Restaurant Review
22 Apr 2013

Steel City Pops – Birmingham

Filed Under:

1 Comment

Steel City Pops - Birmingham

While visiting Birmingham this past winter, The Astronomer and I were tipped off to a sweets shop specializing in gourmet Mexican paletas (popsicles). I’ve come to expect really terrific soul food, fine dining, and of course, barbecue in this town, but never considered anything like Steel City Pops.

Steel City Pops - Birmingham

Inspired by Nashville’s Las Paletas, Jim Watkins opened Steel City Pops last May in a Homewood strip mall that fittingly includes a gourmet taqueria. Steel City Pops recently opened a second location at The Summit (a magnificent and enormous suburban shopping complex) and have a third location planned in Tuscaloosa. I love that paletas are taking over ‘Bama.

Steel City Pops - Birmingham

Since we visited the shop during the Christmas holiday, many of the flavors were inspired by the season. Steel City Pops makes paletas de aguas (water-and-juice-based pops), as well as paletas de crema (milk- or cream-based pops). We selected one of each on our first visit.

(more…)

{swoon}
19 Apr 2013

{swoon} Xiao Long Bao at Shanghai Dumpling Shop

Filed Under:

6 Comments

Dumpling Shop – Millbrae

I eat dumplings like they’re going out of style, so it takes a really stupendous specimen to make me swoon. While I was visiting my family in the greater Bay Area over President’s Day weekend, Aunt Thao, Uncle Brian, and Cousins Megan and Madison introduced me to their favorite soup dumpling purveyor: Shanghai Dumpling Shop in Millbrae. And my lord, I swooned!

(more…)

Restaurant Review
17 Apr 2013

Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen – San Francisco

Filed Under:

3 Comments

Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen - Mission - San Francisco

The Astronomer and I road tripped to the city by the bay this past President’s Day weekend. While the bulk of our days were filled with catching up with friends and family, we were able to sneak in one food-centric outing: Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen. I love Jewish delis, both old school and new, so I was excited to taste this latest San Francisco treat.

Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen - Mission - San Francisco

Evan Bloom and Leo Beckerman, the two guys behind the operation, met in 2003 while studying at UC Berkeley. According to 7x7SF, the two threw a weekly 250-person barbecue for Hillel House, the Jewish student center, which led to a pop-up that eventually graduated into a stand at the Tuesday Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. In February of last year, they opened Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen on 24th Street in the Mission.

Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen - Mission - San Francisco

The deli is run in fast-casual fashion, with a line snaking out the door most of the time. Since it was our first visit to Wise Sons, we took advantage of the extra few minutes to digest the menu and to make some tough decisions.

(more…)