfortable. Outdoor seating in a plain backyard with no atmosphere sitting on wood picnic table and old benches. Very limited menu, expensive wine that was mediocre and I believe less than 4 oz. in the glass. The salad was just lettuce and loads of garlic dressing. The appetizers were OK. Some enjoyed the oysters. The pizza was pizza. Overall very overpriced, uninteresting and uncomfortable.
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