Advice & TIps

Eat | Offal

Parts That Should Be Appreciated More | Sweetbreads

Sweetbreads are the gateway drug. Once you get people hooked on sweetbreads, then you get passed the idea of what parts are gross and what parts are okay in the world of eating. It’s a little hypocritical to think that one part is somehow superior than another, it’s all the same. If you’re going to eat animal, what is the difference from gnawing on a foot and a muscle that is in the back?

Eat | Burgers

What Makes The Perfect Hamburger

Caramelization

I like the caramelization of the meat and I like the caramelization on the crust of the bread, I think that is important.

Burger To Bun Ratio

I’m a big believer in burger to bun ratio. I think when you finish your last bite of bun, there should be a little bit of all the other elements in there. The burger is the ultimate every bite is the one bite experience.

Two Patties

I like two patties, where the cheese can melt in-between the two patties and create this wonderful cheese sauce texture in there. It’s 8 ounces of total meat, 2 four ounce patties.

Condiments

I like mustard, ketchup, pickles and onions on my cheeseburgers. We spread some butter on our bread and toast it on the griddle. I think toasting the bread is key to any great burger. It’s the whole synergy, you don’t want cold bread with your burger.

Cheese | Kraft American Cheese

I wanted this to be an iconic burger, not a chefs-truffled-gouda-brioche burger. I wanted that melt quality that American cheese has.

When I put cheddar on a burger, the cheddar sort of overwhelms the burger. American cheese really just lays in there and plays off the fat and the beef, the onion and the mustard, and it just works for me.

That’s why it’s a memory burger. Every time I eat that burger, I’m like 8 years old.

Recommendations

Find | Condiments

Mayonnaise | Duke’s

I love Duke’s mayonnaise -- it has no sugar. It’s simple, it’s eggs, vinegar, salt and oil. For me, I trust ingredients I can pronounce. I believe you should have fewer ingredients in food.

Soy Sauce and Worcestershire Sauce | Bourbon Barrel Foods

I’ve recently fallen in love with the soy sauce from Bourbon Barrel Foods in Kentucky. It has a tannin quality that I really like. I made a bitter orange ponzu with it and it plays off citrus really well. It’s very strong, so I don’t really use it for pure dipping, but in the ponzu it really came through.

Pickles and Beets | Brooklyn Brine Co.

I call to task the big time pickle industry, because they put preservatives in pickles. The whole point of pickling is to preserve. Brooklyn Brine would be a classic for me for purchasing pickles. I just love it!

I also love their beets. I have to tell you that I grew up despising the canned beets that my mom made, straight out of the can, but now pickled beets have to be one of my favorites and I think theirs is absolutely delicious.

Anchovy Paste | Gentleman’s Relish

Gentleman’s Relish is something I love. It’s pounded anchovies with pepper and spice and butter and you spread it on toast. I’m of English heritage on my father’s side and I sort of wanted a nod to the sense of England in the South on my menu.

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Chef’s Recs | Atlanta

Find | Markets & Food Stores

The Bakery at Cakes & Ale

Billy Allin has a new market attached to his restaurant Cakes & Ale.

Dekalb Farmers Market

It’s every vegetable you can imagine tied into different ethnic cuisines. You go there and you see every culture that is in Atlanta. It’s huge.

Star Provisions

It’s owned by Anne Quatrano (Bacchanalia, Float Away Cafe, Abbattoir) and they have a little lunch place there that is probably my number one spot. They have a cheese cave that is the best in the city. You can get soft serve ice cream with olive oil and sea salt and wonderful coffee, cakes and breads. It’s just awesome.

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Eat | Restaurants

Restaurants I’d Take A Visiting Chef

Bacchanalia

I love taking friends here and sitting at the bar. You can order a la carte and get a great cheese place or sit at a table and have a full six-course experience. I think the place is wonderful. Chef and owner Anne Quatrano is a hero of mine for how she built a culture of farms coming to restaurants in Atlanta. In this age when there is a lot of hype around food, I think she gets it.

Bocado

Todd Ginsberg is the chef and he is extremely talented and has really good food. They are renowned for the cheeseburger, it’s delicious. It’s a double patty burger. Often I’ll get soup. I like their butternut squash soup and their salads.

Cakes & Ale

Good for reservations, but also for walking in. Billy Allin is the chef and he is phenomenally talented. He is the kind of chef that is always in the kitchen and he is really solid. He and his wife own the restaurant.

Floataway Cafe

It’s has a relaxed, every day casual nature. There is a chicken liver dish with onions and balsamic on toast. The chicken liver’s juices get into the bread, that is grilled with rosemary. It’s wonderful. Great hospitality.

JCT Kitchen

It’s open and airy and wonderful for lunch. You can get a great chicken salad sandwich, they have a great burger and beautiful deviled eggs with country ham all over them. They are just delicious. They’ve got a good bar upstairs with great drinks.

Tomo Japanese Restaurant

I’d take a chef here for sushi.

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Chefs To Know About | Chef Steven Satterfield at Miller’s Union

I love how he thinks about food. I know how he buys all his food, so I trust all his sourcing. It’s honest, with passion and intelligence, warm hospitality and great wine. He’s got a great egg dish and a cauliflower cream that is delicious. He has wonderful sandwiches at lunch. He does ice cream sandwiches at lunch that are pretty iconic. Probably the best ice cream sandwich I’ve ever had.

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Off The Beaten Track

Canton House

I love going to Buford Highway for good dim sum. Canton House brought in dim sum chefs from China.

Honey Pig

It’s a Korean barbecue place, but it’s not like your grandparents Korean barbecue place. You’ve got videos on the wall showing the latest music videos from Korean pop artists. Great food and traditional Korean barbecue in a fast, casual and cool setting. I get the pork belly and they bring out slices of it. They have the griddle right there and they lay it all down with vegetables and bowls of pickles and relishes, an ice cold beer and the music is great.

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Drink | Bars

Northside Tavern

It’s a good blues dive bar.

Pura Vida

Paul Calvert is the bartender and Hector Santiago is the chef. Great cocktails and you can get a bunch of different tastes to eat. I always get the foie gras.

Woodfire Grill

Great wine and bar program with two great bartenders Blake and Blake, the twins... even though they’re not twins. Go to the front room, you can get a full menu too.

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Chef’s Recs | Around The Country

Eat | Restaurants

Charleston | FIG

I just love FIG.

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Nashville | City House

Chef Tandy Wilson is a great guy with great food. Similar to the way chef Mike Lata at FIG is exploring the Italian connection by using Southern ingredients, same thing with Tandy. He has a pizza oven and he works on his own charcuterie.

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New York | Momofuku

David Chang’s food at Momofuku is very bright with herbs, judicious use of fats, and a real savory, total mouth experience.

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Los Angeles | Animal

What I love about Animal is not that it’s all about meat, I think the vegetables and the refined sauce is what sets Animal apart for me. I had a hamachi salad that was really mind-blowing. I could have been in the best Japanese restaurant in the world. Crisp and great acid and very herbal.

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Recipes

- Veal Brains with Black Butter

Recommendations

Details of Linton Hopkins’ recommendations for where to eat, drink and shop in Atlanta, Charleston, Nashville, New York and Los Angeles.

City Guides

- Atlanta: Download

- Charleston City Guide: Online | Download

- Los Angeles: Download

- New York | Manhattan: Download