Monthly Archive for September, 2011
Page 2 of 3
Years ago when I first visited Birmingham, The Astronomer treated me to lunch at Dreamland Bar-B-Que. I ordered a pulled pork sandwich, while he had a half slab of ribs. There was also a side of macaroni and cheese and a tall stack of white bread, if memory serves me right. It was one hell of an introduction to ‘Bama style ‘cue; one that inspired me to seek out something smokey and saucy on my visits thereafter.
Our barbecue explorations thus far have taken us to Miss Myra’s for its intriguing white sauce, to Full Moon for its famously tangy chow chow, to Saw’s for its vinegar-based mop sauce, and to Jim ‘N Nick’s for just about everything. Even with our consistent efforts, we’ve barely made a dent in Birmingham’s ever-growing barbecue scene.
On our most recent trip to the city, I insisted on lunch at Dreamland even though there are dozens of barbecue shacks left to try. It’s always been one of my favorites and sometimes, it’s plain nice to dine somewhere familiar.
John “Big Daddy” Bishop opened the first Dreamland in 1958 in the town of Tuscaloosa. According to barbecue lore, he was torn between setting up a mortuary or opening a restaurant to support his family. He prayed to God for a sign and received one in the form of a dream. While he was sleeping, God told Big Daddy to build a restaurant next to his home. And thus, Dreamland was born.
Continue reading ‘Dreamland Bar-B-Que – Birmingham’
If our schedules and wallets didn’t mind very much, The Astronomer and I would travel to Birmingham once a month to visit family. As it stands right now, we’re only able to head south twice a year—once during the holidays and another time during the summer months.
This summer’s visit came toward the tail end of July, when the weather in Alabama was dangerously sticky and the peaches were amazingly plump.
Although most of our meals were eaten at home, The Astronomer and I also explored a few Birmingham dining spots during this trip. We grabbed a quick bite at Green Acres Cafe late one morning after dropping off The Astronomer’s brother at work.
We had a few hours to kill before meeting up with a friend for lunch, so we walked around the Fourth Street Business District scoping out the architecture, history, and restaurants. When I saw that Green Acres was serving up freshly fried gizzards, I could not resist coming in for a taste.
The restaurant is owned by Greg Gratton, whose uncle opened the first Green Acres in 1950. There are currently eight branches around the city.
While waiting for our gizzards to be ready, The Astronomer and I perused the collection of press clips adorning the walls. According to local and national reports, the fried chicken wings at Green Acres are some of the best around. Armed with this new piece of information, I walked up to the counter and placed an additional order. It was the right thing to do.
Continue reading ‘Green Acres Cafe – Birmingham’
Back in college, my economics professors lectured that there was no such thing as a free lunch. I believed them with every ounce of my Adam Smith-loving heart up until last week, when my friend Lien and I were treated to a free lunch. Local news station KCET generously footed our bill at Good Girl Dinette as part of a weekly web series called “Free Lunch.”
Good Girl Dinette is a sweet little spot in Highland Park where “American diner meets Vietnamese comfort food.” In this clip, you’ll see us eating, girl talking, and meeting Diep Tran, the fabulous woman behind the restaurant. We had a blast filming the segment and hope that you’ll enjoy it just as much.
And if you can’t get enough of our witty commentary, check out this “extra helping” where we offer A Vietnamese Lesson Over Pot Pie.
Thank you to the KCET crew, Katherine Spiers, Diego Nunez, and Gabriel Jeffrey, for taking us out!
