Hometown Fare Hits a Home Run

 

Hello All! 

Here's a short & sweet recap of a local dining experience. 

During a recent (and much needed) self-care day at Birch Tree Day Spa in the Ross Bridge community, I decided to check out the restaurant offerings in the area. In walking distance was a very quaint spot called Hometown Fare. 

The atmosphere was quite inviting. The dining area was very well lit with a "hometown feel.  They also have several shelves containing great wine selections for vino enthusiasts. It was AFTER the lunch rush, so I had the place all to myself along with another couple. 

The staff was super friendly and made the ordering process very easy for this first timer. The Hometown Burger, a popular menu item, was highly recommended. I added a side of a seasonal dish, the Mexican Street corn.

The Hometown Burger is 6 ounces of perfectly grilled beef surrounded by fresh, crispy lettuce, tomato, melted cheddar cheese & savory grilled onions on their signature branded brioche bun. The generous helping of the street corn was perfectly cooked and seasoned to perfection. I can't wait for this side item to make its way back to the menu. 

Overall, this is definitely a spot that I would HIGHLY recommend to anyone in the area looking for a great menu full of hometown cafe favorites without outrageous prices. I can't wait to return to this spot.  

They also have the most amazing 5-course fall wine dinner scheduled on October 13th. 

Click to enlarge.

For more information on Hometown Fare or to make a reservation for the fall wine dinner, visit https://www.hometownfarerb.com/. 

Visit them on Instagram @hometownfarerb/ & Facebook @hometownfarerb

Hometown Fare

3623 Market Street 

Suite 101

Hoover, AL 35226

(205) 957-6460

Thanks for reading and sharing! 

~The Birmingham Restaurant Raider

"Anonymously Raiding A Restaurant Near You"

Est. 2009

 

Birmingham Restaurant Week 2021

 

Birmingham Restaurant Week (BRW) organizers Birmingham Restaurant Week (BRW) organizers are pleased to kick off its 12^th annual event. Happening Thursday, Aug. 12 through Sunday, Aug. 29, the 18-day event presented by Spire brings patrons the opportunity to indulge in two, three and four-course meals at a prix-fixe price at over 60 Birmingham-area participating restaurants, bars and food trucks. Boasting both to-go and dine-in options again this year, BRW helps to stimulate the local economy and boost local love for Birmingham’s award-winning restaurant scene. In addition to the traditional event, BRW has plans for a Wine-O-logy event and is focusing efforts to help restaurants get staffed as well. 

 

From fine dining to down-home cookin’, food and drink lovers with a taste for adventure can enjoy special breakfast, lunch and/or dinner prix-fixe menus ranging from $5 to $50 per person – making it easy and affordable for everyone to enjoy a taste of Birmingham’s diverse dishes and sips. BRW, known as Birmingham’s premier culinary and beverage event, aims to support local restaurants by giving individuals incentives to enjoy the South’s most vibrant culinary destination, one bite at a time.

 

Helpful search tools are provided on the BRW website home page and on the Eat/Drink page, where users can search participating restaurants and view their BRW menus by location, meal, price point, service or other desired option to aid in planning their culinary plan of attack for BRW. Menus will be posted Aug. 9. 

 

The urgency to help restaurants, bars, food trucks and others find employees is becoming more pertinent as patrons are seeking the excitement and normalcy of being served. Due to the nationwide labor shortage, though, it’s becoming difficult to do so. BRW has implemented a Jobs Database, where restaurants’ available openings are listed along with information on how to apply. Additionally, area job seekers may submit a Culinary Job Recruitment Application, where BRW will pass job seekers’ information along to BRW participating businesses who are hiring. Find these efforts at www.bhamrestaurantweek.com/jobs.

 

BRW 2021 will also include a Wine-O-logy event brought back from previous years, along with other supporting events to be announced soon. Wine-O-logy, a wine flight tasting event, will be held Wednesday, Aug. 18 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at Vino & Gallery Bar in English Village with wine by United-Johnson Brothers and hors d'oeuvres provided by Sysco Foods. Tickets and other event info can be found at bhamrestaurantweek.com/events/. 

For more information about BRW, visit www.bhamrestaurantweek.com. BRW is active on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @bhamrestweek. The official event hashtags are #BhamRestWeek and #BRW2021. 

The Seasons 52 Rosé All Day, All Summer Menu

Rosé is the drink of summer ― perfectly refreshing when the days are long and temperatures keep rising. Even in 2020, rosé continues to be among the fastest growing wine category. Seasons 52 is celebrating all things rosé with the return of Rosé All Day, All Summer, a curated menu that celebrates the favorite summertime wine, complete with rosé cocktails.

Here are the details:

·         Now through Sept. 14, guests are invited to come in and sip popular labels by-the-glass, such as Vanderpump Rosé and Jansz Brut Rosé, as well as the signature Rosé Lemonade and Rosé Sangria.

·         Pair with Season 52’s new summer menu, highlighting peak season ingredients in dishes like the new street-style Wood-Grilled Corn Wheels and Roasted Corn & Bacon Flatbread, to make the most of the warm weather.

Roasted Corn Flatbread

 

Wood Grilled Corn Wheels 

·   For those looking to partake at home, guests can purchase rosé by the bottle to go, along with the summer dishes. To provide guests with a cocktail option for home, Seasons 52 is sharing the recipe for its wildly popular Honey-Lavender Sangria, featuring Royal Post Rosé, which can be purchased by the bottle.

 

Rosé All Day Summer Array

Seasons 52 is located at 245 Summit Blvd. in Birmingham. For more info, visit Seasons52.com. For more information about what guests can expect dining at Seasons 52, click here.

Honey Lavender Sangria

Honey-Lavender Sangria
Inspired by Rosé All Day, All Summer event at Seasons 52

 

Ingredients:

·         3 oz. Royal Post Rosé

·         1½ oz. honey-lavender syrup

·         1 oz. white cranberry juice

·         ½ oz. lemon juice

·         3 oz. club soda

·         1 lavender sprig

·         1 lemon wedge

 

Procedure:

·         Pour rosé, syrup, juices and club soda over ice and stir.

·         Garnish with lavender sprig and lemon wedge.

 

Tools Needed:

·         Wine glass

 

Makes 1 cocktail.

Thanks for reading & sharing! 
The Birmingham Restaurant Raider

Happy New Year!

Times flies when you’re having fun!

In October of 2019, we celebrated a milestone, the 10th anniversary of the Birmingham Restaurant Raider brand.  

Here's a little history. In October 2009, the concept of “The Birmingham Restaurant Raider” was developed. The inspiration to begin this fun & exciting journey came from a friend who owned one of the largest pop-up supper clubs in Atlanta. He gave me one good piece of advice, “be original”.

At the time of conception, I did an extensive search to see if there were any independent food review sites in Birmingham. Other than the Birmingham News and a handful of notable local magazines, there was definitely an opening for this type of media. I started out by publishing content using Constant Contact, a mainstream email marketing tool that allows information to be delivered with a polished look to a large number of email recipients. After several months of this, a decision was made to transition the content to a blog.

Fast forward to 2019, the city now has a large amount of new food blogs and other social media platforms that focus on Birmingham's outstanding cuisine.

Anonymity has allowed me to go out and see what it’s like to experience dining out as an “Average Joe” and report these findings to consumers and food enthusiasts.

The Birmingham Restaurant Raider has also allowed me countless opportunities over the years to attend local and regional festivals, offer media and in-kind sponsorships, partner with national brands  and even have a hand in the planning and development phases of many events including wine paring dinners. 

I've had the extreme pleasure of developing long term relationships with restaurant owners and independent chefs as a business consultant “free of charge”. This is always a welcomed gift to the business owners who are looking to implement marketing campaigns or simply fill tables. I’ve been blessed to have a career in business for many years so I figured I’d pay it forward. 

Overall it’s been a great pleasure interacting  with social media followers and blog readers locally and worldwide.

This full time hobby has led to the development of a great brand, business relationships and meeting some of the GREATEST people to ever have a beer or a meal with!

Thanks SO much for reading and being around just as we've crossed the 10th “Raider-Versary”! 
We look forward to reviewing new spots and promoting more giveaways! 

Let's eat our way through this 11th year!

Bon Appetit!

The Birmingham Restaurant Raider

Est. 2009

“Anonymously Raiding A Restaurant Near You”

"Stackin' Up Great Taste at STACK'D Burger Kitchen.

Sometimes life can throw you little surprises every now and then. Some good... some not so good.
I was pleasantly surprised to find a new burger joint in the area that offers a great variety of
All- American favorites. Stack'D Burger Kitchen serves up freshly prepared hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, shakes and sundae's along with countless other favorites. When I saw the big orange logo, I decided to give them a try.

Atmosphere: The restaurant is large enough for a moderate crowd. Very spacious with mostly tables for two and a couple of tables for 4. The oversize paintings on the wall add a great deal of charm to the place. The restaurant was exceptionally clean and organized.

The Meal: I had the Barbecue Stack'D Burger, a hand patted burger on an onion bun,  topped with melted cheddar, bacon, a great tasting barbecue sauce, lettuce, (no tomato for me) fried onion strings and pickles. I can't resist that famous phrase " would you like to make it a combo" so I added an ice cold beverage and an order of their popular sweet potato fries.

The service: When you walk in, simply place your order at the counter and wait. The service was great. The young lady at the counter was very pleasant and the time that it took to receive my food was reasonable.

Prices: My BBQ Stack'D Burger combo was $9.00 plus tax. How sweet is that!

Overall Experience: I have no complaints about this restaurant at all. I look forward to my return. They are about 6 weeks old and appear to have their operation under control.  They also sell, a Philly cheese steak, shrimp po boy and chili cheese dog..... all on my to-eat list. For the lighter appetites, their menu also contains cobb, caesar & house salads all of which can have steak, shrimp or chicken added to them. Don't forget to grab an ice cream cone or sundae to top things off.

For more information about Stack'D Burger Kitchen visit them
on Twitter at  @StackdBurgers
Instagram at https://instagram.com/stackdburgerkitchen
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/stackdburgerkitchen

*Their current hours are 11:00-2:30 daily.