Homegrown and chef-driven. Authentic yet inventive. Intuitive and intentional. Really good and simply real. Rusty’s Bar-B-Q in Leeds is all that, and owner Rusty Tucker will still surprise you. About 20 minutes from Birmingham and just off I-20 (where he has some official tourist-boosting signage), Rusty’s is ideally located—just up the hill from a huge … Continue reading Classical Pit Barbecue … Like Traditional but a Little Extra
Peanuts and Cracker Jack? Think bigger. They’re swinging for the fences at Regions Field when it comes to ballpark foods. The Birmingham Barons host their first home game of the 2024 season on April 5 against the Chattanooga Lookouts, and fans can expect an expanded lineup of fun, new ballpark foods and favorite local brews. … Continue reading Take Me Out to the Ballgame (for Dinner)
Gumbo to Geaux is a chef-driven food truck (and catering and events company). In every sense. Owner and founder Etricia Robinson, a classically trained chef, is driven to offer the authentic country-Creole dishes she grew up eating. “If Emeril Lagasse and Paula Deen had a baby,” she says, “it’d be me, because I do Cajun-Creole … Continue reading A Chef-Driven Country-Creole Food Truck
Chef Raquel Lenzie, executive chef and owner of SLIDE Café in Birmingham’s bustling Five Points South entertainment district, is not afraid of a challenge. In fact, she’s sought out challenges time and again in the culinary space—on a televised, national level and right here at home. She and her sister Regina and niece Alexandria competed … Continue reading SLIDE in for Mini Big Bites
There’s a certain soulful approach to Birmingham's Pizza Grace. You’ll taste it in the beautifully handcrafted pizzas and colorful, seasonal salads made with fresh, local ingredients. You’ll notice it in the genuinely friendly interactions with the staff. You’ll feel it in the bustling dining room with its view of the even busier kitchen. There’s a … Continue reading A Sense of Grace
Regional food is a global phenomenon. And in our increasingly multicultural state, global foods show up regionally. Take, for instance, the delicious Korean food found in Montgomery and our great “Greek and threes” in Birmingham and the authentic Vietnamese food in Bayou La Batre. The same is true in Huntsville, where lasting German influences from the early days of Redstone Arsenal make … Continue reading Prost!
Cantina is back! Three simple words are bringing a whole lot of happiness to the Birmingham-area food community. Cantina Tortilla Grill has been a hometown favorite for fresh, inventive Mexican food since it first opened in 2003 at Pepper Place in the Lakeview District. After a four-year hiatus, it’s back but in a different area—the … Continue reading A Beloved Birmingham Original is Back in Business
Wherever you visit, it’s almost always a great idea to eat where the locals eat. In the artsy, tourist-friendly town of Fairhope on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay, locals eat at Locals. So, you should, too. Locals Fairhope is owned by the husband-and-wife team of Wade and Ashley Peryer. After managing other people’s restaurants … Continue reading Eat Local
On a recent visit to Chicago for the American Library Association conference (I am a trustee for the Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest), I spent four big, long days learning about trends in publishing and programing (inclusiveness is key in all kinds of ways) and how to be a better advocate for our library. … Continue reading Work & Play in Chicago
FOH. BOH. In food-service lingo, that means “front of house” and “back of house”—the customer-facing side and the creative food team behind them. At The Landing at Parker Creek, that means Herb Winches and Chef Torrey Hall—and a fun, delicious time for tens of thousands of seasonal visitors to this restaurant on beautiful Lake Martin. … Continue reading Great Food, Great Vibes by the Boatload
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