The Indulged Palate

My brother Ryan Smith has the honor and hard work of being the Chef de Cuisine at Restaurant Eugene, as well as Holeman and Finch, in Atlanta, GA. (http://restauranteugene.com/index.html, http://holeman-finch.com/) Restaurant Eugene has a locally and organically grown, seasonal, farm-to-table, made-from-scratch, fine-dining approach. The food is absolutely AMAZING! What my brother can do in the kitchen is stunning and impressive! A beautiful mix of tradition and experimentation, his creations honor and respect the source and diversity of foods, enhancing the bountiful array and combination of flavors. I have never had such a good meal as my first meal at Restaurant Eugene on my first night in Atlanta.

We waited at the bar for our table reservation, where Nick, the bar manager, made me a delicious drink called Pine Soul (Famous Grouse, Vermouth, some kind of pine extract, and lemon). We snacked on pencil thin crackers (made by the affiliated bakery up the street)and pimento cheese dip. When we were seated, we weren't given menus. Instead, we spent the next 2 hours receiving dish after dish of surprise courses cooked by my brother's own hands in the busy kitchen. I regret not taking pictures of all of the courses!!


THE MEAL:


AMUSE BUCHE
~ Whipped Chevre with Salt-Roasted Beets
~ House Butter with Radish (Pickled Daikon, Raw Cherry Bell, all on a Nero Chip)
~ Rutabega Soup with Pickled Pear and Cardamon

FIRST COURSE
~ Cocoa and Coffee Cured Trout (sustainably raised in GA) on Fresh English Peas
~ Carmalized Fennel with Kumquat Marmalade and Sunflower Sprouts
~ English Pea Puree

SECOND COURSE
~ Strawberry Pan-Seared Wild Grouper with Pickled Satsuma Orange and Octupus
~ Celeraic Puree

THIRD COURSE
~ Farro with Carrots, Crisp Leeks, Soft Coddled Bamtam Egg, and Buckwheat Sprouts

FOURTH COURSE
~ Roasted Fiddlehead Ferns and Wild Mushrooms (Maitake, Hedgehog, Black Trumpet, Morel, Blue Oyster) with Preserved Meyer Lemon
~ Chive Puree

FIFTH COURSE
~ Roasted Duck Breast with Cinnamon Cap Mushrooms and Roasted Parsnips
~ Duck Egg Custard
~ Duck Liver Pate with Duck Pastrami
~ Parsnip Puree

SIXTH COURSE
~ Pan-Seared NY Strip Steak with Rutabega and Turnips
~ Sweetbread Gastrique
~ Foie Gras Emulsion
~ Rutabega Puree



SEVENTH COURSE
~ White Chocolate and Grapefruit Granita with Mint Compressed Grapefruit and Mint Oil, in a Chocolate Tart Crust
~ Sugar Cookies with Blood Orange Preserves
~ Chocolate Caramel Cookies





Ryan being goofy after a long day of work:




Mom and Dad after a fantastic meal:



My sister-in-law Sarah and me: