 Bread for Thought
The making of a weekend bread list from Birmingham Breadworks…
By Jan Walsh
Mothers never stop thinking and overthinking. This was well played in the movie, What Women Want… We want a happy, healthy family! And when my family heads home for the weekend, I start planning with a Birmingham Breadworks list, where breads only include water, salt, and yeast. And now with online ordering on their website, I have time to shop at my leisure and send someone to pick it up. And anything on my list that is not available in the online ordering system can also be picked up.
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 Cat and Dogs
Dog friendly series starts at The Red Cat
By Jan Walsh
We had never taken the dogs with us to dine until we were forced to go on a dog friendly vacay last year while our hardwood floors were being refinished. Delighted by their behavior we no longer hesitate to take them to local restaurant patios.
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 Chef Eli Recommends
We are in good hands at Eli’s Jerusalem Grill.
By Jan Walsh
Eli’s is a family-owned and operated business. Here off Highway 280 in Hoover, you will find the whole Markshtien family. Eli’s wife Laurel greets us and works the front of the house along with their daughter, when not in school. And Eli is always where he belongs, in the kitchen.
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 Birmingham’s Best Patios
Dine al fresco at Birmingham’s favorite patios, sidewalks, and balconies.
By Jan Walsh
Birmingham metro area boasts al fresco dining options galore. There are patios, balconies, and sidewalks where I can eat lunch and get a little sun or hide under an umbrella table like That Guy, in this month’s Culinary Cartoon. We also have dog friendly outdoor spaces where we can take our pups. And in the coming months I will be publishing a series of patio reviews including dog friendly, in which I will take my own, Wyckie and Rudy along.
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 Rolling In Doughs
Falling for Birmingham Breadworks’ autumn specials and new offerings
By Jan Walsh
Today we pop into Birmingham Breadworks to get a taste of fall and take-home pastries, farm loaf, plus hamburger buns, and hotdog buns for football home-gating. I cannot find a buns for burgers and hotdogs in grocery stores without seed oils, even the organic ones. So, we buy them out of the buns and freeze some. Birmingham Breadworks ingredients are simple, natural, and recognizable. Most of their breads are made with three ingredients: flour, water, and salt. Baked goods that have more components may include natural sugar, butter, seasonal fruit, eggs, and cheese.
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 Winning Eats
For game day eats, Billy’s Sports Grill can’t be beat.
By Jan Walsh
Kev and I are loyal fans of Billy’s Sports Grill. We have been Billy’s regulars for decades. When The Irish Deli closed, we lost our game day eatery and discovered Billy’s was in Mountain Brook’s English Village. We often watched games at Billy’s front and back bars. Beer on tap paired with hot bowls of chili on autumn afternoons, juicy steak sandwiches, and our favorites of Billy’s chicken club and Sante Fe salad were good food and good times. I featured Billy’s fare in my local food columns in print magazines and included Billy’s annual favorites. And when Birmingham Restaurants launched in 2007, Billy’s was a founding member restaurant. Years later, to our delight, Billy’s opened in our neighborhood of Liberty Park, located on Overton Road at the 459 Exit to Liberty Park. It became our go to for live music nights on their popular patio, half off Wednesday wine nights, and game day eats. And in 2020 when restaurants were restricted to takeout only due to Covid, the first meal we ordered was from Billy’s.
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 Lunch at Troup’s Pizza is handmade for everyone.
By Jan Walsh
Today is a blessed day. The daughter I never had, Rachel Duncan, is home from England with her family. Like me, Rachel and her husband, Richard Duncan have two sons. And Richard Phillips, who is like a son to me, drove her from their hometown of Oneonta for a day trip. We start with an early lunch at Troup’s Pizza in Cahaba Heights before going back to my house for the afternoon.
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 Spring Freshness
The Red Cat welcomes spring with seasonal beverages and fare.
By Jan Walsh
Today we are lunching at The Red Cat at Pepper Place, one of its three locations. Spring 2024 Specials are now in season. So, we order the whole menu!
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 Sandwich Season
I love Birmingham Breadworks in the springtime.
By Jan Walsh
Birmingham Breadworks has the best sandwiches! Each is made to order with their freshly baked breads made of flour, water, and salt. And the lunch menu has nine tried and true sandwiches plus a seasonal sandwich.
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 The Whole Quesadilla
From queso to cookies Taco Mama feeds us well.
By Jan Walsh
Our Taco Mama is The Summit location. But with nine locations in the Birmingham metro area, you can easily find your own Taco Mama for dining in, pick up, delivery, and catering. You may also order online where Happy Family Take Out Meal, Taco and Nacho Bar, and Margarita Mix by the gallons are popular. And for patrons with allergies, Taco Mama also has an Allergen Menu with symbols for fish, shellfish, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, and eggs, alongside each menu item that contains these common allergens. Mama has thought of everything!
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 Bless My Heart
Ted’s Restaurant serves Southern fare with a Greek accent.
By Jan Walsh
Entering Ted’s I see smiling faces holding pitchers of iced tea. I look forward to being called pet names, such as “dear” and “honey.” And if I am a real sweetie I might be “darling” today.
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 Clean Eats
Eli’s Jerusalem Grill pleases all with organic fare.
By Jan Walsh
Eli Markshtien originally opened Eli’s Jerusalem Grill to make Israeli food, from his grandmother’s recipes. Locally, family owned by he and wife, Laurel, this one-of-a-kind eatery has since become a destination restaurant.
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 Coffee Cultures
Wakey up or wind down at The Red Cat’s three locations.
By Jan Walsh
Need a morning caffeine fix, a bite of breakfast, or a leisurely lunch paired with cocktails? Head over to The Red Cat. The Red Cat has three locations: Pepper Place, Railroad Park, and UAB Highlands.
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 Daily Bread
Birmingham Breadworks sustains us with breakfast, lunch, and batards to go.
By Jan Walsh
I love bread. Give me a slice of sourdough and a farm egg for breakfast, and I am sustained until dinner time. Here at Birmingham Breadworks I can get both and so much more…
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 A Party Tonight
Troup’s Party on the Patio is the ultimate, family pizza party.
By Jan Walsh
Party on the Patio is an ongoing party that Troup’s Pizza has on the first and third Thursday evenings of each month. Our sons, Jordan and Ross are in town, which puts us in a party mood. So, we decide to enjoy a fun night of pizza, and music with Sam Shober and Friends, with owners, Chef Terrill and Ashley Brazelton.
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 Chef’s Pizzeria
Troup’s Pizza has made a real name for itself.
By Jan Walsh
Troup’s Pizza is locally owned and operated by Chef Terrill Brazelton and wife, Ashley. The pizzeria is the namesake of previous generations of Brazeltons, his dad and two grandfathers, all named, "Troup."
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 World's Best Eats
Best seats for The World Games are at our restaurants.
By Jan Walsh
Birmingham Restaurants welcomes visitors to The World Games 2022. Get a taste of the best restaurants in the Birmingham metro area. No matter which venue you attend, we have restaurants nearby. And we have destination restaurants, which lure many out of towners, who come to Birmingham just to dine.
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 Where Everybody Eats
Billy’s Sports Grill keeps bringing them back for more.
By Jan Walsh
Billy’s Sports Grill is our favorite Liberty Park eatery. And we are in good company. Whenever Kev asks his lunch groups¾YLDP team and his old friends¾where they want to eat, “Let’s eat at Billy’s” is always the answer.
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 Comforting Classics
Saturday Brunch at Ted’s Restaurant is a fulfilling, family feast.
By Jan Walsh
Entering Ted’s is like going back home. Blue and white dishes are displayed above the sideboard adorned with Touloupis’ family photos. Owners, Tasos and Beba Touloupis spot us and warmly greet and seat us... A feeling of deja vu falls over me… Ted’s Restaurant always takes me back to my grandmother’s farmhouse, where she would keep the gas stove on and biscuits warm until I woke. Then I would warm up to the open stove in my pajamas while eating a buttered biscuit with her homemade blackberry preserves. Next Oneonta Mayor, and dear friend, Richard Phillips walks in the door. He is here to meet Kev and me at Ted’s Restaurant for early brunch.
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 CEO Recommends
Tonight, we taste favorites of Betsy McAtee, CEO of Dreamland Bar-B-Que.
By Jan Walsh
Dreamland Bar-B-Que started in 1958 with a dream. John “Big Daddy” Bishop dreamed that God told him to open a restaurant. Today Dreamland Bar-B-Que is known throughout the South for its legendary ribs and sauce. It is served in eight stadium venues throughout the Southeast. And Dreamland Holding Company operates 10 restaurants in the Southeast and ships its BBQ nationwide.
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 The Feel
Taco Mama’s success happened by design. And we taste it in every bite.
By Jan Walsh
In 2011, Founder, Will Haver wanted to open “a laid back, funky, fun taqueria
with great tasting, fresh food, and simple approach,” in Mountain Brook, near his other restaurant, Otey’s. And from day one at Taco Mama, they were lined up out the door. Eleven years later Taco Mama has 22 locations.
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 Our Neighborhood Grill
Billy’s Sports Grill is our Liberty Park favorite.
By Jan Walsh
Billy’s has been a neighborhood favorite since 1979 when it opened in its original, former location in English Village. “Our Billy’s” is located on Overton Road at the 459 Exit to Liberty Park. It is a convenient spot for lunch, dinner, happy hour, and live music on the covered patio for residents of Liberty Park and surrounding Mountain Brook.
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 One Curb, Two Meals
Eli keeps us well fed with organic, Israeli fare.
By Jan Walsh
We dine in on occasion and pick up at the curb often at Eli’s Jerusalem Grill. And over the years, I have enjoyed everything on the menu. I have also been in the kitchen filming cooking videos with Chef Eli Markshtien, where I was impressed by his due diligence to keeping it organic. Everywhere I looked the products were marked with USDA Organic label.
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 Oh, Mama!
We pair surf and turf burrito bowls with melon margaritas.
By Jan Walsh
I am not much of a planner. But when I go to Taco Mama, I have my order ready… because I want everything listed on their colorful boards.
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 Happy Hanukkah Week
Savor Eli’s Jerusalem Grill potato latkes while they last!
By Jan Walsh
Eating fried food on Hanukkah is a tradition. It is a commemoration of the oil that burned for eight days, as the Maccabees purified and rededicated the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Eli’s Jerusalem Grill is frying organic potato latkes daily during until December 18.
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 Starving Here
What’s for lunch?
By Jan Walsh
When the lockdown first started, I had mass quantities of food groceries delivered. But getting food in the house and actually cooking it, soon proved to be too much. Every day there they were—food—just sitting there chilling in the fridge, waiting to be cooked. Fresh farm eggs couldn’t wait to be fried. Potatoes threatened to sprout. And mold married my strawberries overnight.
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 Lunch & Dinner Delivery
Ordered Billy’s Sports Grill online and delivery to my door.
By Jan Walsh
This week Billy’s Sports Grill added online ordering option. You can pay online and get curbside pickup, of food and alcohol. Or if you live in Liberty Park, you can get your lunch or dinner delivered to your door, with contactless delivery.
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 Toasting the Timing
Sunday Brunch at Dyron’s Lowcountry now serves mimosas before noon.
By Jan Walsh
Dyron’s Lowcountry has one of the best brunches around. And thanks to a new Mountain Brook ordinance, they now serve alcohol on Sundays before noon. The ordinance passed this summer and allows restaurants and grocery stores to begin service at 10:00 a.m.
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 Favorite Table
Bottega Café adds lounge seating and moved my table.
By Jan Walsh
We always arrive before Bottega Café opens in order to get “our table,” in the right corner window. So many memories of lunch right there with Kev. We have romanced, celebrated, and problem solved over lunch and handcrafted cocktails or bubbles. Yet as we valet, I see my table is gone. In its place is a new lounge area with airy, rattan and wicker furniture. I get it. Here guests can wait comfortably for a table, while sipping their choice of beverage, or nibbling on an app. But where’s my table? No worries, I look to the left and there it is in the front window alongside the entrance. Whew! Same good light, nice little corner. We have found a new home here.
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 Inaugural Wine Dinner
Blueprint on 3rd’s first wine dinner benefits TumTum Tree Foundation.
By Jan Walsh
This weekend is TumTum Tree Foundation’s Wine Auction Weekend 2018. The Foundation enriches the lives of Alabama’s children who face life-altering and life-threatening illnesses. Over 29 years, TumTum Tree Foundation has donated over $11 million to Alabama children’s charities. And the TumTum Tree Wine Auction is the longest-running charity wine auction in the United States devoted to raising money for children’s charities.
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 A Feminine Affair
The Gardens Café host private event for Les Dames d’Escoffier.
By Jan Walsh
Les Dames d’Escoffier, Birmingham Chapter welcomed new members this week at The Gardens Café by Kathy G. Located at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, the cafe was the perfect place to have this annual event.
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 Scallops Special
I shall never forget the scallops at Blueprint on 3rd.
By Jan Walsh
Kev and I are back at Blueprint on 3rd for the second time. In the meantime, we have raved to friends and family, word of mouth in person about this place, and I have on social media since our first visit.
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 On A Roll
Another lobster “Food Find,” Bistro V’s new Lobster Roll!
By Jan Walsh
I have been craving lobster lately. I do love it anytime. But this time of the year, when winter is waning, and hints of spring are wooing, my palate is ready for lighter fare. And just in time, Bistro V rolls out their new Lobster Roll. We have ordered it twice already for takeout—carried out well—and look forward to having it in house as well.
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 Pair Cantina Tortilla Grills’ enchiladas with local brews.
By Jan Walsh Photography by Beau Gustafson Cantina Tortilla Grill has been serving fresh Mexican fare for more than 10 years. The recipes were created by its founder Guillermo Castro. And his brother, Jorge Castro carries on his tradition today whipping up chicken and cheese enchiladas for us.
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 Eli’s Jerusalem Grill serves healthy and heavenly kabobs.
By Jan Walsh
Photography by Beau Gustafson
Eli’s Jerusalem Grill is an organic restaurant located at 4673 Highway 280 and Pizitz Food Hall. Chef Eli Markshtien serves grass fed beef, organic chicken, lamb along with falafel, homemade pita, soups, salads, desserts, organic wine, and organic beer. Eli's also uses Non-GMO oils.
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 From heat to sweet Taco Mama’s margaritas have it all.
By Jan Walsh Photography by Beau Gustafson Taco Mama has a motto of “Stay hungry, and be thirsty.” But no one is hungry or thirsty for long at Taco Mama. The menu offers build your own tacos, burritos, burrito bowl, nachos and quesadillas, taco and burrito baskets, and an array of specialty, handcrafted margaritas.
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 Eli’s Jerusalem Grill serves healthy, organic fare.
By Jan Walsh Photography by Beau Gustafson What is a man to do when he cannot find a place to eat? When Eli Markshtien, and his wife, Laurel and family, moved to Birmingham he could not find an Israeli restaurant. So he opened his own and began cooking his grandmother's recipes—solving the problem and also fulfilling his dream of his own Israeli restaurant.
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 Have your pick of in season veggies at Ted’s Restaurant.
By Jan Walsh
Photography By Beau Gustafson
There is nothing more satisfying to this Southern belle than a fresh vegetable plate. As a child I helped my grandmother pick veggies—okra, squash, corn, turnips, pink eye peas, tomatoes and more. Then I watched as she cooked them—incorporating decades of expertise.
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 Make a meal of this popular appetizer at Billy’s Sports Grill.
By Jan Walsh
Photography by Beau Gustafson
If you love nachos and seafood, Billy’s Sports Grill has an appetizer that you will
want to make into a meal.
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 Dreamland’s pork spare ribs are good to the bone.
By Jan Walsh
Photography by Beau Gustafson
Why the name, “Dreamland”? John “Big Daddy” Bishop opened his first Dreamland Café in Tuscaloosa in 1958—the same year Bear Bryant started coaching at the University of Alabama. Big Daddy was a brick mason who wanted another income to support his family. So he prayed for guidance. And legend has it that God told him in a dream to build a café on the land next to his home. And Big Daddy did just that. Since that time Dreamland has opened several locations in Alabama and Georgia, including our own Birmingham Dreamland.
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 Ted’s Southern cooking serves a loyal following.
By Jan Walsh
Photography by Beau Gustafson
You can’t miss Ted’s Restaurant. It is located at 328 12th Street South with the large, original “Ted’s Cafeteria Restaurant” sign on the corner. Recent updates to the interior make lunching here more appealing. But it is not ambience that draws the crowds. We go to Ted’s for a taste of what busy Southerners miss—but have no time to cook—fresh meat and three, home style fare.
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 Enjoy awesome food in a casual mood at Billy’s Sports Grills.
By Jan Walsh
Photography by Beau Gustafson
Billy’s Sports Grills offer terrific food, comfortable ambiences, and friendly service.
In 1979 the original Billy's Sports Grill opened as a bar and small kitchen serving simple sandwiches in Mountain Brook’s English Village. Billy's Chicken Sandwich quickly became the signature dish. Also immediately popular were Billy's Famous White Sauce and Hot Mustard Sauce. In the years that followed, Billy's menu expanded to include signature sandwiches, salads, wraps, steaks, and most recently fresh seafood for lunch and dinner.
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 Billy's Bar and Grill opens second location, Billy's On Overton.
By Jan Walsh
Photography by Beau Gustafson
Every neighborhood needs a Billy's. Liberty Park, and nearby Mountain Brook area residents, just got one. Billy's On Overton is the brother restaurant to Billy's Bar and Grill in Mountain Brook, a longtime neighborhood favorite of many who live, work and shop in English Village. Satisfying the need for an upscale sports bar and grill, the new eatery on Overton opened its doors in April 2008. Those of us who live in the area have watched, waited and been looking forward to this for months.
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 Billy's Sports Grill's Santa Fe Salad is big on flavor.
By Jan Walsh
Photography by Beau Gustafson
Billy's Sports Grill in English Village is a family-owned, neighborhood pub Located in English Village. They offer an extensive menu featuring appetizers, grilled burgers, steaks and salads. And the Santa Fe Salad is a favorite for those who want, not just a salad, a meal.
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