La Bamba

“La Bamba” is one of my favorite songs, and it’s also the name of a new restaurant in Edgewood. From the name, I’m sure you can tell that it’s a Mexican restaurant. It’s the bright orange & brick storefront next to “Saw’s BBQ” and “Dreamcakes”. (I gotta get a new pic)

It was raining the night, that mom and I visited La Bamba for the first time. We walked in and grabbed the first booth that we saw available.

The waiter brought chips & salsa to our table, and he took our drink orders. He was very friendly, and impressed with my Spanish speaking skills.

I ordered an Original Frozen Margarita, and mom had sweet tea. This was her first time going to a Mexican restaurant and wanting more sweet tea, because it was actually sweet and lemony. My margarita was poignant, a little sweet, and just tasty all around. It was so cold that it froze my straw and the plastic cup that it was in. I love a good cold margarita!

The waiter was very friendly and even sat down at our booth, in order to take our appetizer & entree orders.

For an appetizer we had a Chicken Tamale.

Tamales begin with a dough made from corn, called masa, and are generally wrapped in corn husks or plantain leaves before cooking, depending on the region from which they come. They usually have a sweet or savory filling and are typically steamed until firm. The Chicken Tamale from La Bamba was good; I’ve had better since I’ve traveled to many places in Mexico. The dish didn’t taste too fresh, it seemed like it had been made earlier that week. In order to capture the true taste, you’re gonna have to taste it for yourself, lol! It was served with a spicy dipping sauce, that had somewhat of a chipotle flavor.

By the time we finished the appetizer, our entrees came out. I ordered the Steak Fajita Quesadilla.

It consisted of grilled quesadilla bread, grilled steak, grilled red & green bell peppers, grilled onions, and melted cheese. Yum, it was muy delicioso! It’s a mixture of a fajita and a quesadilla because it has the grilled mixed veggies of a fajita, and the melted cheese of a quesadilla. Let’s just say, it’s an excellent combination! It was also served with lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, & pico de gallo. ( all on the side)

My mom had the Chicken Quesadilla. She was trying to order the same thing that I did except with chicken; she didn’t know the specific name of what I ordered; I wish she had of told me that she wanted the same thing.

Anyway, she enjoyed her dish but she got many of the vegetables from my Steak Fajita Quesadilla; I didn’t mind! Her quesdailla consisted of grilled chicken and melted cheese, all wrapped in grilled quesadilla bread. It was also served with lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole.

We enjoyed all of our food and the neighborhood feel of the restaurant. La Bamba offers cheap prices and decent portions of food. The customer service is some of the best that I’ve seen in the Birmingham area. When we left, the whole staff (about six, including the cooks) waved and told us goodbye. Even when we drove off in our car, they were still waving; we felt like celebrities!

I can’t wait to go back to La Bamba!

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/45/1501422/restaurant/Homewood/La-Bamba-Grill-Birmingham

“Saw’s BBQ”: The joint that stands out!

“Saw’s BBQ” in Edgewood, is located in the same shopping area as “Dreamcakes” and “New York Pizza”. I was pleased with my experience, from the first moment I walked in the door.

“Saw’s” is a small local joint that has hundreds of different license plates, road signs, and college memorabilia on the walls.  It seems to get crowded easily inside, so they have a few patio tables in the front. The whole atmosphere reminds me of a bbq joint that would be located on Route 66, in the middle of nowhere. All that was missing was a juke-box, lol!

Once you walk in, you look at the menu and order at the counter. After you place your order, they will bring the food to your table. “Saw’s” has a simple menu which consists of ribs, chicken, hot dogs, stuffed taters, sandwiches from the pit, and a few sides.

I ordered the “Saw’s Original Pulled Pork Sandwich” and it came with potato chips (Lays Regular) and a drink (Sweet Tea). In addition, I got a side of the “White BBQ Sauce”. One simple word can describe all of this, “DELICIOUS”! The sandwich had just the right amount of pork on it, but I had to add more of the “Saw’s Sauce”; however, you should know that I’m almost addicted to any kind of good bbq sauce. “Saw’s Sauce”, is a red thin bbq sauce that has a vinegar base and a sweet flavor; I loved it! I also enjoyed dipping my sandwich into the “White BBQ Sauce”, which has a mayonnaise base and a tangy pepper flavor. If I had to choose between the two sauce flavors, I would go with the ‘Saw’s Sauce”.

A friend, who went with me, ordered the “Pork Stuffed Tater”, which consisted of a large baker (baked potato), chopped green onions, bacon, pork, and the  “Saw’s Sauce”; it came with a side, so he got the potato salad. He said that this baked potato was one of the best that he has ever had!

As we were eating, I began talking to the cashier/hostess/bus-lady, and somehow mentioned to her about this blog and how I write about and review different restaurants. Before I knew it, she had gone into the kitchen to get samples of the turnip greens and mac & cheese, for me to sample. She said that if I was gonna write about “Saw’s”, she wanted me to have the full experience. I thought that was awesome!

You should know that the online menu, for “Saw’s”, doesn’t show the additional sides that they have on a daily basis. Such as the turnip greens, mac & cheese, and a few other vegetable options. Oh and yea, the greens and mac & cheese tasted excellent! Also, the waitress told me that they put the “Saw’s Sauce” in their turnip greens. My reaction was “Wow, I’ve never had bbq sauce in my turnip greens”, but it added a nice special flavor to them.

After eating the sandwich and the other sides, I dived right into the “Banana Pudding”, that I got for desert. My friend and I shared it because I couldn’t eat it all. I had never had banana pudding like this before, instead of a custard base, it had a cool-whip base which made it lite and fluffy. I’m not sure how the base turned yellow, maybe they added yellow food coloring. Anyway, I do know that it was so good. And it still had the other normal ingredients, of a banana pudding, such as the bananas and vanilla wafers.

Ya’ll, I know that Birmingham has many bbq restaurants, and that we all have our favorites. But I experienced something at “Saw’s” that I haven’t in any other bbq restaurant in town, and that was personable and excellent customer service. And the fact that I had no complaints about the food, is a plus as well. I felt like I was the only one in the place, and this is how they treat everyone. So please, give “Saw’s” a try and I will almost guarantee that you will love it!

http://www.sawsbbq.com/

B. Smith’s

The last restaurant that I visited, in Washington DC, was “B. Smith’s”. B. Smith is a pioneer in the lifestyle industry, whose talents and expertise span a wide range of specialties. In my opinion, she is the “African American Martha Stewart” because they are both known for being excellent cooks and crafty individuals. Smith is a respected expert in affordable-yet-elegant living and she brings style to everything that she does. For nearly a decade, she hosted the nationally syndicated/cable lifestyle television show “B. Smith with Style”.

Smith extends her lifestyle expertise as the owner of three successful “B. Smith” restaurants. Her longtime establishments include those on Restaurant Row in New York City, Union Station in Washington DC, and Long Island Hampton Village of Sag Harbor.

Mom and I had about an hour to spare, while at Union Station, before we started our “DC Duck Tour”. So we decided to have a lite lunch at “B. Smith’s”. We entered through a secondary entrance, which was the bar area; it looked like a medium sized parlor. Then we turned the corner, and became awestruck at the beauty of the interior of the actual restaurant portion. It is a grand Beaux Arts style dining room with 30-foot ceilings, chandeliers, and turn of the century elegance. It is a national landmark and has been called one of the most beautiful dining rooms in America.

The host took us to our table, and our waiter came to introduce himself and the specialties of the day. One thing that really stood out, about the waiter, is that he greeted us by our last name. I have never gone to a restaurant where the waiter greeted me by my name; I thought that was so awesome and genuine! All of the staff was formally dressed and the waiters wore a formal uniform. The whole atmosphere seemed expensive, comfortable, and classy.

Mom and I had previewed the menu before-hand, so we already knew what we wanted. Furthermore, we ordered the “Thai Spiced Wings” and the “Cajun Seasoned Fries”. While we were waiting on our food to come out, the waiter gave us a basket of mini biscuits and mini cornbread muffins. Both items were served warm, but my favorite were the mini cornbread muffins,  because they had somewhat of a sweet flavor.

Eventually, the food was served and the “Thai Spiced Wings” consisted of six nice size chicken drummetts that were grilled and topped with a sweet chili sauce. They had a sweet Thai taste, which was excellent. The “Cajun Seasoned Fries” were large cut fresh pieces of potato that were fried and seasoned with Cajun spices. The first batch of fries we had were not hot, so we sent them back and got another batch of hot fries. They didn’t taste amazing, but they were doable.

Once I finished that course, I was full but I still wanted to try a dessert. So I asked the waiter what the most popular dessert was, and he told me about the “Bourbon Street Bread Pudding”. This is what I ordered, and it was served with a warm caramel creme sauce on top. The dish itself was ok,  not as good as he cooked it up to be. I have had much better bread pudding before.

If I had to rate “B. Smith’s” from 1-10, 10 being the highest, I would give the restaurant an 8.5. The atmosphere seems to date back to the Victorian era and it is simply beautiful. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable about B. Smith and her endeavors. Lastly, I think the food is good but not great. Many people probably go eat here, just so they can say that they have gone to “B. Smith’s”. However, if you are ever in the area, I recommend that you go try it and develop your own opinion!

http://www.bsmith.com/restaurant_dc_menu_s.php