Mexico Lindo - A Fanciful Birmingham Restaurant

Nestled on Hollywood Boulevard, atop Highway 280 is a little strip mall with three locations.  There's an ABC store (liquor), a sweet little brunch spot that we have yet to try, and then this Mexico Lindo. 

 

We'd never been to this place or really ever on that side of town, but I'm really glad that I we did.  This little strip used to be pretty run down, but I'm really glad that they redid the whole place.

 

 

 

There once was a time when I didn't enjoy guacamole, and I'm not really sure why.  This place's guac was amazing.  B got the flautas, his new favorite, and I of course got the chicken tacos.  Their rice was delicious, and their salsa had just enough spice in it.  I really hate going to a Mexican restaurant and then having the most bland salsa in the world.  Because I seriously could live off chips and salsa, and eat for every meal.  And I like a little kick.

 

I can't wait to go back!!



Moe's BBQ - Lakeview

Now I know that this is not limited strictly to Lakeview District.  These guys seem to be popping up everywhere lately; Trussville, Galleria, and I know they've got one over in Tuscaloosa.  But seriously?  Their white BBQ sauce is second to none.  

After work on Friday, I decided to meet up with B and some of his "old" work friends to celebrate the end of BBVA Compass as his employer, and to ring in the new employer so to speak.  So I met them down at Innisfree for a few celebratory drinks.  Yes, I skipped the work out and decided that maybe, just maybe, after the entirely sucky week I had, I deserved a vodka drink or two.  Innisfree is great up until about 11, where it gets young and crowded.

Yes, I'm 29 and I just said young and crowded.  Yet another sign that I am indeed getting older.  And I just said indeed.  I'm pretty sure the aging process never ends.  

Anyway, after a couple drinks (by the way the weather was gorgeous, and we enjoyed most of our beverages out on the patio), we decided we were hungry.  And across the street, there's Slice (which I've talked about numerous times on the ole blog here), and Moe's.  There was lots of loud fun music coming from Moe's so that's where we settled in for a bit.

I decided on the BBQ sandwich with potato salad and mac n cheese.  You can tell I wasn't completely in my right mind (am I ever?), because I really took a picture of a BBQ sandwich with the wrapper on.  Sometimes even I am in awe of my complete unawareness.  

The live music was great.  And I was forced to watch Duke lose yet another game, forcing me to have to pay for lunch the next day.  One day I will stop betting on those guys; they never seem to pull through for me.  

B decided on the wings, and apparently were the best wings he's had in Bham.  Also their banana pudding and jalapeno cornbread.  Definitely a good idea.  

These restaurants in Birmingham sure have a good thing going when the weather is fantastic.  Excited for some more happy fun weather this weekend.

Gordo's - Homewood, AL

This past weekend we went to Gordo's in Homewood.  It's a truly Mexican taqueria, carneceria, and tortilleria.  It's incredibly authentic, and was a great way to spend lunch on a Saturday.

It's a 3-tier place; on the first floor is a Mexican shop; second floor is the place to get your tacos and all the meat you could possibly ever want; and the third floor is the tortilleria and bakery.  That place smells absolutely amazing when you walk in there.  Like hot doughnuts, churros and fresh bread.  Just all of the best smells in the world in one place.  

 There were a ton of people at the bakery, so I didn't want to take too many photos, but did manage of course to get one of the amazing al pastor tacos, and the guys behind the counter.  They put the meat and cheese (if you want), and then you can decide on the condiments, which range from chopped cilantro, onions and at least five different kinds of salsas.

I think we will start to make this a regular weekend event.

Oh My - O Sushi!

While browsing through the "Best of Birmingham" awards this year, this place came up as one of the best for sushi.  Although, about two years ago, this place didn't exist.  It is nestled into a shopping center that includes both a Target and a Kohl's (aka heaven).

So my coworker, Ingy, and I had a particularly bad day and decided that it could only get better with great sushi.  We both live pretty close to this place, so decided why not?  And it made the list to try before heading to Austin, so hooray for two birds with one stone.

It's not a very big place, but the sushi was fantastic.  On a Wednesday night, it was pretty cozy; just a few couples sprinkled around the place, and a few singles, messing around with their iPads, iPhones and laptops.  This is definitely a place where I wouldn't have felt weird if I chose to go and eat by myself.  

 

 

I had a spicy tuna roll (which was actually pretty spicy.  and delicious!) and their Thai Roll, which was essentially a California roll with yellowtail fish on top.  And they were both sooo good!!  

The spicy tuna roll was the best one I've had in Birmingham hands down.  Most of the time it's just not spicy enough, or there's too much avocado (not my favorite thing on earth), and it just makes for a bad roll.  But this was great.  And the Thai roll had a sweet sauce sprawled on top of it.  And so delicious.

Plus Ingy's sweet kiddos.  The girl loved sushi.  And her son ordered salmon!  Salmon you guys!  I couldn't believe that two kids under 10 were eating this stuff like it was candy.  Her kids are seriously the coolest elementary school kids I've ever hung out with.

Great way to end the week.

Cocina Superior - Birmingham

i really thought this place was a chain.  but through my google search, i find out that this may truly be a Birmingham thing.

which sort of makes me happy.  anything that is uniquely Birmingham makes me happy these days.  it seems this little city of ours keeps getting more and more awesome.  which is good, because it makes me not miss the idea of Austin so much.

i'm guessing Austin will happen eventually.  i just need to keep my spirits up, and it will happen.  

anyway, this weekend, while we had our Eclectic (yes, that's a city in Alabama; not using it as an adjective here) friends in town, we decided to go to this place for some much needed Mexican inspired spirits.

Cocina Superior is located on the outskirts of Brookwood Mall in Homewood.  and it is fantastic.  i mean, if you're not looking for hole in the wall Mexican food; the price range is slightly pricey for Mexican food, but it is definitely worth it.

via

for some reason, i've been forgetting to take pictures of the outside of the restaurant, but so conveniently (and duh), the restaurant has a pretty outside picture on their website.

the el chango.  quite possibly the best drink on earth.  it's frozen sangria and margarita swirled together topped with a shot of chambourd.  i recommend only one if you are driving.  this thing will hit you pretty fast.

i had the enchiladas suizas (and then proceeded to leave the amazing left overs on the table), and B had the blue-corn tortilla stacked enchiladas.

I also read somewhere this week that some restaurants were planning on banning people from taking pictures of their food.  I don't understand this for many reasons...

1.  it's free PR people.  most people I've seen aren't credited food critics.  like myself.  I very rarely say anything bad about any food, ever.  and I'm not sure why showing pictures of it would hurt anyone.

2.  banning pictures isn't going to save the restaurant from bad reviews.  food critics have been writing bad reviews for years, without having the proper photography to go with it.

3.  even Anthony Bourdain takes pictures of his food (read: The Layover:  New Orleans.  He takes a picture of a po'boy).

anyway, please correct me if this is a chain.  i had a hard time finding another one on google.  but maybe since i live in Birmingham, google's being a little biased...but on the off chance you're in Birmingham for a night and want to try some high-class Mexican food, definitely head to Cocina Superior. 

*Rojo* - Bham

This past weekend, BJ and I went to Austin.  It was amazing.  Beyond amazing.  Met some incredible people, and look to stretch that to permanently sometime soon.

There will be plenty to pictures to come, as we did some pretty awesome things.  BUT I wanted to talk about a Mexican restaurant that, in our 6 years here, we had yet to visit.  

It's a fantastic little local place called Rojo.  I didn't get any pictures of the actual place (I was starving!  BJ and I had been outside in the sun all day...perhaps drinks were involved?), but probably will next time around.  And there will be a next time around because it was amazing!!  It has an American and Latino selection for food, so you can please almost everyone in your group.

It's nestled into an awesome part of Birmingham, and have a brunch that will have to be tried.  

Check them out here!

And check out the pictures of the food (the most important part!) below...

Their tomatillo salsa.  Not for the faint...this stuff was spicy!  And it was great!  We usually dig things that are super spicy, and this was almost too much to handle.  Notice almost.

My burrito.  Filled with mushrooms and pork.  It was seriously the best burrito I've ever eaten.  I only ate half of it, and put the other half in a box.  Needless to say, the take-home box and the burrito did not make it home. 

BJ got a burrito that had spicy sausage in it.  His was pretty good, but mine was awesome.  

You can also get a salad or coleslaw seen above.  Go for the salad; they make their own ranch dressing, and it was amazing.

We are desperately trying to make sure that we hit up every place we want to visit before we move. We have until September 1st until we are officially allowed to move.  You know...3 year first time home buyer rule...No moving before those 3 years are up.  

I can't wait.  :)

The Weekend I BBQ'd Across America Part II

oops, i did it again.

went to kansas city and ate way too much bbq. i can't help it. i'm obsessed.

first up is the chicago bloody mary's at harry carey's. fyi, these babies were not good at all. not enough spices and no celery, even though the menu clearly advertised that there was supposed to be. i must have some sort of alcohol (unless there's a doctor out there that can prescribe me something to knock me out!) while flying.

i did not get a picture of the double vodka drink that i had to have on the way back. seriously? scary bumpy flights are not my friend.

first up for bbq was bates city bbq in shawnee. sorry the picture is kind of small, but you get the point. it was a little hole in the wall. we were supposed to go to jackstack, but because of the influx of green bay packers fans, and holiday shoppers down at the plaza, there was a 2 1/2 hour wait. umm, no thanks.

the food! burnt ends and multiple meat sandwiches. the french fries at this place were amazing, and they gave you a ton of them! plus, you can always judge a bbq place by their beer that costs $1. champagne of beers? yes please. the food was fantastic and the people behind the counter were so nice.


i know you can't read this either, but it says, "sweet Auburn shout-out in KC." bo holding down bates city bbq.



next place we went to was arthur bryant's on the way to the airport monday.

hello awesomeness. they had a few different types of bbq sauces, and instead of having pulled pork, which i usually gravitate toward, i went for the sliced. even though it was good, it reminded me more of ham than bbq. my dad had this pulled sandwich that combined all the meat. they definitely gave you more than you could eat. and of course, the option to buy their sauces and rubs.

i hope everyone had a very merry christmas. maybe i'll stop eating so y'all can stop reading about it.

New Orleans - Mandina's!

so i was going through some of my old pictures, and came across some old pictures of places that i'd eaten and hadn't done a review on!

there are also some old random pictures that will make their way onto this blog somehow or another...but that is for another time or place.

so onto mandina's in, where else? nola! this place is tucked away, hidden where only the locals can know about it. it's way off bourbon, and if you asked me, i wouldn't be able to tell you. i could google it for you and let you know, but i'm a little lazy and don't want to. onto the food!!

come on now...who doesn't love neon?!

the inside of the place. very small, with a bar across the front, and a few tables scattered across the floor. the service was so great though!

turtle soup! believe it or not, it really wasn't as gross as it sounds. and i'd never had it before, so i definitely had to try it!

some kind of fish friend in deliciousness. i wish i could remember the name of it, but it was so filling, the fries were unnecessary. but that doesn't mean they weren't eaten!

and of course, finish it off with a blurry picture of a shrimp po'boy. unfortunately, i'm boring, and this is what i got. and it wasn't the best one i've had in nola. but it was definitely good!

planning to celebrate the new year in nola this year too. i CAN NOT wait for this excitement!

Dave's Pizza in SOHO

This weekend was full of perfect weather. It finally stopped being above 90 degrees more than two days in a row, and get this, it was 67 this morning!!

I smell Auburn football......

But I digress..

We had looked at the weather, and to our dismay it said there was a 90% chance that it was going to rain, which ruined our grilling out plans. So we decided to go to Dave's in Homewood. By the way, it never did rain. We actually had quite an enjoyable evening sipping on cocktails at the Blue Monkey. Again, I digress...

Dave's is nestled into a sweet little spot right in the middle of South Homewood (SOHO). During lunch they have an amazing pizza buffet (can you say, bbq chicken pizza, margherita pizza and buffaloc chicken?)

But they don't offer that at night....what they do offer however, are $7 pitchers of PBR. Trust me, it's really not that bad. I never said it was good either, but it's perfect for a big 'ole meaty pizza. Take a look for yourself....

Wasn't kidding . We really call it SOHO.

The outside. Believe it or not, this was the only place on the building that had their name on it. Sorry it's so blurry. I was working with some bad lighting...

Also was not kidding about the football...21 days till AU kickoff!!

Hi hubs.

The whole place is outdoors. When it's cold out, they let the plastic cover the windows and put on some heaters...

The Black and White: if you want to find out where to go and what to do on the weekends, this is the fun little mag/newspaper to read.

Our (enormous) pitcher for only $7. Perhaps that's why the first couple of pictures are blurry?

They even give you the top 10 reasons why you should go to Dave. In case you couldn't figure them out while you were there...

Enjoying my beer...after about the 2nd glass, you can't even tell it's PBR.

And of course...the pizza!! We got the DynoDave. Amazing and full of meat. They have amazing crust, and it comes out not too hot to eat without having to cut it with a fork and knife first.

I loved it; although it's hard for me to find a pizza that I don't like. Yes, like a five year old, my favorite food in the whole world is pizza. "A whole cheese pizza all to myself..."

That's right...I just quoted Home Alone. Don't act like you didn't know where that was from...