St. John's July 11, 2009

Daniel Lindley with an assist from sous chef Josh Safford prepared the following tasting menu last night.

From top to bottom, left to right:

Chocolate terrine with chili and miso ice cream, chocolate ganache and brioche

Watermelon rind (two ways- pickled and crisped) with hazelnuts and coconut gelato

Dry aged Beef with wildwood farms kohlrabi kimchi, fried rice puree, lime powder and pea shoots (2 photos)

Grimaud Farm's Squab with thomas guatney's gooseberries, oyster mushroom, orange and cardamon foam

Niman Ranch Pig's Trotters with foie gras, mike burn's blackberries, summer savory and balsamic (2 photos)

Alaskan halibut with parsley flowers, carrot juice,onion, zucchini and jalapeno

Rhode Island squid(formed into a kind of tubular basket) with yuzu kosho, celery heart and somehow a miraculous meringue inside

Wildwood Farms Zucchini flower with opal basil gulf royal red shrimp and red curry

Dave Waters Farm Egg: sous vide yolk, baby garlic custard, pancette, and summer truffle puree

Wines: 2005 Quilceda Creek Cabernet and 2004 Aubert Lauren Chardonnay

My apologies for the variable quality of the photos...the artistry of the presentation still shines through my very amateur snapshots.

The range of style of food was amazing. The truffle puree was beyond belief and we loved the fried rice puree...it had a nut flavor underlying it that made me believe there was a cashew in the mix but apparently that flavor derived from the wild rice used in the dish.

The Aubert was the star last night...one of the best chardonnays we've ever had, with the oak splinters that were present on release integrated fully and less of that typical cloudiness sometimes found in Mark Aubert's chard's. Too bad it is our last bottle. The Quilceda Creek, even though Wine Advocate rated it a perfect 100 disappointed and not for any obvious flaw we could detect. We didn't decant, but it sat opened for an hour and a half at least and tannins were not an issue...it just didn't live up to the hype or even previous vintages of Q Creek we've had. Hopefully, just some bottle variation. And the wine service was great...nice stemware, small not overwhelmingly large pours, well worth the 30 dollar corkage fee.

Chef Lindley and his staff can cook on a level with anyone. Just a terrific experience.

Restaurant Eugene

I have delayed writing this review because I have respect for what Linton and Gina Hopkins are trying to do with a seasonal local menu. They even utilize some of our favorite suppliers such as Sequatchie Cove and Sweetgrass Dairy.

But our experience points how difficult it is to run a restaurant, or any small business for that matter. If you are not there to oversee, things can go so wrong and it is your reputation that gets maligned, not the employees. Our particular experience was horrific on the service side, and the food was uneven.

When a waitress brings a clean sharing plate that has crusted food on it and the brings another with the same issue and then another, something is terribly amiss. When she then brings 6 items at a time when you have asked to bring no more than 3, is reminded of the original request, then does it again on the next round, you start to get a little exasperated. When she drops food off the plate as she is bringing it to the table, then picks it up, places it back on the plate and serves it to you, can you still believe you are in one of Atlanta's top restaurants, and a James Beard nominee to boot? When you are served a sparkling wine (by the glass) that has clearly been open since the previous day and is nearly flat, do you not start to wonder if there is anyone in charge? When we were considering the Chef's tasting menu and asked if the Chef was there that evening we were told "I think I saw him across the street earlier today." Bingo. Therein may lay part of the problem. If you read the opentable reviews for the day we were there, we were not the only ones to have a poor experience.

On to the food and restaurant. Great valet parking. The restaurant is a little too formal for the current style of food. Here's the lineup where multiple small plates are encouraged.

Cherry Bell Radish, radish pistou, fleur de sel, butter

Crisp kale, pickled onions, bacon, buttermilk dressing

Roast fennel, shallot petals, gremolata

Summer squash, pea shoot puree, wild plum jam

sweet corn tortellini, shitakes, broccoli greens

Potato gnocchi, baby leeks, lemon cucumber

Vidalia, peach salad, candied country ham, citrus vin

Hen of the woods, green garlic, hollandaise

Warm vidalia onion tart, peat shoot and radish salad

Soft farm egg, skillet greens, peanuts, bacon

Crispy pork belly, artichokes, baby carrots, sorghum glaze

Pan fried chicken livers, soft grits, chow chow

Georgia Quail, smoked bacon, rice grits, honey

Veal sweetbreads, farm egg, bottarga, arugula pesto

Duck breast, fennel, maitake, onion relish

Favorites were the chicken livers and the peach/vidalia salad.