Birmingham Restaurant Review - John's City Diner

I'm shuffling through older photos that I've taken while out to eat. This one is a little bit of a flashback. I had heard of John's City Diner, but after it was recommended by a classmate we put it on our list. It's been almost a year since we were there, but I remember just how delicious it all was.

John's serves upscale Southern dishes that walk you down memory lane at your grandma's house. The restaurant has a modern diner feel. Our server was very knowledgeable of the menu and suggested some of the most popular items. When we try a place for the first time, I sometimes like to get the dish that everyone raves about unless there is something else screaming at me from the menu. I went with the suggested mac-n-cheese, but I couldn't bite the bullet for the meatloaf. It's supposed to be awesome, but meatloaf just seems like a cop-out meal to me. I'll have to give it a chance next time, though.

(He loves me, y'all. Even through my "hey, lean over there so I can get you with the cool wall" moment.)

What I ordered: Not Your Mama's Macaroni and Cheese (Original) and Fried Okra

What he ordered: Cripsy Duck served with mashed potatoes and collard greens

When we try new restaurants, we frequently will order a few items and share them all so that we can try multiple dishes. And we NEVER order the same thing. That's mostly my doings, because even if we both want the same menu item, I can't pass up tasting two dishes instead of just one. So I'll always have a back-up choice. Obviously we were never that couple who fought over sharing fries. ;)

Everything was delicious, cooked and seasoned well. We liked how the fried okra was kept as spears and the batter wasn't too thick - something somewhat unique. The mac-and-cheese hit all the comfort food notes. I can't believe it's been a year since we were here! We will definitely have to go back soon!
Bonus, outside is one of the city's murals, which is a perfect photo-op!

Overall Rating: I kind of feel bad only giving 4 bowls because we really enjoyed John's, but remember 5 bowls is for "wow! knock your socks off! this food completed my life!" kind of food.

Birmingham Restaurant Review - Ovenbird

After my graduation our family took us out to eat. Dinner was my pick, so I chose a new restaurant who's Instagram photos had me drooling. And since it was a celebration, it was a little more upscale than we normally eat, and I loved every bite. The restaurant is tucked away in the garden corner of Pepper Place.

Ovenbird specializes in tapas (small plates to share)  and dishes that are cooked over an open fire, inspired by South American cooking. It is owned by Chris Hastings - one of Birmingham's most well known chefs at the Hot and Hot Fish Club. This seems to be a restaurant he can express his talents in a more modern way, but still clings to Southern cuisine. Everything was incredibly flavorful, and as delicious as it was beautifully presented. The live fire cooking style and the spices used in most of the dishes, even down to the simplest carrots, gave everything a deep and smokey flavor. I'll let the pictures do the talking:

Deviled eggs with romesco (pepper sauce)

Beef fat candle (basically the drippings from the best beef roast your grandmama could ever make.)

 (Alabama Shrimp and Clams)

(Grilled Octopus - Jesse's pick)

(Pork belly with Swiss chard and and zucchini)

(Beef Shoulder with sweet potato)

(Roasted Chicken)

(the best carrots I've ever eaten)

(Burnt Espresso Cream)

It was so nice to share this meal with our parents- although I think the menu and restaurant style was a little intimidating to them. :) There were a couple more dishes on the table that I didn't photograph, including my own dinner (!!!) which was Rockfish and summer vegetables in a delicious broth. Every bite of everyone's meal was delicious (and yes, I tried them all).

We would definitely go back here! Their menu changes with the season and what is fresh that week, so I'm sure there is always something new to try. 

Overall Rating:

Birmingham Restaurant Review - Real & Rosemary

A couple months ago we went to Real & Rosemary. They opened earlier this year, and I was excited to try them after hearing the buzz about this new spot in Homewood. They pride themselves on using simple ingredients to revamp familiar southern dishes.

They have a cute and clean look inside, but the tables and curtains give it a homey feel.

What I ate:  Fig and Collard Salad. The collards were tender, although raw, and it was a great combination of flavors. The figs were dried and very delicious. There were a few too many on the salad to be such a strong flavor, but at least you got one in every bite.

What he had: Plate of turkey with sides of sweet and spicy slaw and the vegetable succotash. The turkey looked plain, but it was super moist and flavorful, and came with gravy to dip. The sides were just okay; he liked the slaw, but wasn't impressed with the succotash. If I remember correctly, they were out of polenta cakes that day, so this wasn't his top side pick anyway.

Not pictured, was the orange blossom lemonade we had to drink. It was amazing! Super refreshing and you could definitely appreciate the orange flavor! If you enjoy Urban Cookhouse's strawberry lemonade (which has quite a following), you will probably like this. Tart and sweet - a funky version of a classic summer drink.
Overall, we enjoyed Real and Rosemary. We didn't feel we had to rush back to try more dishes; for that I'll give it 3/5 bowls. However, I have been back with friends since this initial visit and had the meatball sub with the polenta cakes and more orange blossom lemonade. Again, everything tasted good, and I would go back to try a few more menu items.
Overall Rating:

Since this is my first restaurant review, let's define the rating system:

1 Bowl  = A complete miss. We wouldn't recommend it.

2 Bowls = Ehh... it was okay. Sufficed as a meal, but nothing to write home about.

3 Bowls = Satisfying experience. Generally good food and enjoyable, but somewhat forgettable.

4 Bowls = Nice! Fully satisfied, and we would definitely recommend and return!

5 Bowls = A place that truly wows us and exceeds our expectations!