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!

Snap, Click, Repeat

A few weeks ago we had a friend take some shots of us around campus, mostly to commemorate graduating. We haven't taken any professional photos together since our wedding day, so I was looking forward to at least one nice picture together. I wanted to share, because Asif did an awesome job, and the pictures turned out great!

By the way, I'm probably one of the most awkward people to photograph. I get so uncomfortable when a camera is on me, even though I want a good outcome. The whole time I told Asif to tell me if I looked weird. "Where do I put my hands?" "Should I stand like this, is that ok?" Poor guy. I think just to (kindly) spite me, he included this gem in the proofs:

Just keepin' it real, in case any of you thought I'm some kind of experienced photogenic goddess.

Summer Favorites

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6

Summer is in full swing in these parts, with our 100 degree daily temps. And while sweating is not my forte, I do enjoy this season. We've been spending the evenings in the park walking or playing a round of disc golf, and we are looking forward to #6 on this list this weekend!

This zip up blanket is rather toddler-mom of me, but it's been handy even without kiddos! It has replaced towels at the beach because it's much larger and easier to shake off the sand. Birmingham has several movies in the park over the summer, and this is perfect to grab and go.

I purchased these Teva sandals a few years ago and every summer I think, "These are my all-time favorite shoes." Many of you are Chaco's fans, and while I can't speak to Chaco, these Teva's are excellent! They are super comfortable, great for the outdoors, dry easily, and I like the adjustable velcro straps across the width of the toes. And while they are definitely outdoor shoes, they aren't so grubby that I don't wear them with some casual outfits.

The IT Cosmetics CC Cream is pretty fabulous. I've wanted to find some makeup that wasn't as full coverage as my normal foundation to wear on more relaxed days when a "full face" is not necessary. Or in situations, like at the beach or hiking, which is why I love the SPF 50 in this formula! I received a sample, but was immediately sold, so I'll look into purchasing this soon.

When thinking about sunny, summer days I have to put a plug in for your eyes! Protect them from from the sun too with UV protective sunglasses. I'd also always recommend polarized lenses for your sunnies, like my Maui Jims. I've had my prescription Maui's since working in optical in college, and they are some of the best money I've ever spent! If you're a glasses only wearer, I'd highly suggest a pair of Rx'd sunglasses from your optometrist - you will love and cherish them!

I am all about the sunscreen to protect my fair skin, but I'd like a little summer glow too! My favorite sunless tan is Tanwise Foaming Mouse. It applies well, doesn't have an orange tint, and it doesn't have that typical fake tan smell. You'll want a mitt to apply it, and work fast!

Okay, this last one is a bit much, but Jesse recently got us this inflatable kayak and it's been a blast! He's had his eye on one of these for quite a while now, researching as usual. Neither of our cars are capable of transporting a "real" kayak, so this works great for us. It fits in the trunk, then we spend a few minutes pumping it up, and we're good to go! It paddles more like a canoe, but we did push the limits by putting 4 people in it while on the lake at Oak Mountain. We will try it again just the two of us before taking it down the river.

Hats Off - We're Grads!

You already know, but guys, we did it! Jesse and I both graduated this month, which means we are finished with school forever! (I know, never say never, but I can say this one with full confidence.) One Bachelor of Chemical Engineering, one Bachelor of Nutrition Science, one Masters in Business Administration, and one Doctor of Optometry later, we. are. done.

We are so incredibly thankful all of the encouragement and support we've had over the past... oh,... 23 years. Which basically means that we don't know how to not be students, so we may have a little trouble figuring out life beyond school. (How do you live on a calendar year of January to December, not August to July; and months, not semesters?!)

It's a pretty sentimental time, as we part ways with many of our friends. For me, I've been through the trenches of optometry school with these people. They've understood the struggle, and celebrated together in each victory along the way. I'm not going to lie, I'm a little scared to do life without them, but I can't wait to see their successes in the future!

School has consumed a lot of our life, especially over the past four years. It has been a real challenge, and our marriage has suffered on some levels because of our commitments to our education. I know the "real world" is not going to be a piece of cake, and that life is full of stressors. We've learned to love through this phase of life, but we are looking forward to time together without having to redirect our attention to our studies. I definitely couldn't have made it this far without Jesse leading and supporting me (and telling me to suck it up a few times).

Jesse says, "Whew! We made it through!"

San Luis Obispo, CA

In March, Jesse and I spent my final Spring Break week back in California!  Jesse's brother, Matt, and wife Heidi, moved there several months ago, and we were excited to visit their new town.  Most of you already know that we are actually considering San Luis Obispo (SLO) as a possible place to move after my graduation. We haven't made any final decisions yet, but I wanted to share our trip with you in the meantime.

We flew from ATL to LA, then took the Surfliner Amtrak train up the coast. I have always wanted to travel by train, and this experience did not let me down. It was a beautiful ride, right along the coastline. It was so nice to just store our luggage, then relax after a long flight.

We had a full week in SLO, and Matt and Heidi were eager to show us around. We walked around Pismo Beach, took in the amazing view at the pier, and grabbed a snack at ChipWrecked.

Did a little kayaking in Morro Bay, around Morro Rock:

There were lots of great restaurants to try in downtown SLO. Here's a sampling of some of the tasty dishes we had:

(Batch: Snickerdoodle cookie w/ coffee ice cream sandwich)

(Luna Red: Fried Brussels w/ Bacon dust; Bacon wrapped blue cheese dates; Olive oil cake; not pictured- Lamb sausage pizzetta)

(My new all-time favorite restaurant - The Spoon Trade: Rosemary Chicken and Waffles w/ kimchi; Sourdough bread; Halibut sushimi w/ avocado puree; Burrata toast; Sweetbreads with Homemade Fettuccine)

(The central coast's version of BBQ - the famous SLO Tri-tip Sandwich)

We visited the Mission and also hiked Bishop's Peak - one of the mountains that surrounds SLO (which you see in the background below).

Every Thursday the main street of SLO is shut down for the Farmer's Market. I was in heaven surrounded by fresh produce, and I of course helped support the locals by trying some of the foods available.  :)

On one of our last days there, we went tide pooling. We didn't see very many fish, but it's just incredible to stand that close to the ocean and soak up the nature.

And because we couldn't get enough of the outdoors, we walked through Montana de Oro State Park which has trails that line the bluffs. The views here were the most incredible of all! The cliffs are so high and steep, and the ocean is constantly crashing beneath you.

We even got to celebrate Easter while we were there with an awesome worship and church service. We cleaned up a little bit and snapped this fancy photo:

It was so wonderful to visit with family and see how happy they are in their new location. We can't wait to go back! Until next time, Cali....