 Dad’s Day Eve
We arrive early for Father’s Day, Saturday, at Bottega Café.
By Jan Walsh
Bottega Café is a wildly popular place for holiday weekends. Families who come to town, have a tradition of congregating here. The café does not take reservations. So today we arrive 20 minutes before they open for lunch. And a man is already ahead of us, in line at the gate. He is proudly holding the spot for his family. This is what dads do! No wonder we celebrate them. And another couple walks up before we can get out of the car. Ross, Kev, and I are third in line. And soon the sidewalk is filled all the way to the valet. As we are seated at our table, I see the first man snagged the community table, which is now filled with three generations of his family.
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 Terre Et Mer
Enjoy the finest of land, sea, and charcuterie at Café Dupont.
By Jan Walsh
Tonight, we are welcomed to Café Dupont by owners Chris and Angela Evans. Chris is also the executive chef, and Angela whips up some delicious desserts in the summers when she is not teaching at Clay-Chalkville High School as a Culinary, Hospitality, and Tourism Teacher. Bringing both savory and sweet to the table, the Evans are quite a match.
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 30th Anniversary Dinner
Kev and I toast three decades of marriage at Bottega Dining Room.
By Jan Walsh
Tonight, Kev and I are welcomed by David at the door with happy anniversary wishes. And after being seated at our favorite table, other staff stop by with more good wishes and congratulations. Bottega Dining Room a Stitt Restaurant Group’s restaurant, owned and operated by Chef Frank Sttt and Pardis Stitt.
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 Clean Cooking features Dyron's
Dyron's Chef, Chris Melville shares philosophy and recipes at Clean Cooking.
By Jan Walsh
Dyron's Lowcountry is a leader in the new clean cooking movement and is pioneered by Executive Chef, Chris Melville.
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 French Kiss
I love Chez Fonfon in the Springtime…
By Jan Walsh
Spring begins when asparagus and strawberries appear on Chez Fonfon’s menu. And today asparagus with farm egg vinaigrette is at the top of the menu and Strawberry Tart is at the bottom.
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 My Birthday Dinner
Dyron’s Lowcountry menu is a gift-in-itself. Chef Chris' execution wraps a bow around it.
By Jan Walsh
Birthdays that end with nine, as the second digit make me anxious. It means I have lived nine of this decade’s years. There is only one left to live, if I make it, to a new first digit and zero as the second digit. Typically, I use the last year to try on the next decade for size, saying I am almost… But this time I am determined to live in the moment each moment of the coming year starting now!
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 James Beard News
Bottega was named Finalist for James Beard Awards Outstanding Hospitality 2026!
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 Here’s The BEEF
Bocca has one 24-ounce ribeye in the house!
By Jan Walsh
Tonight, we have reservations at Bocca Ristorante at 5:00 p.m. But first we stop by Sloan’s next door for pre-dinner cocktails. Sloan’s has a chic country club bar ambience: leather banquettes, dim lighting, and fine whiskeys. Kev orders from the happy hour (4:00 until 6:00) menu, a creamy Tito’s Espresso Tini. And I have a lowball beauty, Blackberry Old Fashioned from the signature list. Highly recommend starting dinner at Bocca here at Sloan’s with a drink! New tradition.
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 Bistro Valentine
No one does Valentine’s Day like Bistro V.
By Jan Walsh
This Valentine’s Day is on Saturday. Expecting our favorite restaurants to sell out early, we made reservations on Resy for Bistro V more than a month in advance.
For nights such as this, some restaurants offer specials. Others offer regular menu. And many restaurants do prix fixe menus. Tonight, Bistro V boasts 17 entrée options including new and regular menu options plus three specials not on tonight’s Valentine’s menu!
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 Birmingham’s Beacon
Since 1988 Bottega has been a landmark restaurant.
By Jan Walsh
A Phenom is defined as a marvel, sensation, or phenomenon; something that achieves respect or fame. Bottega is a phenom.
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