One of my new favorite lunch spots: Edgar’s Bakery

When you hear Edgar’s Bakery you probably think of their popular Strawberry or Caramel cake! But I think of how its become one of my new favorite lunch spots. The atmosphere is cozy, prices reasonable, and the sandwiches are delicious; and to make it easier, there are several locations around town for you to visit.

The first time I went there for lunch, I ordered The “T” Bird which consists of Hickory smoked turkey, mozzarella cheese, Applewood-smoked bacon, leaf lettuce & ripe tomatoes on a scratch made and toasted challah bread. And it comes with two sides, all for $6.95 plus tax. My sides were fresh fruit and potato chips. I really enjoyed the fresh sweet taste of the challah bread.

Last week, I ordered the Cranapple Jack which consists of Hickory smoked turkey, Applewood smoked bacon, Swiss cheese, sweet apple butter & leaf lettuce on cranberry walnut bread. It also comes with two sides, all for $7.45 plus tax. This time my sides were pasta salad and fresh fruit. I was in the mood for a toasted sandwich so I asked the cook to toast the cranberry walnut bread and I think it made the sandwich taste even better. This is my favorite sandwich and I want it again, I might even go back this week to get it lol. I would also order the pasta salad again.

Honestly, I’m not a big fan of Edgar’s cakes but they have plenty of them for you to choose from. Anyway, definitely stop by Edgar’s Bakery for a wholesome tasty lunch, and a plethora of other options for dessert.

MIX is at it again!

So not too long ago I met & had lunch with, Jan, the Event Planner for “MIX”, a bakery and deli in the heart of downtown Birmingham. We had a great conversation over one of the newest additions to the menu; the hamburger sliders.

This special comes with two hamburger sliders & the signature chips. These delicious sliders can be eaten in about three bites.  They are made up of 100% 8 oz. Grass Fed Burger with Mushroom Ragout- Wright’s Dairy Cheese-Lettuce, Tomato, & Onion served on our MIX soft billowy burger roll (made in house) @  $10! The buns were toasted, which is a plus in my book.

The signature chips consisted of sweet potato, potato, & beet chips. All of them were yummy and added a special health conscious approach to this menu item. My favorites were the beet chips…….so delicious!

Next time you’re in the area swing by “MIX” & try these classic hamburger sliders.

Lunch at “Diplomat Deli”

My church member Joyce and I, have been trying to get together for lunch, for a while now, and today we finally met up. We ate lunch at Diplomat Deli in Vestavia Hills, off of Montgomery Highway in a strip mall.

Since 1982, family owned Diplomat Deli, has been known for their food & spirits. Publications consistently rank the Diplomat Deli as among the top delis in Birmingham. They also have the largest selection of imported and high gravity beer in the area. They have hot sandwiches, cold sandwiches, bagel sandwiches, cheese sandwiches, soup & sandwich specials, salads, sides, and desserts. Most of their desserts are homemade. And one of their famous sandwiches, is the “Muffaletta”. A long-time customer stated that:

” I used to live here and now I live in Atlanta. I’ve been gone 10 years
and every time I visit I have to have a Muffaletta. It’s better than New Orleans.” M.C.

I’ve passed by this place many times, but never thought to go in there, until Joyce mentioned it ( I need to get on it, lol)! Furthermore, Joyce was waiting on me when I arrived. We both decided to sit inside, even though the weather was very nice and we could have sat on the outdoor patio.

I enjoyed the deli’s atmosphere, but it kinda shocked me a little, because I felt like I was eating in an ABC Beverage Store. Beer, wine, and liquor shelves were against the walls and the tables were in the center of the floor.

Even though we went at lunch time, it wasn’t too crowded. Our waitress took very good care of us. She brought our drinks out and then took our food orders. As we ordered, Joyce said that I’m very picky, however, I just know what I want lol! Joyce got the “Reuben” which consisted of corned beef, imported Swiss, fresh sauerkraut, Russian dressing, mustard, grilled on rye with butter. And it came with potato chips and a pickle.

It looked really good to me. She definitely enjoyed the sandwich; this is one of her favorite restaurants!

I ordered the “Southerner” which consisted of ham, Swiss cheese, tomato, mustard and mayonnaise on toasted rye bread. It also came with potato chips and a pickle. Even though my sandwich looked very plain, it tasted very good. I really enjoyed it because it wasn’t too big and messy; it was just right.

Now when it comes to making a sandwich, it seems like you can’t mess up; however, I’ve been to many places where the sandwiches weren’t good, the ingredients just didn’t go together. But, at Diplomat Deli, what I had was simply awesome!

For dessert, I had one slice of the homemade “Lemon Ice Box Pie”. I’m eating my leftovers as we speak, lol!

It was made with a graham cracker crust, and it had just the right amount of lemon flavor; it wasn’t too tart. The taste was just right and it was topped off with Cool-Whip.

Joyce and I had a wonderful time together, and we are thinking about where we are going to eat next!

http://diplomatdeli.com/

brick & tin

Recently, I’ve discovered that many local restaurants are adopting menus that include locally grown food. This concept is favorable because it gives business to and creates a reputation for local farmers. If you remember not too long ago I wrote a blog entry about “Urban Cookhouse”, and they also participate in this growing trend.

Anyway, “brick & tin” which is located in downtown Birmingham, has adopted the same idea. This restaurant believes that people should know where their food comes from, so they carefully search for ingredients that are from local purveyors that are as close to home as possible. They also believe that it is important for people to enjoy food that is free of hormones, chemicals, or other additives. Meats prepared at “brick & tin” are humanely raised and the purveyors are serious enough to obtain an animal welfare certification.

Ebonee and I ate lunch at “brick & tin”, at about 12:30pm on a Tuesday. Parking is kind of hard because there is no parking deck, so you must park on the street unless you walk. I drove around the block twice until I found a spot.

Once we entered “brick & tin”, I was amazed at its modern charm. It wasn’t crowded but there were still a lot of people inside eating. The decor seems to reflect the organic menu; for example, the walls are made of natural brick, the floors are made from a shiny brown concrete, and the bar is made of recycled wood. I also like the fact, that the inside is bright and airy.

“brick & tin” has a common service flow.  Once you enter, you look at the menu and then go to the bar to place and pay for your order. Then you get your drinks and your table. Lastly, a waiter will bring your food to the table.

The menu consists of various paninis, salads, and two flavors of soup. There are also snacks/sides, and drinks. In my opinion the prices are really cheap, but the quality, taste, and presentation of the food is nowhere near cheap.

I ordered the “Coosa Valley” panini which consisted of freshly made panini bread, scrambled farm eggs, sliced avocado, & bacon. This panini tasted just like the egg sandwich that I make at home; on the other hand, the bread was much better.  For $1.00 extra, it came with a side salad. I wasn’t a fan of the salad dressing because it seemed to have just been olive oil that was poured on top of the salad; however, I ate it anyway, but I didn’t eat it all.

Ebonee ordered the “Cuban” panini which consisted of freshly made panini bread, slow roasted pork shoulder, smoky mountain country ham, pickled pepper relish, & gruyere (cheese). She also had a side salad. Ebonee enjoyed every aspect of her food,  with no complaints.

Overall, the food that we ate at “brick & tin” was acceptable. Next time, I will definitely order something else that might enhance my excitement about this restaurant. Furthermore, I feel that “brick & tin” is suitable for everyone, but especially for those who are health-conscious, and who want reasonably priced food.

http://www.brickandtin.com/about.htm

Momma G’s

Today for lunch I had Momma Goldberg’s, one of my favorite places in Auburn. This restaurant originated in Auburn and just began to franchise, so now Birmingham has several. Whenever I want a taste of Auburn I go here! Today I met a friend, from my Auburn college days, at the one on 280.

When we got in line to order, it was like a free for all, there was no structure in who was going to take our order. So after a lull of about 4 minutes of us thinking someone was gonna take our order, I asked if we were going to get served. They apologized, but I think that issue needed to be addressed, so I made it known in a nice professional manner. Anyway, I ordered the “Momma’s Love Salad”, which is amazing. I always order it with Iceburg Lettuce and Romaine Lettuce and my toppings include, raisins, carrots, feta cheese, turkey, roast beef, banana peppers, bell peppers, cucumbers, croutons, and two salad dressings; Thousand Island and Italian dressings. I’m telling you this combination is out of this world amazing! My friend had the “Camel Rider” which is made with pita bread, ham, turkey, roast beef, lettuce, mustard, cheese, mayonnaise, and the sandwich is steamed the Momma G’s way.  He also ordered the Momma’s Nacho’s which are nacho cheese flavored Doritos with slices of melted pepper jack cheese on top; a Momma G’s classic!

The food was very good and I’m excited that we had the opportunity to catch up because we haven’t seen each other in a while. Wow, I am excited to have relived an Auburn Experience today!

http://www.mommagoldbergsdeli.com/