A Taste of France in Birmingham!

There are not too many French restaurants in Birmingham, Alabama, but tonight a group of 13 friends and I were fortunate enough to eat at one of them, Cafe de Paris. The restaurant is located in the Lakeview District, near St. Vincents Hospital.

Cafe de Paris is a quaint and quiet restaurant that is the brainchild of two local French chefs. Their goal is to make us, Southerners, aware of the exquisite flavors of French cuisine. Upon entering the restaurant, I felt like I was in good hands with our two waiters and the host; they answered our every whim and they all worked well together. The staff embraces a typical European attitude, which is to not rush customers in any way. This means the food was brought out at a leisurely pace and the staff made sure that we savored every moment of our visit. For example, between each course we waited for approximately 30-45 minutes for the next one. We definitely weren’t rushed by any means!

However, while we waited for our food the waiters kept bringing us baskets of homemade bread chips. The bread chips were small pieces of bread that were slightly crunchy but still very soft; the bread had somewhat of a sweet taste. The bread was served warm and we spread butter on top of each piece, for an extra flavor. I couldn’t get enough of this bread, it was excellent!

Furthermore, our group ordered from a special menu, that consisted of the following:

Appetizers:

Tomato Salad with chopped cherry tomatoes, a spring lettuce mix, and a lite vinaigrette. The person who had this dish says that it was ok, but she wasn’t a fan of the vinaigrette.

French Onion Soup with a french onion broth, chopped onions, topped off with  a piece of toasted bread (same bread as I mentioned above) and shredded cheddar melted cheese. Many people, including myself, ordered this dish and it received rave reviews. I was very pleased with the taste because I’m normally not a fan of French Onion Soup, but I really enjoyed this version.

The Shrimp Cocktail wasn’t on our special menu. It consisted of a nice silver bowl of salad(lettuce, tomato, avocado) and it had five medium sized steamed shrimp on the rim of the bowl. This dish was served with a special dipping sauce for the shrimp and I guess you could also use it as a salad dressing. Those who sampled this dish all agreed that the sauce had a very familiar taste. Furthermore, the person that ordered this appetizer wasn’t too pleased with the taste of the shrimp or the special dressing.

Stuffed Grape Leaves consisted of cooked grape leaves stuffed with tuna fish salad, and tomatoes. The grape leaves were topped off with caramelized onions. Not many people liked the taste of this dish, but I must say that I really enjoyed it.

Chicken Salad Twist consisted of a pesto grilled chicken salad on top of a ritz cracker. This appetizer was a hit that everyone loved.

Entrees:

Grilled Chateau Tender Beef consisted of medium strips of  grilled steak, roasted potatoes, steamed cabbage, grilled onions, and a special gravy. Everyone who ordered this dish, only had positive things to say about it. The steak was tender and seasoned well.

Crusted Tilapia consisted of a large piece of pan seared tilapia encrusted in bread crumbs (some people say they didn’t get enough fish), roasted potatoes, steamed cabbage, chopped tomatoes, grilled onions, and a special white sauce. I ordered this dish, and I must say that I’m very particular about any fish that I order, and this fish had a few bones in it. Personally, I can’t stand fish with bones because I’m constantly trying not to swallow one. Despite the bones being in the fish, the fish had a good taste and everything else was good. Everyone who ordered this felt the same way, especially about the few bones in the fish.

Pan Seared Salmon consisted of  medium sized  pieces of seared salmon, roasted potatoes, steamed cabbage, tomatoes, and a special sauce. Everyone who had this dish seemed to have been satisfied.

Desserts:

Bread Pudding consisted of homemade bread pudding with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, and chocolate & caramel swirls. I hate to say that none of us liked this dish, each person had their reasons, but my reasons were that it was hard, it didn’t have a good taste, and it wasn’t warm enough for my standards. Only one person ate it all, and that’s because he doesn’t like to waist food. In order to make up for this, our waiter, brought out another dessert for us to share. It was the Chocolate Truffle Cake and we all loved it! It was served hot and consisted of a chocolate cake filled with rich melting chocolate and topped off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Each person was able to get one bite of this dessert. I would definitely order this again!

Poached Pear in a Red Wine consisted of  a pear poached in red wine, topped off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzles of chocolate. Only one person ordered this dish because we all thought that the bread pudding was going to be amazing. The recipient of this dessert definitely enjoyed it, I sampled it, and I must say that it was rather tasty. I would also order this again.

Our visit to Cafe de Paris was filled with exciting new dishes and we enjoyed trying each one. Some of the food tasted wonderful and some of the food was not as good. It all boils down to personal taste! But I will say that the chefs at Cafe de Paris are passionate about making good food and they are willing to accommodate guests in any way that they can.

I really appreciated the wonderful customer service, and a highlight of the night was Serge (one of the chefs and owners of the restaurant) coming to visit our table after we ate, and he thanked us for visiting the restaurant in French, and then he translated what he said in English. The staff treated us like royalty and I had an exciting Parisian experience!

http://www.cafedeparis.us/

“Michael’s Restaurant”: A modern-steakhouse in Birmingham

One of the last restaurants that I went to for Birmingham Restaurant Week was Michael’s Restaurant. Michael’s is a well-known steakhouse in Birmingham that caters to the customer who enjoys the taste of high-quality food and impeccable customer service. Michael’s Restaurant is Alabama’s exclusive restaurant for Certified Hereford Beef, which is rated at the top one percent of all beef available today.

Michael’s Restaurant has been around for 55 years, and the steaks, seafood, and service only get better with time. Over the years, many sports stars and celebrities have graced Michael’s with their presence and autographs. The original Michael’s used to be located in Downtown Birmingham, however, today there are two locations. One location is outside of the Galleria Mall.

The other location is inside of the Aloft Hotel in Homewood. Both locations offer on-site party planning, catering, and a private dining room.

I would consider the Homewood location to have a modern-sophisticated flair. The theme is very versatile because it is appropriate for business meetings, parties, dates, and just casual dining. I would feel comfortable being casually dressed and just sitting at the bar watching a football game.The color palette for the restaurant is bright earth tones and this is reflected on the walls, in the decor, and on the booths.

The funky tiled bar is large, well-stocked, and gives one plenty of breathing room. It is also located in between two flat screen televisions.

I met a friend at the Homewood location, inside of the Aloft Hotel. I made reservations, earlier in the day, for 7:00pm ( I would recommend making reservations before you arrive). Stefan was sitting at the bar when I arrived, and once he closed his tab, the waitress took us to our table which was next to the bar, but it overlooked the entire restaurant. The focal point of Micahel’s Restaurant is the spectacular illuminated mural of the Birmingham skyline, which was taken at sunset atop Red Mountain. And I had a good view of this mural.

The waiter came to our table and told us about the house specials and the Birmingham Restaurant Week menu. Of course, we didn’t know what we wanted to eat yet, but we did order a bottle of the Maso Canali Pinot Grigio from Italy, which had a sweet, sharp, and bitter taste. I enjoyed it!

We ordered three appetizers, the first was the “Seared Rare Tuna Sushimi”. It consisted of Ahi Tuna seasoned and served Rare with Asian Slaw, Ponzu Soy, and Wasabi Créme Fraiche. This was my first time ever having this dish, so I didn’t know what to expect, however I was pleased. The Ahi Tuna had an excellent soy flavor, but sometimes my nose would be overwhelmed by the strong taste of the wasabi. (strong wasabi is a good thing)

The next appetizer was the “Pepper Pot Calamari” which was fresh Calamari fried and tossed with Cherry, Jalapeno, and Pepperoncini Peppers served with a housemade cilantro and basil dipping sauce. The only obvious peppers in the dish, to me, were the Jalapenos which were not spicy; it seemed like they had been soaked in vinegar. The calamari was fairly large and I ate it with the jalapenos, this created a delicious sweet/spicy flavor on my palatte.

The rest of what we ordered came from the Birmingham Restaurant Week Menu. Here it is:

First Course: “Jumbo Blue Crab Claws” – Fresh jumbo Blue Maryland Crab Claws lightly dusted and Flash Fried served with the housemade Cocktail Sauce.

When we originally, placed this order, the waiter said that they had ran out of the crab claws, and I became disturbed because I love crab claws. However, a few minutes later he came back to the table and said that a fresh shipment had just arrived from Maryland. I was excited to hear this! Another way that I could tell the crab claws were fresh, was because the meat slid off of the claw easily. Oh, by the way, the crab claws were excellent and I really enjoyed the cocktail sauce. It had a sweet taste that I couldn’t get enough of.

The second course came with the House Salad which is a mix of iceberg, romaine, and spring mix. Topped with cherry tomatoes, dried cranberries, fresh shaved Parmesan cheese, and spiced pecans. The house dressing is a roasted shallot and feta vinaigrette.

I enjoyed this salad so much that I ate it throughout the night, instead of sending it back before the second course arrived. It was simply delicious, and I enjoyed all of the sweet flavors.

Second Course: “Filet Mignon” – 9 oz Center Cut Filet.

I ordered my Filet Mignon medium well, and was very pleased. I don’t speak the “steak language” yet, but I do know a good steak when I taste it. My Filet was very tender, juicy, tasty, seasoned, succulent, and satisfying. Heinz 57 and A1 Steak Sauce was definitely an afterthought; I didn’t need them at all. The Filet Mignon also came with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes that were homemade and served hot. I could tell they were homemade because the potato peel was still on pieces of the potatoes. The potatoes mixed with Parmesan cheese complemented my steak well. It seemed to have been only a hint of Parmesan cheese in the potatoes but it was just enough. Even though I only had the 9 oz Filet, it was still enough for me to have leftovers.

Third Course: “White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Bread Pudding”

The bread pudding had pecans in it, it was served warm, and topped off with housemade whipped cream & a sweet tasting strawberry on the top. I definitely enjoyed the bread pudding and it complimented my dessert drink ( a White Russian) very well.

While I was basking in all of this wonderful food, I couldn’t help but enjoy the mixture of R&B/Rock music playing throughout the restaurant. This was a small element, but it helped to cap off my delightful and delicious experience at Michael’s Restaurant, that particular night!

Lastly, I would like to congratulate Pennington Pribbeneaux (General Manager) of the Michael’s Restaurant in Homewood, because his restaurant was voted in Bham Best as the “Third Best Steak in Birmingham”!

http://www.eatatmichaels.com/index.php

http://bhamrestaurantweek.com/