Creekside BBQ The New Kid On The Block

 

Hey Birmingham! 

Barbecue is one of my all-time favorites. A favorite to prepare and a favorite to eat. I'd been hearing some buzz from a couple of followers about the new Creekside Barbecue, a recently opened spot on the southern end of Birmingham near Oak Mountain State Park. 

I took a short drive to check them out for lunch. 

Atmosphere: Creekside has done what I've never ever witnessed, they repurposed a property that was previously occupied by Waffle House. When I heard this, I wondered.... now how will they pull this off? Well, from the looks of things inside, they nailed this renovation. The interior is more spacious than I'd imagined. Much roomier than any Waffle House I've ever been in. It's a fast casual, trendy spot. Simple and inviting with a partially open kitchen. They also have a modest sized bar with liquor & local craft beer on tap including their own Creekside brew. They even have outdoor seating. 

Service: The service was exceptionally friendly. Every employee that I encountered was upbeat, welcoming & accommodating. 

What I had: The Spare Rib plate with a side of collards and a side of creamy Coleslaw. Their ribs had an amazing smoky flavor. They were moist and cut into about 5 bones. The collards had a homestyle, slow cooked flavor to them. They provided bottles of Creekside White Sauce & regular Creekside Sauce on the tables for your convenience. 

Overall Experience: Anytime I am able to get in and out during an afternoon lunch rush, I'm happy. The crew at Creekside Barbecue lived up to my expectations. Everything from parking to the meal was great! This spot will definitely become one of my go-to restaurants in this area. 

For more information about Creekside Barbecue & it's offerings, visit 

https://www.creekside-bbq.com/ 

Thanks for reading & sharing! 

The Birmingham Restaurant Raider

Est.2009

"Anonymously Raiding A Restaurant Near You"

REVIEW "Get Your Fix At Cookie Fix!

MMMM... Have I got a warm gooey story for you! There are certain smells that are easily identifiable to me: fresh cut grass, mom's famous meatloaf and fresh baked cookies.
I recently had the pleasure of stopping in to visit the team at Cookie Fix, one of Homewood's newest go-to spots. Located in the popular SoHo section of town, Cookie Fix has already developed an impressive clientele and an even more impressive reputation. When you walk inside, the smell of fresh baked cookies smacks you right smack dab in the face.

They are a "small batch" cookie shop that features a selection of daily hand crafted cookies that are available in "ready-to-bake" dough form or hot & fresh out of the oven. They even sell mini cast iron skillets to use when baking the individual cookies.

The staff was amazing. They gave great details about the business and the process. A friendly face is definitely always the icing on top of a dining experience.
My box of cookies included:

• Traditional Chocolate Chip
• The Presidential Chocolate Chip
• Oatmeal Salted Dark Chocolate Caramel
• Healthy Peanut Butter: flour-less with lower butter & sugar content
• The White Trash: white chocolate, pretzel & toffee
• The M&M Chocolate Chip
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk
• And their brand spanking new item, The Coffee Oreo Chocolate Chunk

 I know that was a mouthful. I had a little taste of them all and YES..... They were all amazing.
 The bad part about this is that the cookies are so large that you might be forced to share.



* Just a little serving suggestion by yours truly, all of these would go great with a scoop of Bluebell Bride's Cake ice cream and I think you will definitely be in heaven.





For more information on how you too can get your Cookie Fix, visit their website at cookiefixnow.com/
2854 18th Street South
Homewood, AL 35209
Follow them on Facebook facebook.com/CookieFixHomewood/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cookie_fix/
Twitter @cookie_fix

Thanks for reading & sharing!

~The Birmingham Restaurant Raider
"Shhhh....Anonymously Raiding A Restaurant Near You!"
#RaidBham
#CookieFix
Don't Drive Get a Lyft https://www.lyft.com/invite/RAIDBHAM2017

http://birminghamrestaurantraider.blogspot.com/

*Click to enlarge Images*

Fresh Baked Specials

Hand crafted & ready for the Cookie Fix ovens

Ready To Bake

Pick up a cookie fix t-shirt

The mini cast iron cookie skillet

 

PROFILE: VITTLES of Birmingham, "Poppin' Up The Ladder of Success"

Over the last few years, I'd gone to "pop up" restaurants and "secret suppers" in Atlanta, Georgia. I've always been fascinated by those events and wished out loud that someone in Birmingham would grasp this concept and run with it. As of today, there are several start-ups that are taking the "pop-up restaurant" idea to another level. One of those companies is VITTLES here in Birmingham.

The recent VITTLES pop-up dinner at Tavern on 1st  brought out a massive crowd and after that crowd left, another crowd came in. I guess it's safe to assume that the night was a huge success for the VITTLES gang. The service was awesome, the food was insane!  Everything sounded great so I tried a variety of things from their menu.

First, I sampled the  Charcuterie. This was a perfect combination. All of the flavors from the charcuterie platter blended extremely well.  Then I tried the Chicken Fried Wings. If you've never had wings that nearly melt in your mouth, you definitely want to try these. They were absolutely amazing! So amazing that I'd walk from Hoover to Miami to eat them. After the wings I tried the Smoked Pork Tenderloin sandwich with a side of house fried chips. I'm always impressed when chefs make chips from freshly sliced potatoes instead of pouring them from a bag. The chips were light, crunchy and not at all greasy. The tenderloin was flavorful and moist. This was one of the best sandwiches I've had so far this year. I could definitely go for another very soon. Last but not least, I tried the Apple Fritters. These came with a light dusting of powdered sugar and caramel sauce drizzled on top. I love that word, "drizzle". The fritters were light, not too over-the-top with sweetness, but just right.
Overall, I enjoyed everything I tried. I had to fight with myself not to try the other two items from the menu. Next time!

If you have not been to Tavern on 1st, please check them out. It's a GREAT new business and it's RAIDER APPROVED!
Follow the crew at VITTLES for catering info or to be notified about their next pop-up dinner. You don't want to miss it!
Wishing much success to to Justin, Peter and Matt.
@VittlesBham
@TavernOn1st
tavernon1st.com
*VittlesBham.com is under construction* Stay tuned.
Enjoy the pics below & thank you for reading and sharing.

~The Birmingham Restaurant Raider

"Anonymously Raiding A Restaurant Near You!"

Click for larger view

Charcuterie

The Chicken Fried Wings

Smoked Pork Tenderloin sandwich with house made chips

Apple Fritters

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