Melt

Back in the 70's and 80's, Avondale, one of Birmingham's oldest districts, was a dying community. The older people, who once called the community on the eastern side of Birmingham home, were dying off and the neighborhoods of Avondale had become run down and seedy. It was known more for the drug deals that took place there rather than the Big Spring that once brought people to the area. Avondale and its Big Spring, from which bubbled the "sweetest waters" and inspired a park that, for a time, housed the beginnings of the Birmingham Zoo, soon found themselves victims of neglect. Recently, all of that has begun to change. A new generation has discovered Avondale, and younger people and creative businesses are starting to find their way back into the area. 

The turnaround began late in 2011, when Avondale Brewing set up shop in the four block area. Six months free rent was offered to other businesses who could move into the area and help increase foot traffic. Freshfully Market, now closed, began selling local produce and other goods made in Alabama. Saw's Soul Kitchen, with their unique take on barbecue and soul food, also joined the party. 

Now, less than five years later, Avondale has become Birmingham's trendiest neighborhood, with a vibrant restaurant and bar scene. In 2014, the food truck, Melt, found a brick and mortar home in an old service station in Avondale, and added their own cheesy goodness to the mix. 

I will admit, I was a little hesitant when I first heard about Melt. I like cheese, but I am one of those weirdos who believe a little cheese can  go a long way. Too much and I have a headache. I was afraid a restaurant with a cheese centered menu would induce a migraine. But eventually, my curiosity got the better of me, and I found myself headed to Avondale once again.  

                             

First, I was impressed with the funky, reclaimed decor. Lots of old wood and tin, found objects and high ceilings give the place a fun, laid back vibe. We found a seat in one of the roomy booths, were greeted promptly and received our menus. I was happy to see that everything on the menu wasn't swimming in cheese. There is cheese, for sure, but it doesn't overwhelm the menu as I thought it might. 

First up, appetizer. We chose, well my daddy quickly suggested and the rest of us went along with, fried pickles. I have to say, I was glad we did. Daddy thought, and we agreed, these were the best fried pickles we have had. To begin with, the long slices make them perfect for dipping into the creamy, spicy roasted jalapeño ranch dressing. Secondly, they were completely free of grease, which seems to be a problem for most fried dills I have tasted. These were crunchy and delicious. Things were looking promising.

Daddy chose, Ma! The Meatloaf which came with house made meatloaf, garlic mashed potatoes, Monterey jack, grilled onions, and rosemary ketchup, served up on Birmingham Breadworks sourdough. Daddy liked the sandwich, but he is old school. He would have preferred his mashed potatoes on the side, rather than on the sandwich. He chose Melt's homemade chips to accompany his sandwich. We all agreed those chips were delicious. 

 My mom decided on the Roast Beef Melt with shaved roast beef, Monterey jack, horseradish aioli, arugula, and shaved red onions on Birmingham Breadworks sourdough. She liked her sandwich, but, in a weird reversal of tastes, she would have liked MORE cheese. You just can't please our family! She also enjoyed the hand cut fries.

As for me, I couldn't resist the tomato basil soup and chickpea hummus with kalamata olives, lavash crackers and toasted na'an bread. I am always searching for a perfect tomato basil soup and this one was pretty darn close. It came with a delicious puddle of basil infused olive oil which made a wonderful topper. I loved it. I also loved the creamy hummus with its happy sprinkling of paprika. I wish I had some right now. 

So, now I have a new favorite restaurant in Birmingham and I just keep coming up with tasty reasons to head back to Avondale. 

Three Friends and a Fork give Melt 3 Perfectly Cheesy Yums UP!

I think the Pink Suit of Armor is giving a Yum UP as well!

Galley and Garden

I swear I had no idea one of our favorite Huntsville chefs, Chef James Boyce, had opened up a restaurant in Birmingham! But of course, when I found out, you know I had to pay a visit. The opportunity presented itself, recently, when I drove my mom and dad to a doctor's visit.

Galley and Garden is located on Highland Avenue in the stately columned home that used to be Veranda on Highland. Having eaten at both of Boyce's Huntsville restaurants, Cotton Row and Commerce Kitchen, I knew I was in for some delicious food. I was not disappointed.

The interior of the restaurant is light and airy, elegant and understated.

We were seated in a small room with a large window overlooking the back of Chef Chris Hastings' Hot and Hot Fish Club. This neighborhood is home to some of Alabama's best restaurants. Chef Frank Stitt has two restaurants, Highland's Bar and Grill and Chez Fon Fon, in the same area. 

 Our server brought out water and menus. The selections included starters and salads, flatbreads and entrees.

First things first! We quickly decided that the duck confit fries warranted further investigation. I didn't really know what to expect, but we were all really happy with what we got. The handcut fries, were fried in duck fat and piled on top of thinly cut slices of actual duck. Then the whole thing got covered in a gorgonzola bechamel sauce. It was about as decadent as it gets and delicious to boot. We couldn't believe how good it was. The fries were so yummy coated in that cheesy sauce, but the real surprise? The duck was incredible. I didn't realize I could like duck so much!

Oddly, mom, dad and I all chose a flatbread for our entrees. There were three flatbreads on the menu and we each got a different one. Daddy went vegetarian and chose the wild mushroom flatbread with caramelized onions, arugula and grana padano.

Mom got the chicken flatbread with pesto, pecorino romano and oven roasted tomatoes. I thought her flatbread was really pretty with the red tomatoes peeking through the melted cheese.

I couldn't resist the pork belly flatbread with tomato chutney, pickled jalapeños and white barbecue sauce. Pork belly is my new obsession. If it is on the menu, I feel I owe it to myself to check it out. And white sauce? Well, what self-respecting Alabamian can pass on the state sauce! The jalapeños gave the rustic pie a spicy kick.

Which flatbread was best? Hard to say because we were all really happy with our choices and each of us thought our selection was the best.

At the end of our meal, a drink server accidentally brought coffee and hot chocolate to our table. We thought it was a little bonus and my mom had knocked back her entire cup of hot chocolate before it dawned on us that we had actually gotten another table's order. Mom said that hot chocolate was divine! I wouldn't know. She didn't share!

Now that I have tried out the lunch menu, I definitely plan to make a return visit to flight test the dinner menu. I can only imagine the treats Chef Boyce has in store for the evening meal. 

Three Friends and a Fork give Galley and Garden and Chef James Boyce 3 Enthusiastic Yums UP!

Rocket City Farm Burger

                            

Exciting things are afoot in the Rocket City. First Whole Foods moved in to the new Shops at Merchants Walk at 2501 Memorial Parkway SW. Now, Farm Burger has wiggled out a space for itself in the same complex. The upscale burger joint promises organic, grassfed, dry-aged, fresh beef and a menu that is chef-driven, seasonal and sourced from local farms. The decor is decidedly low key and easygoing with a farm fresh feel.     

   

                           

While the concept is simple, the menu is quite complex. I was really glad there was a line, because it gave me time to study the menu. There were so many options! Seriously, you could go to Farm Burger everyday for months and not have the same burger twice. 

                                   

I passed on the snacks of boiled peanuts, fried chicken livers or deviled eggs, although the deviled eggs did give me pause. I am such a sucker for a deviled egg! I also skipped the pot pie fritters and the mac and cheese with pulled pork. Additionally, I chose to forego the already designed blackboard burgers in favor of building my own burger. Having made that decision, I began to study my burger topping options. They fell into three categories: free toppings, $1 extra toppings and $2 premium toppings. The free toppings included Farm Burger sauce, roasted garlic, fresh jalapeños, pickled jalapeños, iceberg lettuce, red onion, vine-ripened tomatoes, Duke's mayo, spicy mustard, homemade pickles, and smoked paprika mayo. From these, I picked the Farm Burger sauce, spicy mustard and homemade pickles. There were even more extra and premium toppings than free toppings. I settled on arugula from the extra toppings and gruyere and oxtail marmalade from the premium section.  

Here is the finished product. I was really happy with my choices. The meat was juicy and delicious and my toppings were original and very cheffy. Farm Burger sauce is sort of a spicy homemade Thousand Island sauce and oxtail marmalade is meaty and sweet all at the same time. The arugula was fresh and the homemade pickles added a crunchy punch. The melted gruyere put the whole thing over the top. My burger was accompanied by hand-cut french fries. They were crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and perfectly seasoned.  Finally, and this is important, my tea tasted like it was brewed by a southern grandma. It was refreshing, without a hint of bitterness. 

I will definitely be back to Farm Burger to build another burger masterpiece and, hopefully, try out those deviled eggs. 

Three Friends and a Fork are proud to give Farm Burger a big old grassfed 

Yums UP! Welcome to the Rocket City!

Bottle & Bone: The Butcher of Birmingham

Talk about multiple personalities! Our latest discovery is part industrial butcher shop, part shabby chic restaurant and part vintage market. But it is 100% a carnivore's dream. In fact, this post comes with a caveat. I felt my cholesterol go up about twenty points just walking into Bottle and Bone. I can't even think what it must have been when I finished eating. You have been forewarned!

Located in the entertainment district that has sprung up around the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center, Bottle and Bone is one of many restaurants in the area, but it is still one of a kind.

When I started researching Bottle and Bone, I was surprised to discover it was started by, Jen Barnett, the same bright mind who dreamed up Freshfully Market. If you remember, Sherri, Lu and I visited Freshfully Market a few years ago. We discovered it when we set out to find Saw's Soul Kitchen. We loved Freshfully and were sad when we learned it would close. Happily, the creativity of Freshfully has moved on to Bottle and Bone. 

Many of the made in Alabama products we loved at Freshfully Market have made the move to Bottle and Bone. Some of them even make it onto the menu. For instance, we found one of those products on the appetizer we ordered. 

                            

                                                                             

Our Bottle and Bone adventure began with a flight...a Bacon Flight. What is a bacon flight, you ask? It is, quite simply, a board piled with three kinds of Bottle and Bone's own bacon: the house regular, sweet chili and brown sugar. They are all amazing.

Along with the bacon is a pile of Pickled Pink's watermelon pickles. Those sweet, vinegary watermelon pickles are the perfect accompaniment to the fatty bacon. Luckily, jars of those same pickles are available for purchase in the Bottle and Bone market. Guess who came home with a jar?

Ordering our appetizer was easy, but it was a bit more challenging when it came to entrees. I had pretty much settled my mind on the Roasted Chicken Club with potato salad, when I heard Scott order the same thing. Now I was back to square one, because I really wanted for us to get different entrees. I was just about to choose the Braised Pork Torta, when our server helpfully offered to make a suggestion, which I was happy to take. His suggestion was the Daily Grind Burger, so Daily Grind Burger is what I ordered. When Scott decided to change his side of potato salad to the potato gratin, I chose potato salad to go with my burger.

Here is Scott's roasted chicken club with potato gratin. He really liked it and it was delicious. The chicken was piled high on toasted bread and topped with lettuce, tomato, provolone cheese and Alabama white barbecue sauce. To my mind, the star of his plate, however, was the potato gratin. I think they were the best I have ever had. Sometimes potatoes gratin are overpowered with cheese, but these were buttery and tasted like cream. I was surprised how much I liked them. 

My fat burger was made with beef freshly ground by the talented butchers at Bottle and Bone. It was piled high with two thick patties topped with cheddar cheese, homemade pickles, red onion, lettuce, tomato and B&B sauce. I don't have any idea what B&B sauce is, but it was good and I didn't even need to ask for mustard and catsup. The only criticism I had was the winter tomato. It is just really hard to get wonderful tomatoes in Alabama in the middle of winter. Other than that, the burger was absolutely delicious! Our server did not steer me wrong. When I go back to Bottle and Bone, I will have a hard time trying something different, because I enjoyed that burger so much. 

The potato salad was also scrumptious. The potatoes were perfectly cooked and the dish was superbly seasoned. At any other restaurant I would definitely order it again, but Bottle and Bone has those gratin potatoes, you see. They will be hard to not to choose!

                                      

The staff at Bottle and Bone was super helpful and consisted of two people the day we were there, Hugh and Daniel. They took our orders, made suggestions, brought our food and answered our questions. 

The decor of this small establishment is a mix of shabby chic, modern minimalist and industrial design. Along with the main dining room, there is a private dining area for parties and private events. The long table in the center of the room seats 12 and is anchored by a repurposed fireplace mantle at the end of the room. 

        

Signs around the restaurant encourage patrons to eat more bacon. I was also surprised when I looked up to see a the shape of a giant butchered pig hanging from the ceiling. It was made of pieces of rusty sheet metal pieced together to form the shape and covers pretty much the entire ceiling in the main dining room. This restaurant unapologetically flaunts its carnivorous personality. 

   

Finally, if you just didn't get enough of a meat fix during your meal, this authentic butcher shop is ready to help out. Just peruse the meat case and literally bring home the bacon. From steaks and ground beef to sausage and pork chops, the choice is up to you.

If you like meat and you are not ashamed of it, a visit to Bottle and Bone has to be on your short list. It is a creative and innovative addition to Uptown Birmingham's food scene. 

Three Friends and a Fork give Bottle and Bone 

3 Meaty Yums UP!

Butternut Squash Soup

One of the best things about winter is cooking up yummy soup recipes. I am always looking for different ways to make a perfect pot of warm soup. Hearty or light, it doesn't matter, I love them all. I also like combining random ingredients in my fridge and pantry and to come up with brand-new recipes.

This morning I looked in my fridge and spied a butternut squash and a leek that were just begging to be paired up, so I decided to make soup! Sometimes butternut squash soup can, for me, be too sweet, so I knew I wanted a more savory recipe. Also, I wanted a lighter version with no cream, so I could feel good about the healthy squash without all the guilt that usually comes with butternut squash soup. Here is how I accomplished my goal. The soup was really delicious. See what you think.

Here are the ingredients:

1 butternut squash, halved with seeds and pulp removed
1 leek, white and light green parts chopped. Discard dark green parts.
1 shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 T. olive oil, plus extra for roasting squash
2 T. butter
1 t. orange zest
1 box (24 oz.) chicken broth
Hot sauce, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Drizzle the cut side of squash with olive oil. Place cut side down on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes or until the squash is tender. Remove from oven and cool. Remove skin and chop the squash. Set aside.

In a skillet, heat olive oil and butter, along with chopped leek.  Cook over medium heat until leek begins to soften. Add chopped shallot and cook until shallot softens. Add garlic and heat until garlic begins to give off its fragrance. Do not let garlic brown.

Place squash and leek mixture in large saucepan. Add chicken broth until you get the soup as thick or thin as you prefer.  Heat thoroughly. Add grated orange zest, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Use your favorite hot sauce. My personal favorite is Busha Browne's Pukka Hot Sauce.


Pour into soup bowls, top with chopped scallion and crumbled bacon and serve.

Good and healthy! I hope you like it!