Category: Alabama

Avondale Common House – Birmingham, AL

I have written about Avondale Common House before. When I was back in Birmingham I knew I wanted to make another visit.

As always I sat at the bar. The service there is top notch. It was great to see the same bar staff from my last visit.

     

I started off with a strawberry smash. This was a newer drink on the menu. They used gin with fresh strawberries and mint with a splash of sprite. The strawberries were the star of this cocktail. They were muddled so that the flavor was released. This helped hide the taste of the gin. Toward the bottom of the drink the hint of mint shined through.

What I remembered from my previous visit was that the Kung Pao cauliflower was fantastic. I ordered them again because it was good for sharing. The cauliflower was cut into small pieces which were breaded and deep fried. The have the perfect crispy texture. They were covered in the Kung Pao sauce which is where the heat came from. The sauce added a salty taste to the dish as well. There were chopped up cashews mixed in with the cauliflower that I forgot about; they added crunch and not a whole lot of extra flavor.

For my main course I ordered the shrimp and grits. My bartender said it was one of their most popular dishes. The grits were creamy, cheesy, and slightly salty. They piled on the shrimp and andouille sausage and then covered in a creamy sauce. What I was not expecting was the fried egg on top. I took the egg off and ate it separately.

The shrimp had a great grilled taste to them. The sausage had a wonderful savory taste. The shrimp and sausage tasted great on their own but paired extremely well when eaten with the creamy grits.

I am glad I got to make another visit to Avondale Common House. They were just as good as I remembered. Visit them at www.avondalecommonhouse.com

    

Enjoy!

T

Avondale Brewing Company – Birmingham, AL

Just down the street from Avondale Common House in Birmingham is a brewery by the name of Avondale Brewing Company.

They are located in a cool old building that had many uses over the last 100 years.

They are a full blown craft brewery that has a huge menu to choose from. They have everything from IPA’s to high gravity tripels.

     

I always enjoy visiting the brewery. It is a great place to hang out with friends. I enjoyed a glass of their Mill at White. It was light with a hoppy taste.

They do not serve food but on the weekends they sometimes have food trucks that park out back where they have seating and an amphitheater for live music.

Avondale Brewing Company has several of their beers in restaurants and other bars all over Birmingham. However, I find it the most enjoyable to have it at the source.

If you enjoy beer, you definitely should check out Avondale Brewery. www.avondalebrewing.com

Enjoy!

T

Urban Pops – Hoover, AL

With the temperatures rising outside, the best way to cool off is with a popsicle. Urban Pops satisfies with an assortment of homemade popsicles. They offer creamy and juice styles. They are made fresh and it’s possible they will be sold out of a flavor when you visit because of their popularity.

     

     

I visited them on three separate occasions so  I could try three different flavors.

For my first visit I went for the Cookies and Cream.

The ice cream was super creamy. The flavor of Oreo was throughout the ice cream.

They also included a full size Oreo cookie in the middle. It was like dunking the cookie in an ice cold glass of milk.

On my second visit I went for one of their juice popsicles, Strawberry.

There was a great sweetness and there were fresh slices of strawberries throughout. This version was extremely refreshing.

For my third visit I chose the Banana Pudding.

The ice cream was even creamier than the cookies and cream. The banana flavor was exactly what you would find in an actually banana pudding dessert.

They even included full size vanilla wafers in the pop.

They really captured the essences of the dessert.

There are so many more flavors I want to try. This place is great. The owners are extremely friendly. They really remember their customers as soon as you walk in. Definitely check them out either at their shop or find out where their food truck will be.

http://urbanpopsbham2.wixsite.com/pops

Enjoy!

T

Yuki – Hoover, AL

There is a Japanese restaurant that I had passed by for a while but never tried. Well, I finally decided to check out Yuki in Hoover, Alabama.

The majority of the restaurant is filled with hibachi tables. It is perfect if you are going with a big group. I was not there for hibachi. I wanted something off their regular menu. Luckily they had a few tables I could sit at.

I started off with their ginger salad. This has become a tradition for me to always start with this. Their fresh lettuce was covered in a creamy ginger dressing. It reminded me of a yum yum sauce I usually get with the grilled vegetables at the hibachi table.

Since I was there by myself I knew that whatever I ordered there would be leftovers. But Asian food leftovers are my favorite and are always perfect for lunch the next day.

The chicken lettuce wraps are diced up into bite size pieces, along with water chestnuts, onions, and pine nuts. The sauce had the flavor of sesame oil which added a slight nutty taste. They served it alongside large leaves of iceberg lettuce. The lettuce added extra crunch and helped cut down on the saltiness.

There were a few noodle dishes on the menu. I went for the Yaki Udon. The udon noodles were thick and cooked perfectly. They were stir fried with carrots, onions, broccoli, and mushrooms.

The chicken they used was all white meat that was thinly sliced. The meat had a smoky taste from the wok it was cooked in. The sauce tied it all together by being both salty and sweet.

I am glad I finally stopped into Yuki. It is a good place and all the families that were there seemed to really enjoy the hibachi tables.

Check them out at http://yuki-japanese-restaurant.business.site/

Enjoy!

T

Jackson’s – Homewood, AL

I have written about Jackson’s a few years ago. I really enjoyed myself the last time I was there so I was looking forward to going back.

What I remembered about my last visit is that they make a great sangria. It’s a fun layered sangria that I have not seen anywhere else.

It is not too sweet; it’s a great blend of red wine, orange juice, pineapple juice, and a splash of grenadine. It tastes best after mixing up all the layers. It is a shame I had to mess up the rainbow layers.

I made sure to order the Brussels sprouts. They were sprinkled with lemon juice and had Parmesan cheese crumbled on top. The cheese was crispy but the Brussels sprouts themselves were not. What I remembered from last time is they put them in the wood fire oven, but this time they did not. I wish this batch would have been prepared that way.

I also ordered their Buffalo Feathers to try something new. These were unique and very different from typical chicken “fingers”. They took shredded chicken breasts which were flash-fried to be crispy, and there was no breading. They then tossed the chicken in a Nashville hot sauce. But to me the sauce tasted more like a classic Buffalo wing sauce. The chicken came with a dill ranch dip. This had a crisp taste, full of dill flavor.

I am glad I got to visit Jackson’s again. The food and drinks were just a good as I remembered. Check them out at www.jacksonsbarandbistro.com

Enjoy!

T

 

Okinawa – Homewood, AL

I have already written about this little Japanese place in Homewood, Alabama called Okinawa. I had gone there previously for lunch and this visit I was there for dinner. I knew that I would not be disappointed and thought my parents would enjoy it too.

The staff is so friendly. They were so welcoming as soon as I walked through the door. The place was packed for dinner but fortunately they had a table for us.

We started off with the spring roll appetizer. They call them Harumaki on the menu. These are perfect for sharing. They are three spring rolls that are cut in half. They are extremely flavorful with a thin, crispy wrapper. They come with a perfect sweet and sour sauce on the side.

I ordered the Hibachi chicken for dinner. It comes with a lot of food. Needless to say I ended up having a take-out box at the end of the meal.

As with all Hibachi meals it all starts with a bowl of soup and a salad with ginger dressing.

The salad came with a creamy ginger dressing. It still had that little kick with from the ginger that tasted wonderful with the fresh, crispy lettuce.

The soup was fantastic. It had a lot of savory flavor. There were slices of mushrooms and crunchy dried onion pieces. The onions added additional flavor and saltiness. I could have eaten an even larger bowl of this soup. It would have been amazing with Udon noodles in it.

My Hibachi dinner plate came out and the plate was packed with food. There was teriyaki chicken that had a great sweet and salty taste. All the meat was moist chicken breast. The dinner came with two of their grilled shrimp. I love Hibachi style grilled shrimp; the taste and texture is perfect when it is paired with the teriyaki sauce.

Then there are the sautéed mixed vegetables. They offered an assortment of mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini, and carrots. These taste amazing with the ginger sauce and the creamy Yum-Yum sauce that they serve on the side.

And of course, no dinner would be complete without fried rice. It is a simple mix of fried egg, rice, onion, and soy sauce. It’s great flavor for just a few ingredients. I could eat fried rice as a meal any day of the week.

I always enjoy my meals at Okinawa, whether it’s a Hibachi dinner or a sushi lunch. They never disappoint me. It is a must visit if you are in Homewood, Alabama. Check them out at http://www.okinawasushiusa.com/

Enjoy!

T

 

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

 

 

 

Slice – Birmingham, AL

Everyone has a favorite restaurant. In Birmingham, my favorite place is Slice. I have written about them multiple times before. I could not pass up another opportunity.

Like each of my previous visits, I started off with a sangria. I always enjoy them because the red is not super sweet and it pairs well with pizza and pasta.

  

Speaking of pasta, one of the reason I wanted to visit Slice was because I was craving their Brown Butter pasta. It is a simple dish that is on the appetizer portion of the menu. It is the perfect size to me.

This pasta is cooked with butter and is loaded with roasted garlic, tomatoes, and bacon. This pasts is not heavy because there really is no sauce. The bacon adds crunch. The roasted garlic, that are full cloves, are completely soft and full of powerful flavor.

Another reason I love this pasta dish is because it reminds me of being a kid. When I was young I loved eating pasta noodles with just melted butter. I enjoyed the salty taste.

There was something new on the menu this visit. They offered something called Redneck Poutine. Now I love poutine so I was very curious how they were going to do their version. They started with a base of great tasting French fries that were smothered in chili, cheese curd, and shredded cheddar cheese.

Though they used cheese curds, this dish was more like chili cheese fries. They were still really good. They would be perfect to munch on while watching football or basketball on TV. They would go better with a beer than a sangria.

I will continue to recommend Slice. Visit their website at http://www.slicebirmingham.com/ and see you there.

Enjoy!

T

Avondale Common House – Birmingham, AL

I have written about several great restaurants in the Avondale area of Birmingham, Alabama. There is another new place I have added to the list – Avondale Common House. I had visited them before for cocktails but this was the first time I have eaten there.

The restaurant was booming. There were hardly any seats left. I lucked out and was able to get one of the last seats at the bar. I got a great view into the kitchen which was extremely busy. Those cooks were constantly creating different dishes. It all smelled so wonderful.

I started off with one of their specialty cocktails. I ordered the Raspberry Gin & Fizz. I am not a gin fan but the bartender said this was one of her favorite drinks so I decided to take a chance. The gin was mixed with raspberry syrup, fresh lime, and soda. This drink was surprisingly sweet, but not too sweet. I could not taste the gin at all. The raspberry is what stood out. The splash of soda they use added the right amount of bubbles to make the drink fun.

One of the menu items that stood out to me was the Loaded Totchos. These were loaded tater tots. They were covered with crispy pieces of bacon, green onions, queso, and sour cream. This was definitely something that needed to be eaten with a fork.

This dish had all the necessary ingredients for nachos and a loaded baked potato. It was the perfect blend of both dishes. The tater tots were crispy on the outside but then drenched in creamy queso. The bacon added even more salty taste and crunch. The sour cream added a slight tangy taste. It was a fun dish to start with.

My second cocktail was another one of their most popular – Spring Street Smash. It was a tongue-twister to order. It combined vodka with muddles basil, cucumber, lemonade, and topped with saison. The taste was slightly bitter, especially compared to my first drink. By the second sip I could taste the freshness of the cucumber.

The wonderful scents coming out of their kitchen continued to make me hungry. I glanced over their menu again and my eyes fell upon the Crispy Kung Pao Cauliflower.

They fried up bite size pieces of fresh cauliflower. It was tossed in a teriyaki sauce that was both sweet and salty. They also threw in red peppers and scallions. The peppers added the heat that gives the dish the “Kung Pao”. This dish also had chopped up cashews in it, so if you have a cashew allergy beware of this dish.

It had been a long time since I had fried cauliflower. It is also not something you see on many menus. I really enjoyed how the breading soaked up the sauce. It helped cut back some of the bitterness that cauliflower can sometimes have. The cashews added a hearty crunch. It was an interesting and creative take of Asian ingredients.

Avondale Common House was a fun place to visit. They were constantly busy while I was there. The bartenders are extremely friendly and make wonderful drink recommendations. I would highly suggest you check them out if you are ever in Birmingham. Visit their website at http://avondalecommonhouse.com/

Enjoy!

T

 

Brad’s Bar-B-Que – Oxford, AL

If you are driving between Atlanta, Georgia and Birmingham, Alabama along Interstate 20, you will drive through the town of Oxford, Alabama. This is the perfect place to stop during your drive because it is about the halfway point between each city.

So while you are stopped I would recommend you visit a local BBQ joint called Bard’s Bar-B-Que.

They have bee serving BBQ to the folks of Oxford since 1988.

The quaint family owned business had every type of meat you could want on the menu, including fried white fish (similar to catfish).

Anyone who has read my blog knows I am a sucker for pulled pork. So naturally I had to try their pulled pork plate. It came with cornbread and two sides. I went for the mac & cheese and the baked beans. These are two sides that always go well with any kind of BBQ.

The pork was pulled but then it was chopped up really fine. Because of how fine it was, it melted in my mouth. when I added their homemade BBQ sauce, I needed to make sure I did not put too much on because it could easily over power the pork.

The baked beans were good. They were cooked in a sweet BBQ sauce. What was different about these beans was instead of using bacon in them, they used ground meat. It added a very subtle taste of beef to the beans. If the mixture was not as sweet as it was I would have thought this was a side of chili.

The mac 7 cheese was a homemade classic. Lots of cheddar cheese melted perfectly to make a creamy cheese sauce that covered the soft pasta noodles.

And do not pass up the cornbread. They come as little muffins and a great with extra BBQ sauce.

This was an awesome pit stop during my drive. I would recommend all travelers make this stop. You can also get the BBQ to go if you want to eat in the car. But do not plan on stopping Sunday or Monday because they are closed those days.

  

Visit their website at http://bradsbbq.vpweb.com/?prefix=www

Enjoy!

T