curej's Profile
Grocery Stores in Bham
Sheilal, when are we invited over for some of that red Texas chili?
Birmingham -- Anyone eating anything good these days?
That sounds awesome. I'll have to give that a go.
Bham - Brisket
Please report back. The wife and I are due for an Atlanta Food Weekend.
Bham - Brisket
Best brisket I've ever had in my life wasn't smoked. It was cooked in beer for like ever. Then served with a special sauce. To die for. I need that recipe.
Birmingham -- Anyone eating anything good these days?
It's all good as far as I'm concerned. A road trip to Lockhart, would only take 14 hours. You in, Dax?
Birmingham -- Anyone eating anything good these days?
Totally different kind of 'cue though, no? More beef than pork.....But I want to go someday.
El Barrio -- Birmingham
It's not too small (unlike Trattoria Centrale). I've only been there at lunchtime, so I'm not sure what the crowd is like at supper time.
2211 2nd Ave. North, Birmingham, AL 35203
pizza/wings [Birmingham]
Went to Moes and had their wings yesterday (Lakeview, not VH location). I'm a fan now. Thanks for the heads up. Also, Bob Marley videos on their TVs. Excellent.
Good BBQ In Birmingham Around 20th and 8th..........
@Dax, Thanks to you I went to Moes and had the wings today. They were great. Plus, Bob Marley playing on the video FTW.
Good BBQ In Birmingham Around 20th and 8th..........
Don't hold back, jtboyd, tell us how you really feel! I guess this just underscores the harsh reality of subjectivity. I too put Saw's on top, but prefer Jim 'N' Nick's to Moe's.
Good BBQ In Birmingham Around 20th and 8th..........
I totally agree, Dax. I'm not sure why Jim N' Nicks doesn't get more love.
Good BBQ In Birmingham Around 20th and 8th..........
I still think Jim N Nicks is pretty good and their collards are good. It's up in Five Points, not far from 20th and 8th. Teds is good for "country food". It's not too far from where you're talking about. Full Moon BBQ has its fans, walking distance from where you'll be. Try the Shindig truck if you can find it while you're here.
http://www.shindigscateringtrucks.com/
Miami Cafe - Pelham
Well, we went to Miami Cafe tonight and were very pleased....though alone. The place was pretty dead, which I attribute to the cold weather. The proprietor (Luis Delgado) cooked for us. He was very friendly and energetic and seems to have a great vision for the place and bringing CuboRican food and culture to the area. I really hope he succeeds. He has plans to open an additional space at the same location for a bar and dance club (salsa, I presume). Right now they do not serve adult beverages.
I had lechon asado (puerto rican pork) that was chopped/shredded kind of like pulled pork. In the past my experience with this dish was more like large chunks of seasoned slow-roasted pork. The dish at Miami Cafe was a little different, but VERY good, all the same. It was served with rice and gandules (Puerto Rican beans) which was also delicious. We also had tostones (salted fried plaintain discs) that are one of my favorite things in the world (we have our own tostonera and make them ourselves). These were perfect. Crisp crunchy on the outside, soft and almost creamy on the inside. The only thing they needed was a cold beer. That will come. My wife (gringa that she is) had a chicken philly which she really liked. We had free tastes of flan and tres leches cake which were both delicious, but we were too full for a full servings.
The place is very informal...small tables in an open space. The owner has put in a screen and projector for "movie night". Ultimately there will be two rooms, the one we occupied being a more family oriented spot, and the other part for dancing and a bar.
This place is close to us (we live in Indian Springs), so we will be regulars. I wish they had better "exposure" to the younger more cosmopolitan crowd in closer to town to optimize their chances of success. I have found more rural Alabamans more risk-averse when it comes to new types of food and I want this place to survive/thrive. Luis says they will have pasteles again in the future after he gets the necessary equipment from PR for making the masa. I saw empanadas listed on a menu on the wall (@Dax) and look forward to another visit to try more things and get some more tostones!
I am really excited about this place (can you tell?). I think Caribbean food, but in particular Puerto Rican food is one of the great under-appreciated cuisines. I wish Luis the best of luck. One last note, Luis notes that so far they are having a "soft" opening, with a grand opening scheduled for February. The full menu is not yet available, but will be soon.
Check out their Facebook page.
Miami Cafe - Pelham
Going TONIGHT. Never heard of this place before. Thanks, Dax. I'm half-Rican so I love this stuff. Maybe I can talk them into making pasteles. The proprietor at Lucia's Italian in Helena is Puerto Rican. I wish she'd open a Caribbean restaurant.....
pizza/wings [Birmingham]
I'll have to try them again. I had the wings at the Vestavia Moe's and wasn't impressed.
pizza/wings [Birmingham]
We need to get a bunch of us together and open up a Wild Wing Cafe franchise out here. How I miss it. One thing I discovered locally though that I really like are the "butt rub" wings at Baumhower's. It's a dry rub and while a bit salty, the wings are delicious. That particular prep actually restored my faith in their wings. Another good wing choice (although not perhaps for a "bulk purchase") are the wings at Sweet Bones Alabama. I was very pleasantly surprised with their wings.
It is pretty amazing that in a town this size there aren't more excellent wings choices.
Android app?
Your last sentence "solved" the problem. However, I'd still like a mobile app in which photo uploading was possible.
Android app?
Another thing I've noticed accessing Chowhound on mobile...When accessing the site on my phone (Samsung Galaxy Nexus with Ice Cream Sandwich) the option to upload photos is nowhere to be found....why is that? Has anyone else noticed this?
El Barrio -- Birmingham
We went to El Barrio today. We really loved it. I had the chorizo (and beef) meatloaf served on mashed potatoes with spinach. The better half had chicken tacos and tacos al carbon. All were good. We opened with tortilla chips and a good chunky guacamole. The tortilla chips were a little off....some were chewy/rubbery. All in all, though, a great experience, and we will return. This is a nice addition to the Ham. I am surprised that the purveyors of Trattoria Centrale didn't use the space to expand the tiny space at TC, though...Maybe that will come.
Ya know, not all Mexican or Tex-Mex food is picante/picoso hot. I love hot spicy food of all races and creeds, but I don't think I'd be critical of a Tex-Mex dish or salsa based on "no heat". Many places will serve you up a hot salsa on request, BTW.
Still hoping someday we'll get a place with Mexican or Tex-Mex breakfast.....I'm thinking migas here.
I've attached images of our lunch plates.
Birmingham - new, or new to you?
Here are the plates we had at El Barrio. Sorry about the blur. I'm getting old and shaky.
Birmingham - new, or new to you?
We went to El Barrio today. We really loved it. I had the chorizo (and beef) meatloaf served on mashed potatoes with spinach. The better half had chicken tacos and tacos al carbon. All were good. We opened with tortilla chips and a good chunky guacamole. The tortilla chips were a little off....some were chewy/rubbery. All in all, though, a great experience, and we will return. This is a nice addition to the Ham. I am surprised that the purveyors of Trattoria Centrale didn't use the space to expand the tiny space at TC, though...Maybe that will come.
I couldn't upload photos from my mobile (is that something new???). I will do it from my PC in a few....
Birmingham - new, or new to you?
Well, we are creatures of habit, and tend to get chicken tikka masala, chicken saag, lamb rogan josh, mutter paneer, chicken 65, chili pakoras (mirchi), chicken biryani, and of course onion kulcha and garlic nan. I think those are our favorites, but everything is good.
Birmingham - new, or new to you?
Have been to Mughal twice. On each occasion, the chicken in the dishes seemed to have been boiled or cooked ahead of time and then just tossed into the sauce right before serving. No flavor (or color) had cooked into the chicken at all. The first time it was Chicken Tikka Masala. The second was Chicken Sagwala (they may call it saag at Mughal, I can't remember). (An Indian colleague of mine noted the same thing on an independent visit). I was actually pretty disappointed by this place. I still like Silver Coin best, followed by Sitar, followed by Taj India. My last visit to Taj was just last week. They're still hanging in there....I thought Sitar might put them out of business.
Challah/Brioche in B'ham
"I like an eggy challah for (white chocolate) bread pudding too."
I'd like to hear you say that fast three times.
