Hog & Hominy

The opening of Michael Hudman & Andy Ticer's new restaurant, Hog & Hominy, was easily the most highly anticipated opening of the past few years. These chefs are banging out some of the best food in the country at their restaurant Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen which is conveniently located across the street from H&H.

The menu is difficult to navigate only because I can't decide on what NOT to order. Kelly & I went one night & walked into a hopping, electric & very much busy restaurant. I love to see that. A busy, independently, locally owned restaurant is a vital life sign to the health of a city.

We started with a selection of fresh, raw east coast oysters & arancini stuffed with mushrooms. The oysters were so briny yet creamy & tasted of the ocean. The mignonette on the side was bright & acidic which perfectly cut through the richness of the oyster. The arancini is one of my favorite snacks. They remind me of my mom. Andy & Michael's arancini is a perfect little snack size hug. It was creamy, savory & earthy. Delicious.

Kelly went with the Prewitt pizza with eggs & boudin. The crust was snappy & had a lovely chew. The boudin was so creamy & meaty which blended perfectly into the egg. I had the fluke crudo with lemon, olive oil & serrano chili. The fluke was so creamy & practically melted in my mouth. The lemon provided that perfect zing against the rich fish.

We finished with the fig, melon & prosciutto salad with a creamy housemade cheese. The sweetness & caramel-like nature of the figs & sweetness of melon is braced with the salty creamy texture of the cheese. It has a certain richness to it but its not heavy at all. I also got to taste the barrel aged Negroni that Manager/Beverage Director Nick said was almost ready. It was deeelish!

My friend Richie & I popped in for a quick bite & a drink last Saturday & thankfully were able to squeeze into two seats at the bar. Our first order of business was to try the grilled watermelon cocktail with chartreuse & basil. It was sweet & herbaceous & WAY to easy to drink. We discovered what is quite possibly the best snack in the history of the world. Gorgonzola stuffed fried olives with fried chicken skin. I wanted 14 bowls of them. We also shared lamb ribs with cuban bbq sauce over pea pods & potatoes in a creamy sauce. The fat is really the star of the show on this plate. Its really a unique fat here. It was in solid form on the rib but as soon as it hit my mouth it just seemed to liquefy. It melted in my hands & I didn't mind whatsoever. It was so so good.

I love H&H's cocktail program. In my opinion it is one of the most unique cocktail programs in town. They are barrel aging cocktails, making their own maraschino cherries (absolutely delicious) & using lots of unique spirits. They have a kick ass beer selection too. I'm simultaneously happy & sad that H&H isn't in Midtown. I'm happy that I won't be spending all my time & cash there but I'm sad that it isn't close by.