So fast forward 4 years later and here we are living in the same city and getting to do fun things like hike, movies, sleepovers, etc. and then it occurred to us--we love a good brunch, and we love our treats, and we were beginning to keep a constant text message conversation of restaurants we needed to go try together, and so was the start of what is now a monthly Foodie Tour around the Magic City! We followed enough Instagramers around the city and read enough blogs to have a good list of places to try.
So back on a cold Saturday in February, having trained/saved calories all week, we started our full day of eating around Birmingham!
We met at 8 am at Church Street Coffee for the infamous Break Up Cookie! My coworkers had been raving about this dreamy cookie topped with sea salt! It was so yummy! And so was the coffee & tea too!
Next, not at all hungry, we stopped in Continental Bakery for pastries for later, including a King Cake Bread Pudding in honor of Mardi Gras, that was so sinfully good...the next day when I got hungry for it.
So in between eating, it's important to hydrate and exercise, so we took it out on the Vulcan Trail and then over to Railroad Park, and then Avondale Park. By this time, we had put so many steps in, we were working up an appetite again.
Our next stop was Wasabi Juan's in Avondale for the sushi burritos. The place is bright and cheery inside, there is even scripture on the wall and a prayer box--how cool is that?! The sushi burrito was pretty much amazing, too!
We were not even hungry but forced ourselves to go to Olexa's in Mountain Brook. The warm vanilla cake with the butter cream frosting was our mission. We split a piece to go and couldn't even finish it! I'm still dreaming about this cake.
Needless to say, after a full day of that, we didn't each much else for the rest of the day, but one thing was certain, we still had a list full of other places to try....hence the March Madness Edition of the Foodie Tour:
Our first stop on this rainy March Saturday was Holler and Dash, opened by Cracker Barrel, and the first restaurant in the U.S. right in downtown Homewood, specializing in gourmet biscuits.
This was a crowded spot, as we were there the first Saturday of opening week. Going in, you order in line, grab a number, look for an empty table, in which there was none. Three strikes for this place, which is rare on our food tours:
1) Long wait time, standing awkwardly waiting for someone to get up and then it's a mad 'dash' to get to the table before the next person
2) Out of grits! I had my heart set on not a biscuit, but a grit bowl, in which they were out of and
3) Coffee, while so yummy, isn't free on refills! Didn't want to get back in the long line and pay $2.50 for a refill. Which is also kind of pricey place--my HamaBama biscuit and coffee was $12.50. Yikes! Cracker Barrel gives you a lot for $12.50 and endless coffee refills. It's a hipster place for sure--kale is on every biscuit!
We enjoyed shopping in downtown Homewood--so many cute boutiques and furniture shops.
We met some friends who joined the lunch portion of the tour--my coworker Meaghan and friend Tamara! We met at Dos Hermanos taco truck, located at 211 Green Valley Road at the Texaco station parking lot. It's authentic and has been making all the news on Birmingham's best food trucks. We had to try!
I was feeling adventurous and decided to try the cow tongue taco and then a chicken one. Both were sooooo very good! Try the tongue...the cow intestine and cow brain tacos are at your own risk...
I got the dulce de leche and pistachio. Soooo amazing. We pretty much inhaled our ice cream, explaining why there is no picture...but trust us, it was muy deliciouso!
After a brief break, we were back at it--this time at Avondale, a bustling area right now for new restaurants. Hotbox is located at the Parkside Bar, and is a hidden gem! Enter the bar and then at the back exit on the patio, you see the fenced area with the air stream trailer that is Hotbox, a trendy food concept with a new menu out every week or so. We opted for potsickers and a shrimp salad. Both were so good! We loved the atmosphere and the cool vibes.
Not exactly hungry, but trying to stick with our food tour plan, we headed over to BYOB Rocks, but were a little turned off by the dark/blacklight/tattoo parlor look to the restaurant. Deciding we were already too full for anything else, we decided to call it a night.
And April's Foodie Tour is already in the works! Be sure to comment with any suggestions for places in and around Birmingham that are your favs...AND FEEL FREE To JOIN IN!
Living Out the Plans
It's on fun adventures like this that helps me feel so at home in Birmingham. I still pinch myself sometimes to think about the quick move back in September and job change. But it's part of God's plan and He is teaching and growing me each day. I'm grateful for his blessings in who He places, my new church family at Church Unlimited, my career, and the adventures in my life at this time and rejoice in what I'm experiencing in the Magic City.
