bhamdining's Profile
Max's Delicatessen revisited -- Birmingham
Love the liver, pastrami and tomato sandwich. And I think it's the only place in town where you can actually get a Chicago-style hot dog with the hot peppers and tomatoes and everything. It is a good thing this is not closer to our house because we would eat it way too much!
Looking for dishes in Birmingham area
Got the following question on our Bhamdining.com blog but I'm at a loss for an answer. Can Chowhounds help?
Can you tell me where (within a 30 mile radius) they have gazpacho soup on their summer menu and/or where we can purchase some to take home? Also are there any restaurant where we can order Snails in Black Bean Sauce?
Birmingham Getting a FLIP BURGER
No, I love the fries at 5 Guys. They are like homemade. And if you like your burgers basic, 5 Guys is good. (Haven't tried Flip yet.)
Moving to Birmingham, AL and need lots of advice (long)
I thought the sandwiches at Kool Korner were delicious (we had a Cuban and a chicken sandwich), and the service, for counter service, was excellent. I never go someplace until they've been open at least a month to avoid those new-restaurant snafus.
Moving to Birmingham, AL and need lots of advice (long)
We have had some fantastic meals at Satterfield's. If you haven't been in the past year or two since Haller Magee took over as chef, you should give it another try. He's young, enthusiastic and talented. Sit up at the chef's counter where you can chat with him -- he's almost frenetic, but if you let him know you'd like to try something more innovative, especially if it's not too busy, you never know what he might come up with just with what's on hand.
I love Highlands, and it is indeed the number one place I would send people, but Haller's approach tends to be a little different. Unlike so many of the chefs in this town, he is not from the Frank Stitt school, so he brings a different approach, including dishes that pay homage to New Orleans, where he lives for several years, and his native Mississippi.
Birmingham Better DIning w/children
We have a 7-year-old, and one of our favorite places is Silver Coin in Hoover. They are very welcoming of children, but at the same time it's not like going to a "family friendly" joint. Nice atmosphere. Indian families tend to eat later and linger over their food, so if you go at the more usual American time you never have to wait for a table.
Crunchy rice in jambalaya and similar dishes
Help! I'm a pretty good cook, and have no problem cooking plain rice. But whenever I try a rice recipe that has other stuff in it, like a jambalaya or a pilaf, the rice always has a hard crunchy center. If I add liquid and cook it until the center is done, by that point the outside is mushy. Anyone have any ideas what I'm doing wrong?
St. Louis bakery
We ended up doing McArthur's, requested a spice cake with cream cheese icing. Good, but a little dry, I thought, and not spicy enough for my taste.
St. Louis bakery
Looking for a nice bakery in the Webster/Kirkwood area to order a birthday cake for my Dad's 70th. His favorites are spice cake and carrot cake. Any suggestions?
Birmingham Cheesehounds
I'd agree with the other posts here. V. Richard's is the best bet since Tria's gone. We do buy cheese at Whole Foods; the selection is larger, but it's generally pre-cut. You can ask for samples, and if you really want them to cut it fresh they will do it.
Birmingham -- Mr. Chen's
Finally went with hubby and daughter and was very impressed. We're not quite as adventurous as some of our fellow hounds here (sorry, couldn't quite handle the texture of the spicy pig ears), but found plenty to love. Definitely had the steam buns after reading the comments here, and they were delicious as promised. The pan-fried dumplings/pot stickers were great, too -- really homemade taste. The Kung Pao Chicken was a very good rendition, and I liked the eggplant with pork and basil hot pot, although that's a LOT of eggplant! I took about half of it home.
Read our review at http://www.bhamdining.com/mr-chens/.
Need St. Louis restaurant for birthday celebration
My dad is celebrating his 70th birthday and we're looking for a nice restaurant where we can make reservations on a Friday night in late July for a party of about 10, including a reasonably well behaved 7 year old. Something not too far from the Webster Groves/Kirkwood area would be nice. One in the party is a nearly-vegetarian (he will eat fish), and we also have diabetics. Suggestions? I don't live in the area and am trying to plan from afar.
Birmingham AL - help from hounds?
If you're not trying to get 30 to 60 all in one restaurant, I'd definitely recommend Bettola (authentic Neopolitan style pizza), which is in the Pepper Place complex near Sloss Furnace. For some down-home meat-and-three and old-fashioned seafood dishes, try Niki's West near the farmer's market just north of downtown.
Lots of good restaurants in the Southside area just south of downtown. I'm sure you've had Highlands Bar and Grill recommended to you, also Chez FonFon next door, and Ocean and 26 around the corner, all in Five Points South. Little Savannah in the Forest Park area of Southside is small but great. Bottega, Veranda on Highland are near each other on Highland Avenue. A couple of pretty good barbecue joints in the area, including Jim 'N Nick's in Five Points and Golden Rule and Moe's Original both in Lakeview.
Homewood might not be too far afield; Jinsei has fantastic sushi but again is small. GianMarco's is great but fills up two weeks ahead of time.
You can read more about all these restaurants at www.bhamdining.com.
Birmingham...Highlands Bar and Grill....
Not much around Ross Bridge, I'm afraid. One of my favorite restaurants, which I think gets overlooked, is Satterfield's in Cahaba Heights. A young, talented chef who offers his own take on dishes, including a lot of New Orleans-influenced. If you like Indian and want to do something a little different, Silver Coin in Hoover is delicious. Jim N' Nick's in Hoover just south of the Galleria is pretty good for barbecue. Tin Roof, off of I-65 at Valleydale exit, offers a variety of smoked meats and sauces. Pat James is not as good as it once was. My personal opinion is that Fox Valley is overrated. Check out www.bhamdining.com for more restaurant info.
Birmingham — New Jewish Deli
Went for a late lunch last Friday and loved it! One of the best Reubens I've ever had, incredibly tender and tasty corned beef piled high. And I liked the hearty thick-sliced rye, which was able to stand up to all the meat and dressing and kraut. The chopped liver and pastrami sandwich was also great, although actually just a bit less of the assertive liver might have made for a better balance. Knishes and brown gravy were delish, latke a bit on the done side and a little greasy (but it still disappeared). We'll definitely be back; I didn't have room to try the cheesecake!
Bham -- New French Place?
Yes, it is legal to bring your own wine to a restaurant, as long as they do not have a liquor license. However, it is illegal to bring wine to an establishment that DOES have a liquor license, although this is often ignored. (I checked into this recently with the ABC.) Yes, Alabama definitely has some weird liquor laws.
Frisée aux Lardons: I'm in love!
Absolutely! This is not a difficult dish to do and I love it. I use a thick-sliced applewood-smoked bacon for the lardons, and also throw a minced shallot into the bacon grease before putting in the vinaigrette. The hardest part is finding frisee, at least around here. I also like to have a slice or two of baguette spread with a bit of chevre or gorgonzola with this.
Best Fast-Food Fries?
Yep, Five Guys for sure. They get whole potatoes and cut them on site, then fry them in peanut oil and give you a ton. They taste more like homemade.
Bham -- New French Place?
Anyone tried the new French restaurant in Lakeview? I called today and they have started serving dinner (they started out just with lunch), but don't have their liquor license yet, there was some problem and they had to reapply. Wondered if anyone had tried it yet.
Birmingham, Best Cheeseburger?
Good recommendations. The Kobe beef baby burgers at Jinsei are awesome, but not what I really think of when I'm craving an old-fashioned burger. Some more casual/traditional burger options: The burgers at Mike's Hot Dogs in Homewood are good, very messy with a special sauce. Chris Z's in Lakeview has good burgers. I wouldn't necessarily call it the "best" burger, but if you're in the area, Jim 'N Nick's, at least the one in Riverchase, has a surprisingly good burger. Green Valley Drugs in Hoover may be worth a trip just for the old-timey drugstore lunch counter experience, and the burgers are good. Hamburger Heaven is overrated, and Harry's Place, which won the Best Burgers contest a few years back, has gone downhill. And I like Five Guys, although I think the fries eclipse the burgers. I have not been to Sammy's Sandwich Shop in the Eastwood area but they are supposed to have good burgers.
Cafe Dupont for New Year's Eve???
I think Cafe Dupont is a good decision. As you discovered, that was pretty much the going rate for other restaurants. Actually having the prix fixe menu should help make things run more smoothly. We gave up going out on New Year's Eve some years ago after a late dinner at Highlands. The food and service were fine, it was some of the other obnoxious fellow diners that was the problem. The table next to us was drinking Dom Perignon and putting their cigars out on the tablecloth -- and in case you hadn't guessed, were very loud and obnoxious. Earlier in the evening would probably have not been such a problem. Now we stay home and splurge on some caviar and champagne.
Great restaurant in Birmingham?
No one's mentioned Cafe DuPont downtown, which has a lovely downtown city feel to it and some Creole-influenced dishes. Some of the best scallops I've ever had were there. They at one time did a tasting menu that I thoroughly enjoyed.
You can read reviews of many of the restaurants mentioned here at www.bhamdining.com.
Birmingham-Need tamales, quick
I have not tried them, but there's a place called Williams Orchard out on Hwy. 11 in Argo that sells them frozen; they make their own and have been trying to replicate the Mancha's recipe.
Bham: Feeding large soccer group
Just thought I'd post an update; I heard back from the person with the big soccer group and thought I'd share his experience:
we ended up going to dave's pizza in homewood. we had a group of 43 people. it was a great choice and they made it very easy. we pre-ordered 12 pizzas and a huge greek salad. the food was tasty and the atmosphere was perfect for our big, loud group. i'd recommend it to anyone who has a similar need.
SEARCHING FOR REMARKABLE COLESLAW
John's Restaurant in Birmingham had a ketchup-based coleslaw dressing, simply served over angel-hair cabbage, which is now sold by the bottle in local stores. John's successor, named John's City Diner, has its own version of the slaw, not quite as sweet with more of a garlic kick.
Steakhouses (Birmingham, AL)
Your choices are mostly chains; even Plaza III is a chain, albeit about half a dozen locations. I personally would prefer Fleming's; they offer more variety. Plaza III is very old-style, classic steak house. I personally found the steaks rather bland, but I've been getting into grass-fed meats lately so they may be spoiling my palate for prime grain-fed beef. I've never been impressed with the Ruth's Chris here in town compared to ones in other cities. While I have not been to Shula's, I have heard the steaks are incredible but the rest of the experience seems to be variable. I hear the menu is on a football, which seems a little campy to me.
What is your favorite cut for roast beef?
Here's a thread from earlier this year on the same topic:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/498627
I love a boneless rib roast. We also do eye round roasts, which are leaner, less fat and waste but also not as tender.
Bham: Feeding large soccer group
Got an e-mail from someone who saw our blog who is going to be in Birmingham next month with their boys 12/13 yr old soccer team and need a place to eat on a Saturday night. With all of the families, it's about 50 people.
Any thoughts on a restaurant with a laid back/causual atmosphere that can accommodate such a large group?
