Holman & Finch Public House

06/12/09

Unique variety of food and drinks!

by drsherryk at Citysearch

The intimate environment of Holeman & Finch provides an experience that is hard to come by nowadays. The long, banquet style shared tables allows for camaraderie among guests. With delicious, succulent food, good drinks and big laughs, H&F truly embodies the spirit of a pub with the care to detail and quality as a 4 star restaurant. More private booths are also available, if you so choose. Immediately the atmosphere draws you in and the friendly staff gives you menus that are filled with such a wide variety of great food. Our favorites are the pork belly sandwich, fried oysters, squash casserole, mussels, and delicious crostini with pate', but literally anything on the menu is sure to be mouthwatering. If the food is delicious, the drinks are to die for. The staff of mixologists create innovative, awe-inspiring drinks that are worth the visit alone. LOVED IT--I'm heading back tomorrow.

• Pros: diverse and unique menu, Friendly & knowledgeable staff
• Cons: none

12/15/08

Great Pleace

by lucagiovannella at Citysearch

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• Pros: TEST 1
• Cons: TEST 2

08/25/08

Late Nite's, Coca-Cola Float Cocktails & Pig Ear Sandwiches!

by jaymaygm at Citysearch

I've got to give it to Chef Linton Hopkin's for coming up with this one. For those of us who live in Buckhead, and after a long night at the bars, and we can't get to Ponce for the Majestic, to the rescue is Holman & Finch Public House, across the alley from Hopkin's Restaurant Eugene. And it's open til 3am. And is it ever jumping! We got there too late for one of those Cheeseburger's In Pardise. But stood in the hallway, with the rest of the loonies, sipping on a wicked Coke-Cola Float Cocktail w/Candied Lime Peel. Finally got into one of the cozy booths, and started with a fabu Chicken Liver Pate, w/homemade Bread & Butter Pickles. And we were all feeling just right, and tried a Pig Ear Sandwich. It was crunchy, like good Applewood Bacon, but we are coming back for one of those Cheeseburger's. Service was excellent, considering the pushy, highly intoxicated party Buckhead crowd. The place is a winner.

• Pros: Open Late, & Gourmet Bar Menu!
• Cons: Have To Get There Early For A Great Cheeseburger!

08/13/08

Excellent carinovory

by jatlfoods at Citysearch

I had heard the buzz - best cheeseburgers ever. Well, I'm afraid to say it's true. They really are excellent. My theory is that they spread butter on the hamburger buns (which have a brioche feel to them) and then grill them prior to adding the pair of burgers, cheese and pickle. Whatever they're doing it absolutely works. These hamburgers are addictive.

The negative, of course, is that they only make a limited number of burgers a night. Why? It suggests a desire to create even more buzz, and given the love that people had for these burgers, I'd suggest the owners might want to loosen up the hamburger embargo. We arrived at 9:30 and reserved our burgers. I realize that's insane, but I'm glad we did, they sold out about 5 minutes after 10 (on a Tuesday night).

The rest of the menu is geared toward serious carnivory. We wanted to try things not usually found around town. First, the chicken liver pate with a layer of jam and a side of tomato pickles is much better than my auntie used to make, in fact, it's quite dreamy, smooth and spreadable. The jam provides a sweet contrast and the pickles are a perfect palate cleanser. The other interesting spread was the marrow gratin. Nothing like ordering a femur for dinner, yum! Really, it's quite good, and again very spreadable. The only mediocre thing we had was the catfish poppers, I'm not sure how it would be possible to make this stand out from fried fish at a pub, and it didn't.

The space has a mixture of booth, table, and bar seating in two distinct areas. Our server was attentive and knowledgeable and seemed to really enjoy the menu. I usually don't like going to Buckhead, but this is going on the rotation.

• Pros: Excellent range of carnivorous fare
• Cons: Slightly packed seating

07/29/08

Worst experience at a restaurant to date....geez, what is happening to Atlanta?

by benhallen at Citysearch

I attempted to have dinner here last Saturday night and ended up having the worst experience I've ever had in a restaurant. I'm easy-to-please and always diplomatic, but this was just insane. Entered the tiny space and was told that the wait would be 30-40mins and that we could stand in line or wait in the bar and have apps first. Ordered apps-they were average, though the carbonara was tasty-and waited for about 45 mins for a table.

Flagged down the hostess who informed us that, actually, in order to sit at a table and have dinner, we'd have to stand in a line, right on top of the other dinners and in a very narrow hallway. In addition, we must close tab at bar while waiting.

So, by design, they are asking you to 1) wait like your at an LA nightclub, 2) not drink while you wait, 3) make other diners uncomfortable by watching you salivate over their plates.

Closed tab, our group got up, waited in line for another 30 mins while watching the chef make famous cheeseburger through the window in the kitchen. Finally seated, our very polite server informed us that the cheeseburger we had to come to taste was sold out, BY DESIGN!!! They only make 20 of them in a night? This ain't LA honey!

Got up and left the restaurant, the hostess tried to smooth it over, but it was too late. My date was about to convulse in hunger pangs. She the informed us that she's the owner too! Note to restaurant owners of Atlanta: Treat your customers like cattle and they won't come back ! Also, the owner should NEVER be the hostess, though, to her credit, she did give us a gift certificate to Eugene, though we won't be using it anytime soon.

Went to the Vortex, had a fantastic bison burger served promptly and with a smile by a dude with lots of tattoos and funny jokes. We should have known better than to go to such a hyped-up place for a simple meal!

• Pros: The valet was really nice.
• Cons: Small space, less than gracious staff, only 20 burgers!

07/29/08

worst service i have experienced in atlanta

by thesaddlefunk at Citysearch

this place stinks. we waited 5 minutes for someone to great us at the entrance, and put in our name with the hostess (who turned out to be the owner.) she told us to wait in the bar and have some apps. so we went into the ridiculously crowded bar and ate some okay apps - carbonera, catfish fingers... nothing to write home about.

we got tired of waiting, and seeked out the hostess, who told us we had to WAIT IN LINE in the hallway for a table after we'd already waited an hour and a half. they proceeded to seat a couple (the guy was wearing short jean shorts with a tee shirt tucked in) in front of us, and the bartender refused to let us keep our tab open while we waited in the hallway. so we closed out the tab.

we then sat down and were told by the waitress they were out of HAMBURGERS after we had spent the last hour salivating over the supposed-signature item. more than 2 hours, several mediocre drinks, and raging empty stomachs later, we decided to leave.

the owner met us outside at valet and tried to ease our anger with a gift certificate. and as she was blabbing excuses, the waitress had the nerve to wave my empty beer glass out the door and ask if we had time to pay for the drinks (which of course we had paid for)! we were irate.

i'm not in a junior high cafeteria. don't make me stand in line for a table. don't turn away my money when i want another drink standing in said line. don't tease me with supposedly awesome burgers that you only make 10 of a night. and don't insult me by screaming out "did you pay for your drinks?" to the entire restaurant and parking lot.

this restaurant needs to learn manners and social graces first. then we'll worry about the average food and terrible service. don't go.

• Cons: service, service, service

07/02/08

Terrific

by wmfatlanta4 at Citysearch

Delicious food, great service and beautiful atmosphere. This restaurant/pub has quickly become one of my favorites.

One of Atlanta's finest chefs takes it deep into the night with a stunning small-plates pub.

by Jonathan Baker at Citysearch

In Short
This is not really a pub, folks. Sandwiching the valet stand with its next door sister-spot Restaurant Eugene, this crescent-moon shaped "public house" glimmers with glass and steel as if a pub landed in a Ritz Carlton. The menu is designed to share, and unlike its older, pricier sibling, Holeman and Finch is reasonably affordable. Steak tartar comes shaped like a hamburger patty; its potent mustard flavor calmed by the raw quail egg that rests in the middle. Poor southern staples fried bologna and crispy pig ears get fancied up for the masses and a variety of delicacies like pork belly and sweetbreads dominate the meat-heavy menu. In true southern fashion wash down that pimento cheese plate with a Coke cocktail dubbed "the perfect serve," a mix of Coke, fernet branca amaro and a single homemade lime ice cub.