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Mon. 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Mon. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Tue-Wed. 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Tue-Wed. 5:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Thu-Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Thu-Fri. 5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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I was recently in Atlanta for a business dinner and we wanted to take some of our clients out for a great dinner. We were trying to make last minute reservations and found Home on Yelp. We called and were lucky enough to get reservations for 19.
Shortly after booking I found a negative review that talked about how they booked a group, were put in a windowless basement room and had horrible service. This made me nervous.
As we arrived and were about to be seated, the host led us to the stairway heading down. Yes, were were seated in that very room! Fortunately it was very well decorated and comfortable. I also noticed a two top table in their wine cellar that I'd love to try.
The service was great, but just a little slow as we had one waiter for all 19 of us, but he did a great job. I think we may have drank a bit more if he was just a little faster.
The food was wonderful and everyone raved about their appetizers and entrees. Mine was great and I'll go back if given the chance to visit Atlanta again. Also, our total bill including tip and drinks came to about $66 a person, a very good deal for sure.
Met a couple of friends and fellow Yelpers here on a Saturday night and arrived a little early to have a glass of wine at the bar. Was surprised that it was very small - only 5 stools. However, after observing the four couches, five chairs which make up two separate seating areas, it clicked - this is Home. Very intimate and comfortable.
The hardwood floors, oriental rugs and warm colors of the dining room create an elegant yet relaxing atmosphere for a truly wonderful dining experience. I started with the lobster and asparagus salad with butter lettuce and lemon vinaigrette. This dish was an excellent summer salad - the broiled lobster was tasty, the asparagus al dente and the lemon vinaigrette was light and refreshing. All ingredients combined well, I could have ordered this in an entree portion and been completely satisfied. My entree was the diver scallops, with artichoke, tomato confit and arugula. YUM! The scallops were tender and combined with the tomato confit, excellent dish. The freshness and quality of all of the ingredients in my starter and entree made for a most amazing meal.
The service was stellar - our server was knowledgable, attentive without being intrusive and paced our dinner allowing for a most enjoyable evening.
Ah, there's no place like Home.
People thought this was:
5 star worthy!
Visited Home last night with 2 other yelpers, Alayne H and Beth E, and we had a fantastic dinner!
The "Back Porch Lemonade" was delicious and not too sweet despite being made with fresh homemade lemonade and fresh raspberries and spiked with vodka for a refreshing summer cocktail.
My Caesar salad was good; pleasantly tangy thanks to a lightly garlicky dressing with freshly grated Parmiggiano Reggiano and sans whole anchovies per my request.
The fried chicken entree was fantastic, served with a piping hot cast iron ramekin of macaroni and cheese- YUM!
Finished the meal with a wonderful dessert: a creative almond brittle lacy basket nestling Heath bar ice cream- heavenly!
Service was terrific- warm, accommodating and read our group right in that we wanted to enjoy a longer, relaxing dinner and not be rushed (there were several open tables available, so we weren't causing a disruption to the seating schedule).
Atmosphere was cozy and welcoming, rich saturated colors and wood in a quaint house. Valet available, but all 3 of us managed to find parking right next to the restaurant on East Andrews with no issue.
People thought this was:
I dined at Home for the first time w/a group of five. We had absolutely horrible service. a few examples: our server was MIA for 15-20 mins at a time, our wine/martini glasses were empty before our entrees arrived & he never asked us of we wanted another drink, after our entrees arrived, he never came over to ask how our meal was or if we needed anything. the only reason I gave Home 2 stars is because after complaining to the manager, the manager apologized, was very attentive to us & gave us a free round of drinks & free desserts. The server also eventually apologized, but after experiencing that kind of service and "just okay" food (I had the salmon, which was good but nothing special), I will never be back.
I always drive by this restaurant on my way to work and finally had the chance to try it out. The food, starting from the bread was great! We ordered the crab cakes and tuna tartar for starters and had the skirt steak and scallops for main course. All the dishes were delicious. One thing I will say is that the menu did not seem very "southern" to me. All the plates we ordered were what we expect to find in any new American restaurant, only thing that I remembered being southern was a fried chicken dish, some desserts and cocktails. In any case, I'm not complaining. I would definitely go back again.
I enjoyed my experience at Home. The place is quaint and low key; not too stiff or fancy, just nice. The service and food were all very good.
I started with a salad, and I have to say it was probably the best Caesar I've had. It had whole anchovies and radish slices. My date's French Onion Soup looked decadent, maybe even over the top with how much thick cheese was in it. He found it unusually heavy for a starter and somewhat hard to eat because held its heat so long and so well, but despite that it was delicious. Also, I asked for bread when I ordered my salad. After a long while, after finishing my salad, a guy came out of the kitchen with a basket of some sort of rolls and tongs in hand. He put a single roll on the individual bread plates at all of the tables. The roll was good, but I found it kind of odd that they didn't just bring out a basket. I guess this way you get them when they have just come out of the oven, but I could have used another.
For my entree, I got Tom Tom's BBQ Salmon and my date got the Proscuitto Wrapped Shrimp. The Salmon was really great: it was perfectly cooked and the cheese grits were awesome. I thought the Jicama slaw went well with it, too. I tried a Cheese Tortellini and piece of Proscuitto Wrapped Shrimp too and they were also tasty. For dessert we split the Almond Lace Basket with Heath Bar Crunch Ice Cream. Wow, the Almond Lace Basket was amazing. It was really a sublime dessert.
All in all, the food was great, and the service was good too. Our waitress was top notch. She was warm and approachable -- not too cold or distant or acting like a serf like at some very high end places. My only service-related complaint is that it took a good bit of time between me finishing my salad (and bread) and the entree arriving. I'm not sure if that was because the kitchen was slow or because they were trying to wait for my date to finish the soup. If the latter is the case, they should know he eats slower than molasses and never finishes anything anyway.
So, all in all, a good experience and I'd dine here again.
I was somewhat disappointed by my experience at Home. My bf and I stopped in here while we were waiting for a connecting flight in Atlanta. We were super excited to try it out after hearing that Richard Blaise from Top Chef has worked here. While I found the decor and ambience of the entire restaurant to be charming, tasteful and stylish, the food was a bit of a let down. We started out with the melon prosciutto appetizer and gazpacho. The gazpacho was good though I've had much better. The melon dish was excellent with the clean flavors of the melon, cured meat and basil coming together so nicely, but there was such a small amount of prosciutto in it compared to the amount of the melon and the PRICE. For my entree I had the duck ravioli and my boy had the short ribs. Both were tasty and we liked them, however they were just missing that extra touch to make them excellent, memorable dishes. The ribs could have used a little more flavor. The ravioli was good and the broth was good. It was very reminiscent of classica Asian flavors, but it seemed like something I could make myself. For dessert we had the fruit crisp which was nothing special and to my surprise the portion size of the dessert was practically bigger than the size of my entree.
I did like that their menu features local beers from Atlanta. We discovered two of them and I really liked both. If you're a beer drinker, you must try the Sweet water if you go. It's a perfect, refreshing summer beer.
I couldn't decide on 3 or 4 stars, I would give 3.5 if possible. The service was great, the place was super clean and well decorated, but the food just needs something more.
This place should probably should get 3.5 stars. Way better than average, a bit pricey for what you get.
We went to Home for Valentines Day dinner. I made reservations early, so we had an 8:00 seating. When we checked in with the hostess she took us immediately to our table. We got lucky that night, and were sat at the best table in the house, back in the corner.
For starters we had the Pimento Cheese Sliders and Tuna Tartar. I am not the biggest fan of pimento cheese, but despite this the sliders were excellent. They had a thin spread of cheese, bread and butter pickle, beef mini patty, all on one of the house dinner roles. The tuna was good as well, though a bit spicy.
My entree was the prosciutto wrapped shrimp on cheese ravioli. It was really good. It was nice and rich, with consistent temperature and flavor, while being relatively light at the same time.
Desert was the sour cream apple pie with caramel ice cream. It was okay at best. The crust didn't quite get there for me.
Atmosphere - A -
Food - B
Service Quality - A
Price - B -
If you haven't been, its worth going. Once you have been, there are probably better restaurants for the price.
People thought this was:
I was disappointed in Home. I came with a large group (we made reservations so they should have been prepared...), they stuck us in the basement (no windows!), and the servers were confused and pissy when we asked to split up the checks. It took us an HOUR to leave after we had given the lady our checks. No one was friendly or warm (something I would expect eating at a place called "Home") and the food in no way made up for the poor service. I love fancy Southern food, I love Atlanta restaurants, and I was disappointed on all counts. I would say this is on my personal list of "Places NOT to Recommend"-- Agnes and Muriels is another one!
If you want your Richard Blais/Top Chef Celebrity sighting fix, head on over to FLIP. And I've never heard a complaint about that place.
If I ever came back to Home, I would make sure to go with a small group-- from the other reviews it seems like service wasn't a problem for couples and smaller groups. Our waitress was MEAN though! X.X
People thought this was:
This is where Seeger's restaurant used to be. It's a small, quaint place.
FOOD: I had the lobster and asparagus salad to start, which was very good and very filling. It's full of lobster and asparagus on top of butter lettuce with diced tomatoes sprinkled on top with a creamy lemon vinaigrette dressing. For my entree I had the hanger steak and frites. The steak was a little thick, but the rub seasoned it nicely. The frites (or fries) are good and comes with 3 pieces of lettuce. For dessert, I had the lace basket with heath bar ice cream and berries, which was my favorite. I also had the bread pudding and spice ice cream, which was not too soggy for bread pudding.
TIP: Restrooms are downstairs. The faucets may be a little tricky. Also, valet parking is on the side, behind the restaurant.
Had dinner here on a "Friends of Tom" night (join the Here to Serve frequent diner club and get special offers like 50% your total bill!)
The ambiance was very upscale, with an old-money-south feel. True to the name, the restaurant does indeed feel like a home, with small, comfortable rooms and sturdy wooden tables with plenty of room in between. The crowd was old-school Buckhead--lots of wealthy 50-somethings dressed for the country club.
The service was quite good, the food satisfactory. I had the Florida Grouper with black eyed peas and collard greens. The dish is served in an oversized bowl, which only makes it look smaller. I wasn't too impressed with the flavor, and the fish seemed a little overcooked.
The others at my table ordered the BBQ salmon and the crab cakes. I can't comment on the crab cakes, but the salmon (with jicama slaw and cheese grits) was pretty good. The slaw was fairly flavorless.
It's a decent place overall, definitely calmer than the other H2S restaurants, but I'd take Twist's menu over Home's any day.
People thought this was:
I took David here for our 5 Year Anniversary dinner! I was pretty excited about checking this place out since I have heard a lot of good things about it on yelp. We were seated at a table upstairs next to a group of business men and after sitting there for 5 minutes, we asked the hostess if we could have another table since we felt like we were part of the business conversation. She moved us across the hall, which was a lot more quieter! (Although I noticed a couple sharing kisses after each bite of dessert...I mean really...who does that at a restaurant!?)
Our waiter was fantastic! Very cheerful and very helpful with the menu. We both got the Back Porch Lemonade to drink and started off with the Heirloom Tomato and Georgia Peaches Salad and the Pimento Cheese on Crackers. Both items were very good, especially the pimento cheese! For our main entree, David got the Pork Chop and I got the Scallops. We both really liked out entrees and really enjoyed the "surprise" side vegetables they offer for each table. For dessert we shared the Pecan Bread with Sweet Tea Ice Cream. I loved having my two favorites...sweet tea and ice cream...in one!
Overall, its a great place! David wished they didn't carpet the entire place since he felt like there was some sort of lingering food smell. The rest of the decor was OK...although I really didn't feel like I was at home. Definitely go for the food and next time I will have to try something that has been put through liquid nitrogen!
People thought this was:
Decided to visit this restaurant over Social in Town Saturday night since the weather was crappy and I wanted comfort food. I did read a few yelp review before going. In the back of my mind, i'm hoping that this was like the HOME I went to in San Francisco last year. Because I love that place!
Anyways, we pulled up to this 2 story home, literally. The place was pretty packed on a Saturday night. I like how they turn the house into an open loft with awesome carpets. To be honest, I never paid attention much to the flooring of any restaurant unless i'm about to slip on it. But HOME has these awesome thick carpets that when you walk on them, your shoes sink into the carpet but not enough to trip you. It's like wearing dr.scholls on the bottom of your sole.
Their menu were printed on a long sheet of paper, a couple walked in, sat down and walked out right next to us. I was getting skeptical. There were about 10 item on the menu for the main course so it didn't took us long to order. We had Tom's Moms chicken soup and french onion soup with duck confit for starter. The girth of the bowl was big enough for me to wash my face in. The food was sparingly served. Both tasted quite good but if you could count the number of chicken cubes in your soup... isn't something I take kindly to.
The waitress took our soup away without asking if we were done with it. I realized this because our dinner took forever and we could have licked the spoon... When the food finally arrived, we enjoy it very much. We had the Mediterranean seafood bowl and the salmon with polenta. The polenta was excellent. My fish bowl was good but a bit salty.
All in all, our on the whim experiences there was nice. I just wish they would expand their menu out a bit more. Seems like they're playing safe. But I like the coziness of the place - must be the carpet.
People thought this was:
I am such a side item girl, Home had me at the family style veggies.
Entrees come with a variety of rotating family style veggies that are served for the table. . . and the night I was there meant green beans, beets, fingerling potatoes and carrots.
Also kind of cute was the fact that the waiter gave us the spiel about Top Chef contestant Richard Blais, etc., etc., and how we had to shake our heads like we didn't know. No actual Blais sighting on my trip but I was focused on other things (like turning a year older and consuming extravagant glasses of wine).
The interior of the restaurant really does feel like someone's (renovated) home, and it can get actually quite loud in there, which lends a very casual atmosphere to the space. Definitely a good pick for a restaurant that isn't intimidating in the least bit, and with recommended use for a very classic setting.
I went on the school night of school nights (Monday) and it was pretty packed. . even the secret cellar tables. Like Stephen F, the pepper jelly with the biscuits . . . consumed, and consumed quickly. Entree portions are hearty and the menu is mixed with these huge portions but also some very "Top Chef-ish" creations (i.e. table next to us was a bit frightened by their dish).
People thought this was:
"There's no place like home. There's no place like home...". Sorry.
So, I finally made it here with a fellow Yelper for dinner. To my surprise and delight, we also encountered David K. at the bar (more exciting even than seeing Richard Blais hustling around and greeting diners when we were there). The bar area is very cozy - I enjoyed hanging out here while we were waiting for our table. We each ordered a fruity cocktail from the menu - the Bellini and the mint julep were quite good while my ginger margarita was just OK. They served it with a salted rim and I just don't think it went well with the salt. But, I still drank it all.
So, we are seated and the hostess and the servers are all friendly. The servers were also quick and decisive with recommendations when they were prompted - I appreciate this. Again, we each ordered a different appetizer and we all tried each other's. I ordered the Bibb lettuce salad with apples, bleu cheese and walnuts - it was delicious. The bleu cheese was so fragrant that the whole table could smell it as soon as it was set down. It was also smooth and creamy with a nice sharp taste - my kinda cheese. I sampled the arugula and beet salad (very good), the fried green tomatoes (good but not my fave in town), and the Vidalia onion soup (absolutely fantastic - a wonderful sweet onion flavor).
I did not sample other entrees so I will stick to describing mine. It was the fried chicken with macaroni and cheese. The macaroni and cheese was very good - large shells (I love that) in a creamy cheese (and cauliflower?) sauce with crunchy bread crumbs on top and served in a little skillet. It had a nice little bite to it. The fried chicken was a very good-sized portion and was drizzled with sweet sauce. It was good but not my favorite in Atlanta (SCK - I still love ya best). I prefer more spicy seasoning on my fried chicken and less of the sweet. The true test of fried chicken for me is how it is the next day when it's cold. This one held up well although the sweet sauce did make the light breading crumble off.
We also enjoyed a nice wine with dinner, some tasty biscuits with a yummy pepper jelly, and the very enjoyable family-style vegetables. They had brussel sprouts (love 'em), this delicious mushroom and asparagus dish, beets (love 'em), and potatoes. The women's bathroom is very nice, too. And, the sour cream pecan cake was recommended by our server and it was very good but what was stunningly good about the dessert was the sweet tea ice cream accompanying the cake - I would return just for that!
I would definitely return, and maybe even just hang at the bar (you can eat there, too).
People thought this was:
I ate at Home two days ago. Since the moment I got in the car to go home, I have been thinking about my Yelp review. I have been searching for the most appropriate way to describe my experience, from that very first bite, to bargaining with my date to let me take home all of the leftovers. This is what I came up with...
Holy shit, that was good.
I made the reservations two weeks ago, and had been looking forward to dinner since then. Not even a hair disaster was putting a damper on my day--I was going to a real restaurant! One that I wasn't working in! A miracle in itself, added to it all of the amazing reviews I was an excited girl.
We got to the restaurant and started browsing the drink menu once we were sat. I settled on "The Dastardly Deed" a cocktail with vodka, basil, and simple syrup (I think). My date ordered the sidecar. Fifteen minutes later we finally got our drinks, except they were both the drink I ordered. He was fine with it, and if he was, I was. The drink was all right. Very strong, but the floating bits of basil didn't seem to add anything but garnish to the glass. But I looked up, and through one of the portholes that peer into the kitchen I could see Richard, and being the Top Chef addict I am, giggled like a little girl and told my date what was happening behind him, completely forgetting about the less than perfect drinks.
We ordered two starters, the crab cake and the pancakes with foie gras butter. The crab cake was amazing, the best I have ever had. It had the perfect amount of kick to it, with huge chunks of crab. The pancakes were just right- rich, sweet, and I wondered if people would stare if I just ate bites of the butter. I decided against it, but that doesn't change the fact that I thought about it.
Then came our entrees. We ordered two with the idea we would split both. He started with the fried chicken and mac and cheese. I have had better fried chicken, and the mac and cheese did have a stronger cauliflower taste than I care for, but it was still delicious. My entree was lamb loin and ribs, served with goat cheese "dumplings". Oh my god. The lamb was perfect, tender and flavorful. The goat cheese was lightly cooked, and was slightly gooey and wonderful when eaten with the lamb. I think I gave him one bite, making me the worst date in the world, but a very satisfied diner.
The sides came out a few minutes after our entrees, and I was already close to full. But I soldiered through, trying the golden beets, brussel sprouts, yellow squash, and mashed potatoes placed in front of me. It was my first time having brussel sprouts and beets, and while I was not converted into a brussel sprout fan, I was loving the beets. Vinegary and lovely, they went well with the squash, that was seasoned well and cooked just right. The mashed potatoes were good, but I kept going back for bites of the squash.
I was way too full to try dessert, even though every time a waitress brought one by, I got minor whiplash trying to figure out which one it was and if I could possibly eat any more. After begging to take everything home (I did and had a piece of the fried chicken a couple of hours later, after a couple of drinks at Thinking Man) and snagging the receipt so I could do this review justice, we were on our way home, and I was the happiest girl in the city for a night.
People thought this was:
I am still a fan of this place but I must say it was a little off its game the other night. The oysters, which are generally pure heaven, were not so good. The dippin dots were melted when they arrived and tasted a little watered down by the time they hit the table. The service was generally good although we did not get our family style veggies until half way through the entree course.
We also waited a long time for our table despite our reservation time. It is a bit of a pet peeve of mine to wait so long for a table when you have reservations.
However, I ventured out and tried something I generally don't get...beef brisket. YUMMY, YUMMY, YUMMY. It fell apart with a fork and tasted delicious!
I also had the chicken fried sweetbreads and they were awesome. They were cooked perfectly and the gravy was to die for. I decided to live on the edge and get them (something I would never generally eat) and I was extremely happy with them.
People thought this was:
Ok, y'all know this be-atch rakes restaurants over the coals all the time and for me to give a place… Read more »
All this new hero worship is getting just too rowdy for me. I just don't get what all the fuss is about. It reminds me of a rock star, no matter how fugly he is, has limitless broads throwing themselves on him like rice at a wedding.
The Blais army loves him unquestioningly and uncritically and excess to a point that would make a pack of rowdy billy goats puke. And this billy gastro almost did after tasting a couple dishes. If he shat on a shingle, it would win an award or make gourmet coffee with it. But he does have a talent to create amazing vittles... mebbe just not in this rowdy setting, there's just too many distractions from his craft.
Let's get to the quick and dirty, shall we...
Van Duzer Vintner's Cuve Oregon Pinot Noir- I know we're in Da South but this delicious libation got down and dirty! Based on what I know, this wine was produced for restos but a small amount is available to the public. Looks like I will have to beat the rowdy vineheads with a stick for some of this love juice.
Oysters w/ Tabasco Dipping Dots- Beautiful briny little plumps of sea snots went down the shaft smoothly without any gag reflex. Jenna Jameson would be proud. Just delish.
Vidalia Onion Soup- Creamy and sweet with a nice consistency. A great palate teaser. The Soup Nazi ain't got nuthin' on this.
Buttermilk Pancakes w/ Foie Gras Butter- Don't get me wrong... I love fat wrap around more fat. But this dish was flatter than the Monchhichi size pancakes. The foie gras butter tasted like... dusty old butter. It woulda been better if there was a thin slice of foie gras on top of the butter medallions. Blueberries were nice,but it's just berries after all, dingleberries woulda done the twick. No syrup present. Eh.
Bone Marrow w/ Beef BBQ- What a beautiful presentation... until I pulled a glob of way undercooked pink Play-Doh that was cold and gelatinous. If I closed my eyes mebbe I can trick myself into thinking it was mango sherbet. That plate was recalled like a case of mad cow. Meh.
Lamb Shank w/ Gnocchi- Beautiful Fred Flintstone sized shank. Fork tender and flavorful... it was devoured like a pack of wolves. I got a little rowdy with the bare bone like Captain Caveman. The Gnocchi was mushy and dry... it was like mashed taters. I rather have tater tots wit whiz. Great dish almost ruined by poor execution.
Black Sea Bass w/ Rice- I haven't had bass this fishy and smelly since the likes of Beleza's sous vide bass... and I even had my legs closed. I'm just glad there weren't any scales on it. This yellow rice was so wet , I swear the bass might had pissed on it before he got fired up. What a mess... I'm glad I only ate one bite of it or else I would have made a dirty mess in my pants. Oy vey.
Biscuit and Family Style Veggies- The biscuit was fluffy and nice, the 5 pepper jelly made it even better. Peeps get rowdy if they run out of the jelly... it's that good, really. The veggies were dismal... home fries were soggy and unseasoned, I was scared to nosh on the cherry tomatoes with the recent news of salmonella, the greens were so salty and bitter it coulda been saltlick to lure wild animals, and the brussels sprouts was the only saving grace of the array of dirty farm vegs, they were tender and seasoned well. But I don't know if I'm in love with bwusselz spwoutz in all it's forms though.
The space is beautiful and the horrendous music made me wanna learn sign language... but the staff/ fwendz there really made up for the grub that was barely passable. If my mom made food like this when I was a child, I would have called DFACS myself long ago.
Vroom vroom.
People thought this was:
From the moment the valet said "welcome home" to the last bite of sweet tea ice cream, it was a wonderful night.
To quote my fellow diner "So, I finally made it here with a fellow Yelper for dinner." We'd planned it since we both wanted to try the place, but we were happily joined by my husband and a friend.
We sat in the bar area for a while as we waited for the entire foursome to arrive. I had a deliciously refreshing peach bellini, while my husband sipped on the mint julep. When Katie W joined us, she pointed out David K at the bar (yay, I finally met another yelper!) and had the ginger margarita. All the drinks were delicious, however, the margarita was better without the salt on the rim.
We were seated in the middle of the dining room on the main floor. The decor fit the restaurant perfectly - warm and cozy and comfortable. The biscuits with pepper jelly were also a nice touch, piquing my appetite.
The menu was great - lots of variety with several things I wanted. Fortunately, we each ordered something different so we could all try a little bit of each. Starters: fried green tomatoes, butter lettuce salad, arugula salad, and vidalia onion soup. Mine was the arugula salad with goat cheese, beets, and candied pecans. It was good, not great. I was expecting the goat cheese to be tangier, and since it wasn't it could have used some salt or acid. The butter lettuce salad was heavy on the dressing, but it was good dressing. The soup was perfect - creamy, delicious, and perfectly seasoned.
The main courses were perfect, as best I can tell. I had the "bouilliablais", mainly because of the name, but I was blown away. It was better than I could have hoped - the soup was well-balanced, a perfect complement to all the seafood in it. Other main dishes at the table: lamb meatloaf with succotash, shrimp and grits, and fried chicken. Additionally, our family-style vegetables were brilliant-green brussels sprouts, roasted red potatoes, mushrooms with asparagus. They were tasty, but not as memorable as the mac-n-cheese served with the fried chicken.
After looking at the list, we simply had to try a dessert. We decided on the sour cream pecan cake with the sweet tea ice cream to share. We thought about the moon pie, but our server Mike said that it was more about the novelty than the flavor. I'm glad he said that - the sweet tea ice cream alone was worth it!
Service was excellent - Mike made great recommendations, our water glasses were always full, and our plates were promptly cleared.
Like I said - every moment was delightful, and I highly recommend it!
People thought this was:
Fan-freaking-tastic.
I had dinner there this past Saturday night with friends for our once a quarter get-together. I sent the man (who was absent) a text saying that they should have kept the name Posh as it's still super swank inside. Not sure what I was expecting with the changeover, but it's still quite spiffy. Glad I didn't wear jeans.
As I was waiting for my Alpharetta friends to arrive, I sucked down a fresh Bellini at the teensy bar (seats six at max). There are couch areas to the side and behind the bar where you can hang & have cocktails as well as order from the full menu. *Note to self, keep that in mind for a fun, spontaneous & slightly romantic weeknight dinner.* They also have a small outdoor patio area that has seating as well, but I unfortunately didn't check it out.
We sat down at our table in the center of the main dining room and got down to business. To start, fresh biscuits arrived with a side of butter, a side of pepper jelly and pickled okra. Deelish. Julie & I had red wine and Jay had the Dastardly Deed, a martini that consisted of Kettle, cane syrup and basil. It was oddly good, but could have had less syrup and been chilled a little more. Their wine list was at the same time bold and reliable if that makes sense.
The menu consists of snacks, starters, soups & salads and main plates. We didn't try any of the snacks, but shared the warm local mushrooms, grilled toast and coddled duck egg as a starter. It arrived with some signature Blais foam on top and was quickly gone. The duck egg, although runny and at first intimidating to my friends really brought the dish together.
For our soup/salad course, Julie had the tomato soup with two mini grilled cheese sandwiches and Jay had the chilled asparagus soup special which I had a taste of - phenomenal! I had the chopped salad with cucumber, tomato and deviled egg dressing. What was neat about the salad was the fact that all of the toppings/dressing were served on the plate first with the lettuce on top. Rather than the usual cucumber slices & tomato halves, Blais has mini cucumber balls and finely diced tomato which is a nice departure. Again, out of this world.
For our entree, Julie had the Florida black grouper with local five-bean salad and key lime brown butter. Jay had the shrimp & grits andouille with cherry tomatoes and she-crab butter. I had the slow-cooked pork "short rib" with collard greens, peaches and coffee bbq sauce. All of us cleaned our plate. I didn't try the other dishes, but both had my pork and deemed it delicious.
Moving onto dessert. As we were all stuffed and couldn't possible each get something, we decided to split the southern pie of the day with ice cream which ended up being a delicious strawberry pie/cake/tart type of thing that was literally gone in less than 90 seconds.
Unfortunately, Blais was not there, but you'd never know it as the food was impeccably cooked and plated. Home definitely has the Blais touch, but without going too overboard for the buttoned-up Buckhead crowd that was there. (The Seeger's crowd is still lurking.) I'm hoping over time that he will be able to incorporate more of his touch (Tang jello anyone?) to Home's menu as I think he is one of the most innovative and talented chefs I've experienced in a long time. His old restaurant Blais was my absolute favorite and I was very very sad to see it go b/c of Atlanta's inability to embrace novel culinary concepts.
Do yourself a favor. Go here!
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Ambiance - A
Staff - A
Food - A
Price - B
On Dec. 3, 2008, I was on a 12 hour flight layover back to Seattle when I decided to just "roam" with Marta into the Lenox area for some shopping and dinner. Wasn't sure where to go, but the Marta stop was near the Lenox Marriott. I decided to get the concierge (Bruce) to suggest a restaurant in the area. I specifically was looking for a restaurant that was serving foie gras.
He recommended HOME out of the plethora of menus in his binder as reference. He made reservations and also verified that foie gras was available.
When I arrived I was pleasantly surprised to see such a cozy looking house with a lovely little stone drive...what a friendly look for a restaurant as I knew I was in for a treat.
The hostess greeted me and I told her my name and reservation. I felt quite "special!" ... not sure if that was due to the fact I made the arrangements with my connection via the Marriott! The room was quite cozy with small tables of 2 / 4 / and accommodating seating up to 8 - 10 for parties.
I appreciate linen and good service ware (dual gold / silver handles) .
I was served one biscuit with butter and a jalapeno pepper jelly. The chunks of jalapeno was just the right amount of heat, however, the biscuit was a bit crumbly and hard to hold and eat, but the buttery flavor was there.
Looking over the menu, it appeared seasonal and glorified southern cuisine.
I liked the sound of their specialty drinks...among them were Sweet tea vodka and Raspberry lemonade. I decided to go with the Raspberry lemonade as it was made with fresh raspberries, lemons and kettle one citron. I liked the bartender for coming over to let me know that the raspberries were off and just weren't up to par to make the drink, so she created me a special drinks with blueberries instead and adding a splash of cointreau to the lemonade concoction. I thought this was a nice refreshing drink! Perhaps they created a new drink that night!
Tiffany my server was absolutely perfect with knowledge and recommendations. I did notice that foie gras was not on the menu, but Tiffany let me know that the chef was expecting me and was going to make me a special dish with foie gras and I had my choice of "seared" or tour chon. I chose the tourchon.
The lightly dusted bread crumbed foie gras tourchon was plated with a blueberry compote and lightly sugared pound cake. Delicious. I savored each smooth savory bite and enjoyed the sweetness accompaniment. This was paired with a lovely Sauternes. I thought it was interesting starting with sweet as an appetizer, but this combo worked for me. Also, Tiffany brought me a 2nd Sauternes that was also recommended by the chef (since they had it open) for no charge! Love the freebies!
Dinner was the pan seared pork belly over collard greens. Cooked perfectly and both were tender and fell apart with just the fork. This was paired with a nice cabernet-merlot.
The desserts sounded interesting, but I had no more room in my belly, so a no go on the dessert until next time.
Overall, I would recommend Home for it's great service, ambiance and delicious food.
I wanted to like Home, I really did. I had an amazing meal at Posh a couple of years ago and have always been fond of the atmosphere at the little white house formerly home to Seegers. But - the food was just not good. I went on a pleasant Thursday evening and sat outside. The addition of the deck is nice although a little loud as it sits right on top of West Paces and the servers are friendly although I question how much they knew about what they were talking about. Our server - when pointing out the best dishes on the menu - pretty much ended up suggesting the entire menu and didn't seem very educated about the drink menu. Nothing jumped off as particularly unique. Nevertheless, we went with some of his suggestions and left very unimpressed and not fulfilled. The heirloom tomato salad was blah although in retrospect - probably the best thing we had. It was basically just a vegetable medley topped with a little cheese - i suppose there was some sort of vinaigrette on it but you could barely taste it. After sampling 20+ amazing creative tomato dishes at the Attack of the Killer tomato festival the week before, we were underwhelmed.
The tuna tartar was small, the avocado and some sort of cream sauce completed blocked any taste of tuna and it came with a huge side of fried chips (there was barely enough tuna tartar for one of them). Not impressive. I'm sorry but whole foods has way better tuna tartar.
My boyfriend got the seafood stew (first item the server recommended). Umm can you say a bowl of tabasco with a side of seafood chunks? You could not taste anything else but tobasco, it was way too hot and the seafood did not seem that fresh... Those were the only three items that we ordered, along with one drink each and the bill came to $80. I'm hoping for their sake that it was just an off night but not sure that I would risk giving them another chance.
Bottom line - This city has a LOT of better restaurants at comparable prices.
The world's greatest Applebees.
Seriously though, not impressive. Really really really really not horrible. Not even as good as Watershed or Wisteria. Not even close to Bacchanalia. It's just okay. We had deviled eggs, pimentos and crackers, an arugula salad with figs, bbq bone marrow, pan seared softshell, fried rabbit, and a cornbread and ice cream dessert. All of which were just above average. The biggest disappointment was the bone marrow which should be indulgently rich but wasn't even flavorful. It tasted, in fact, like it was only recently defrosted. They tried to make up for it by smothering it with pulled pork. Whatever. Also, the biscuits are not amazing. They are average, like the whole foods brand pepper jelly.
Frankly I didn't see the Blais I saw on Top Chef on this menu. I mean, there was some horseradish foam on the bone marrow but the molecular gastronomy didn't make another appearance.
It was refreshing to finally eat in a restaurant that put almost no effort into interior decorating. Velour seats? What is that shit on the carpet? Were the drapes dusted by a fairy? Is that hostess wearing Wonder Woman shorts? Where the fuck am I? Where are Colicchio and Padma when I need them?
Oh yeah, we also had four different cocktails, all of which were either way too sweet or way too salty. And, they don't serve Hendrick's here. So basically I would have been better off, drinkswise, at Ted's Montana Grill. The bottle of pinot was great, though.
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Had another wonderful dinner at Home last night.
We had two friends in from LA and that wanted to eat something "different," as they tend to eat a lot of sushi and Ca fusion type foods. I immediately thought of Home.
When we arrived, we were greeted and taken to the private room, off the bar. Our server was very friendly and did a great job, all night. We all ordered something different and then kinda did the swap thing, so I really got to try a bit of everything. The highlight for me was the strip streak. It had incredible flavor and I loved the sauce that it was served with. I also enjoyed the shrimp and grits, as did my guest. You don't eat a lot of grits, in Ca. Thanks Home, for another great evening!
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I Loved it!!
So, I too am addicted to Top Chef. I was so excited when I found out 3 chefs from SF…
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Hmm.. well after getting sucked into Top Chef of course I wanted to try this place right away. It's nice, it's a little fancy and the dishes as expected -- are very unexpected.
I went to Richard Blais' previous restaurant Element and although the food was unique there were almost no options for non-meat eaters and paying $9 for 4 cucumbers and some veggie pate was just a bit too much, even as an experiment.
HOME however was much more soothing and even a little filling. The surprises of the different tastes together is always an adventure (like allspice in cream cheese ice cream, WOW, yum!).
The mac and cheese was an amazing casserole type dish, yummy & filling. The fried chicken looked good from across the table. Green beans were simple and fresh. The pickled cucumbers were great -- they were pickled but they still tasted like cucumbers (not pickles). How do you do that? There were lots of things made out of turnips. I don't really like turnips but they were editable... not my favorite but not bad. The biscuit was a nice way to start out the meal and the orange/jalapeno jam/chutney spread was super good. There was a jalapeno pickled tomato that was a little too much for me though. The parts of the meal where paced well and you felt like you got to try a bunch of different things, some shocking, some you wished there was more to take home.
A friend of mine described it as a place you go to taste, not to get filled up at. Everything was in small plates and came in moderation.
If you are a non-meat eater you can ask for the veggie dish if you want to be risky. It is a chef made dish of his choice on the spot. I think every dish is different. Now that is interesting... a veggie person getting extra attention instead of being an afterthought.
Oh yes, and of course everyone there was whispering about Top Chef and treating RB like a rock star. It was kind of cute.
We will go back again to see what else they have to taste.
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I don't know what the food at your home is like, but if it's like this, I'd like to come live with you.
Maybe they should have named it Kitchen, because the main reason to come here it to eat. The decor is the same as Posh as far as I could tell - which was warmed-up Seeger's. The service is predictably good. It was all rather usual. So, let's get to the food, which, as I mentioned, is why you should go.
We started with the pimiento-cheese "snack" - creamy and homemade on thin, crispy bread. Such a wonderful starter! Better than mom made back home, that's for sure. I had the spring pea soup with ham hock and my friend had tomato soup with grilled cheese. The flavors! My gosh. Every bite had a different pop, a different surprising taste. This is pure Richard Blais - this is his gift. We were generous enough to let each other have one little taste of our soup and then we eagerly finished them. I really, really wanted some more.
The entrees were good too, but maybe less wow. My friend had the short rib and I had the "bouillablais." The short rib was delicious but it was a tiny portion. The price was low too so it wasn't a value problem but we agreed we'd probably rather have more and pay more. But they also give you four little plates of veggies to round out the meal so it's not like you're starving like you were at Seeger's.
We had the red velvet cake with the cream cheese ice cream for dessert. I'm a rvc aficionado and this just didn't do it for me. There was strawberry juice (or something) over the top that didn't work for me. I know it's popular so try it yourself.
Our server was an encyclopedia of information about the menu. She was great. The crowd was pretty thin when we arrived for our early reservation (6:45 thanks to open table) but it filled up as the night went on. We had to ask for them to turn on the music - it was scarily quiet. Apparently they are having a little trouble with the system so it just goes out sometimes. Whew! I thought Tom Catherall had gone all Guenther Seeger on us there for a second. But no.
Overall, a great dining experience. The menu reads so well and so fun. I can't wait to go back and try more. But home? Not like mine!
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Prompted by an in the know friend, I tried Home last week for lunch. I was nervous of the Richard Blais connection (was too hungry for foam or another molecular gastronomy delight, which has a time and place - just not when you're starving), but I had no need to be.
The southern menu was charming. I stuck to a pretty basic arugula salad and pimento cheese sandwich (which came with tasty homemade - assuming - pickles on the side, probably my fav. part - they tasted like grandma's!). I'm still talking about the cuteness of the dessert menu even though we did not partake - a moon pie and coke float combo, I don't even love either but together they are too cute. I'll be back for the red velvet cake (must stop writing now, mouth watering - must find snack).
It's on open table if you are interested in an easy reservation. House cabernet was good too (um, I wasn't going back to work, so a drinking lunch is fine - don't judge me!).
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My experience at home was phenomenal. Chef was there the evening I dined there and it was an incredible experience all the way around. Highlights of the meal were the oysters and tabasco "dippin dots", pancakes with foie gras butter, the fried green tomatoes with Ranch ice cream, the deviled eggs with the evenings toppings. Some have had a problem with the flavor of the chicken - I enjoyed it...but it was completely overshadowed by the mac-n-cheese that accompanied it, as well as the other family style veggie sides.
I took several photos that night and I wrote more fully about it on my blog, something I *never* do seeings that I have a cooking blog.
I was so blown away by my meal there that I will be having my birthday dinner for a group of 8 there at the end of the month. I can't wait.
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We had the pleasure of visiting Home on opening night. Celebrity Chef Richard Blais (of Top Chef Chicago fame, previously of Bazaar, one.Midtown Kitchen and a few other Atlanta spots) didn't disappoint!
The menu was a creative, modern take on some traditional Southern favorites (meat loaf, fried chicken, shrimp and grits, etc.), with a great assortment of starters and "snacks." Richard's "molecular gastronomy" techniques showed through in a few dishes -- the frozen dots of tabasco and cream with the chilled oyster, key lime brown butter "foam" with the grouper.
Other than a few delays between courses, I didn't see much hint of opening night troubles -- certainly not with the food.
My personal favorites were the crab cake, arugula salad with beet and goat cheese, the shrimp and grits, and the red velvet cake with cream cheese ice cream.
Richard was kind enough to come out and say hello to our table of Top Chef fanatics, and he seemed like a genuinely nice guy. Definitely looking forward to going back.
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Yeah, they just opened in the space that used to be Posh, but my one meal on opening night was very promising. And I've experienced enough meals with Chef Richard Blais in the kitchen to know it will be great.
The theme is modern Southern with farm to table ingredients, and they are knocking it out of the park with interesting takes on classics like fried chicken, shrimp and grits and deviled eggs.
Buttermilk pancakes with foie gras butter and blueberries was one of the best dishes I've had in a long long time.
Looking forward to eating at Home more often!
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Went to Home last saturday night and had a superb meal.
Atmosphere is A+, well decorated modern yet cozy interior.
Service was A+, waiter was on point, could not have been better
Food was solid overall. I would not say perfect, but it was damn delectable. Here is a review of the dishes we ordered
fried soft shell crab appetizer: very interesting but is off. Also was a strange presentation with a tiny soft shell crab. The fried crab is served with raisins, olives, and cornbread. The cornbread is actually croutons which soak up a sweet sauce on the bottom. They didnt really taste like cornbread. I know Richard Blais is all about deceiving you, allowing your eyes to presume a certain flavor but hit your palate with another, but this didnt quite pull that off. The mix of cornbread croutons, olives, and raisins didnt really work with the softshell crab
Cold asparagus soup: very interesting and right on
Silken corn soup: texture perfect, flavor perfect. The shrimp flavored crouton servced on top of it was very interesting and creative
beef brisket: Spot on. A+ mashed potatoes served with it are perfect flavor and texture
fried chicken: Great dish, only complaint is that the sauce is a little too sweet, and you dont expect to eat fried chicken with a sweet honey-like sauce on the breading. The mac and cheese is baked and placed under the broiler with panko bread crumbs on top. Excellent, almost thought there was too much panko though. Fried chicken was great but i've had better fried chicken at South City Kitchen and Agave. (my fav fried chicken in town) If you haven't had fried chicken at Agave, do it next.
The waiter also brought out 4 small dishes of mixed vegetables. All were excellent. I hear the secret to making vegetables taste great in restaurants is cooking them in lots of butter. They definitly did that.
Wine list is solid with great by the glass picks.
Richard Blais was not present Saturday night but you can definitly see his touch in these dishes. His creativity definitly comes out. I think he has a lot of potential to do more at a restaurant with a more eclectic flair. There is only so much innovation you can apply to American southern cuisine.
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5-star service 2 star food
Server could not have been more professional and polite. The food--not so great. Interesting presentations on the plates (at my table and others near us), but for the price the taste should be outstanding. It was more like the taste of food in a cafeteria. Just basic food--not great, not horrible, but I can eat just as well in a cafeteria for under $10. Has there been a chef change recently?
You know after reading many reviews, what really caught my eyes were the ones who were disappointed. I was a huge fan of Richard and so had great expectations. My fiancee and I made reservations for Valentine's day and we went hoping he was as good as the critiques said he was. The restaurant decor was nice and comfy, they led us down a set of stairs into a small private room with one large table. Richard brought out our food and served us. We had the seafood bowl which was top notch, the fish, scallops, lobsters were perfectly cooked and the saffron sauce was rich but not overwhelming. If you guys like okra be sure to try the pickled okra its freaking delicious. Home hands down met my expectations as well as my fiance's. The reason I gave them 4 stars is the service wasn't to great from the server. I mean you got hosts that seats and gives out menus, you have food runners and Richard taking out the food, and how the hell can you not keep the water refilled? He was slow and not a very good server, but it definitely made my day when Richard brought out our food. He seemed nice and pleasant and seemed to have gained Little weight since the show.
I wrote this on V day, and it seems Richard read it and respond. Guess it wasnt him. But it was shocking seeing that fact that guy looked practically Identical and even all the guests that were sitting was excited and surprised to see "Richard". Anyways I was wrong folx it wasnt Richard.
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Good food, delicious dirty martinis (with Blue Cheese stuffed olives, yum) and a nice ambiance. The quality may have slipped a bit on my last visit, but the food is still great. I never would have thought a restaurant could make a tomato soup with grill cheese plate gourmet, but home pullls it off!
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I hate to do this, but my most recent experience at Home was such a departure from my first time there it seems necessary. Oddly enough, my night started out just like the last time. Nerissa called me to meet her for libations and whatever the food equivalent of libations is (seriously, I'm at a loss for fancy words this morning).
Our initial experience was so great that she decided to host one of her company's quarterly dinner meetings here in a few weeks, so after work we headed over expecting much of the same. We walked in to perch ourselves at the bar, but that wasn't possible because a private party had rented out the bar plus a private room for part of the evening. First, who loans out their BAR during happy hour? I know this place isn't famous for good times and drinks, but come on! Especially considering the bar is only about 6 seats plus several couches (which were all off limits to patrons, by the way). We probably would have gone somewhere else, but Nerissa wanted to go over the menu for their event. Reluctantly we took a mini-tour and then decided to sit on the patio. Believe it or not, it actually got hotter after the sun went down. Regardless, the umbrella wasn't enough to keep the humidity under control and I was actually begging for our check by the end of the evening (by the way - I'm not blaming the weather on them and I'll actually accept responsibility for not calling ahead to ask if the bar was available to commoners - read as restaurant guests - that evening... it's true what they say about making assumptions).
I got settled with a watermelon mojito and then ordered the lamb ribs, scallops, and foie gras. The ribs were very dry and they were so tough I couldn't cut them using silverware, so I glamorously gnawed at them with my hands (keep in mind I've been using my napkin to wipe the sweat from my neck and forehead... things got a little more tricky after I introduced barbecue sauce to the equation).
The scallops were a new thing to us and I liked them, but the foie gras was very disappointing. The last time we were here it was served almost like a butter and it was perfect with blueberries and mini pancakes. Apparently, now they sear the foie gras and serve it as a big, thick slice. Not as good as before and this time it was brought to us with 3 red strawberries (or raspberries) and 1.5 white ones. Seriously.
Two strawberry mojitos, a glass of wine, an Amstel Light, and all of the above came to over $100 with tip. Home might be off my list after this visit.
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Even though it's only about a mile from my condo, I don't normally get over toward Home very often.… Read more »
I must start off by saying that I too am a big fan of Top Chef. Richard Blais was the reason I chose to dine at Home last night, and he didn't fail me at all.
I arrived at Home shortly before my 8pm reservation and once inside, the hostess said that my table was not quite ready, so I elected to grab a drink at the bar/lounge area. The small flat screen TV above the bar had Top Chef on TV. After a short while I was seated.
The menu was well laid out, although I was a little confused about what the snacks were. The waitress offered Home's "water service" of sparkling, still or traditional which was good for a chuckle. She then mentioned that this evening, as Richard Blais was in house, they were doing a special tasting menu of Blais' dishes with a few special twists here and there. She described it as if "Chef Blais is cooking for you personally." Wanting to try multiple elements of the Chef's style, I opted for this option.
As for the wine, the waitress sent out the sommelier, who recommended different bottles that would pair well with the progression of the dishes, but also the wine pairings with each dish. I decided to go with the wine pairings, as it would compliment each dish better.
Needless to say, I was excited at this point. The first dish came out, a selection off of the snack menu, perhaps an amuse bouche if you will. Served first was a single oyster, raw on ice. On the oyster were little pearl shaped balls of liquid nitrogen infused Tabasco, meant to give the appearance of oyster with pearls. It was quite good, an interesting way to eat an oyster. The texture was enhanced by the pearl Tabasco, and was the perfect starter to the meal.
Next course out was the Raw Carolina fluke, with fried duck skin, sweet pickles and mayo. The fluke and duck skin (which was my first time with duck skin, kind of a half bacon half chicken skin taste) was a great combination, and the mayo, which had a hint of spice to it, was excellent as well. The mix of textures, from the soft fish, to the crispy duck and the delicate mayo were perfect. This was paired with a German Riesling which complimented the dish perfectly.
The third dish out was a small sampling of the main plate, his shrimp and grits, however this dish had the Richard Blais twist to it. On the plate was a single shrimp, cooked to perfection, on top of the grits. Also on the grits was a nicely seared piece of foie gras. Around the base of the grits there were bits of dehydrated pineapple, and a smokey barbecue sauce of sorts dotted on the plate. This is, without a doubt, the best tasting and finest shrimp and grits I have ever had. The combination of the flavors left me wanting a full sized portion of the dish. Being a first time foie gras eater, I was extremely pleased with the soft texture and the delicate flavor. The taste of the grits and sauce did in no way overpower the foie gras, and while I thought it strange at first, the bits of dried pineapple balanced out the smokiness of the dish. Paired with this dish was a pinot noir that was also quite perfectly matched.
The next dish out of the kitchen was the slow cooked pork "short rib" with collard greens, peaches, and a coffee bbq sauce. The pork rib was perched atop the collards, and the coffee bbq sauce was not very noticeable. For a rib, it was quite expertly cooked, perhaps the most tender piece of pork I have ever had. The flavor and soft texture of the peach on top of the pork went very well with the meat. I am not usually one to enjoy collard greed, preferring instead the turnip green, but these were excellent. The greens had a little more sweetness in the taste, perhaps due to the coffee bbq sauce, and had chopped bacon throughout them. All in all an expertly crafted dish, a wonderful play on a traditional southern meal. This course was paired with a zinfandel, which by its self was a good wine, but with the lighter pork meat and peaches on the plate, might have been better paired with a white wine, something a little lighter.
The last main course was one that was not even mentioned on the regular menu. Presented by Richard Blais himself was a beef short rib cooked for 48 hours with creamed potatoes, beets, and a horseradish foam. I have also never had beef short rib, and was completely impressed. The ribs were fork tender and the potatoes perfect. The beets, at first, seemed out of place, but when eaten with the beef, were so delicious. The very delicate horseradish foam melted shortly after serving, but not before I could get some with the beef, which was also top notch. This course was paired with a cabernet sauvignon that may have been the best wine of the night, and the best pairing. Overall this was my favorite dish for the combination of flavors.
Last was the dessert, which was the sour cream pecan cake with a sweet tea milkshake (another Blais twsit). Paired with a dessert wine, this was the perfect way to finish a southern meal. I will be back!
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I could not shake The Wizard of Oz from my head during every one of my three visits to Home. The main thought being that of the omnipotent wizard who we later find out is an average man with no special powers but instead, the capability to evoke reverence with nothing more than hype. Like the wizard, chef Richard Blais has drawn oohs and ahs from crowds with his smoking vats of liquid nitrogen and charismatic personality. However, his most recent post at Tom Catherall's Home Restaurant and Bar is slowly revealing the real man behind the curtain--a chef who is seemingly spread too thin with a new helm, consulting gigs and contractual obligations with "Top Chef."
I applaud Blais' attempt to do something "different" and evolve--as many high-profile chefs around the world are doing--but he is simply not delivering. While Blais' conceptual creativity is evident on the menus, the actual execution has been a far cry from his dishes I have tasted in the past. I suppose there is some truth in that Gael Greene quote, "It's not what a chef can do, but what he will do."
As usual, Blais' plating and knife skills are impeccable. However, the problems begin with the first mouthful of food. On one visit, the fried chicken was undercooked in the center and the overall dish was overpowered by the intense flavor of way too much rosemary. The accompanying truffled mac and cheese was so salty it caused my lips to pucker. A second chance during a brunch service was an improvement, but the flesh was so dry I could barely swallow it without chugging a large gulp of water. While I appreciated the earthiness of the cauliflower in the macaroni and cheese, there was not enough salt to bring the flavors to life.
Other dishes--like pea soup--fell victim to the ongoing problem of uneven seasoning. In this instance, it was another case of over-salting. Even some of Blais' signature dishes that have crept their way onto the menu--like his fried green tomatoes with ranch ice cream lacked the usual punch. Soggy tomatoes and ranch ice cream tasting more like cream than tangy ranch dressing. Salty short ribs, sloppy salads, bland shrimp and grits and poorly breaded oysters also failed to please. Minor issues--like forgotten bread service (on two occasions) and missing family-style sides--were other glitches that contributed to the deteriorating experience.
There were some dishes that showed promise though. The mushrooms on toast with a perfectly poached egg and crisp asparagus were comforting and well-balanced. The buttery (and, I do mean buttery) blueberry pancakes with foie gras butter was absolutely divine and showcased Blais' killer pancake skills. But, a subsequent brunch order of the pancakes with caramel butter and maple foam yielded raw (and gummy) pancakes unworthy of a third bite and the foam lacked the proper amount of sweetness to stand out. The pimento cheeseburger was full of flavor but a bit too black on one side and the bread disintegrated after the first bite. A few tweaks and this might rival my favorite ground to order burger at Rathbun Steak. The fries that came with the burger were a mess. Having spent many hours behind the fryer as a cook, I immediately noticed the fries had been cooked at too low of a temperature which left them soggy with almost transparent skins. I am surprised they made it out of the kitchen. The "BLT" made with pork belly, arugula and peach on buttered toast was a lovely combination of flavors but the pork belly could have been crisper to mimic the texture of bacon. All of the components (except the bread) were soft and the excess of mayo slathered on the butter-slick toast made it an overall pain to eat.
I have to comment on the atmosphere of the restaurant which is just downright odd. Rap music plays in the background in an apparent effort to infuse some youthfulness into the former Posh space. Unfortunately, the vibe is that of a funeral home where one feels the need to whisper amongst the odd mix of blue hairs and "Top Chef" fanatics clamoring for an autograph or Blais sighting. I give points to the excellent servers who have been very professional, actually know the ins and outs of the dishes and appear to have tasted them too! Always a plus in my book. The bartender is also top notch so make sure you grab a cocktail if you visit.
To those of you who have enjoyed your meals at Home (and there seem to be many of you), feel free to cast me as the wicked witch in this tale. In all honesty, it saddens me to be so critical of an obviously talented and likable chef whose cuisine I have enjoyed and praised in the past. Maybe it has something to do with Tom Catherall's influence. Maybe not. Whatever the case may be, let's hope Blais gets it together soon because the boy has talent, "Top Chef" win or not.
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This place was alright. I was so excited to try it but I have to say I left without anything to rave about. Too bad too, it could be great!
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So going to this restaurant I had pretty lofty expectations having seen just about every episode of Top Chef and being very impressed with Mr. Blais's performance. The restaurant ambiance was not what I expected, but our waiter summed up the restaurant best when he said the restaurant is still pretty much the same Posh restaurant it replaced, just with a new menu. I had never been to Posh, but I am a fan of Home now. The irony is that the place went from being called Posh to Home. The lack of music and the small space make the acoustics of everyone's conversations that much louder, which also play the casual feel of the restaurant. It does make it feel more like dinner at home when you dont feel that you need to whisper at all times. The layout of the restaurant is very unique in that it is very much a renovated home. The placement of tables all over the restaurant on all floors gives it a very hidden secret appeal. And if anyone knows how to get the table for 2 in the wine cellar, please let me know.
Well on to the food, because that is what really won me over. The food is delicious as the menu tries to promote fresh produce and good ol' southern cooking with a modern flare. I had my first shrimp and grits experience and I must say I doubt it will ever be topped. I don't know that I even want anything else to compare it against. Each meal is also served with an arsenal of ever-changing side dishes family style. These side dishes change throughout the night and are remarkably simple, elegant, and satisfying. No pretentious portions here. And I almost forgot the biscuit served with the tabasco infused jelly was also a very nice touch to start the meal.
All in all, Home is a fantastic dining experience that I would recommend to anyone. And I can't wait to see if/when Mr. Blais indulges in his experimental gastronomy side in a new restaurant venture in the future.
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My boyfriend and I went to Home for my birthday on Tuesday night. I was really excited to try Home because I had heard great things from some friends who had been on different occasions. I had a wonderful time, but my boyfriend and I decided it was definitely not one of our favorites in Atlanta. It's actually in an old house on the corner, which I thought was cute. I was surprised to find out that it is part of the Here to Serve Restaurant Group, because it's nothing like Twist, Shout, Strip, etc., which are all very sexy and trendy in their decor.
We started with the friend green tomatoes and a salad. The salad was yummy, but the tomatoes were more like potato wedges with a weird, cold ball of ice cream-like sauce. Yuck. They brought out biscuits, which were pretty good. And I liked that they only served one each so we didn't fill up on bread like we always do. (Or like I always do.) For dinner, I had the fried chicken and it was delicious. It came with cauliflower mac-n-cheese, which was just ok (I prefer the gooey, melty, super cheesy kind), and the chicken was also accompanied with a small jar of honey vinager, which I poured over the chicken. It added a sweet, but kind of tart flavor and was really good. He got the scallops and said they were great - meaty and not rubbery. They also bring out an assortment of fresh, locally grown veggies to the table with your meal. We were served radishes, black eyed peas, tomato salad and pureed cauliflower. I liked trying them (for free), but I wasn't too impressed with any of the flavors. For dessert, we tried the pecan cake and sweet tea ice cream. We decided the ice cream tasted more like Coke, and the cake was just ok.
Our table was nice and the service was great. It's a nice new place to try, and I am sure I'll be back eventually.
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Neighborhood: Buckhead
Category: American (New)
Decatur, GA
Category: Southern
Neighborhood: Buckhead
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Buckhead
Category: American (Traditional)
Neighborhood: Inman Park
Category: American (New)
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