Jubilee Joe’s

“Jubilee Joe’s” is a Cajun seafood restaurant, that’s located in Hoover on Highway 150; it is in a small strip mall near the Lake Crest subdivision.

I met a friend during lunch time and I expected there to be a crowd, but there wasn’t. “Jubilee Joe’s” has a nice quaint setting that is simply Cajun. A few of the walls are filled with SEC football memorabilia and other miscellaneous pictures. TV’s are scattered throughout, allowing patrons to catch various sporting events while they eat. Oh, and the bar is well stocked.

When I arrived, my friend was waiting on me, and had already ordered an appetizer. It was great to have food waiting on me when I arrived, lol! We had the “Sauteed Crab Claws” for our first appetizer .

I’ve never had sauteed crab claws before. They were good, but we both felt like they were prepared with too much Cajun seasoning. It was enough seasoning to make you cough a little after you swallowed. They were served with a cocktail sauce that seemed to have a texture similar to jello; I didn’t like it because of the consistency and poignant taste. However, I know that the crab claws were fresh because the meat came off of the claw easily.

After we finished the first appetizer, I decided to get the “Fried Green Tomatoes”.

The “Fried Green Tomatoes” were delicious, but I felt like the batter could have used a little more seasoning. They were garnished with a horseradish drizzle and lump crab meat on top. Personally, I would’ve preferred to dip the tomatoes in the horseradish sauce, instead of having it all over them, because the tomatoes that I didn’t eat immediately, became soggy from the horseradish sauce.

After eating the appetizers, I had a hard time figuring out what to get for my entree. So the waiter insisted that I get the Special of the Day, which was Seared Chilean Sea Bass served over cheddar mashed potatoes & sauteed baby spinach mixed with lump crab meat topped with a lemon butter sauce.

I had no complaints about this dish, it tasted excellent! All of the tastes complimented each other very well. The Chilean Sea Bass was fresh and seasoned to perfection. The mashed potatoes had just the right amount of cheese and they were served warm. The spinach was wilted perfectly, and I hardly tasted any lump crab meat. The lemon butter sauce, was a great choice to cap off this dish. Yum!

Stefan had the “Stuffed Shrimp” which consisted of five  sauteed jumbo shrimp, a pile of freshly cooked rice, and the items used for garnishment were lobster sauce and asparagus.

He enjoyed this dish with no complaints.

After we ate our entrees and talked to some of the restaurant’s patrons, I decided to order dessert. I asked the waiter what I should get, and he plus a regular restaurant patron told me to try the “Bread Pudding”.

So that’s what I got and I wasn’t disappointed. The “Bread Pudding” had a beautiful presentation and it was served warm. In my opinion this was a chocolate bread pudding because I could taste flavors of chocolate and a little coffee flavor. It was very good!

Now after a wonderful dessert, that’s when I got my bill and I was taken back a little because I didn’t expect my entree to be so much, for lunch (about $21). Earlier, when the waiter insisted that I try the Chilean Sea Bass, I guess I thought that it would be as reasonably priced as most of the other entrees on the menu. However, neither the Special of the Day or the price of it, were listed on the menu. Even though the waiter was very nice, I felt like I was almost conned into buying the most expensive food item.

“Jubilee Joe’s” is a wonderful place to go to watch sports on TV, or to just hang out with your friends & family. The staff is friendly, and they have a variety of  Cajun/Southern seafood choices.

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/45/776855/restaurant/Birmingham/Jubilee-Joes-Hoover

“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/

Authentic Chinese at “Mr. Chen’s”

Can’t afford to go to China right now, but want the good authentic food that it’s known for? No need to worry, I’ve got the solution for you. “Mr. Chen’s”, located in the Hoover Court Shopping Center (next to Green Valley Drugstore), is the perfect place to visit. It is a small family owned restaurant that specializes in authentic Taiwanese and regional Chinese dishes. This was unlike any other Chinese restaurant that I have ever been to.

Last week I visited “Mr. Chen’s” and automatically saw and felt how different it is, compared to other Chinese restaurants in the area. It started with me seeing the waitresses wear their authentic colorful Chinese gowns, and the waiter wearing his white dress shirt and black pants. The inside of the restaurant is nice, modern, quaint, and has just been newly remodeled. We went after lunch time, so we had just missed the crowd.

The only male waiter took us to our table which was located next to the cash register and the television. “Mr. Chen’s” is so authentic that the television only showed Chinese channels; how awesome! Even though I couldn’t understand what the people on TV were saying, I was amazed because I had never seen Chinese TV before.

After I got over the television, the waiter brought us the menus to look over. The menu was like a mini book, it was divided into different sections, such as Lunch Specials, Cold Plate/ Appetizer, Chicken/Beef, Seafood/Tofu, Pork/Noodle/Rice, Specialty Drinks, Specialty Dessert, and Beer. Whew, that’s a lot, but you definitely have many options to choose from. I like options!

During our visit to “Mr. Chen’s”, we wanted to be adventurous and eat like we were in Taiwan or China. Furthermore, we wanted all aspects of our meal to be exotic, even the drinks. So my friend, Stefan, ordered the “Honey Green Tea” and it was served cold. My cousin, Ryan, and I ordered the “Peach Flower Slush” and this drink was perfect for the hot weather. It was freshly made while we waited.

After we got our drinks, we ordered appetizers that we all shared with each other. I got a large bowl of the “Seafood Hot & Sour Soup” and it consisted of a tasty, almost sour and spicy soup broth. And some of the other obvious items in it were pieces of octopus, large shrimp, radish, scallions, and mushrooms. This soup had a taste that I had to get used to, but after repeated sips, it grew on me. It also came with crisp won-tons, but I didn’t really enjoy them because I’m used to the excellent won-tons at “PF Chang’s”, and these won-tons didn’t taste fresh; they didn’t have any salt and they were cold. Overall, we enjoyed the unique flavor of the soup, just not the crisp won-tons that came with it.

Stefan ordered the “Steamed Dumplings” as an appetizer. This dish consisted of eight steamed dumplings that were stuffed with shrimp and ground pork. The dumplings were served with a ginger dipping sauce. I believe that you must have an acquired taste for these dumplings because the outside dough creates a slimy feel in your mouth, and it tastes almost like dough. However, the stuffing was awesome and if you dip the entire dumpling into the ginger dipping sauce, it has an excellent taste. Furthermore, I enjoyed the dumplings. I just couldn’t eat them too often.

While we were waiting on our entrees, our waiter was very informative about many of the dishes that the restaurant serves. I wanted to learn as much as I could about this genuine Asian cuisine.

After about 15 minutes of waiting, which wasn’t long, our entrees came out. Ryan and I ordered something that many Americans know about, from other Chinese restaurants, and that is the “Kung Pao Chicken”. However, before I ordered this dish, I told the waiter what I wanted and this was his recommendation. He told me that their “Kung Pao Chicken” is unlike any other Chinese restaurant in the Birmingham area and with that being said, I decided to order it. This dish consisted of chopped pieces of actual chicken breast that was mixed with pieces of zucchini, onion, and peanuts, in a sweet & spicy sauce. The sauce was sweeter than other “Kung Pao Chicken” dishes that I’ve had. It also came with fried rice, and an egg roll. I really enjoyed this dish, it was very good and honestly it is the best “Kung Pao Chicken” that I’ve ever had; you should know that it takes a lot for me to say that!

Stefan was a little more adventurous and ordered the “Braised Beef Belly in Hot Pot”. We were all amazed when this dish came out because it was served in a big, round silver pot that had a flame inside of it, and the flame was used to keep the beef belly broth sizzling. This dish consisted of the beef belly, a dark broth, potatoes, green bell peppers, and some type of green leaf. I sampled this dish and it was excellent. The beef belly and its broth had the taste and flavor of “ox tails”. Stefan enjoyed this dish, as well!

Our Chinese adventure was capped off with the fortune cookie tradition. And I’m sad to say that the fortune cookies didn’t taste good to me, at all. They had a stale taste to them, so I never want those again. Other than that, our experience was tasty and unique. I pushed myself to try new authentic flavors and dishes; I’m very proud of that!

Keep in mind that my American perspective, of this food, played a big part in the way I felt about it. There are many people who might enjoy every aspect of what I ate, or the whole menu at “Mr. Chen’s”; it’s just gonna take more experience with authentic Chinese food, for me to make it to that point. “Mr. Chen’s” is the best place for people who want authentic Taiwanese and Chinese food. They have reasonable prices, and numerous dishes that allow you to gradually get your palate used to their exotic cuisine.

http://www.mrchenschinesecooking.com/

My New Experience at Zoës Kitchen

Sunday afternoon, mom and I went to “Zoës Kitchen” for our normal Sunday lunch. We went to the location in Hoover at “Patton Creek”. The restaurant serves Greek food that allows you to eat on the go, or in a modern, colorful, funky atmosphere. We wanted to eat on the patio, but the weather was so hot that we opted for a table inside.

I’ve eaten here numerous times, however, this time I wanted to order something new, including a new drink too; not sweet tea. So I decided to get the “Spinach Quesadilla” and it came with spinach, scallions, feta, and a side of salsa. To add my own twist, I added caramelized onions and grilled Greek chicken on the quesadilla. I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I made an excellent decision because the taste was out of this world. Although, I was not a big fan of the scallions, I just won’t get those next time. My side item was a bowl of fruit and it was made up of pieces of pineapple, green apples, strawberries, oranges, and cantaloupe. I’m sad to say that none of the fruit was really sweet.

Mom enjoyed her food too! She had the “Chicken Roll-Ups” which I normally get. This dish consists of grilled tortillas, grilled chicken, feta, lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, salsa, and a side. Her side item was the “Braised White Beans”. When I sampled the beans I could taste the distinct flavor of rosemary and this was a plus for me because I love rosemary. So that means next time I’m definitely going to order the beans!

Oh, by the way the drink that I ordered was the “Homemade Limeade” which had an equal blend of tartness and sweetness; it was very good! To sum it up, I’m glad that I went here with an open mind to try something new because I was very proud of my new choices.

http://www.zoeskitchen.com/

Cajun Steamer Bar and Grill

Cajun Steamer brings Louisiana flavor to Birmingham, Alabama. Everything from the decor to the authentic dishes, resemble the Cajun lifestyle.  Mom and I went to the Patton Creek location for dinner, and had to wait about 30 minutes for a booth; if we wanted to sit outside or anywhere else in the restaurant, the wait would have been shorter. So while we waited, we sat at the bar and I got a chance to watch the 2010 World Cup match between Mexico and Russia; I love soccer!

Once we moved to the table, we got drinks and appetizers. I ordered the “Boudin” (boo-dan) which is  hot & spicy pork with onions, rice and herbs. Mom had the “Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya”. She said that her dish was good, but I didn’t like the taste of my “Boudin”, so I ordered the “Fried Green Tomatoes” instead. You can’t go wrong with the tomatoes!

Moving on to the entrees. Mom had the “Shrimp Platter”, which allows you to pick three flavors of shrimp. She chose to get the fried and grilled shrimp. This came with one side item, so she got the “Corn & Potatoes”. Mom was very pleased with what she ordered. I got the “Bourbon Street Fettuccine” and it took the phrase “excellent taste” to another dimension. It consisted of grilled chicken and smoked sausage in a creamy Creole sauce over fettuccine. I would definitely recommend this dish.

http://www.cajunsteamer.com/

La Dolce Vita

Last night, I had dinner at “La Dolce Vita” on Highway 31 in Hoover. It’s a small restaurant with a true Italian feel. Furthermore, it’s so small that I walked in and walked out because I only saw a bar and four tables, and I was expecting something larger. I thought I was in the wrong restaurant, so I went outside and read the sign on the door again, to make sure I was in the right place. When I went back inside and looked around and saw that there were more tables in the back, that is where I spotted my god-father waiting on me. Immediately, the waiter came over and began reciting the specials of the night, and I was so impressed by him because he had a heck of a lot to remember. I just had to compliment him on practically remembering the whole menu.

Once we ordered drinks, the waiter brought two pieces of “Bruschetta” to the table. “Bruschetta” consists of a small bread chip that is covered with chopped tomatoes. Once we finished the “Brushcetta”, the waiter took our order, and the rolls came out. These rolls were massive and they seemed to have been homemade, they were served golden brown with a little garlic butter on top, and they were so good! While we were waiting on our entrees, my god-father and I had plenty of time to catch up and talk. Finally, the entrees came out, I ordered the “Pecan Encrusted Salmon” and it was served with garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables. My god-father had the “Grilled Grouper” and it came with risotto and sauteed vegetables. Both of our dishes tasted like the chef put his heart and soul into the food, the only complaint was that the risotto was a little too gummy. Other than that, everything was great!  Also, they gave us large sized portions, so I ended up taking the majority of my food home.

Once we finished our entrees, the waiter told us about dessert. We couldn’t make up our minds about what to order so the waiter surprised us and brought two desserts on one plate. The plate consisted of the “White Chocolate Bread Pudding” and “Tiramisu”. Both of the deserts had a special strawberry topping on top, and the strawberries were really sweet. My favorite dessert was the bread pudding because the taste reminded me of a vanilla pound cake with strawberries on top, classic! Maurice says the “Tiramisu” was good, but I’m not a huge fan of it.

Wow, what a fun night we had and the food was excellent. I would recommend “La Dolce Vita” to anyone who loves authentic Italian food in a small family oriented atmosphere.

http://www.ladolcevitabirmingham.com/