Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Blackwell's Pub - "Let's Eat!"

http://birminghamrestaurantraider.blogspot.com/


Thanks again to all of the reader's out there who regularly recommend restaurants to me. I sincerely appreciate it and YES.... I plan to get to all of them at some point.

One place that has been suggested on multiple occasions is a spot called Blackwell's Pub. When I mentioned that I'd be raiding the place, I received several suggestions on what to eat. Although everything sounded good. I'd have to say that my focus was completely thrown into left field when I arrived and the SEC Championship was showing on many of the televisions. What was I thinking?? I'm sure you're asking  "Why would you not be keeping up with the SEC Championship game schedule?" The answer is War Eagle! I was the only sour puss in the entire place.

Atmosphere: Blackwell's pub is a sports fanatic's dream. Lots of table & bar seating. Plenty of televisions to keep up with the latest games and scores. If you are looking to watch a sporting event  this would be a great location. I would also suggest this as a place that caters to families with children. They offer a good looking kid's menu.

The Meal: Even after all of the great sounding suggestions, I decided to go on my own and have an appetizer of Scotch eggs: 2 hard boiled eggs wrapped in sausage, breaded and then deep fried accompanied with a side of spicy mustard. I've never had Scotch eggs before. This was a little different. I enjoyed the flavor and will definitely try these again. I ordered an entree from Blackwell's Burger Menu, the Greek Burger: optionally cooked medium well, covered with cucumber dip and one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES, Tzatziki sauce! If that wasn't enough they topped this perfectly cooked 8 oz patty with sliced black olives & feta cheese. I normally don't eat feta cheese, but the flavors all blended so well, I didn't complain. The burger was so large, I had to cut it in half just to take a bite. This was accompanied by a 1/2 order of huge onion rings and a 1/2 order of fries. This is one of the best burgers I've had to date. It's not often that I get a burger practically topped with a Greek salad.

The Prices: Not too bad at all. The appetizers currently are mostly all under $8.00. The burger I ordered is priced at $9.25. They also offer other entrees such as beef tips & rice, meat loaf, salads and of course wings. They also have very competitive prices on beers including local, domestic and imported brews.

The Staff: I enjoyed the service that I received. I was even acknowledged by servers who were not necessarily assigned to my section. That's pretty rare, but they apparently like to make everyone feel taken care of.

Overall experience: Outside of the crimson shirts and all the cheering, I enjoyed the atmosphere, service and the meal. I shall return!

For more information on Blackwell's Pub visit their website at http://www.blackwellspub.com/

Visit them on Facebook  & keep up with their minute to minute posts via Twitter @blackwellspub

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,
~The Birmingham Restaurant Raider
"Anonymously Raiding a Restaurant Near You" 

 
Scotch Eggs


The Greek Burger

 
Exactly what I was thinking Grumpy Cat

Friday, December 11, 2015

Review: Rowe's Service Station "Go In For A Fill Up"



If you are looking for great places to eat, then make your way over to Avondale. Avondale is fast becoming the  growing "go-to" area to find restaurants that are "off the beaten path".

Several people have recommended Rowe's Service Station. After about the 300th suggestion, I decided to grab a friend and scurry on over to this infamous food joint. My head was spinning a bit from all of the suggestions on what to eat. However, I was definitely able to narrow it down to one dish that stood out on the menu.

Atmosphere: Rowe's offers a casual dining atmosphere. There is indoor table seating, bar seating and several seats to enjoy the outdoors on a nice day or evening. We opted for comfortable table seating indoors on this particular evening.

The Meal: This was a truly a hard decision to make. After viewing SOOO MANY great looking options on the menu, I decided to have the Bistro Filet, a succulent cut of steak cooked medium with a side of their excellent grilled asparagus topped with with house made Brown Butter Vinaigrette and shaved Parmesan along with a side of delicious sweet potato hash. This was one of the best dishes I've had all year and will be put on my list of favorites. My dinner companion, decided on the chicken & waffles: moist fried chicken portions served with Belgian style waffles cut into triangles.

The Prices: I was pleasantly surprised by their prices. Rowe's is a place where you can get a lot of food for a reasonable amount of money. The Bistro Filet dinner was $14.00 and the chicken and waffles came to $9.00. Not bad for a dinner for two.

The Staff: The staff at Rowe's was friendly, accommodating and gave us service with a smile during this visit. On top of a great meal, this was one of the highlights of the visit.

Overall Experience: Rowe's definitely lived up to all of the great things I'd heard over the past few months and the food was as good as I'd hoped. In addition to dinner, they offer great breakfast options, local beers and a brunch menu that attracts a standing room only crowd. I shall return!

For more information about Rowe's Service Station & to view the most up to date menus, visit their website at www.http://eatatrowes.com/

Like them on Facebook at RowesServiceStation

Follow them on Twitter @RowesAvondale
Thanks for reading!

~The Birmingham Restaurant Raider
"Anonymously Raiding A Restaurant Near You" 
http://birminghamrestaurantraider.blogspot.com/ 

Bistro Filet

Chicken & Waffles