Thursday, December 30, 2010
A Toast to 2011
Guests will begin their evening with cocktails and a spin of the roulette wheel at the Public House, which we are transforming into a casino, then proceed to Restaurant Eugene for a dinner fit for an international man of mystery. In fact, every course will be taken from foods Bond enjoyed in Ian Flemming's novels.
Casino Royal - Caviar &; Toast
Dr. No. - Conch Fritters
You Only Live Twice - Tsukiji Market Hamachi
Goldfinger - Stone Crab Claws with Pink Champagne
Diamonds are Forever - Pheasant Roulade
Moonraker - Road Prime Rib, Yorkshire Pudding and Marrow
From Russia with Love - Macerated Figs, Sweet Yogurt and Crunchy Almond
You get the idea...
Of course, there is only one thing with which someone as debonnaire as Bond would toast the new year:
a recoltant manipulant (grower producer) champagne --- in this case, a Jeroboam of Vilmart & Cie Cuvee Grand Cellier.
Cheers, indeed. Happy New Year!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Bourbon and Bon Bons --- Comfort and Joy!
A tricky thing that bourbon. America's native spirit is named after the French royal house which held territory in Kentucky before it was Kentucky. There's a county in Kentucky named Bourbon which doesn't actually produce any of the stuff. Though 99% of the Bourbon in the world does come from the state of Kentucky, the 1964 law that codified the elements of bourbon does not dictate the origin.
It does specify the mash: at least 51% corn base; the aging: at least two years in charred new oak; and the distillation; under 160 proof.
If you love bourbon and have never had a sip of Pappy, you should avail yourself of one soon. If you don't think you like bourbon, you should try the Pappy. Pappy is some of the finest there is, and no drink is more perfect this time of year.
And what could be better with your bourbon than a bon bon or two. Pastry Chef Aaron Russell makes a new bon bon flavor almost daily. Tonight we have sorghum walnut praline and egg nog. Both are creamy smooth chocolate truffle perfection and truly live up to their name --- "good good!"
Comfort and joy abound at Restaurant Eugene.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Calling all Vegetable Lovers
![]() |
Chefs Hopkins and Sweeney checking in the daily harvest. |
Friday, November 26, 2010
Meet The New Confections
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
The Blur of Late Summer
![]() |
Michael with his latest find. |
Chef Jason schooling the staff Holeman & Finch line-up. |
Monday, July 26, 2010
The Art of The Vegetable

Summer is one of the most exciting seasons for vegetables (and fruits, technically speaking). July's menus have read like a roll-call of summer's bounty:
- sweet corn agnolotti with bacon, chanterelles, and baby tomatoes
- heirloom tomato salad with arugula balsamic gelee and parmesan
- mixed gem lettuces with sorghum, smoked peanuts, clabbered cream and tumbleweed
- chilled butterbean & buttermilk soup with pickled shrimp, crisp onion and parsley-pecan puree
- butter glazed baby carrots with carrot puree, opal basil, blackberry farm's brebis, melon and smoked lardo
And every night, there's the vegetable plate featuring the likes of glazed turnips, eggplant fondant, roasted potatoes, delicata squash gratin, dressed cherry tomatoes, spigarello, tempura squash blossom, sweet and sour eggplant, creamed peas, roasted peppers and more!
Vegetables, or course, find their way on to all sections of our menu. Even sometimes desert. Join us soon to celebrate Chef Linton Hopkins love of vegetables.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Peach Pit Amaretto is Ready

Barkeep Nick Hearin's amazing house-made Peach Pit Amaretto is ready to taste after a month of incorporation.
The process is a house secret, but here's a hint: roasted peach pits, rum, sugar, orange zest, cinnamon and clove. The results are a perfectly delicious, nutty, sweet, smooth aromatic cordial that is as unique as its maker. Come see for yourself, and sample one of Nick's other house-made palliatives: fennel bitter and lemoncello.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Putting Up Blueberries

What to do with a bounty of blueberries? Ice cream, parfaits, pies, pickles (yes!), and of course preserves. In preparation for the opening of Drovers Market, partner Kirsten Hindes (right) has been perfecting our recipes for all of the above. Try this at home.
Blueberry Preserves
1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 qt. blueberries, rinsed
Combine vinegar and sugar in a medium saucepan. Cook on medium heat until sugar is dissolved.
Add blueberries and continue to simmer, stirring constantly, until the berries pop and begin to break down.
Turn heat to low and cook until the fruit is completely broken down and the mixture is think and syrupy.
Allow preserves to cool, slightly, and pour into 2 pint jars. When jars have cooled completely, cover and refrigerate. Use within 3 weeks. Yields 2 pts.
Friday, June 4, 2010
An Historic Day

Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Photos from the Beard House Dinner
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Chef Hopkins Showcases New Southern Cuisine at the James Beard House

Chef Hopkins recently had the honor of preparing a meal at the James Beard House on May 5th --- Mr. Beard's birthday of all occasions. So what do we serve at the birthday party for the man who the New York Times anointed the "dean of America cookery?" Nothing but the best the south has to offer. Check out the menu for the night. You'll see a celebration of farmers and artisan producers from all around the cornbread nation, which incidentally is exactly what we serve every night at Restaurant Eugene.
A special thanks to Chef de Cuisine Ryan Smith and Sous Chef Jason Paolini for personally delivering all that precious food from Atlanta to New York City.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Permaculture Applied
Staff started the week with a foraging expedition in the North Georgia mountains led by renowned Georgia forager, herbalist and author, Patricia Howell and finished with Friday's visit from Duane Marcus of the Funny Farm who provided an overview of the ethics and principles of permaculture:

2. Catch & store energy
3. Obtain a yield
4. Apply self-regulation & accept feedback
5. Use & value renewable resources & services
6. Produce no waste
7. Design from patterns to details
8. Integrate rather than segregate
9. Use small & slow solutions
10. Use & value diversity
11. Use edges & value the marginal
12. Creatively use & respond to change
It turns out we've been practicing permaculture principles without labeling them as such. It just seems like the right thing to do. Take Friday's visit from Caroline Hoogenboom, for example. The charming new winemaker from Persimmon Creek Vineyards, pictured here with Chef de Cuisine Ryan Smith, stopped by to share some vineyard prunings. A waste stream for the viticulturist proves to be an excellent cooking medium for the chef. The sweet, aromatic vines are wonderful for smoking meats and fish. Check principles 1 through 12 --- Permaculture Applied!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Feeding our Heroes

So what do you feed the author of Raising Steaks, The Life and Times of American Beef on her first real visit to Georgia? Why, White Oak Pastures beef of course! Tartare for starters, then the ribeye, finishing with a little Sweet Grass Dairy cheese cake. A table set for, by and with the work of our heroes --- a toast to you all!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Spring Gifts

Spring brings many gifts to the chef and usually they come through the hands of the farmer. These sweet, piquant kale florets were delivered today by Indian Ridge Farm. It's unusually early for kale to go to flower, especially in North Georgia, where Indian Ridge is located. No doubt those 80 degree days we had in early April coaxed these brassicas into seed a bit prematurely. We are grateful for them whenever they come and tonight they will be featured with our lamb. Come taste some of the season's bounty.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Chef Hopkins' Oyster Recipe in this month's Garden & Gun

Deep-Fried Oysters
Linton Hopkins
Holeman & Finch Public House, Atlanta, Georgia
I had just moved to New Orleans to begin my externship at Mr. B’s Bistro. I had never lived in New Orleans before and somehow got it into my head to discover the best po’boys in the city. I remember the first joint I went to—Domilise’s—on the advice of a friend. It was in Uptown, and in the middle of a neighborhood. Women were wearing dresses and flip-flops and frying oysters right where you walked in. I ordered an oyster po’boy with rémoulade and a root beer. I watched the ladies lightly coat the oysters and fry them crisp. It looked so simple (I have found out through years of cooking that it is). The oysters were golden brown with a thin crunchy coating sitting on rémoulade and crusty bread. I was in heaven. Every time I fry and serve oysters, part of me always goes back to that day.
Oyster Items
1 pint Southern oysters (usually 20 to 30, preferably no larger than a half dollar), shucked and stored in their own liquor
Breading Ingredients
1 pint buttermilk 1 dry pint cornmeal (about 2¹/³ cups); I get a crisp crust by using Anson Mills Antebellum fine yellow cornmeal
1 dry pint all-purpose flour (about 2¹/³ cups)
1 tbsp. Creole seasoning
1 tsp. kosher salt
Preparation
Reserve buttermilk in separate container. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients until well blended. Remove oysters from liquor, draining excess so oysters are still wet but not dripping. Place all of the oysters in buttermilk. One at a time, remove each oyster from the buttermilk, allowing the excess to drip back into the container. Toss to coat all sides in the breading (gently press the breading onto the oyster to help it adhere). Transfer to waxed-paper-lined plate or cookie sheet until oysters are all breaded.
In a heavy stockpot with high sides fitted with a deep-frying (or candy) thermometer, bring at least two inches of peanut oil to 375ºF.
Keeping the heat at a steady 375ºF and working in batches of six, fry the oysters until they are golden brown and just cooked through, about 90 seconds. (The oysters will curl slightly when they are done.) Using a slotted spoon, remove oysters and drain on brown-paper-bag-lined plate. Serve immediately with a side of rémoulade (see below).
Rémoulade Ingredients
1 cup mayonnaise (preferably homemade)
½ cup Creole mustard (like Zatarain’s)
2 tbsp. hot sauce (preferably Louisiana style, like Crystal or Trappey’s)
1 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. finely chopped garlic
¹/8 tsp. cayenne
½ tsp. filé powder
¼ cup minced green onion
Preparation
Place ingredients in mixing bowl and whisk until well combined. Transfer to storage container, cover, and refrigerate for up to one week.
You’ve Fried Them. Now What?
Two more recipes from Chef Hopkins
1) Fried Oyster Po’boys I fell in love with these when I was a cook in New Orleans, and I serve them on my lunch menu with a few changes. We use a Pullman white loaf, cut horizontally to get two large slices. Butter both sides of the bread and griddle to a golden brown. Lay out both slices and spread mayonnaise on one side of each piece. Top the bottom half with fresh chopped romaine and sliced tomatoes. Add fried oysters and close with the second slice of toast (mayonnaise side down). Eat with hot sauce and cold root beer.
2) Fried Oysters with Simple Greens, Buttermilk Dressing, and Bacon This recipe combines many items I love about the South: fried oysters, buttermilk, bacon, and local lettuces. I mix about a half cup of good-quality mayonnaise with a quarter cup of buttermilk, a few dashes of red wine vinegar and hot sauce, a lot of fresh black pepper, and a dash of salt. I cut some bacon into a large dice and sauté it in an iron skillet until chewy/crispy. I clean the freshest lettuces I can find. I place the fried oysters on a plate in the shape of a circle, put the greens into the middle of that circle, sprinkle with the bacon, and dress with my spicy, creamy sauce.—As told to Francine Maroukian
To read the entire article, visit: http://gardenandgun.com/article/southerners-guide-oysters