Stupendous seafood: Automatic Seafood & Oysters. It’s much bigger inside than it looks from the outside but a reservation is recommended on weekend nights. While the space has high ceilings…it...

The original: Dreamland BBQ This is one of the more famous BBQ pork sources in Alabama and it was started in a cinderblock building by “Big Daddy” Bishop in 1958....

Gotta experience: Dooky Chase’s. Recent trip to New Orleans had us looking for a new experience. While it has been in existence for more than 80 years and is still...

Need to check this place out: Roots & Revelry. Located on the second floor of the Thomas Jefferson Tower…built in 1929 with a dirigible station still located at the very...

Looking for charcuterie and cheese: The Son of A Butcher. Incredible selection of meats, seafood and cheeses. Having a party and need a cheese board or plate of charcuterie or...

More BBQ: SAW’s Soul Kitchen. This is another favorite of mine and…believe it or not they have my favorite Alabama white sauce. Not that white sauce is my favorite but...

Japanese Mexican fusion: Umami. Get your Japanese tacos here…whoever thought this would be a good mixture of cuisines was…spot on! It’s the kind of place where your eye is drawn...

Needed breakfast: Big Bad Breakfast. Caught my eye because they clearly believe that things go better with pork since they serve their own house cured Tabasco/brown sugar bacon. Our order...

Gullah cuisine in College Park: Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen and Bar. If you like southern food, you have to try this place near the Atlanta airport. It’s the real deal. I...

New American: Miller Union. A bit north of the usual downtown spots, it’s worth the visit. Reservations are a must unless you want to sit at the bar. That was...

Visiting a high school friend: The Grill at Crooked Creek. He lives lakeside in this beautiful area south of Atlanta and has a pontoon boat so why not visit the...

Pizza in south Birmingham: Pizzeria GM. First off, they have a pizza oven…not wood fired but a nice oven and the service could not have been better or more pleasant....

Upscale chain: BrickTop’s. One of those places that has a bit of everything and it’s all good but nothing was particularly memorable because of that approach. There are over a...

Brunch Italian or Southern style: Trattoria ZaZa. Since pizza is on the menu I guess the best way to describe this place is Italian with a Southern touch. It’s small...

Surprised I haven’t posted on this: Vino Volo. Located in over 30 airports around the US and Canada, they are a great option for a a glass of wine or...

Dinner for 30: Galatoire’s It’s been a number of years since my last visit to this Bourbon Street classic that first opened its doors in 1905. As I’ve mentioned in...

Recommended by a friend: Pêche. Quick trip to New Orleans for a meeting and needed a spot for dinner the night before. I got a reservation at the last minute….so...

Classic BBQ: Dreamland Birmingham This is one of the more famous BBQ pork sources in Alabama and it all started in a cinderblock building in Tuscaloosa. That location is a...

Rehearsal dinner: EastWest As a kid growing up near here it’s hard to believe the number of food choices now available in this city. I remember the one Chinese restaurant...

Food Hall: Mo:Mo: Another of the dozen or so food stalls in the Pizitz Food Hall. This one is devoted to….you guessed it…Momos. They also have bánh mi and other...

Doughnuts anyone? Hero Doughnuts. Nice spot to pick up a local sugary concoction…..think of them as a mix of Krispy Cream with Top Pot. Not as light and calorie worthless...

Always up for more ice cream: Big Spoon. Nice small space offering small batch artisan ice creams that change seasonally. Story has it that the husband and wife team started...

Asian: Bamboo on 2nd. The restaurant scene is expanding on almost every visit to the historically quiet (previously deserted) downtown core. But just like many older cities, millennials are revitalizing...

Unique experience: Tamale Shak. It’s all about the space….cinder block and funky…..and the food is very good too! It’s small…really small but you’ll want to spend some time looking at...

Lunch spot: Courtside Café. Local knowledge required: at the Bayou Bluff Tennis Club and while all the signage states members only, non members are allowed to visit the cafe. The...

Great spot for a coffee or latte…and a book: Cat Island Coffeehouse. Great coffee and views from this quaint spot on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Excellent alfresco experience on the...

A classic: The Chimneys. Beautiful setting under live oaks on the beach. This is the second iteration of this well known restaurant…the first, like much of this area, was destroyed...

The Eating Places: James Beard Award Winners 2018. Best new restaurant: JuneBaby, Seattle. Outstanding restaurant: Highlands Bar and Grill, Birmingham. Rising star chef of the year: Camille Cogswell, Zahav, Philly. Outstanding pastry...

Unique breakfast spot: Feast & Forest. Part of the growing list of food spots downtown, this place offers breakfast and brunch/lunch depending on the day. Probably best described as New...

Ok here is my BBQ joint: Full Moon BBQ. I told you I’d review my favorite BBQ place when I was next in Birmingham and this is the place. While...

Vietnamese on the Southside: Saigon. Note, this location is CLOSED but they remain open at the original location on highway 280. Off the beaten path of downtown but worth a...

Had to have some pork while in the South: Henry’s Smokehouse. Basically a suburb of Greenville and I was there to visit a relative so lunch had to be pulled...

Post bike ride Thai….in Greenville: Kannika’s Thai Kitchen. Another place close to the Greenville Hilton Hotel. In a small strip mall…aren’t the best Thai places in strip malls? Typical offerings…but with...

In town for a bike ride and this was the pre ride pasta feed: Da Vinci’s Ristorante. Looking for a place close to my hotel for the pasta load and...

Quick trip to visit cousins: Harbor View Cafe Breakfast was as one would expect in the deep south….eggs, bacon and grits…but for some unknown reason I had the Belgian waffle...

This is the real deal: Herbsaint Last dining experience this trip and this is by far the best of those tasted. The chef is a multi year winner of the...

Still trying new places and this looked unlike the typical city fare: Compère Lapin. Located inside the Old No. 77 Hotel near the convention center, this place has a definite younger...

Decided to try some of the newer places; here’s the first: Cochon A James Beard winning chef got my attention and it’s mostly about pork so you know I had...

A great place for Southern nouveau cuisine: Stella’s Southern Bistro Classic shrimp and grits (Anson Mills) with eggnog cheesecake to finish.               @stellasbistro Visit...

Beautiful space in the heart of the city: Revelator Coffee Company Wonderful spot for coffee and baked goods. @revelatorcoffee Visit website @theeatingplaces #theeatingplaces #seattlefoodies...

Another new place in BHM: Brick and Tin Very solid new American cuisine. The chocolate bread pudding with homemade butter pecan ice cream was outstanding. @brickandtin Visit website @theeatingplaces #theeatingplaces...

Very unique menu of small plates: OvenBird Shishito peppers, corazones (duck, chicken and beef) with classics such as deviled eggs, pork shoulder and paella finished off with espresso beignets and...

Never disappoints: Highlands Bar and Grill. The service is impeccable and the food cannot be beat. Best described as Southern French fusion with typical Southern fare married with, sometimes unusual...

Finally some real Southern food…..at the best place in BHM! Niki’s West. Pictured in the bowl is a local cabbage slaw with a local dressing which a bit like Thousand...

Happening place on the Southside: El Barrio. Fairly standard Mexican fare with a twist….if you look for it. Special on Friday night was pork ribs….sweet sauce with guacamole, collards and...