On entering the newly rebuilt and redesigned Hog and Hominy the other night, co-owner Michael Hudman told his wife how the restaurant has an “old Art Deco diner feel.”
From the silver metal lettered sign out front to the fluted light fixtures in the dining room and just the general vibe, the new Hog and Hominy indeed has a diner feel — a diner that serves Neapolitan-inspired pizzas instead of patty melts.
The new Hog and Hominy opens to the public Friday, November 5th.
After a fire January 9th, 2020, the new Hog and Hominy, one of the many restaurants owned by Hudman and Andrew Ticer, was rebuilt. It’s about twice as large, says general manager Evan Potts. They expanded the restaurant as far as it would go in all directions, he says. Now, entering the restaurant on the right front instead of on the left side, diners will see the bar in a separate but open area on the right and the dining room on the left.
J. D. Caldwell with Carlton Edwards Architects was lead architect. Natalie Lieberman of Collect + Curate did the interior design.
Ticer loved the fact they had a “blank slate” to work with. They were able to “reimagine” the restaurant without being confined to the former “three bedroom house” they originally had with the pre-fire structure. They were able to “think out of the box.”
Justin Solberg is chef de cuisine at the restaurant. The fare will include “Neapolitan-inspired pizza,” Potts says. “We like to have that wood fire crust that has that little bit of toothsome-ness to it. The chew, if you will. And super thin in the middle to showcase what we put on top.”
There will be new pizzas as well as old favorites, including the Thunderbird and Red Eye.
The pizzas will be the entrees. They also will serve snacks and small plates — “Little things to share for the table.”
And, Potts says, “We do a lot of fun takes on traditional Italian fare. We like to twist it. Like taking the idea of eggplant parmesan and substituting pork belly. Italian ideas and twisting them and putting the little Southern spin on it like we do.”
They will continue to serve their craft cocktails, which Hog and Hominy is known for. For instance, Potts says, “The same old fashioned where we make the orange bitters in house.”
They also got their own barrel of Maker’s Mark whiskey from Empire Distributors to make their old fashioned cocktails.
Hog and Hominy also does its own take on the dirty martini, but instead of the usual olive juice, they make their own brine using shishito peppers, which gives it more of a “vegetable flavor,” Potts says. “You’ll still have the salty flavor, but it adds a whole other depth of flavor to it.”
Hog and Hominy is at 707 West Brookhaven Circle; (901) 207-7396
