Ovenbird – Birmingham, AL

I am always raving about the food scene in Birmingham, Alabama. People just do not think about this small southern city being so dominant in the food scene. I have written about Chris Hastings other restaurant Hot & Hot Fish Club before. Now I had an opportunity to try his other restaurant Ovenbird.

As soon as I walked up to the restaurant’s front doors I could smell the smoker that was outside. It made me so hungry.

They have great outdoor seating, whether it’s at one of their tables or around a fire pit. It was too cold when I visited so I passed on being outside.

When I walked in I noticed they have two large wood fire ovens. It made the restaurant smell wonderful as well as warm it up.

  

I glanced over their menu while enjoying a Moscow mule. Everything on the menu is meant to be shared. This is my favorite way to eat. It allows me to try so many different dishes without getting too stuffed.

First out were the deviled eggs. These eggs were cut completely different from how I normally see them. Instead of long ways from top to bottom, these eggs were cut in half. The egg filing was made with Anchovy and had a nice green color rather than the traditional yellow. The filling was layered on top of Romesco, which is a nut and red pepper based sauce. On top of each was curtido, which is fermented cabbage relish. This reminded me of sauerkraut and added a tangy taste to the egg.

Up next was the tuna avocado toast. The fresh bread was spread with smashed avocado, chunks of tuna, pickled onion, jalapeño radish, and herbs. There was a slight spice to this dish. The tuna was very fresh and tender. It melted in my mouth.

Before I could even finish the tuna toast the shishitos came out. I had never had these before and was excited to try. Shishitos are a sweet pepper and their green color was very vibrant. These were roasted with toasted benne seed, espelette (a French pepper), and egg yolk. The shishitos were very tender and sweet. The roasted skins added extra flavor to each bite.

The roasted broccoli sounded wonderful. Because it would be cooked in one of their fire ovens I knew there would be great added flavor. The broccoli was cooked with brown butter, Marcona almonds, and avocado. The overall taste was both salty and tangy.

The shaved Brussels sprouts acted like a salad to me. The sprouts ere blended with Manchego cheese, buttermilk dressing, and jamon serrano. It was very similar to a coleslaw. The Brussels sprouts were not bitter at all, which is what I was expecting. On top it was accented with a few Mandarin oranges that added a nice citrus taste.

If you like Ceviche I would highly recommend their by-catch ceviche. It was fresh red-snapper, yucca, sweet drop pepper, and lime. The snapper was soft and moist. There was a slight spice to the overall dish which was extremely refreshing.

The last dish out was the beef shoulder. It came on top of roasted vegetables that included sweet potatoes. The beef was super tender. I was able to cut it with a butter knife. The meat was very buttery in flavor. It was a perfect ending to the meal.

They did offer a few desserts but after seven dishes there was no way I could eat another bite. I would definitely go back to try more of the other dishes. My waitress did say that the menu changes so I look forward to the new surprises.

Check out Ovenbird at http://www.ovenbirdrestaurant.com/

Enjoy!

T