Here are some places in greater Birmingham where you can order up a fried or roasted turkey, enough fixings to feed your crowd, and all the pies and treats you’ll need to satisfy any sweet tooth. (We also have Thanksgiving pickup options in both the northern and southern halves of Alabama.)

If you’re a vegetarian—or dine with someone who is—options for meat-free eating can be bleak in many restaurants. It’s even harder to eat out if you’re a vegan who avoids cheese, dairy, eggs, and other animal-based ingredients. It’s not necessarily that there’s nothing on the menu—although in some places, you’re confined to potatoes and salads. Too often the options—or sometimes the single option—are limited to whatever sides the restaurant uses for its meat entrees (“the set,” chefs call them), or simply pasta with tomato sauce.

It’s a daunting task for Pete McKenny, stepping into the kitchen clogs of the seven-time James Beard Award semifinalist who brought SpringHouse Restaurant (near Alexander City) to national attention. Staying true to signature dishes introduced during the decade-long tenure of Chef Rob McDaniel while SpringHouse’s new executive chef slowly whisks in his own culinary style is like emulsifying a vinaigrette—do it right, and it won’t break.

Beer fans are blessed with roughly a dozen brewery taprooms and brew pubs in the Huntsville-Madison area. But if you’re trying to put together a multi-stop brewery trail for a night out with friends, two areas in the Rocket City are your best bets. Clinton Avenue West offers an easily walkable beer crawl. The area includes the Campus No. 805 multi-use venue that hosts both Straight to Ale and Yellowhammer breweries. A couple blocks away are InnerSpace Brewing Co. and Salty Nut Brewery.

At Drexell & Honeybee’s restaurant in Brewton, the scratch-cooked food it serves does not carry a price tag. No bill is presented at the end. You pay what you can in cash (the restaurant doesn’t have a card reader either). Or pay nothing at all. Nobody knows, because the tin contribution box is behind a curtain, and it’s padded to even muffle any sound coins might make.

A new non-profit created to promote Birmingham as a beer tourism destination will crown the “Toast of Birmingham” in an invitational brewing competition involving city, state, and regional breweries, and hold the inaugural Brewzapalooza, a two-day festival celebrating music and beer.

When Debbie Deese wanted to buy an abandoned one-room schoolhouse located off a remote county highway to turn into a restaurant and catering operation, her father suggested she sell furniture there instead. Who’s going to drive that far out into the country—five miles outside of unincorporated Grady and at least 25 miles from the nearest cities, Montgomery and Troy—simply for a meal?

For most, the pandemic baking craze has long since worn off. The industrial-sized bags of flour have been shoved to the backs of pantries and the lingering smell of fresh-baked bread is just a distant memory.  Like many, Pelham resident George Gilliam found himself cooking more during the start of the pandemic. But unlike most, Gilliam’s increased time in the kitchen stuck. He tried lots of different recipes but when he started experimenting with pizza, something clicked. 

For 3,000 years, Mesoamericans have celebrated the period when, tradition says, the barrier between the living and dead lowers enough for loved ones on either side to briefly reunite. People create shrines to their dearly departed, adorning the altars with marigolds and candles, and setting out the deceased’s favorite foods and drink for the visit.

The grog and grub at Pirates Cove Marina and Restaurant in coastal Baldwin County are considered essential to anyone’s Alabama culinary checklist. Both the Cove cheeseburger and its Bushwacker frozen drink are on the Alabama Tourism Department’s list of “100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama.” Not bad for a ramshackle restaurant where regulars are affectionally known as “riff-raff” and dogs are just as welcome as their human companions.

Blueroot, a new plant-centric restaurant in Birmingham, is a testament to perseverance over pandemic. Owner Jennifer Ryan planned to open the farm-to-table, fast-casual restaurant in the spring of 2020. Blueroot had already built a following as a pop-up at the Market at Pepper Place, a Saturday farmers market that draws up to 10,000 people.

It’s PSL season. If you’re a stranger to the acronym, that’s code for Pumpkin Spice Latte, the fall treat responsible for the pumpkin spice craze. Ever since Starbucks rolled out the seasonal latte in 2003, it seems everyone has gotten in on the act. For many folks, the first sign of fall is pumpkin spice. 

Frothy, refreshing and the perfect combination of tart and sweet –  it’s not your average lemon drop cocktail but, as the name implies, ‘The Best Lemon Drop You’ve Ever Had.”

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It’s easy to spot Grandview Farm’s stand at the Market at Pepper Place on Saturday mornings. Just look for the tie-dyed shirts, logs sprouting with shiitakes, and cartons of other harvested fungi for sale including pink, white, blue, and yellow oyster mushrooms. Charles and Shiyrah Crowther started growing mushrooms while living in southwest Tennessee. But after moving to Shelby County 10 years ago, they found an especially receptive market among Birmingham-area chefs and home cooks. 

Milo’s Restaurant has stayed true to its roots over the 75 years since Milo and Bea Carlton opened the original on 31st Street North at 12th Avenue in Birmingham’s Norwood neighborhood. Yes, a few new items have appeared on the menu and the franchise has expanded outside the Magic City. But the basic burger is pretty much the same as Milo started making after returning home from World War II—slathered in a savory sauce he perfected and served with an additional piece of meat dubbed “a little something extra.”

Sure, bagels have ruled for more than a century in New York City and Montreal. But it wasn’t until the 1970s, when Lender’s started selling them nationwide in groceries, that the circular bread and accompanying spreads became universal at tables across the country.

As lead bartender at Automatic Seafood and Oysters in Birmingham, Jose Medina Camacho studies people—their moods, their likes and dislikes, and what they’re eating. That helps him recommend the perfect wine, cocktail, or beer to accompany raw and grilled oysters, fish crudo, duck-fat poached swordfish, or simply cooked fresh catch. 

Bois d’Arc Farm in Perry County will celebrate food, family, and fun with a fall festival on October 9, part of a larger effort to expose more people to the organic farm that applies old-school principles to modern agriculture. Better known as BDA, the organically-raised vegetables, pastured meats, and free-range eggs the farm produces have built a loyal following among customers at Birmingham’s Pepper Place farmers market and the city’s most-lauded chefs including Frank Stitt (Bottega, Chez Fonfon, Highlands), Chris Hastings (Hot and Hot, OvenBird), Rob McDaniel (Helen), and Chris Newsome (Ollie Irene.)

Writing about food and beverages is very fulfilling, but this story really hit the sweet spot. I was invited to try the new fall flavors from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at its “scoop shop” in Birmingham.

The Greek Festival, Birmingham’s longest-running cultural affair, highlights a busy month of culinary events across Alabama in October. Cooking started during the summer for the spanaokopitas, baklava, and other Hellenic treats that will be served at the 48th Greek Food Festival, held Oct. 14-16 at the Holy Trinity-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Some 30,000 are expected to attend over the three days.