issue feature
by Laura McAlister, Joe O'Donnell, Mary Ellen
Stancill and Carla Jean Whitley
Food and Drink
Healthy Snack
For “great taste that won’t go to your waist,” try Only 8 frozen yogurt. Available at Mt. Brook and Edgewood Creameries, this all natural low cal, no fat treat is even safe for most diabetics and those who are lactose intolerant. Even a small serving is large enough to fill you up. Don’t miss the blueberry when it’s available!

Girls night at Sol y Luna This popular tapas restaurant sees its fair share of girls out on the town. Why? A delicious meal—you must try the Tomatillo Lobster Soft Tacos—in a smaller portion will fill you up without emptying your wallet. Their margarita menu is extensive, but we favor the Perfect Margarita with Sauza Conmemorativo Tequila, Cointreau and fresh orange and lime juice.

Best “salad” The Grape Salad at Food Studio B is a gooey, healthy mixture worth enduring a traffic jam on 280 to procure. Chef Sean Butler mixes organic green grapes with cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla, pecans and brown sugar. Need we say more?

Fried Sushi Roll Sure, frying sushi defeats the purpose of a light, healthy food--but trust us. It’s worth the extra calories. The “Hurricane” Tempura Fried Roll at Sekisui in Vestavia Hills City Center—crawfish, cream cheese, crabstick and hot and sweet sauce—melts in your mouth. You’ll be chopstick fighting for the last piece and singing the praises of Head Sushi Chef Makoto.

Lunchtime Burger Folks who work downtown know that the Alabama Power Company cafeteria is a hopping, lunchtime spot for Power Company employees and other downtowners alike. A longtime favorite is the “Power Burger.” The punch is provided by the “Power Sauce” which closely resembles a spicy ranch-like dressing, served on the side or right on top. The lightfilled dining area at the power company is also a nice place to spend your lunch hour.

Turkey Pita No matter in which venue you experience Kathy G’s catering wizardry, the best thing you’ll put in your mouth is the small, delectable turkey pita sandwiches that honestly seem too good to be just a pocket of pita, turkey and tarragon mayonnaise. There has to be some other magical ingredient in there.

Tea At Urban Standard, that urbane outpost along Second Avenue North, the tea goes far beyond the standard. A heady concoction of perfectly brewed tea and almond, this flavorful beverage has zing and sophistication—just like the coffeehouse restaurant.

Mojito menu It’s never so hard to settle on a mojito as when you’re visiting La Mesa Cantina and Grill in Five Points South. Choose from more than 20 flavors, ranging from a classic mojito to fun flavors like mango or pina colada. Each drink is as beautiful as it is tasty, filled with mint and fruit. And on Mojito Wednesdays, you’ll pay only $4 per mojito, excluding premium liquors, from 4 p.m. to close.

Cake innovation The Baby Bites at Homewood’s Pastry Art Bake Shoppe are the bakery’s signature creation—and one bite reveals why they’re so popular. The cake is so moist that it nearly melts in your mouth, and a variety of flavors mean you can find something to appeal to every palette. Baby Bites are $14.50 a dozen, or $1.25 each for caramel, chocolate, French vanilla, turtle and red velvet. Specialty flavors require a minimum one dozen purchase. Day-old bites are half-price and just as delicious—assuming yesterday’s customer’s didn’t snatch them all up!

Salty-sweet treat When I was in high school, chocolatecovered popcorn from Peterbrooke Chocolatier was widely considered the perfect combination of salty and sweet. Now, the Jacksonville, Fla.-based confectionary has brought this treat and more to Birmingham. The shop opened late last year in the Cahaba Village Plaza, on U.S. 280 next to Whole Foods.

Beer pairings It’s easy to find wine dinners all over town—just take a look at our monthly Spirits calendar. But pairing a good beer with your dinner is another story. The J Clyde has changed that with its extensive beer list and monthly beer dinners. Each five-course dinner bucks the notion that wine is the only match for fine food. This month’s dinner, to be held Sept. 11, will benefit the RML Foundation. Visit jclyde.com for more information.

Cooking classes at Little Savannah Little Savannah Chef Clif Holt has been serving up mouth-watering meals with a Southern flare for five years now, and if you have a little patience and some cash to spare, he’ll share a few of his tricks of the trade. Since opening in Forest Park, Little Savannah has offered seasonal cooking classes. They like to keep them small, typically around eight people, so they fill up fast.

“They’re very popular,” said Jessica Kuklo, front house manager. “As soon as we release the dates we’re full.”

Holt has offered a variety of classes. Each ends with participants dining together on their dishes. The most recent cooking class at Little Savannah was Market to the Kitchen. For $75 a person, Holt met students at Pepper Place to purchase fresh produce. Back at Little Savannah they prepared dishes with the fresh ingredients. More classes are coming soon, so Kuklo says to check their website often for details. birminghammenus.com/littlesavannah

 People, Places and Things

Hospital news The Children’s Hospital of Alabama’s proposed addition to its infrastructure of caring and healing is the best medical news the community could have received. One of the 10 busiest pediatric medical centers in the U.S., Children’s is proposing a replacement facility at a cost of approximately $500 million that would increase the number of beds to 332. Children’s announced a $100 million capital campaign in May to help pay for the project and has already raised more than two-thirds of that goal, including a $25 million gift from Ben and Luanne Russell of Alexander City and $20 million of support from the City of Birmingham over a twenty year period. Children’s entire downtown campus will be renamed the Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children, in honor of Ben Russell’s grandfather. The opening of the new facility is planned for 2012.

Food movement
A love of locally grown food and an appreciation of the innate sensual wonder of sharing food among friends, neighbors and loved ones drove the creation of the Birmingham chapter of the worldwide Slow Food Movement. You can find out more at the website slowfoodbirmingham.com

Tour

The 16th Street Baptist Church offers tours by appointment. While the Civil Rights icon makes a powerful destination for a visit, the experience is made all the more vivid and poignant during a tour conducted by volunteer guides who understand and can share the significance of this place. Call 251-9402 for an appointment.

Hotel bar The atmosphere at icon in the Tutwiler Hotel is both sophisticated and friendly, everything you could ask of a hotel bar. With regular music on Thursdays from local jazz guitar legend Eric Essix and a convivial bunch of regulars, icon hits all the right notes.

Museum addition
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is undergoing a renovation of its exhibition space. Plans are underway for a major redesign to unfold over the coming months at the world-class Birmingham museum that documents the local and global struggle for civil rights.

Tap water
Did you know Birmingham’s drinking water was ranked number five—out of 77 metropolitan statistical areas—for “Best Cities for Clean Drinking Water?” According to Forbes magazine, “Alabama’s largest city scored in the top 10 for the low amounts of bacteria and lead in its drinking water.” It’s a good reason to turn on the tap and rid yourself of expensive bottled water at the store.

Beat soaring gas prices; buy a scooter
In January, Magic City Motor Scooters opened in Birmingham. It was perfect timing. As gas prices continue to soar, more and more local folks are choosing these smaller and cheaper modes of transport. Using an online calculator Magic City Motor Scooter owners Joy and Matthew Myers passed along these statistics: “If I drive a car that gets 20 mpg for 200 miles a week and buy a $3,000 scooter and drive it all the time, I could save $31.49 per week or $1,637.45 per year. It would take just over 2 years to break even ... Recalculate for serious gas guzzlers getting 15 mpg ... save $45/week or $2331/year (break even in 1.4 years).”

Neighborhood interaction
People often complain that neighbors don’t interact the way they once did—but in the Crestwood South neighborhood, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Nearly 400 residents subscribe to a newsgroup dedicated to the community. It’s a place where they can interact, as well as find information on upcoming events, trash pickup dates, neighborhood meetings and more. Do you call Crestwood South home? Visit groups.yahoo.com and search Crestwood South.

Sign of hope for downtown
Dreaming of downtown revitalization isn’t new; ask anyone who’s been in Birmingham for a few years. But in the past year, the 2300 block of Second Avenue North has provided fans of downtown with new hope. As businesses have popped up—most notably Urban Standard and What’s on 2nd?—parking has become scarce and the block has been infused with character.

Look for continued development this fall as Rogue Tavern opens.

Local, clean comedienne You’ll never hear a cuss word or an off-color joke when Joy the Queen of Clean is on stage. She’s appeared across town, from Christian Comedy Nite at the former Coffee House of Trussville to The Comedy Club Stardome. On Sept. 5 she’ll launch 1st and 3rd Friday Night LOL Comedy Show, to be held at Destiny House “God’s Coffee Shop” in Bessemer. Admission is $10, plus one food or drink purchase. Visit joythequeenofclean. com for more details. You’ll also find clips from past performances.

Finley Boulevard Farmer’s Market Old school farmers like Jack Green and Edna Lenoir, A.K.A. the Pepper Guy and Okra Lady, are two reasons the Finley Boulevard Farmer’s Market is one of the best places in town to purchase produce. When the market opened at its Finley Boulevard location in 1956, Green and Lenior were there. As their nicknames imply, Green is known for his many varieties of peppers, while Lenoir specializes in okra. Both in their 80s now, theycan be seen p e d d l i n g their produce several times a week at the market, just don' t expect Green on Sundays .

“Sometimes I come two times a week sometimes I come five, but never in my life have I come on a Sunday,” he says. “Daddy told me, Sunday’s not for selling, and it’s not for hunting or fishing either.”

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January Birmingham, Alabama

  

 
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