Hank Shaw likes to say he was born to fish. “I’ve been in and around fish and seafood since before I was born,” says Shaw, whose mother and stepfather shared their passion for casting and clam-digging while he was growing up in New Jersey. “You do something your whole life and it’s a part of who you are. I can’t think of life without fishing.”

In a nondescript warehouse on 3rd Avenue North in Birmingham, strips of LED lights hang from the ceiling, glowing pink and purple. Music plays in a room behind a large glass window. I step inside the room and it smells like…lettuce? Yes, that’s right—this isn’t the city’s newest club or trendy restaurant, it’s an urban hydroponic farm growing greens and herbs for consumer sales and restaurant distribution.

With National French Fry Day celebrated on July 13 each year, we’re taking the opportunity to highlight some of our state’s best fries in one of its food capitals, Birmingham.

Kristen Hall has built a reputation for her stellar pastries and baked goods, including as the creative force behind Bandit Patisserie in downtown Birmingham and as partner with Chef Victor King in the adjacent restaurant, The Essential. Bandit also does the baking for The Essential, supplies desserts to downtown’s Helen restaurant, and sells its wares Saturdays at the Market at Pepper Place.

When you’ve been around for well over a century, a 32-year-old tradition might seem triflingly short. But the annual multi-day culinary affair, “A Night in New Orleans,” is a big deal at The Bright Star restaurant in Bessemer, which was founded in 1907 and has been run by the Koikos family for 96 years. The tradition dates to 1989, when the late Jimmy Koikos started inviting prominent New Orleans chefs to spend a few days at The Bright Star as guest cooks. 

It doesn’t matter if the preferred prefix is “dough-” or “do-,” Alabama goes nuts for do(ugh)nuts. Fresh-made doughnuts have been a multi-generation tradition at some of Alabama’s favorite specialty shops. Others are setting modern standards, using rich brioche dough or creating unusual toppings like bacon in maple sauce

If you love blues music, shucked bivalves, and a river view, Capitol Oyster Bar in Montgomery is your happy place. At first glance it’s about as basic as basic gets, a building with metal siding and a land-bound fishing boat out front that acts as a business sign.

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Beach cocktails are refreshing libations that transport you to islands in the south Pacific Ocean or Caribbean Sea—or Alabama’s Gulf Coast. 

Alison Pierce was 11 when she tried her first sips of Milo’s Famous Tea. Now the brand director at the Bessemer-based beverage company, she plans to serve Milo’s tea at her upcoming wedding. The drink has built a devoted following since the first glasses were sold 75 years ago in Milo and Bea Carlton’s original sandwich shop on Birmingham’s Norwood neighborhood.  People even share Milo’s-related photos on social media using the tags @DrinkMilos or #Milosmonents. 

Raise your glass, because the 7th Annual Crush Wine & Food Festival is back!

Adam Evans describes his Birmingham restaurant Automatic Seafood and Oysters as a seafood house that focuses on the Gulf of Mexico. “We’re fortunate to be so close,” he says. “I want to pay homage to it in the form of really simple, delicious seafood.”

For nearly 40 years, the farm stand, restaurants, and gift shop at Peach Park have been prime destinations for travelers wanting to take a break with some peach ice cream, possibly buy a jar of peach butter to enjoy back home, and certainly pick up a basket of Chilton County’s much-loved fuzzy fruit.

Since its founding in 2005, the Wildflower Café in Mentone has built a reputation for good food and good times among locals and the tourists and second-home owners who flock on weekends and holidays to the charming town on Lookout Mountain.

When you’re looking for a place to unwind at the end of a long week, it’s hard to beat relaxing with good food, great friends, and maybe a strong cocktail. Or two.
If you’re in the mood to venture out a bit, but still want to stick with a staple, a smokey spin on a classic cocktail sounds like the perfect choice.

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Last year was about as tough as it gets for restaurants, but some new Mobile eateries still managed to open. Others that had launched just before the pandemic held on and even cultivated new fans. This collection of “new” Mobile restaurants stretches the timeline a bit, going back to the beginning of 2020. Think of it as research for fresh places to go now that dining rooms have largely reopened.

When you fish for red snapper off the Alabama coast, the work is hard but the rewards are delicious. With a limited window for catching them, eating just-caught snapper at home or in a restaurant is a culinary celebration. 

Around these parts, ice cream is a year-round endeavor. However, the cold, creamy treat is especially satisfying when the weather warms and the humidity starts creeping in. Whether you’re in the mood for a classic scoop or an outrageous milkshake, our state has plenty of places to chill out.  

In the kitchen at Luna Latin Cuisine in Birmingham’s Avondale district, a cook stirs a pot of Venezuelan-style black beans and checks on the beef for pabellon, which has been simmering for hours in garlic, olive oil, and the tomato-onion-bell pepper flavoring base called sofrito.

Birmingham is rightfully proud of its breweries and brewpubs, the suds they make, and how their taprooms are family- and dog-friendly community gathering centers. So at first pour, reading the […]