Anyone From Birmingham

[epicurean905]

I am relatively new to eGullet and I am searching for fellow Birmingham residents. I would love to hear what y'all feel about the Birmingham restaurant scene, grocereies, festivals, wine tastings, etc. What of these are your favorites? Highland's, Gus' Hot Dogs on 2nd? Want to hear what everyone is experiencing so I can follow suit!

[Gifted Gourmet]

one thread on Birmingham ...

another thread with Birmingham locals represented

We do have a few members on eGullet from this city!!

Two websites to check out as well:

Birmingham Dining.com

Birmingham Menus.com

[afn33282]

I am relatively new to eGullet and I am searching for fellow Birmingham residents.  I would love to hear what y'all feel about the Birmingham restaurant scene, grocereies, festivals, wine tastings, etc. What of these are your favorites?  Highland's, Gus' Hot Dogs on 2nd?  Want to hear what everyone is experiencing so I can follow suit!

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Until I moved I preferred Pete's Famous Hot Dogs on 2nd? 4th? The couple that runs it is lovely. And when you finished your dog the fellow would fix you with an intent, almost hypnotic almost-glare and almost-bark "Ready for another?" And of course, suddenly, you were. Priceless. Gotta drink the grape soda with those things, too (I forget the brand).

Golden Palace has the second-best Chinese in town by a long mile. It's a bit of a drive, but rediculously well worth it. The service is genuinely warm and impeccably tight. (Er, may have to edit that?) The food is wonderful. The atmosphere is unpretentious. And the prices are right. Try the Mu Shu and the Mongolian Beef. Perhaps even better is The Red Pearl (945-9558). I post the number because after I was taken there on a date when I was new to town, I found it impossible to locate again. Thank you bhamdining.com. This is traditional Chinese. When you walk in you are greeted with a tank of live eels, etc. Top-notch.

Two true jewels in Birmingham are The Garage and Marty's, both bars. Best atmosphere of any bar, restaurant, or other in the city. Trust me. And Marty's closes when the sun rises, and the music there is always magic. Try their cheeseburgers.

Tangent: I was waiting dinner service at Asagio (don't do it), and at the end of a shift I asked my boss where I could find a good burger in town. He suggested Chili's, and I was like "No, I want a real, greasy brown-bag burger." He seemed to consider me for a moment and he said, "Well, there is Marty's." I knew from the way his eyes glowed that I was onto a big secret. He gave me very bad directions (intentionally, perversely?), and after walking about five blocks I found it. I had just moved from rural Alabama, and when I walked up Marty's looked like the redneck bars in Albertville where I was always wondering if somebody was going to start a fight with your average white-bread kid like me. Then I looked through the glass door and I saw a man inside, smiling. It was a beautiful smile. I thought, "Wow, nobody smiles like that in a place like this," and went in. The crowd was eclectic and low-key and the vibe was heaven and home. The live music was unearthly. The cheeseburger was just right. The kind of cheeseburger you soul cries out for sometimes. No gourmet thing this, but a real burger.

Tangent II: The Garage is called The Garage because the bar is attached to a courtyard is surrounded one-time carriage garages. The bar is managed by one fellow, I believe, and the other partner runs the courtyard. The latter is an antiques dealer, and the courtyard is filled with basins, statues, etc. around the tables and under the trees. And the garages are now glassed-in and filled with more antiques. Apocryphally, the guy will never sell anything; it is a nightmare tracking him down and he sets prices on the stuff to discourage even serious buyers. Edit: They also make quite tasty sandwiches.

There is a little French pastry shop in Homewood? called Rue de Provence run by a medium-sized French pastry chef. They supply baguettes to half the good restaurants in town, while the Continental Bakery in Mountain Brook supplies the other half. Good eats.

Frank Stitt's Highlands Bar and Grill (New/Southeast American fusion) was ranked the fifth best restaurant in the nation by Gourmet magazine in '01 or '02. He also runs Bottega, an Italian place. I didn't eat at either, but did eat at his Chez Fon Fon, their French bistro next door to Highlands (trout amondine, decent but not mind-blowing). Stitt cites Richard Olney as a mentor and I thinks used to stay with with Lulu and Lucien [?] Peyraud, of "Lulu's Provincial Table" (Olney) fame, who mentored Alice Waters and hosted Julia Child, Olney, Kermit Lynch, etc., often. I believe he also cooked at Chez Panisse, but I am not sure about this. The Hot and Hot Fish Club (also New/Southeast American fusion), run by an ex-Stitt chef looks alright, but their food didn't impress me the one time I went there. It is pretty hard-core foodie (sorry, hate that word) food, though, and I may have gotten the wrong dish on the wrong night--I ordered pork loin, I think, and expected depth of flavor. They do have the Peyraud's Domaine Tempier Rose at the bar though. Chef-owner Chris Hastings worked with Bradley Ogden, and Idie Hastings worked at Stars and did pastry for Wolfgang Puck. The staff is pretty hard-core too, in an elitist kind of way, but turnover was reported to be high.

Cosmo's Pizza in Five Points is solid. Davenport's Pizza and Dave's Pizza are pretty good. Sakura Sushi in Five Points is fun. I didn't love Taj India, near Five Points, but they do have kulfi (traditional Indian ice cream) in pistachio, mango, and saffron. Quite an experience, that. You taste the kulfi, and then a second and a half later there is a second depth-charge of flavor from the saffron.

Nabeel's Greek cafe in town is excellent. It family-run, has a genuine vibe, and attached to a goods store. The following dessert is great and a nice change: "YANNIS YOGURT--A Greek specialty that you won't find anywhere else and should not pass by. Homemade thick Greek Style (Sakoulas) Yoturt (sic)mixed with pure Athenian Honey and walnuts." It is next to a true-blue used-violin store and repair shop.

Daniel George is another serious restaurant, but one which I have no experience with or opinion on. Ocean has a beautiful interior. Go there, and look through the window. Los Angeles and Sol y Luna were new in '02 but gained a decent reputation quickly.

I also worked at the 11th Ave Grille (now Jim and Nick's Five Points, I think; not serious food, but really good brisket and good pork, chicken, and turkey smoked over hickory and really good people). They are part of the Jim and Nick's local barbeque/etc. chain, who does some not world-class, but really good, stuff. Everything is from scratch and you can taste this. Do NOT miss their pies. Made from scratch every day, including the crust. This is not your typical mediocre diner pie. Best lemon pie and chocolate silk pie I've ever had.

I also worked at Anthony's Italian (now under new management; ask for Curtis to wait on you and tell him Chris sent you), and the Highland Coffee Company. The owner of the last is a prince--the best gerontologist in the city, who will roll up his sleeves and sling a good shot with the rest of the baristas on a busy Friday. He knows how to move behind an espresso bar. Their dubiously-titled general manager I worked under is no longer the general manager. I had to teach her how to steam milk. I can't speak for the quality of their coffee, as I don't know who manages quality control now, and they were relatively new when I worked for them four years ago. If they still shake in and strain their iced mochas out of martini shakers, to maximize volume of super-cold drink served for the money, you can thank me. They used to whip their whipped cream with a stand mixer, a nice touch, and used to mix in a pinch of ground espresso. Um, the mocha chocolate used to be Hershey's. Avoid the whole-bean Papua New Guinea, everything else was decent. And how could I forget O'Henry's. They roast there own beans, have good specialty (read "creative"), and have a real neighborhood atmosphere. Sit outside at a sidewalk table and watch the world go by.

For chain barbeque I liked Full Moon. O.T.'s has very good sweet wings, a big ol' basket of them, for a fair price. V. Richard's is a good local gourmet grocery store, who will discount mixed cases of wine. Julia Child once lauded Cobb Lane's she-crab soup.

There is a convenience store on Highland Ave. (?) west of Five Points which sells cigarettes from around the world at fair prices. It is next to a combination gyro shop/laundromat.

Please resist the seemingly-uniquely Birminghamian tendancy to pluralize the names of all restaurants, etc. named in the singular ("Bottega's", etc.).

And on a final note, go see the local band The Cast/Glen and Libba at least once (funk/soul. Just try not to dance. It's impossible). It won't be the last time. And tell them Chris, "The man who will dance by himself," sent you. And Downright, even though they lost a key member, was worth seeing too. The are all UAB music students/graduates and the drummer is a UAB percussion professor, and they really work the three/four part harmonies. I got turned on to them when I read that they did an all-Beastie Boys New Year's show once. They play an unlikely and thoroughly satisfying selection of cover songs, and some originals. And if you like to dance and are not homophobic go to The Quest (mixed crowd), or to The Station (straight; mostly hardcore rave kids).

Edited to add The Red Pearl and O'Henry's.

Edited again to add Sakura.

And once more for Taj India's kulfi.

Edited yet again for Dave's and Davenport's.

Another for The Garage's sandwiches.

Edited July 3, 2005 by afn33282 (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

afn, you are nothing short of amazing in your knowledge of the food aspects of Birmingham! I may just have to take a tour of that city's dining one day soon myself because you made it sound incredibly appealing! Thank you for this most informative post!

[afn33282]

afn, you are nothing short of amazing in your knowledge of the food aspects of Birmingham!  I may just have to take a tour of that city's dining one day soon myself because you made it sound incredibly appealing! Thank you for this most informative post!

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You're welcome, and thank you.

[dls]

afn, you are nothing short of amazing in your knowledge of the food aspects of Birmingham!  I may just have to take a tour of that city's dining one day soon myself because you made it sound incredibly appealing! Thank you for this most informative post!

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I concur. I don't live in Birmingham but travel there frequently on business. Normally stay at the Tutwiller. I've been to a couple of places you mentioned but was kind of giving up on the dining / nightlife scene in Birmingham. Just printed your post and put in my briefcase for my next trip in a couple of weeks. Thanks much.

[epicurean905]

afn, dear God! You are a veritable fountain of information! Indeed, we love the same places in Birmingham. And you are right- it is Pete's on 2nd, not Gus'. I love that man. The Red Pearl is fantastic and for anyone who is interested in real-deal Chinese, it is on West Valley Ave. Spent many nights (mornings) at Marty's with patty melt in drunken hand. And I love the Cast, as well. Libba is my ex-boyfriend's ex-girlfriend... Anyway, wish you still lived here. Any man who dances by himself and knows all the hot spots...By the way, where is the Golden Palace?

[Gifted Gourmet]

By the way, where is the Golden Palace?

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Golden Palace is actually in the Eastwood Festival Center on Crestwood Blvd ... does this help?

[epicurean905]

By the way, where is the Golden Palace?

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Golden Palace is actually in the Eastwood Festival Center on Crestwood Blvd ... does this help?

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Thanks, Melissa. As familiar as I am with Birmingham , I did not even know Golden Palace existed. I am excited about the prospect. Thanks.