Too often lost in the justified praise heaped upon restaurants in Atlanta and New Orleans is the quietly-innovative culinary scene developing in Birmingham. While there are ample places that reflect the Southern roots of the city (ever had ribs at Dreamland BBQ?) there are other eateries devoted to fare that’s neither fried nor kissed by barbeque sauce. Here are a couple of the best:
- The awards-out-the-ear, undisputed king of fine food in these parts is Highlands Bar and Grill. The chef is amazing, and the food equal to that you’ll find anywhere (so are the prices). Highlands is set on the city’s near south side, near the expansive University of Alabama medical complex. That provides a ready customer base. Start the meal with an appetizer of crab claws with homemade ginger sauce, or maybe grilled figs with prosciutto. Make the main course grilled black grouper, replete with rice pilaf with okra and cherry tomato relish. Highland matches nicely with the kind of cuisine you expect from a great New Orleans restaurant.
- Less pricey and marvelously innovative is Californiaesque avo. Located in Mountain Brook Village, near the zoo and the arboretum, it’s nicely sited. Avocados abound. Start out with fresh avo, pico de gallo and house-fried chips. Mid-meal, sample some Sonoma sliders: ground tenderloin, melted foie gras, caramelized onions, port-wine Dijon and house focaccia. Virtually everything is made from scratch at avo. Make the main dish panko-crusted Ashley Farms chicken, with polenta and local greens. As with most savvy restaurateurs the people who make avo work are aided and abetted by area farmers. When the weather’s nice (fall’s almost here) there’s a covered outside second-story deck from which to watch the world go by.
(Image: ralph and jenny)
