Big Daddy's Profile
Missing Mancha's
From what I was told while researching tamales and Mancha's legendary version -- including by a guy whose mission once was to duplicate the recipe -- there are no tamales in Birmingham like theirs anymore. Closest you may come is the Mississippi style, but the consistency of the masa dough will seem wrong to the Mancha's fan.
Birmingham -- Anyone eating anything good these days?
I've been digging El Barrio, especially the verduras tacos, ceviche tostadas and pastor tacos.
What's good out there for y'all? We've been too quiet lately.
Lunar New Year cravings (any area)
True. But you'd better go tonight, because they're normally closed on Mondays.(I'm in negotiations with my family for tonight's dinner).
I used to make a steamed whole snapper "with five willowy shreds," in this case shredded ginger, garlic, cilantro, green onion and reconstituted dried mushroom, seasoned with some soy sauce, then finished with a spray of hot oil. MMmmmmmmmm.
Lunar New Year cravings (any area)
Man, I miss dim sum. And I love the way those discs of rice cake soak up the sauce in the stir-fry.
Know what you mean about the moon cakes. And, if you're approriately polite, you have to eat the full moon.
I have not seen anything special in years past on Lunar New Year. But the one year I went to Chen's on LNY, it was packed out early.
Lunar New Year cravings (any area)
Monday is the Lunar New Year, starting the Year of the Dragon.
What LNY cravings do y'all have?
For me, it the spicy beef tendon followed by sauteed snails at the Red Pearl in Birmingham, or the xiao long bao (soup dumplings) at Chen's in Hoover and the Taiwanese braised pork belly there.
It doesn't have to be Chinese (Koreans, Thais also observe the same new year day), but what do you want to eat on Jan. 23?
Bham - Red Pearl Dec 2011 Chowdown
We'd love for you to join us. To stay informed, join this discussion group (Chowhound does not like us planning these in this forum):
http://groups.google.com/group/birmin...
(If this link doesn't work, see the first post above.
pizza/wings [Birmingham]
Their wings are much larger than BWW's, so you will get more cluck for your buck (sorry) if you do OT.
Birmingham - new, or new to you?
The goat curry rocks. The puri appetizer is very fun. I think their naan is the best in town. They make a very good and rich korma sauce, so any of the dishes with that are good. They serve dosas there, those huge tubes of chickpea crepe and the version with the cooked spicy potatoes is very good. This appetizer will be enough for a whole table.
It's not spicy, but I also like the chicken methi.
I have not tried their vindaloo, but they tend to make their hot dishes Indian hot.
Birmingham -- Best meal of 2011
Birmingham Hounds: What was your best meal (or meals) of 2011?
Mine was a dinner with my wife at Highlands Bar and Grill, an absolutely magical experience. To start, I had the baked grits (split that appetizer) and the pork belly simmered in bourbon.
For an entree, I had the Poulet Rouge Two Ways, which may be the best chicken dish I ever have eaten. Made with a French heritage bird that is raised in North Carolina that has such a powerfully chickeny flavor. Thighs were slow braised and the breast was roasted and studded with herbs.
Oddly, you can find a recipe for the chicken dish in one of Chef Frank Stitt's cookbooks -- but it's the Bottega cookbook, not the Highlands one.
Second best had to be my first meal at Ollie Irene, which led to many more meals at the new gastropub that has become a more-than-minor obsession.
Bham - Red Pearl Dec 2011 Chowdown
So much good food; it must have cooled off before I got to it.
And yes, Dax, it was a great gathering. Thanks to all who came.
Bham - Red Pearl Dec 2011 Chowdown
This was a fabulous night of chow for the Hounds at Red Pearl. Seven of us showed and we feasted in two basic courses.
We started with two soups and an appetizer. The winter melon and clam soup was mild, with a very nice ginger taste and plentiful clams. We also has a soup that was not on the printed menu, but is on the photo "menu" on a wall in the restaurant. Hot and Spicy Fish Filet Soup was one of the hits of the night: spicy, rich soup with plump pieces of flounder.
An old Red Pearl favorite is the Cold Spicy Beef "Tender," actually tendons dressed in hot pepper oil, sesame oil, peanuts and cilantro. The tendons are slightly chewy with a nice beefy flavor. The fish filet soup and beef tendon eaten together left many mouths pleasantly ma la numb.
Five dishes followed. I need to admit that my fortune cookie ("Your judgment is a little off at this time") was correct, because I suggested the Salted Crispy Blue Crab that we ordered. They had live crabs for sale at the seafood counter in the market, so I figured we couldn't go wrong. It was a lot of work for little reward (what little crab I extracted was sweet and very good).Many decided it was too much work for the reward.
Egglant Pork and Basil in Hot Pot came out sizzling in a heated metal bowl, with deep flavors from the eggplant and what seemed like oyster sauce. It was gone pretty quickly. Ground Pork with Chili and Bean wasn't very spicy, but was savory.
The two biggest hits of the night were Roasted Duck (listed as a chef's special, and an item also sold in the adjoining market), and Sauteed Snails (jsut $5.99/lb at the market).
The duck was served cold and chopped into serving pieces. The skin was lacquered a dark brown and both it and the meat were flavored with star anise. The dark meat was not very fatty at all.
I'd be tempted to order the snails at any family style meal at Red Pearl in the future. We got a plate full of tiny black-shelled snails, and toothpicks were distributed all around. The idea was to hook the meat and pull it out of the shell, although some could be sucked out fairly easily. There was the earthiness of snails I have tried in French restaurants. But these also had a crunchy sweetness that reminded me of some clams I've had at the sushi bar, such as geoduck.
Red Pearl has changed chefs within the last year. But the food (even the challenging to eat crab) was all very well prepared.
And since they butcher pigs to sell in the market, have a very diverse seafood stand (bullfrog, anyone?) and offer a wide array of fresh vegetables, items like those are worth seeking out on the Red Pearl menu. Check it out.
Anyone been to Flat Top Stir-Fry in Birmingham?
The coupon may make Flat Top a better deal. It's your basic pile up the raw stuff and some guy cooks it for you place. But Flat Top charges $13 a bowl. The 20 or so sauces to choose or combine are fun. But the raw ingredients aren't that special, compared to what they charge.
Special occasion dinner - Birmingham
You are absolutely correct on the rustic atmosphere at Ollie Irene. But that's part of its charm. Its atmosphere is more homey than fine dining, but the kitchens takes food as seriously as they do in the other kitchens mentioned above.
Special occasion dinner - Birmingham
Hot and Hot is another Birmingham institution, as is Frank Stitt's other high-end restaurant (Italian) Bottega. The Veranda on Highland features a former Commander's Palace chef. A new restaurant in town that has blown me away is Ollie Irene.
http://www.hotandhotfishclub.com/
http://www.birminghamrestaurants.com/Restaurants/Pages/Bottega-Restaurant/Menus
http://www.verandaonhighland.com/menus/
Ollie Irene doesn't seem to have an online menu. Check out their Facebook page and you'll get a feel for their approach. Killer cocktails, great small plates and a limited number of inventive entrees. Veggie sides rock, too.
Hispanic grocery store
I need to go check this out. El Mercado is an institution and its owner is a major player among Hispanic business owners. I hope he hasn't had to sell it.
Hispanic grocery store
The El Mercado off Green Springs is where the tortillas are made. Last time I checked (and it's beenmore than a year), Lorna Road only sold tortillas (from the other store), and didn't make them.
Birmingham...Best choice of cured meats
Check out V Richard's, too. They have some nice cured meats. Is that guy from Bettola still planning to open a salumeria?
Hispanic grocery store
Not to mention the pork in tomatillo sauce, house-made corn tortillas and chicharones at the El Mercado. Mmmmmmmm.
Hispanic grocery store
Try El Mercado up on the hill at the corner of West Valley and Green Springs. They make tortillas in-house and I'm sure they'd sell some masa.
Birmingham - Red Pearl Hot and Spicy Fish Fillet Soup
G200: Penzy's also is a good source for (probably better quality) Szechuan peppercorns.
Salgal: I agree on the snails; I've been wanting to try them, too. I think if we Chowdown, each of us should order something that person never has had. I liked the rice cakes, and thought they did a fairly effective job of soaking up the sauce. But yes, they can be chewy and starchy without sauce.
Birmingham - Red Pearl Hot and Spicy Fish Fillet Soup
I know for a fact that they had Scechuan peppers (actually an oil extract from the peppercorns) on the cold beef tendon. The woman who runs the market even brought me a bottle of the schchuan pepper oil when I asked about it.
I hope the new chef doesn't mark a downward turn to the bell curve that seems to have marked the evolving quality of Red Pearl over the last decade.
But I agree on a Chowdown there. The last one there, we only had three people.
BHAM- oriental market
Yes. I think the place is called INternational Market. It's by the fire station, separated by the back entrance to the Publix plaza. The place tends to specialize in Vietnamese food. Sometimes they even have prepared fresh rolls in their refrigerator. Also a great place for buying banh mi bread.
good eats near Barber Vintage Festival, Birmingham, AL for visiting Canadian
True on the strict laws. But I still think Ontario has us beat (don't know if you're from that province or if other provincial beer laws are different). But last time I was visiting family there, we could buy beer only by the case in a warehouse, and it was not cooled and ready to drink.
I agree that if you go to Jim N Nick's, do the 5 Points South location on 11th Ave. South. I also prefer Saw's (ask 5 people in the for their favorite barbecue joint and you may get a dozen opinions). The advantage of JNNick's in 5 points is it is blocks from J Clyde. Just go up 20th Street South to 14th Ave, Turn right and right again into the cobbled Cobb Lane. Parking is right there.
good eats near Barber Vintage Festival, Birmingham, AL for visiting Canadian
Gordo's is on Valley Avenue in Birmingham, tucked around the Valley Plaza, I believe it's called. Miss Myra's is in Cahaba Heights (off U.S. 280) on Cahaba Heights Road.
Jim N Nick's has several locations; try the one in Five Points South, 11th Ave S, off 20th Street.
Full Moon also has several locations -- recommendations anyone?
Food truck near UAB/downtown
They're at 5th Ave N and 20th today. I may have to go check them out. Pork belly steamed buns!!!!!!
New Gastropub - Birmingham
Yeah, we missed you Saturday night, Dax. I really do think you'd like it.
Another recommendation to add to Jannae's: the tomato-braised rattlesnake beans, which has huge flavors for a vegetarian item. Be prepared for strings, though.
The slow-cooked pork shoulder also has been reviswed for fall, celeraic puree instead of field peas.
Fox Valley Crab Cakes Available At Western Mt. Brook & Rocky Ridge
I believe Sexton's Seafood in Cahaba Heights also sells them.
New Gastropub - Birmingham
That is typical Jannae, of every trip I've made there, and Ollie Irene has become a minor obsession (my wife would say it's a major one). I love the quality of what they serve and the creativity of preparation. And I always have been impressed by the extent to which everyone who works there has bought into this new thing that Chris and Anna are doing. Folks, this is a jewel in Birmingham's dining crown. Check it out.
New Gastropub - Birmingham
The surrayano ham has become somewhat of an obsession, and the dish I order most frequently.
But each trip to Ollie Irene also reveals something new and tantalyzing. It can be something as simple as the cheese and cracker plate -- not just due to the homemade cracker and that wonderfully rich and creamy Stone Hollow goat cheese. It's also the clove/anise flavor in the marinated grapes or the briny crunch of the pickled okra that accompanied them. Chef Chris could do a whole cookbook on pickling.
But Ollie Irene continues to deliver with dishes like the experiment Chris shared with some customers Friday night -- pig extraodinaire. He brined a couple of hog's heads for a few days, then simmered it in a broth that included star anise (giving a slightly five-spice flavor to it). After picking the meat and other tasty bits, he rolled it up, sliced it into puck-sized cakes and pan-fried them. Crispy outside with the most unbelievably intense porky flavor that lingered so long. Anyone who has had any of the head-meat tacos at Gordo's or the Guzman truck knows that depth of flavor. It's not quite a menu item, but Chris hopes something like this will catch on, so ask about it if you go soon.
I'm surprised there's not more buzz and chatter about this place on Chowhound. This place is right up our alley.
