Mr. P’s Deli – Birmingham, AL

One of my great friends told me about a deli that was a must try. Heading up the mountain to Bluff Park between Birmingham and Hoover, Alabama is where I came across the little place called Mr. P’s Deli. It is a deli, butcher shop, and market all in one.

You can get an array of sandwiches to either eat there or take home.

Want to cook some fresh steaks or pork chops at home? Mr. P’s has you covered.

Need a bottle of wine to go with that steak? They have a nice selection of wine to choose from.

I stopped in at lunchtime and was exited to try one of their sandwiches. It was a tough choice but I finally picked the Big Italian Sub. It is a 1/3 pound sandwich packed with ham, salami, and provolone cheese on a white hoagie roll. It was the perfect size for lunch.

The sub came out toasty warm. The cheese was perfectly melted between the meats. The hoagie roll was fresh and soft, it made taking a bite so easy. They drizzled a balsamic vinegar dressing on one side of the hoagie roll. It added a sweet and tangy taste to the salty meats. Plus, the sub came with a crunchy dill pickle.

This was a great find and I am so glad my friend told me about it. I look forward to going back for another sandwich. Check out all their options at http://www.mrpdeli.com/

Enjoy!

T

 

Gianmarco’s – Birmingham, AL

I have written about several awesome restaurants throughout Birmingham. Just when I thought I had visited all the hot spots, I was told about an Italian restaurant that was a must try. Gianmarco’s is a small restaurant located in the Homewood area. The parking lot is tiny so be prepared to possibly have to park on the street.

As soon as I walked in I could smell pizza and garlic. It made me even hungrier than I already was. The entrance takes you through their car area. It’s a small space but if you are looking for a quick bite to eat or an after work cocktail, this would be perfect.

   

I had a table in the main dining room. As I walked through my eyes glanced into the kitchen. That is where I saw the wood fire oven. After seeing that hot over, I am certain that their pizza is amazing.

I started off with the Pasta Fagioli soup. It was the perfect size portion to start the meal off. The soup had great flavor. The broth was very creamy. The parmesan cheese that was melted on top added a little saltiness to the broth. There was a generous amount of vegetables in the soup. I loved all the cannellini beans that were in it.

I was in the mood for pasta for my main dish. Every option on Gianmarco’s menu sounded delicious. I knew no matter what I chose it would be amazing. So after a quick game of eenie-meenie-miney-mo in my head I decided to order the Rigatoni Quattro Formaggio.

The first bite of the rigatoni made my heart just melt. It was so rich and creamy. The sauce had a combination of four cheese mixed with some heavy cream. It was an adult version of macaroni and cheese. The pancetta that was on top added texture to the sauce. The richness of this dish filled me up quickly.

Unfortunately, I got too full from my pasta and soup so I was not able to try any desserts. I am certain that I will be returning, not just for dessert but to try on of their other dishes.

I would recommend Gianmarco’s to anyone. You can check them out on their Facebook page at facebook.com/Gianmarcos

I would recommend that you make a reservation since the restaurant is small. To see their menu visit http://www.birminghamrestaurants.com/

Enjoy!

T

Rock n Roll Sushi – Hoover, AL

It had been a while since I had sushi and I was hungry for it. A friend of mine at work recommended I try her favorite sushi restaurant, Rock n Roll Sushi.

Just by the name I could tell that the theme of the restaurant would be music. Sure enough, when I walked in I saw guitars and posters decorating the walls.

  

I sat at the bar so I could watch them make all the different rolls. They have a large menu of creative rolls named after different bands and artists, like the KISS Roll or the Elvis Roll.

I started off with their ginger salad. It’s the typical style salad that I get at other Japanese restaurants. The difference here is they make their own ginger dressing. It was a creamy dressing that was similar to a yum-yum sauce.

I also shared some mini eggrolls. These had chicken in them and were served with a great sweet chili sauce. They were the perfect size appetizer.

The roll I went with was the RNR roll. It’s eel and avocado topped with eel sauce. I love eel sauce. It is sweet and tastes good on so many things. The eel was fresh and tender. I liked he creamy texture of the avocado paired with the eel.

Since that one roll was not filling enough I ordered their tuna twister. It is spicy tuna wrapped with sliced avocado and drizzled with their sweet chili sauce. They were also topped with crunchy flakes. The presentation was beautiful.

The avocado was sliced so thin that it just melted in my mouth. The tuna naturally was the star of the dish. It was so fresh I would have thought it was just pulled from the ocean. They chopped it up into small bite size pieces. It too just melted in my mouth. The sweet chili sauce was fantastic on the tuna. It enhanced the flavor of the tuna.

I loved everything that I ordered and I cannot wait to go back for more. I highly recommend Rock n Roll Sushi. Visit their website at: www.rnrsushi.com

Enjoy!

T