200th Post!!! The Wine Loft Giveaway!!

I can't believe this is my 200th blog post!  To celebrate and thank my followers and contributors, The Wine Loft in Birmingham, AL has donated a $20 gift card.  If you live near Birmingham and have never been to The Wine Loft, you should definitely go!  It's a wonderfully large venue located on 2nd Avenue North along with some of my other favorite restaurants and bars.  It's a great place to meet for drinks or dinner after work, and it's used for many events hosted by Birmingham-area organizations.  Last time we went, Kent and I met some of my co-workers when The Wine Loft was kind enough to serve as a host for Dine Out for Diabetes, a fundraiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.  We ordered the Wild Mushroom & Manchego Cheese Bruschetta and the Filet Mignon Pistolettes among other things - everything we ordered was amazing!  We loved sitting at one of the beautiful high top tables while we enjoyed our drinks and talked with the manager, Amy who is a sommelier, about which wines to try with our dinners.  For more information and menus, please visit The Wine Loft's website.

There are two ways to enter the giveaway... 1) If you are not a follower of my blog already, click to follow my blog on the right side of the page, then leave me a comment to let me know that you are a new follower (if you're already a follower, just leave me comment saying that you'd like to be entered into the giveaway).  2) You can also enter by becoming a follower of The Wine Loft Bham on Twitter.  Then leave a comment on this post letting me know that you are following them.  So, each person is allowed two entries in the giveaway.  I will use random.org on Saturday, April 7th to select a winner, so please enter by noon on Saturday.

I know that not all of my followers live in Birmingham, so I'm sorry to those of you who do not live in the area!  Thanks to The Wine Loft for their generous gift!

Restaurants in Review

Lately, Kent and I have had the opportunity to visit a few restaurants in Birmingham that we've been wanting to try.  During Birmingham Restaurant Week, Kent and I finally made it to Veranda.  Veranda is a wonderful restaurant in Southside.  They have an amazing full menu for the restaurant, but we decided to sit in the bar area and take advantage of the bar menu.  The bar menu includes appetizers, sandwiches (I got the oyster po boy), and a few other items that would make for a great dinner any night of the week.  Kent and I are both looking forward to going back soon!

Last night, Kent and I tried a newer restaurant in Mountain Brook Village called Ollie Irene.  Kent has been talking about going there for weeks!  We loved the atmosphere, and the food was great!  Kent had the boudin balls and the burger with blue cheese; I had the shrimp bisque and mussels.  We both enjoyed our dinners and plan to return!

Picture from OllieIrene.blogspot.com

It's (one of) the most wonderful times of the year...

Birmingham Restaurant Week!

Where are you going to eat this week??  We've already been to The Silvertron Cafe and have friends heading to Highlands and Ocean.  So many great options...  Enjoy!

D.C. & Maryland - Part 2 - Sally and Trent's Wedding!!

After spending three days in D.C., we headed to the Eastern Shore near the Chesapeake Bay for Sally and Trent's wedding!  We stayed at a wonderful bed and breakfast, The Oaks, on the shore between St. Michael's and Easton, Maryland.  Both towns were so cute and had tons of great restaurants (it's also where Wedding Crashers was filmed!).  On Thursday night, some of us went to the newly opened Big Pickle Bar in downtown St. Michael's for dinner and drinks.  Of course, I had to try the fried pickles (they were great!) and had barbeque tacos which were super good!

at The Oaks before dinner

 

getting ready to go to The Big Pickle Bar!

On Friday, all of the girls went to The Bartlett Pear Inn in Easton for Sally's beautiful bridesmaid's lunch hosted by some of her sweet family friends.

the Ole Miss girls on the porch of The Bartlett Pear Inn

Friday night Sally and Trent had their rehearsal at The Oaks.  Then we went to Trent's family farm for the rehearsal dinner.  The food, the band, and the fireworks were amazing!

Ole Miss girls getting ready to go to the Farm

Before the Rehearsal Dinner

On Saturday we got ready for the wedding and spent a little time in St. Michael's.  We went to a great local restaurant (St. Michael's Crab and Steak House) and had crab cakes, raw oysters, and steamed crab - so yummy!  Kent and David ventured to the Crab Claw restaurant on Friday and highly recommend it as well.

 

Saturday night, Sally and Trent got married!  They had a beautiful wedding on the water followed by a wonderful reception in the ballroom at the Oaks.  After a sweet toast from Sally's dad, we had a lovely seated dinner and everyone danced all night!  The hors d'oeuvres, crab cakes, and fillets were amazing - not to mention the wonderful wedding cakes!  We lit sparklers and rang bells as the newlyweds made their get-away!  What an unforgettable wedding weekend!  Best wishes to our sweet friends!

With the Bride and Groom!

 

 

 

 

First Dance!

D.C. & Maryland - Part 1

Tuesday was our third wedding anniversary - I can't believe we've been married three years!  To celebrate, we spent several days in D.C. before heading to a best friend's wedding in Maryland (more to come on that soon).  We arrived on Monday afternoon, July 4th.  After a sketchy cab ride to our hotel, we went to meet my brother, Bee, on the Mall to get ready for the fireworks.

Fireworks in front of the Washington Monument

With Bee on the Mall!

On Tuesday we went to the International Spy Museum, which was a lot of fun!  We went to a great French restaurant, Bistro Bis, for lunch.  That night we went to the Nationals game with Bee and a friend from high school, Robbie.  Kent was supper excited that the National's stadium has concessions stands run by Ben's Chili Bowl, a famous hotdog stand in D.C.  The hotdogs did not disappoint!

Go Nats!

Kent and me at the Nationals game

Bee, me, and Robbie

On Wednesday, we went to lunch at Central Michel Richard, and it was so great!   We went on the recommendation of our friend, Lee, who has spent some time in D.C.  Kent had their burger, and I got the tuna burger.  We both loved it.  (The restaurant won the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in 2008.)  We spent the afternoon shopping and walking around the Art Museum.  Wednesday night we went out to celebrate our anniversary at The Tabard Inn.  This was such a fun place!  It's in the bottom of an old hotel and is really pretty.  The food was amazing; we had oysters, gumbo, crab, cheeses, and wine.

Outside of The Tabard Inn

Before we left on Thursday, we had lunch at Matchbox.  It's a really neat casual restaurant known for its pizzas.  We had a great lunch and then were off to Maryland for Sally and Trent's wedding!

Roadfood Eating Tours

A few days ago I happened across this website called, Roadfood.com.  It's a site that allows you to look up restaurants in different states, review them, ask questions, etc.  It also allows you to look up recipes and buy merchandise.  But, my favorite part is that it features a list of eating tours across the United States, including Louisiana Cajun Country Boudin Sausage, Memphis Barbecue Loop, New England Shore Dinner, and Yankee Donut Destinations.  Their main idea is to show folks "the most memorable local eateries along the highways and back roads of America".  For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while, it's probably not surprising that Kent and I plan many of our travels around making sure that we get to sample the best local foods - what can we say - we love to eat good food!  I'm hoping that we'll get to try some of the recommended restaurants from this website soon!

Homewood Gourmet's Baby Bleu Salad (from Chef Franklin Biggs)

This is a great summer salad recipe from a wonderful restaurant in Homewood!  I have also included the recipes for the dressing and roasted pecans.  I can't wait to try it!

Ingredients:
1-1/2 lbs. Baby Lettuce Mix (sometimes called mezclun or spring/summer mix)
6 oz. Blue Cheese, crumbled
2 cups Balsamic Vinaigrette (recipe below)
4 ea. Oranges, peeled to the flesh and sliced (2 slices per salad)
2 pt. Strawberries, hulled and quartered (2 Tbsp. per salad)
6 oz. Sweet and Spicy pecans (recipe below)

Directions:
Toss baby lettuce mix with balsamic vinaigrette and blue cheese, using enough dressing to coat lettuce but not drown them. Place in center of plate. Scatter oranges and strawberries over the salad. Top with sweet and spicy pecans.

Balsamic Vinaigrette (for 12 salads)
Ingredients:
1 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/3 cup Dijon Mustard
1/3 cup Honey
2 TB Garlic, chopped, browned or roasted
2 tsp Fresh Shallots, chopped (optional)
2 cups Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
Whisk vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, garlic and shallots until thick. Slowly add olive oil as dressing emulsifies. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Sweet and Spicy Pecans (makes six ounces)
Ingredients:
2 cups Water
1/2 cup White sugar, mixed with water to make a syrup
6 oz. Pecans, whole
4 Tbsp. White Sugar
2 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1/2 tsp. Ground dark red chilis

Directions:
Mix sugar and spices together. Briefly soak the pecans in the sugar mixture, drain lightly and toss nuts with spice/sugar mix to coat. Lay out on a roasting pan and roast for 10 minutes at 350° until golden brown.

Urban Cookhouse Benefit Dinner

Urban Cookhouse in Homewood will be donating the money that it takes in tomorrow night from sales of take-home dinners to a North Alabama farmer who lost most of his crops during the snow storm in early January.  I have eaten at Urban Cookhouse twice and really enjoyed the fresh ingredients in their dishes!  I'm sure their take-home dinners are just as delicious!  To read more about farmer that Urban Cookhouse is supporting, read this article.  You can visit Urban Cookhouse's website to view their whole menu.

Weekend in Review

Kent and I got to participate in two great Birmingham food events this weekend!  For the last week, some area restaurants have been participating in "Birmingham Restaurant Week."  These restaurants offer prix fixe menus for either $10, $20, or $30.  It gives you a great chance to try new restaurants or new dishes from your favorite restaurants.  We decided to try a new (to us) place on Friday night - The Silvertron Cafe in the Forest Park neighborhood.  They were offering a three course menu with several options for each course.  We both loved our dinners and were glad to be able to try dishes that were not offered on their regular menu.  In fact, we loved it so much that we went back the next night with Kent's parents, who had also heard great things about the restaurant, to try different menu items!  On the first night, Kent decided to try the "beer dinner" along with his courses.  With each course, they brought out half of a recommended beer that had been paired with each menu item.  Each one was really different and unique!  They have great selections of wine, beer, mixed drinks as well as desserts - we highly recommend the white chocolate bread pudding!

On Saturday we went with Caroline and Franklin to the 38th Annual Greek Food Festival downtown hosted by the Holy Trinity-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church.  There was a long line to get in when we got there, but it was definitely worth the wait.  There were about 10 different entree choices being made on site and several great dessert choices.  I was also excited to get to buy a cookbook put together by members of the congregation.  Hopefully, I'll be able to add some new Greek recipes to the blog soon!  It was fun getting to listen to the festive music and tour the inside of the beautiful cathedral.  I can't wait to go back next year!

Anniversary Celebration!

I apologize for the recent lack in posting. Things have been busy around here! Monday was our two year wedding anniversary!

We went to Oxford two weekends ago to celebrate the occasion. Since we spent most of the weekend eating at our favorite restaurants, I decided to share some of our experiences and recommendations.

Weekend in review....

Friday night we had a wonderful meal at City Grocery on the Square. I had the lobster and tamale dish, and it was amazing! Kent had the New York Strip and loved it as well. I've mentioned this restaurant in my blog before (you may remember the famous Shrimp and Grits!). I talked about the wonderful chef and owner, John Currence. After dinner Friday night, we went upstairs to the bar. John walked by, and I asked if I could have my picture made with him. He was so generous and talked with us for a while.

Saturday morning we went to Bottletree Bakery. Bottletree was my favorite place to go for breakfast all through college. I had really missed the onion parmesan bagel!

We went to Two Stick for lunch and had great sushi! Then we spent the afternoon shopping on the Square. For dinner we headed to Snackbar, one of John Currence's newer restaurants. Snackbar features French food and is especially known for its raw oysters and local foods. We had the oysters as an appetizer. I had to try the amazing French onion soup and had the steak sandwich with parmesan and parsley fries for my entree. Kent had the lobster cake sliders. I would certainly recommend trying Snackbar - everything I had was wonderful! We wanted to head back to the Square for the evening, so we stopped by Waltz for dessert and drinks.

On Sunday we visited First Presbyterian in Oxford where we had gone to church during college. We went to Old Venice for lunch and then went to the pool at our hotel for the afternoon. On Sunday night we decided to grab some dinner and go to Rowan Oak (Faulkner's home) to eat on the grounds. Then we went to the Grove and joined the crowd to watch the 4th of July fireworks!

Before leaving Oxford on Monday we went to another John Currence restaurant, Big Bad Breakfast. I had the oatmeal pancakes, and they were so great! I've got to try to find a good recipe for oatmeal pancakes. They taste similar to flour pancakes but have more flavor and a denser consistency. We had a wonderful weekend in Oxford! I can't wait to go back!

City Grocery Shrimp and Grits

City Grocery is a wonderful restaurant in downtown Oxford, Mississippi on the square. Head chef and owner, John Currence, is a celebrated chef throughout the South and contributing editor for Garden and Gun magazine. He won the 2009 James Beard Best Southern Chef award. He also owns Boure (Southern Cajun food) and Big Bad Breakfast (breakfast food - and lots of it). For those of you in Birmingham, word is that there will be a new restaurant opening in Mountain Brook by an Oxford native that models Big Bad Breakfast with its fresh local ingredients and original recipes. This recipe of Shrimp and Grits is probably City Grocery's most famous dish. I promise it will be a new favorite!

City Grocery Shrimp and Grits
Ingredients:
Grits:
1-cup quick-cook grits
4 Tbs. Unsalted butter
¾ cup extra-sharp white cheddar
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 ½ Tbs paprika
1 tsp Tabasco
Salt and pepper to taste

Shrimp:
2 cups chopped smoked bacon
3 Tbs olive oil
1 ½ lbs. of 26-30 count shrimp (peeled)
Salt and black pepper to taste
3 tsp minced garlic
3 cups sliced white mushrooms
3 tbs white wine
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 cups sliced scallions

Directions:
Cook grits according to instructions on package. As grits are finishing, whisk in butter, cheddar, Parmesan, cayenne, paprika and Tabasco. After all ingredients are incorporated, season with salt and pepper. Keep warm until shrimp are ready.

Cook bacon until it begins to brown; remove from heat, strain and reserve bacon grease and bacon bits.

Heat a large skillet until very hot, and add olive oil and 2 tbs bacon fat. As oil begins to smoke, toss in shrimp to cover bottom of pan. Before stirring, season with salt and pepper.

Stir until shrimp begin to turn pink all over (let pan return to original hot temperature).

Stir in minced garlic and bacon bits, being careful not to burn garlic. Toss in mushrooms, and coat with oil briefly.

Add lemon juice and wine; stir for 30 seconds or until everything is well coated.

Assuming that this is ready to be served, toss in sliced scallions and stir for about 30 seconds. (If these are added too long before serving, they will begin to turn brown and loose their crunch).

Serve over cheese grits.

La Paz's Guacamole

La Paz is a wonderful Mexican restaurant in Crestline Village in Mountain Brook. Their food is always really fresh. Kent came across this recipe so I thought I would share! If you've never made gaucamole, it's really easy and definitely better than buying it from the store.

La Paz's Guacamole

Ingredients:

6 Hass avocados, peeled and seeded

3/4 cup diced fresh tomatoes

1 cup diced white onions

1/2 cup diced green chiles

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 tablespoon granulated garlic

1/2 tablespoon salt

1/4 tablespoon black pepper

1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh jalapeno

1/8 cup fresh lime juice

Directions:

Mash avocados with fork or potato masher. Add remaining ingredients. Serve immediately. Note: Use avocados at room temperature

Notes from Anna - If you don't have granualted garlic, just mince one small garlic clove. Also, if you like guacamole creamier, add a little sour cream.