Sep 2011

Green Acres Cafe – Birmingham

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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.

Green Acres - Birmingham

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.

Green Acres - Birmingham

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.

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Sep 2011

“Free Lunch” at Good Girl Dinette

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!

Sep 2011

GIVEAWAY: L.A. County Fair “Pure Fun” Package

GIVEAWAY: LA County Fair "Pure Fun" Package

I have four general admission tickets, plus four wine tasting vouchers and a parking pass, to give away to one lucky gas•tron•o•my reader. To qualify for the giveaway, please leave a comment with your name and email address in the appropriate fields, and your answer to the following question: What Fair food are you most excited to try? For additional entries, follow the L.A. County Fair on Twitter (@LACoutyFair) and on Facebook, and leave a comment for each letting me know.

I’ll be using a random number generator to choose the winner. All entries must be received by Thursday, September 15, 2011 at midnight PST. Good luck! ** The contest is over. The winner is #2 — Johnny L. Congrats! **