Food Specialties in Bham? (Birmingham, Pelham: schools, closing, live)

[allmotionisrelative]

Hello all,

Am taking a visit down to Birmingham for the first time. I've looked through many of the postings about food, but most discuss what restaurants to go to.

I'm not as interested in that, but rather am curious if there are certain specialties known in Birmingham. Anything from a side dish to a dessert to a main course meal. I've heard white bbq sauce is a thing down there, but that's about it.

Please let me know any regional food specialties I should know about. Things that are local to Bham or AL in general would be great.

Thanks so much!

[raj kapoor]

Originally Posted by allmotionisrelative

Hello all,

Am taking a visit down to Birmingham for the first time. I've looked through many of the postings about food, but most discuss what restaurants to go to.

I'm not as interested in that, but rather am curious if there are certain specialties known in Birmingham. Anything from a side dish to a dessert to a main course meal. I've heard white bbq sauce is a thing down there, but that's about it.

Please let me know any regional food specialties I should know about. Things that are local to Bham or AL in general would be great.

Thanks so much!

Honestly this is subject is just too broad for this venue. All you can hope to get is people telling there favorite things. You would do better search this subject online and there are books about this. Generally Birmingham is like many sister cities in that the foods we call our own are Southern first. We are a big bbq town and also a big seafood town with our proximity to the Gulf of Mexico. This providing fresh daily delivery even decades ago. Our Greek restaurants are good and provide family specialties. In fact looking up some of our award winning chefs and their restaurants will give you great insight.

I could tell you where to get the best Ruben sandwich but would that imply that we are know for that. No. I would say that you have to try things people say they love here and you will have found what we are known for. As I typed this I tried to think of a food for a few cities and couldn't . Deep dish pizza Chicago....not really, who doesn't do it. Gumbo in Nola, ours is as good or better.
We also have some really good Italian and we have the worst Mexican in the state. (wasn't always that way) A few successful cats took over up here and you have two dozen of the same two places.

Racked my brain and everything I think of can be expected in most any other southern city with the exception of some of the Greek and the local upscale places.

I will look forward to reading what appears here. You have laid down a challenge, but I don't think in America today you will find cities so isolated in a culinary sense, and there fore no one can say where anything originate.

Good luck,
raj

[cpg35223]

Actually, I wouldn't say a particular dish. However, I would say that the elevation of traditional Southern/Alabama dishes to haute cuisine is actually something that makes Birmingham very distinctive, so much so that our restaurants regularly appear in places such as the New York Times, et al. In that sense, places such as Highlands, Hot & Hot, Cafe Dupont and others have taken dishes such as hoppin' John and really given it an incredible new life. In fact, just last week, the Wall Street Journal had an article that discussed how hominy is now the hot new dish in chi-chi restaurants in New York. I can't help but think that chefs such as Frank Stitt and Chris Hastings had something to do with that.

[Tourian]

...and no, white barbecue sauce is not big down here.

But BBQ is. Full Moon, Jim n Nicks and Saw's are the names that come up the most. But there are several others.

[cpg35223]

Originally Posted by Tourian

...and no, white barbecue sauce is not big down here.

But BBQ is. Full Moon, Jim n Nicks and Saw's are the names that come up the most. But there are several others.

Interesting how many different schools of BBQ there are. Miss Myra's has the white sauce, others have vinegar sauce (Curse you, Ollie's, for moving out to Pelham and then closing. One of the dumbest business moves ever. But there's always Carlisle's) and yet others have tomato-based sauce. Everybody has their own variation.

[allmotionisrelative]

Ah. Okay. Thanks for everyone's response. This was a good overview. If anyone has other things to add, keep 'em coming!

[Tourian]

Ollie's was the best vinegar based BBQ no doubt. I understand them wanting to get out of the 'hood, but I don't think their location was curbing their clientele. Moving was definitely a disaster. Their new location was horrible and nothing else has worked their either. I have t had Myra's yet...

[cpg35223]

Originally Posted by Tourian

Ollie's was the best vinegar based BBQ no doubt. I understand them wanting to get out of the 'hood, but I don't think their location was curbing their clientele. Moving was definitely a disaster. Their new location was horrible and nothing else has worked their either. I have t had Myra's yet...

Well, their location near UAB was just about perfect. One of the brothers ramrodded through the move because he thought they'd reach a higher dollar customer. The problems were manifold:

1) A good 300 feet off Highway 31
2) Removal from their established customer base
3) Transition to a fast-food format and away from table service. Those ladies at Ollie's had memories so good, they should have counted cards at Vegas blackjack tables. They'd remember your name, remember your order, remember everything flawlessly.
4) Too many lunchtime establishments already in Pelham serving not enough workers. Let's see, established location to roughly 100,000 workers at lunchtime versus maybe 5,000. Yeah. Smart move there.

So I wonder if the brother who pushed for the move gets invited to the family get-togethers at Thanksgiving. Because if I were one of the other brothers, I'm not sure I could, to this day, look across the turkey and fixings without wanting to catapult a spoonful of mashed potatoes at the guy.

[Tourian]

Man you're all over it.

My folks would take me there as a kid and they always seemed to know him and what he'd order.

I don't get why any one would build a restaurant that far back off the highway.

The tide has turned a bit and the place to be is downtown so it's really sad how Ollie's ended up.

Damn I m hungry.

[Miv]

Eat @ Fife's for real southern cooking.

Best ox tails: Leonard's
Best liver : Nelson's