Breezy Sunday Afternoon At The Refinery Birmingham

 

 

Let's face it. It's been a long and trying 12 months. Being away from friends and family has been a challenge. Not being able to do a lot of the things we enjoy has taken it's toll but we've adjusted. 

Since many restaurants have safely reopened with #Covid19 safety protocols in place, I decided to venture out to a suggested local spot to catch up with a long time friend.

The Refinery Birmingham, is a quaint little spot located right in the heart of Birmingham's Lakeview District. 

The interior of the restaurant features bar and also bistro style seating. This establishment is large enough for a modest crowd.

We arrived right at opening time in order to get our choice of seating for a lengthy conversation. 

 

It was a beautiful, sunny day so we opted for a patio seat to soak up some of Birmingham's finest sun rays. 

We decided to split the Baked Mac & Cheese: Cavtappi pasta baked in a 3-cheese bechamel sauce, topped with bacon & chives. 

My companion had the French Dip Sandwich: Succulent sliced roast beef, sauteed mushrooms &  provolone cheese served on cubano bread with a side of warm au jus for dipping. To drink: A Key Lime Martini.

 

 

 

I decided to have the Turkey Club: Deli sliced turkey with bacon, provolone cheese, arugula and stone-ground dijon mustard on a fluffy croissant.(tomatoes were eliminated by request) This is indeed one of the best sandwiches in the city.👍 Their amazing waffle fries were definitely a hit. To drink: A classic mimosa. 

 

Overall, the service was great. The atmosphere on the patio was very nice due to social distancing. It was not too crowded inside or out. 

We will definitely revisit The Refinery to try some of the other tempting menu items.

 

For more information on The Refinery, visit their website at https://www.therefinerybham.com/. 

 

Thanks for reading & sharing! 

The Birmingham Restaurant Raider

Est. 2009 

#RaidBham

 http://birminghamrestaurantraider.blogspot.com/

 

Salem's Diner - "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" Or At Least How You Like Your Eggs.

 



 





It was a rainy Saturday morning. I could hear the sound of rain outside and the sound of thunder. No wait, that's not thunder.... that's my stomach =\

I decided that I would take the journey out to a spot that is famous for it's custom home style breakfast meals. I'd heard a great deal about Salem's Diner in Homewood, AL.
According to their reputation, Salem's is apparently the place to go if you want a warm breakfast, a memorable omelet and  great conversation with lot's of locals. They also received a mention on Late Night with Craig Ferguson. (see the website for the actual clips)

Atmosphere: Salem's is a modest sized eatery. It has booth & bar seating with a couple of tables outside. It seems there were LOTS of regulars and yes, every one knew everyone else by name. The staff appeared to know what many of the guests wanted to eat as they walked in and were seated.
I felt as if I'd walked into the home of a relative or an episode of Cheers.

The Meal: I didn't see a breakfast combination that suited my finicky taste buds at the time. So I ordered everything A la carte. I had orange juice,  cheese grits, cheesy hash browns with diced onions and bell pepper, wheat toast, a slice of grilled Conecuh smoked sausage and a sample of Salem's signature ground sausage patty. While Conecuh sausage is great, the ground sausage patty was PRETTY AMAZING!! During my breakfast I was offered a sample of fig preserves to spread on my toast, eliminating the need for the jelly I'd requested. I am now a fan of fig preserves.

The Service:  I absolutely loved the service. This has to be one of the friendliest restaurants in town.
The entire staff made everyone that walked in feel welcome. I love that. I totally wanted to move in.

The Prices: The prices here are pretty reasonable. Although I designed my own meal completely from the side dish menu, it's more practical to order a breakfast from the plate menu. Salem's also has a great looking lunch menu with all of the sandwich & burger combos under $10 dollars.

If you would like more information about the hours or to view the extended menu at Salem's Diner, visit their website at http://www.salemsdiner.com/

Follow them on Twitter at @SalemsDiner1

Check out their Facebook page here Salem's Diner Facebook Page

Thanks for reading,

~The Birmingham Restaurant Raider