Holeman and Finch Public House

Atlanta is the major city of the Deep South.  So all things Southern exist here, including the food.  But being a cosmopolitan city that attracts transplants across the country and the world, that Southern cooking has been taken to the next level.  Enter the New Southern cooking, which is reflected by Holeman and Finch Public House.

This place is part of chef Linton Hopkins' twin restaurants in the Buckhead neighboorhood.  Next door is Restaurant Eugene, which specializes in fine dining.  Holeman and Finch is more egalitarian. The crowd here is younger and trendier. Okay, there are a bunch of hipsters here.  But that's reflective of the surrounding neighborhood. 

The menu changes daily based on what is seasonally available.  There are two menus here: the regular menu and parts menu.  The food here is simple and uses primarily local ingredients.  There's also a drinks menu but I'm not much of a drinker, so it won't count in my book.

Parts means organ meat and some "exotic" bits.  Yes there are brains and testicles. But that was just for the night I dined there.  This is not a gimmick.  The cooking methods used here make the offal more palatable.  And these parts tend to taste much better the muscle or meat of the animal.

So here's what I had that night.

Deviled Eggs

This may not sound exciting, but like me I'm sure you would scarf down this stuff all day long at your next house party. These are done three ways: country ham, jalapeño, and bread and butter pickle.  The jalapeño was my favorite and strangely, it isn't spicy.  It was about the essence of the heat that could be tasted.  The pickle flavored one is made from housemate pickles from the chef's personal recipe.

Poached Duck Egg

This is an exquisite version of breakfast food.  A poached duck egg sits atop bacon, a squash and kale johnnycake, boiled peanuts, and sorghum syrup.  This has to be the best dish of my meal.  The sourness of the syrup with the savory johnnycake and the salty bacon is just perfect. The boiled peanuts? I have no idea what they're doing here.  It's probably a Georgia thing but I think the dish would be better without them.  But I could be wrong.

Veal Brains

A tiny sliver of brain is served with black butter, capers, and for some reason, bread.  The brain itself was more intense than I thought.  It has a creamy texture and a gamey and milky taste that is countered by the capers and butter that it's sautéed in.  This my first time having brains and this one good preparation.  I just wish that they served more than a tiny slice.  I would also prefer less bread.  But the bread is good, nevertheless.

Sidenote: there is no such thing as "black butter".  Beirre noir is just butter that is cooked over low heat until it turns dark brown and topped with something acidic.  In this case, there is apple cider vinegar.

Lamb Testicles

The testicles are cooked like veal scallopini.  The testicles were mellow and the taste was not as pronounced as the brains.  It is served with string squash, eggplants, and pea shoots in a creamy sauce.  Overall, it's a very mellow dish.  Even though I really hate eggplants, the ones they served here were not bad.  

Surry Ham

More meat to end the meal.  This ham is from Edwards in Surry, VA.  So it's not really local but oh does it taste good.  This is their premium Surryano Ham, the American version of the Spanish Jamón Iberico.  The pigs are purebred Berkshire pigs that are heritage raised.  There is a nuttiness in the flavor that comes from the peanut feed the pigs have. 

Since I got to the restaurant really late, as in after 10pm, I missed one of the things that they are apparently known for: burgers.  They only serve 24 of them as that is how much griddle space they have.  People order these 2 hours in advance apparently.  The reasons that the burgers are so special according to some are:

1. the bun, which is from the chef's own bakery, is toasted on the grill

2. the patty, which is made from a blend of chuck and brisket

3. the pickles, mustard, and ketchup are made in house

In my opinion, it doesn't sound like something to lose your collective shit about.  It's a burger not the lottery jackpot.  The toasted bun sounds good and all, but I personally don't like ketchup or pickles, especially on a burger.  But that's just my opinion.  I'm sure this burger is better than any you can find in town.  They seem to really focus on each aspect of the burger, not just the patty.  That's a plus in my book.  When I get to town, I'll probably try it then.  They also serve this on the regular Sunday brunch menu.  So yeah, there's always next time.  And considering how exciting the menu is, there will be.

This is small restaurant with bar seating and tightly packed dining area. Since they don't take reservations, either come early or late.

2277 Peachtree Road NW 

Atlanta, GA 30309

Hunan Delight

When it comes to Chinese restaurants, I'm a bit of a stickler.  I tend to look for restaurants or places that serve the real stuff, not some Panda Express or PF Chang's crap.  So I usually know that only restaurants in areas where there is a large Chinese population.  Usually, this means major cities or their immediate suburbs in some cases.  So you will never see me eating in some joint in Billings, Montana or Vermillion, South Dakota.

But what about Olney?  It's sort of in the Washington, DC metro area.  But this suburb is far from being the foodie paradise that I would prefer, with the usual chains like Chipotle and Five Guys among others.

As a first impression, this may be the last place I would want to blog about.  There are no Chinese characters on the outside.  Each table is served a plate of crispy wonton strips as an appetizer.  All tell tale signs of a typical takeout joint serving Americanized food.  But this thought was somewhat far from the truth.

I found out about this place from my parents, who were there on their way back from a trip.  They too had low expectations for the place.  But when they saw a group of Koreans order a Peking Duck, they instantly changed their minds and ordered one for themselves.  Koreans apparently frequent this place quite a bit.  But if that is the case, then why is there no Korean restaurant in the area?

That's for another time.  But for now, here are the dishes that are not listed on the menu and highly recommended by yours truly.

Peking Duck

This is probably the house specialty.  My first time dining here was the first time I had this dish in 3 years and first in 8 years in Maryland.  It's more than a simple roast duck.  It is first blanched in boiling water, then hung to dry for up to 24 hours.  It is then rubbed with the maltose glaze that gives the duck its brown color before it goes into the oven.  It's accompanied with scallions, pancakes, and sweet bean sauce.  On certain days, the head chef would prepare and serve the duck table side.  To eat it, you fill the pancake with sauce, scallions, and duck and then roll it up like a burrito.

When it comes to Peking Duck, it's all about the crispy skin.  Most places would serve mostly the skin and a little bit of meat.  Here, they serve the entire duck except for the wings.  Traditionally, most people would ask for the carcass to take home after carving.  My mom makes a killer gourd or winter melon soup with the carcass.

Rockfish with Chili Paste

Surprise, surprise.  A 3 pound rockfish from the Chesapeake is deep fried whole and topped with chili paste.  There is also a mild version where the fish is topped with a sauce of pickled vegetables.  Either way, they are both really good.  The fish itself is fresh and

Soft Shell Crab with Salt and Pepper

Another great surprise here.  The soft shell crabs are lightly fried and seasoned with salt and pepper.  It is garnished with chilies, scallions, and garlic.  A great combination of flavors in here.

At end of the meal, there was a dessert of rainbow sherbet.  I found this rather hilarious the first time I came here, but I guess white people wouldn't like the taste of tapioca soup with taro or red beans.

I'm actually glad I found this place.  This kind of place is one of the reasons why I started this blog: to look for the more nondescript places that serve unique and exciting foods.  If there is one thing I wish the restaurant could do is to add some authentic Chinese vegetables.  And since they have a large Korean clientele, I recommend that they serve pickled vegetable salad in place of the wonton strips for appetizer.  I believe the Korean name for that is kimchi.

18220 Village Center Dr
Olney, MD 20832

Lancaster County Dutch Market

Tucked away in a strip mall on the outskirts of Germantown lies a wonderland of food.  A place bound to have some interesting food: an Amish Market.  And the people who work here really play the part with the clothing and the hairstyles.

There is a large variety of vendors in this market.  Right as you walk in, there is a bakery section to the left and a pretzel stand in front.  To the right, there is a stall selling a variety of salads.  Many of them have pasta.  Pasta salads are not my cup of tea as I prefer greens over carbs.  That's just my opinion.

Further down, there are stalls selling fudge and chocolate candies to the left and fresh produce on the right.

If you take a left from the entrance, there is a cheese vendor and even a furniture vendor.  Yes, there is a modest selection of antique wooden Amish furniture.  But this stuff is really pricey and too old school for me.  Personally, I'm more into modern minimalist design.  Scandinavian is the best, except for IKEA.

There is also a small Dutch family restaurant in the back of the market.  After looking through the menu, there really is nothing truly special about this place.  It's really more about the Amish country ambiance than the food.  They serve standard American diner food like eggs and pancakes for breakfast and sandwiches and blue plate platters for lunch.  

Now the main attraction that everyone comes here for is the fried chicken at King's BBQ located in the back of the market.  I have been told by family members and coworkers that the fried chicken served here is some of the best in the area.  There's a long line for this place every time I've been here.  And it's really good.  It's what fried foods are meant to be: crispy and juicy.  I'm a dark meat guy, so I go for the legs and thighs.

There is of course more to the section than fried chicken.  There is also roasted chickens and Cornish hens.  And apparently there's also barbecued rabbit.  Although, I haven't seen any being cooked in any of the rotisseries.  I wonder why, would a kid start crying at the sight of a bunny being cooked up?  Would PETA come barging through doors in protest?  It's already dead for Christ's sake.  Eating it would give it a more useful purpose.

This is a really cool place to visit to check out, eat fried chicken, and do some grocery shopping on the side.

The market is open Thursday-Saturday every week.

12613 Wisteria Dr.
Germantown, MD 20874

Mannequin Pis

You know what sucks about living in Olney?  There aren't a lot of great restaurants around.  As a modest suburb, it's no surprise that there isn't a whole lot of exciting dining options.  Most of the restaurants around here are pretty standard.  But who would have ever guessed that there would be a Belgian restaurant here?

Mannequin Pis is named after the "iconic" statue of a little boy peeing into a fountain in Brussels.  I quoted iconic because I've been told that it's very small, easy to miss, and thus overrated.  And just like the statue, it's a small restaurant tucked away in small and hidden corner on the busy intersection of Georgia Ave and 108.  However, this place is underrated.  And interestingly named.

Speaking of making my mouth water, this is place is known primarily for one thing: mussels.  Which makes sense, as the national dish of Belgium is moules frites (mussels with fries).  Here, there are a whole variety of styles the mussels cooked in, ranging from the traditional marinière to the unusual Jamaican Isle and Hawaiian.  Each order contain 1 kilo of mussels in broth with the standard aromatics of celery, onions, thyme, and basil.  It's the European version of a clambake.  Oh, there are also fries with some homemade mayonnaise sauce.  I'm not much of a fry eater, so I'm a little biased here.  But you are into that stuff, go for it.  I just don't think there is anything special about it.  But what is special is the large amount of veggies in each pot.  So not only is it delicious, it's good for you.

Since there were too many pots decide from and I wasn't sure of what else to order, I let the waiter provide recommendations.  So here it goes.

Moules Snob

This pot contains lobster bisque and a splash of brandy.  This is by far the most luxurious mussel pot.  You also kill two birds with one stone as you have a soup and entree or appetizer.  The bisque in the bottom is creamy and intensely flavored from the brandy.

Moules Bruxelles

This one includes bacon, garlic, leeks, goat cheese, and beer.  Bacon is the key word here as it the main aroma of the dish and the main flavor of the broth underneath.  The broth is beer based and has a strong bacon flavor.  Beer and bacon: who would not want that?

Mushroom Ragout

This is thick dish of portobello and shiitake mushrooms slow cooked in its own sauce with some cream.  It also has lamb sausage and escargot, which is all served on top of toasted bread.  The mushroom flavor is just absolutely incredible.  Add some sausage with a bite and there is some intensity to this dish.  So intense that even the leeks and chives won't be able to soften the blow.  It also helps fill you up if the mussels couldn't.

Chocolate Terrine

Other than mussels, here's something else Belgian cuisine is known for: chocolate.  This is very different from any chocolate dessert I've had before.  It's semi sweet, slightly bitter, and served over a tart raspberry sauce.  So it's bittersweet and sour.  Now that I've had this, I must say that I prefer chocolate desserts to taste like this.  It's quite subtle in flavor and not too filling.  In my mind, ending a meal this way is preferable to feeling bloated from something like a super sweet chocolate cake with fudge and caramel topped with ice cream.

It's great to have found this restaurant right in my hometown.  I don't need to drive out to Rockville or Silver Spring to dine out.  This is a truly great hidden gem in an otherwise lame town.  It gives me hope that there could potentially be better things to come.  As there are new homes being built in the area, there is a potential to get more restaurants in the area as the amount of diners will increase.  Whether they are as open-minded or adventurous as I am, that's a different story.  For now, I get to enjoy myself with some mussels.

18064 Georgia Ave
Olney, MD 20832

Oriental East Restaurant

Dim sum is something that I have enjoyed and will always enjoy on the weekends.  Wherever I lived, there was always a place to have this most quintessential part of Cantonese cuisine.  It consists of small plates of food similar to Spanish tapas or Greek mezze.  And there is no place to get that better than at Oriental East.

Despite serving traditional Chinese food, there is a rather diverse clientele here.  My estimate would be that the diners are about 60% Asian and 40% non-Asian.  It's shocking.  I mean, what are all these "infidels" doing here?  Don't they want Chipotle, the Italian place across the street, or some hipster vegan place with waiters that smell like hash?

On the weekends, it gets very crowded here.  Before opening at 11, there is always a line out the door for up to 20 feet.  On holidays, the lines tend to be even longer.  Space is very cramped and small compared to other dim sum parlors.  Therefore, the restaurant is stuffed with the as many tables as possible to optimize sales.  At certain times, the manager might ask some parties to share a table.  Usually, 2 or even 3 small parties would sometimes sit together in one of the larger tables in the back.

The dim sum is served on carts which go around the restaurant to every table.  Each cart has a different variety of items.  One may have dumplings while another has baked pastries.  Since there are too many dishes to name, some of which I've never tried, I will just highlight some of the dishes I recommend.

Rice Crepe

Oriental East serves a variety of rice crepes.  These are long rice noodles wrapped around a variety of fillings, such as shrimp, beef, and barbecued pork and steamed.  Upon serving, they are topped with soy sauce.  The best kind here is the shrimp.

Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf

Sticky or glutinous rice is stuffed with chicken, shiitake mushrooms, and Chinese sausage.  Then it's wrapped and steamed inside a lotus leaf.  The leaf gives a nice tea like aroma and taste to the rice.

Barbecued Pork Pies

Another great item here is are these Chinese style meat pies, which I'm guessing were influenced by the British.  Pork and onions with barbecue sauce are baked in a flaky pastry crust.  You get a nice mix of sweet and savory.  They have a very limited supply of this, so you must come early in order to have this.  Whenever I came here late in the afternoon, there was never any left.

Congee

This is a rice porridge with preserved duck eggs and pork, a classic dish that is typically found in street stalls and small eateries in Hong Kong.  But Oriental East's version of this dish is perhaps the best I've ever had.  They have a lot of dried scallops, or conpoy, which gives the congee a rich umami flavor.  The balance of the porridge is just right with the amount of rice to water.  At Oriental East, it comes in a small or large bowl.

Phoenix Claws (Chicken Feet)

This may be bizarre for most people, but it is one of the best dishes in the dim sum repertoire if done right.  First, the feet are fried to puff up the skin and to seal up the collagen and cartilage.  Then, they are braised in a black bean sauce.  You eat the skin and cartilage around the bones and then spit out the bones.

Egg Custard

These tarts are probably the main reason why I will always keep coming back here.  The sweet custard placed on the flaky pastry crust is out of this world delicious.  The custard is usually consistent like jello in most places that make this.  Here, the top layer is like a soft crust while the inside is almost molten.  It reminds me of creme brûlée.

They also serve dim sum during the week, but there are no carts.  Everything is made by request only.  And don't even bother trying the dinner here.

Typically, the best dim sum would usually be found in Hong Kong, New York, or San Francisco.  The usual places.  But, I can tell you that Oriental East is as good as if not better than those other famous spots.  My parents were in Hong Kong and they told me that this place is as good as the ones they went to.  And they went to some very well known restaurants.  So consider yourself lucky if you do come here.


1312 East West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910