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

Classic Italian at “GianMarco’s”

Classic Italian food, in an intimate setting. This is what I experienced at GianMarco’s, when I had two special friends visit Birmingham. They wanted to try a local Italian restaurant, not a chain restaurant, and this was one of the first places that I thought of.

GianMarco’s is located in the neighborhood of Edgewood (near Homewood).

The interior almost reminds me of a “classic mob scene” in New York, specifically the movie “The Godfather”. However, a more modernized version. It’s a white table-cloth restaurant, but yet the atmosphere is casual. The expansive bar is in the small half of the restaurant, and the dining room is in the large half. All of the seats, in the dining room, allow patrons to view the cooks preparing meals in the kitchen.

I was the first person to arrive at our dinner, at GianMarco’s. The host took me to our table, which was in the middle of the restaurant; allowing me to see everyone and everything. Not long after I sat down, our waiter came over and placed a black cloth napkin in my lap, and asked me what I wanted to drink. Despite being at a fine Italian restaurant, I wanted an alcoholic beverage other than wine, something classy & unique, but I didn’t see anything on the menu. So the waiter had the bartender make me a special drink called a “Washington Apple”.

It reminded me of a “Sour Apple Martini” except it was red in color, and had more of a fruity/apple taste. I really enjoyed it, and the waiter made me feel extra special; this definitely gave him some points in my book.

Eventually my friends, from Auburn & Huntsville, arrived. The waiter placed the black cloth napkins in their laps as well, and took their drink orders. When he came back with the drinks, he brought a basket of freshly made warm Italian Bread, a vase of olive oil, and a bowl of salt.

We put a little olive oil on a plate, and sprinkled salt & pepper in the olive oil. This became the dip for our Italian Bread. We enjoyed dipping our fresh bread in this mixture.

Next the waiter took our antipasti (appetizer) and entree orders.

For an antipasti, we ordered the Spinach & Artichoke Dip with Parmesan, basil and crostini.

The dip was served warm, and the crostini (bread chips) were crunchy & salty. I enjoyed the subtle garlic taste of the dip, and I’m glad that it wasn’t filled with too many artichokes; I’m not a big fan of them.

After catching up with each others lives, it was time for our entrees to come out. My friend Katherine, ordered the “RIGATONI AI QUATTRO FORMAGGI asiago, fontina, gorgonzola and mozzarella; simmered in cream with prosciutto and fresh sage .”

She said this dish, itself, was worth the drive to Birmingham. I was so pleased to hear that excellent complement.

Her mom had the “LINGUINE CLAM SAUCE littleneck clams steamed in garlic, evo, white wine and Red chili flake finished with parsley and basil .”

She really enjoyed this dish. Furthermore, she said that his was some of the best Italian food that she has ever eaten.

I kept it simple and ordered the “FETTUCCINE ALFREDO with Shrimp”. I wasn’t in the mood for anything too complicated.

This entree was so delicious, the Alfredo sauce was extremely creamy, the noodles seemed to almost be homemade because of their tender/yet soft texture. And even though there weren’t too many shrimp in this particular dish, they were large enough to make up for the lack of; these shrimp were freshly caught from the Gulf of Mexico. I’m also pleased to say that this whole dish was seasoned to perfection, allowing me to enjoy every minute of it. Even though this was a trite dish, it definitely didn’t have a trite taste. For a special touch, I had the waiter add some fresh Parmesan cheese on top.

Since we were all satisfied with our entrees, we wanted to get dessert but we were each too full to order one per self. So we shared the “APPLE CROSTATA WITH CINNAMON GELATO AND CARMEL.”

It was “bellisimo” at its finest! This was a perfect twist to the standard apple pie with vanilla ice cream. The dessert was served warm with cinnamon gelato on the top and caramel drizzled all over. I must admit that it was really sweet, but we enjoyed every bite.

GianMarco’s was the perfect destination for my out-of-town guests; they enjoyed the ambiance, the impeccable customer service, and the succulent food. I would say that the price point is moderate to expensive, however, what we had was well worth every penny. And if you plan on visiting,  please make reservations ahead of time.

http://www.birminghamrestaurants.com/guide.asp?action=menu&rid=142197

“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/

Cupcake Heaven in Birmingham

Yay, the cupcake craze has come to Birmingham! The other day I went to “Dreamcakes” in the heart of  Edgewood, near “New York Pizza”; this place is cupcake heaven! It is a charming and quaint venue where the delicious smell, of cakes baking in the oven, overcomes you upon walking in the front door. “Dreamcakes” offers out of the box flavors that many local bakeries don’t have. Once I walked into the store and saw the cases filled with such a variety of stunning cupcake flavors, I didn’t know what to do, I just got excited!

Each flavor has a unique name, so I decided to get the “Curious George”, the “Over the Moon”, and the “Caramel Sea Salt Mocha”. The “Curious George” is a banana cake with peanut butter frosting, topped with candy bananas. I love anything with a banana flavor and the peanut butter compliments it very well.

The “Over the Moon” is a white velvet cake, buttercream filling, vanilla bean frosting and white chocolate curls. You can’t go wrong with this choice, all I can say is excellent!

Lastly, the “Caramel Sea Salt Mocha” is chocolate cake with a mocha frosting, topped with a caramel drizzle, a coffee candy & a sprinkle of sea salt. This cupcake wasn’t my favorite because I’m not a big coffee fan, and it had a strong mocha flavor.

Furthermore, the cupcakes are a nice size and it was impossible for me to eat all three, in one day. The first cupcake that I ate, was the “Curious George”. I’m glad to say that the two remaining cupcakes, that I didn’t eat, remained fresh for another two days after I bought them. Each cupcake had its own taste and I don’t regret getting any of the flavors that I mentioned.

The customer service is exceptional, the prices are cheap, and the cupcakes are amazing, so I will definitely be going back very soon!

FYI: The cupcake flavors alternate each day so check out the menu before you go. I don’t want you to get a taste for a flavor they don’t have that day. Also they sell more than just cupcakes, so go check out “Dreamcakes” you won’t regret it!

http://www.dreamcakes-bakery.com/home.html