Category Archives: Around Birmingham

what i ordered: steel city pops

Posted in Around Birmingham, Around Tuscaloosa, What I ordered by

So maybe I am late to this partay, but I heard some super good news recently: Steel City Pops is coming to Tuscaloosa! It’s been rumored here and there, but I thought it was too good to be true.
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Steel City Pops makes pops with 100 percent natural and, when possible, organic and locally-harvested ingredients. Their approach is inspired by traditional Mexican paletas, which means they are full of fruit and flavor, and you’ll always find something a little adventurous, like pineapple and jalapeno or creamy avocado.

Anyways, this post is sort of a mezcla of a couple of different visits to the Homewood location, which is next to this goodness. Start with a pop, finish with a cortado. Duh.

The first time I went, I was migrainin’, so I decided to play it safe flavor-wise and I went with their raspberry. It was tart and sweet and perfectly seedy.
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I loved that pop. But the one that sealed the deal was their Chocolate Chili, which I tried on another visit.

In the Chocolate Chili is: chocolate, Mexican cinnamon, ancho chili powder, serrano (whaaat?), cane sugar, milk and cream.

It was creamy and delicious and my lips burned a little bit with each bite. Such decadence with such sensational heat! You might think, no no, I don’t like a spicy-sweet juxtaposition. This is dessert, darnit! But don’t be like me and be all hesitant. Just jump in blindly because you’ll be ever so in love.

Cheers! (My Chocolate Chili is the one up front!)
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PS: You can also get your pops dipped in chocolate. Thumbs up.

Steel City Pops on Urbanspoon

instagram update

Posted in Around Birmingham, Around Tuscaloosa, Beer, Digital story telling, Entertaining, home life, Interior Design, Lunch, Mid-morning hunger, Personal, Photography, Travel, Wedding, What I ordered by

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a Saturday afternoon | Avondale Brewing Co. & Saw’s Soul Kitchen

Posted in Alabama beer, Around Birmingham, Beer, Beverage, Lunch, Restaurant hopping, Southern food, Travel, What I ordered by

There are a great many things Birmingham has to offer that let  you feel that you are enjoying life to the fullest. I’ve often found myself searching for just the right suggestions for out-of-towners searching for somewhere to go, somewhere to truly experience Birmingham. The city has several attractions: the Civil Rights Institute, the Vulcan, Birmingham Museum of Art, Sloss Furnace, Railroad Park (just to name a few), or just driving around beautiful, historic neighborhoods and experiencing the architecture and the culture.

But when it comes to a good meal and a good time, it can be quite hard to pick a place out of all there is to offer.
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If this locale fits the crowd you’re with, I suggest a boozy afternoon at Avondale Brewing‘s taproom.
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First, head two doors down over to Saw’s. (I reviewed this place some time ago, when their only location was in Edgewood, but the city now boasts two more locations: Saw’s Soul Kitchen in Avondale as well as Saw’s Juke Joint in Crestline. This little establishment has seen some well-deserved growth.)

Back to your to-do list: place an order at Saw’s. I recommend one of their Baker’s—the pork one is incredible. On top of this oversized baked potato, you have an entire layer of tender, juicy, divine pulled pork with crispy, charred edges. Then as you dive deeper in, you get a layer of cheesy potato with green onions and more pork. And if you order a side of white sauce, it’s just all over.
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Or you could also get the Saw’s Burger, which is a darn good burger. And on the side, order onion rings or fries—you can’t go wrong either way.

Then carry your food over to the Avondale taproom, and find a spot to sit and eat while sipping a beer, perhaps a seasonal Peach Saison, which is light, crispy, and delicately sweet.

Finish that beer, then order a flight of their flagship beers.
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My personal favorites are the Spring Street Saison which is citrusy and crisp (I’ve mentioned this before), the Scottish Ale with its sweet flavors and buttery aftertaste, and the Vanillaphant Porter, with chocolate and coffee undertones.
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You might have to hang out awhile. Lots of beer-drinking and eating can do that to you. But with such great atmosphere (and good company), you won’t want to leave!
Saw's Soul Kitchen on Urbanspoon
Avondale Brewery on Urbanspoon

on newsstands now: Celebrate Weddings!

Posted in Around Birmingham, Beverage, California food, Entertaining, Mexican food, Personal, Photography, Recipe, Southern words, Wedding by

Whether or not you’re planning a big day, you definitely should take a look at Celebrate‘s first ever weddings special issue! Our whole team worked hard on this. We love a challenge, and I think this issue shows it.
WEDDINGCOVER

You can pick this issue up on newsstands, or you can order it here! (Hey, it’s at a special price right now!)

Here’s a peek at one of my favorite stories I got to write. I LOVED this Mexican destination wedding! So many lovely ideas pulled together beautifully.
Kristi&Jordan

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what we ordered: the heavenly donut co.

Posted in Around Birmingham, Breakfast, Lunch, Mid-morning hunger, Restaurant hopping, Travel, What I ordered by

About five minutes down the road from where I work sits a shiny, brand-new doughnut shop. Walk through The Heavenly Doughnut Co.’s doors, and this Christian-run operation is filled with the sweet smell of doughnuts baking, and a case full of tempting options sits in front of you.
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Christina and I ate doughnuts for lunch last week. These doughnuts, to be precise:

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1. Maple-Bacon
This was easily my favorite of the bunch. I appreciated what a bit of salt and savory can do to a sweet maple glaze on a yeast doughnut. Next time I go in, it will be to try one of these or the one below.

2. Blueberry Cake
Whenever I eat a blueberry cake doughnut, I’m transported back to after-church snacking when I was little. I’d make a cup of tea with way too much cream and sugar, then I’d grab a blueberry cake doughnut and go find my friends. This was a great version of, what is for me, a classic. I didn’t find the cake too heavy and the blueberry flavor was sweet and prominent.

3. Bavarian Cream
The cream was as rich as you’d hope without being over the top. I love how light the yeast doughnuts were.

4. Chocolate-Peanut Butter
Ok, this one crossed a line for me—it’s way too rich. I had one bite and had to stop eating.

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So have you been by yet? What did you order? What do you think? I would suggest liking Heavenly Donut Co. on Facebook – they have special deals and trivia questions with free giveaways often posted there. YUM!
Heavenly Donut Company on Urbanspoon

what we ordered: Little Donkey

Posted in Around Birmingham, California food, Lunch, Mexican food, Restaurant hopping, Southern food, Travel, What I ordered by

We FINALLY went to Little Donkey a couple of weeks ago with my sister Brynn and her husband. I had been dying to try this Mexican-barbecue fusion spot in Homewood for oh so long.
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There has been plenty of buzz about this restaurant, as it is founded by Birmingham restauranteurs Nick Pihakis and Joshua Gentry of our beloved local chain, Jim ‘N Nick’s. Pihakis and Gentry took their homegrown, slow-cooked barbecue expertise and used that to season their take on Mexican fare. What I appreciate very much about this place is that this is apparent throughout the experience.

We started off with horchata! What else? This is a nostalgic drink for me. It takes me back to family trips to La Fogata in the San Fernando Valley. Little Donkey’s version of this sweet beverage is rice water flavored with almond, cinnamon and vanilla.
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We also snacked on their chips and salsa, which had a deep, savory roasted flavor. Of course, my only issue here was that just one basket was complimentary.
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For lunch, I enjoyed the Torta de Cerdo, or the Drunken Hog, which a cross between a Southern pulled pork sandwich and a Mexican torta. Tender, Jim ‘N Nick’s-reminiscent pork was topped with pinto beans, pickled red onions, cheese and guacamole with their homemade bread. It also came with tomato broth on the side for dunking. Biting into this tasted as a torta should, with a bit of Southern comfort.
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As my side, I chose the elote—street vendor-style corn on the cob topped with crema, cotija cheese and cayenne.

And truly, one of the best tamales I have ever tasted lives at this restaurant (Arguijos, don’t be mad! Notice I said ONE of the best). My sister ordered a taco alongside a pork tamal.
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I reached over and grabbed a bite of it with my fork, and the tamal sang. The maza was so well flavored and moist, and the meat was as tender as could be. Both components married each other in flavor—you could taste it.

And finally – one of my favorite things – was La Concoccion: Mexican rice topped with black beans, cotija, a poached egg (omg!) and green onions. Decadent, comforting, perfect. I’m so making this at home.
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We didn’t stay for dessert … we ran over to Steel City Pops next door! Tales of that adventure are coming soon. Have you visited Little Donkey? What do you like to order?
Little Donkey on Urbanspoon

what I ordered: tin drum asiacafe

Posted in Around Birmingham, Lunch, Photography, Restaurant hopping, What I ordered by

I went to lunch awhile ago with a fabulous lady just a week before her wedding day. I still hadn’t tried Tin Drum AsiaCafe at the Summit, and I wanted to give it a shot. My dear friend so willingly obliged.

This casual spot is quite accurately described as an “Asia” cafe. Its menu didn’t pick an allegiance to any specific country within the continent, but featured Thai, Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese fare. It certainly put its own spin on classic flavors and boasted a menu that had a long list of street-food type dishes I wanted to try. Also, after a bit of reading up on the semi-local chain, I  was surprised to discover that the first Tin Drum was on Georgia Tech’s campus and had expanded from there. The service was great, and the staff was friendly.

When we went to order, we were told that nothing was frozen and that everything was fresh and prepared daily in-house. That’s always a plus.

So, to start, I tried the Crab N Cheese Roll, which was delightfully fried and greasy and cheesy (three of my favorite food characteristics), however, I couldn’t detect very much crab; I definitely would have appreciated more.
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And then I went with the Thai Basil Spring Roll. I liked the first bite—the brightness of the basil with the deep savory tamarind sauce was a nice pairing, but as I continued into the roll, I felt a lot to be lacking. It felt a bit too dry to continue, even with the addition of the sauce. Plus, due to its spring/summer roll nature, it started to fall apart.
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As my entree, I chose the Tin Drum Curry.
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The chicken was tender, the curry was spot on in depth, spice, brightness, and that hint of sweetness. The rice was perfectly sticky. I enjoyed the fresh spinach, but I felt there could have been a bit more of it and perhaps a bit more to it. I would have enjoyed some additional flavor added to the spinach—a quick sauté perhaps? A bit wilted? For some reason it seemed a bit out of place in the dish, but then again, I liked how the warm curry handled the wilting of it. So I guess overall I’m undecided on how I feel about those baby spinach leaves. I would definitely take them rather than leave them, though, as a bit of freshness is always appreciated.

Everything aside, the prices were good. My little rolls only set me back about $3 altogether, and my curry dish was $8. I will be giving this place another try (I’m anxious to sample their street tacos), and I recommend you do, too.
Tin Drum Asiacafé on Urbanspoon

cookbook giveaway! {UPDATE: winner announced}

Posted in Around Birmingham, Giveaway, Photography, Recipe, Southern food, Southern words by

The winner of the my two-part giveaway with Belle Chevre is…
Carrie Allen Tipton! Thanks for entering and sharing the giveaway, Carrie. I’ll pass your name onto Belle Chevre, and they’ll pick a final name after October 14. I hope you win!

Thank you ALL so much for entering! It was very exciting to participate in the virtual potluck and giveaway with an amazing company that makes awesome chevre.

I used random.org to generate the winning name!

As I told you yesterday, I’ve had the opportunity of participating in a virtual potluck with Belle Chevre to celebrate the release of Tasia’s Table, Tasia Malakasis’s new cookbook. (Did you miss my entry? See it here!) Now you have a chance to win your own signed copy of the cookbook!

This is a beautiful book with tons of tantalizing photos and creative recipes. If you’re a goat cheese lover like me, you’ll probably be ooing and ahhing over all the new and exciting ways to incorporate chevre into everyday dishes.

I’m offering four possible ways to enter:

1. Subscribe to cactus & kudzu by email. (Make sure you’re on the home page, and find the text box on the right side where you can enter your email address. If you’re already subscribed, leave a comment letting me know.)
2. Leave a comment below answering this question: What’s your favorite kind of cheese?
3. Share this entry or my potluck entry on Facebook. (Be sure to either tag me on Facebook or leave a comment letting me know you’ve shared it.)
4. Share this entry or my potluck entry on Twitter (handle name is @brettjaillet—be sure to include it!).

I will choose one winner, and submit it to Belle Chevre (each potluck participant will do so) and then Belle Chevre will choose a winner from all the blogs’ submissions. My segment of the  giveaway closes at 8 pm central time on Monday, October 8.

But hey, if you just can’t wait, order a copy of the book here!

Celebrate Halloween!

Posted in Around Birmingham, Currently reading, Easy weeknight meal, Entertaining, Personal, Southern words by

Guess what’s on newsstands!

This is such a beautiful issue. Even if you’re not big on Halloween, it’s still full of fabulous entertaining and decorating ideas and amazing recipes. Go pick up your copy now!