Make Your Way To Blue Sushi Sake Grill

 

Birmingham has some outstanding restaurants. I think we can all agree on that. It's always nice to find one of those spots that you'd go to over & over again. 

I recently visited one of my new favorite places, Blue Sushi Sake Grill in the Summit Shopping Community off of highway 280. 

We were celebrating a very special birthday so to be sure that we'd be guaranteed a table, I made a reservation via OpenTable.com. Thank goodness I did, because the place filled up within moments of us being seated. When using the reservation app, you are allowed to select your seating choice at many establishments. Booth seating is always my preference. Our server, Austin, recommended everything we tried. His attention to detail was superb. 

We started out with a couple of savory starters: A bowl of the traditional Edamame & The Coconut Crab Soup: roasted corn, sweet potatoes, yellow curry, coconut milk, cilantro, chili oil. 

COCONUT CRAB SOUP

EDAMAME

Since we were celebrating, we decided to have a couple of items from their popular custom cocktail menu: The Strawberry Daisy and The Raspberry Mojito. These paired extremely well with all of the menu items we selected. 

STRAWBERRY DAISY

RASPBERRY MOJITO

Our sushi rolls consisted of the Rainbow Roll: bigeye tuna, salmon, yellowtail, ebi, crab mix, avocado & cucumber. The Spicy Tekka: spicy bigeye tuna & cucumber

Both rolls were outstanding. Our feature dishes included the Tuna Tower & The Salmon Poke Bowl. These were by far, two incredible dishes that I would definitely recommend to a first-time visitor. 

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The Tuna Tower: sesame and ponzu-marinated bigeye tuna, spicy crab mix, avocado and sushi rice, topped with black tobiko and wasabi sprouts, served with honey wasabi, mango and eel sauces. 

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The Salmon Poke Bowl: sockeye salmon, sweet onion, wakame and avocado, tossed in sesame dressing, served with nori crisps and cucumber sunomono.

Overall, Blue Sushi Sake Grill has all of the elements for a fun night out, date night or a special occasion dinner. Their menu variety combined with the outstanding service definitely puts them on my list of favorites. 

For more information or to make a reservation, visit their website at https://bluesushisakegrill.com 

Blue Sushi Sake Grill

238 Summit Blvd

Birmingham, AL 35243

Also download or visit OpenTable.com to start earning dining rewards. 

Thanks for reading & sharing! 

The Birmingham Restaurant Raider

Est.2009

https://birminghamrestaurantraider.blogspot.com/

Experience The New Momotarō Birmingham

The name Momotarō translates to “Peach Boy” and originates from a popular Japanese folklore story. The peach namesake is reflected in Momotarō’s tea flavors and its logo. The new location in Birmingham is Momotarō’s third in the nation, with cafés in State College, Penn., and Ann Arbor, Mich. The 2,350 square-foot space that Momotarō occupies in Five Points South can seat more than 40 guests and was completely redone and transformed in preparation of the opening. The space contains new plumbing, a new kitchen and a custom-created, hand-crafted interior – all built and installed by Yu and his team. 

Momotarō, an Asian café serving poke bowls, sweet and savory crepes, rolled ice cream and teas, opened it's Birmingham location on October 10th in Five Points South near  Pickwick Place at 1011 20^th St. South. 

Momotarō’s take on Asian cuisine fuses street food flavors and concepts from Japan and Thailand and serves them in a modern and sophisticated fast-casual café setting. All of the menu items at Momotarō are assembled, plated and prepared right in front of guests, and a host of fresh ingredients are easily viewable along the 32-foot marble top counter.

On the menu, guests can find build-your-own poke bowls and rolled ice cream, Japanese crepes - both sweet and savory - and an assortment of Thai-inspired flavored tea and milk tea. Each tea and juice drink is made fresh to order and is highly customizable. With eight different types of tea leaves and numerous flavoring options, Momotarō boasts one of the most diverse flavored tea palettes

Momotarō

1011 20th St S, 

Birmingham, AL 35205 

(205) 407-5648

Follow them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Momotaro

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/momotarocafeuab/

Thanks for reading & sharing, 

The Birmingham Restaurant Raider 

"Anonymously Raiding A Restaurant Near You"

 

Mixing It Up At Pizitz Food Hall

If you grew up in Birmingham during the Pizitz Department Store glory days, being inside of this building will definitely bring back memories. Saturday afternoon's downtown were a lot different back then. 

These days, as a re-purposed structure, an entirely new set of memories are being made. 

 If you have not been to The Pizitz Food Hall in Downtown Birmingham, you gotta go! Plain & simple. 

There is something for EVERY kind of appetite & budget. 

I had a business meeting with a start-up company on a recent Saturday and was excited when the Food Hall was suggested. I'm always jumping at the chance to try something new each time.

We decided to mix it up a little and grab a little grub from more than one food stall. 

From the menu at Ichicoro Imoto, we decided on a couple of Karaage Rice Bowls. Mine consisted of roasted chicken, rice, pickled veggies, ginger, scallions & garlic. My lunch mate's consisted of all of that with an added soft boiled egg. 

One note about Saturday's at The Pizitz Food Hall, although there is ample seating, it gets pretty crowded and it's definitely a day when families gather for brunch & lunch. So arrive early or be prepared for the large crowds.  







We shared an order of ground turkey egg rolls from Mo:Mo: with a house made dipping sauce. These egg rolls are pretty amazing. Although their famous dumplings are a standout, I'd definitely try these again.

 We washed down our meals with water, but later opted to try a couple of craft cocktails from The Louis Bar at The Pizitz Food Hall which is located in the very center of the food hall. In addition to cocktails, they have a vast selection of wine, beer for those over 21. I tried a glass of their eggnog & my lunch mate had the apple cider mimosa. Just the right finishing touch a very productive meeting. 
 

As usual, The Pizitz Food hall provided a great experience & food variety and makes for a great meeting space. 

Fore more information about these restaurants and other available spaces inside of this historic Birmingham landmark, visit  http://www.thepizitz.com/food-hall/ 

120 19th Street North
Birmingham, 35203 

Thanks for reading & sharing! 
"Anonymously Raiding A Restaurant Near You"  
#RaidBham

EVENT: The Alabama Asian Cultures & Food Festival - Save The Date!

I am super excited about this event to say the least!! Several months ago I read about this festival and immediately put it on every last calendar in my possession. My fascination with Asian culture started when I was very young. One of the things on my bucket list is to travel there. However, until I get to that bucket list entry, I will get a chance to experience the Alabama Asian Culture & Food Festival right here in Birmingham. On April 11, 2015, The Zamora Shrine Temple in the Irondale community will host the annual cultural fest. People from all over will have the chance to experience Asian themed, music, arts & crafts and my favorite.... FOOD!  This will be an educational event for the entire family!

I love this excerpt from the organization's mission statement:

"Encouraging interactions among different cultures through education and artistic and cultural programming will promote diversity, and international understanding and friendship."

This helps to promote the purpose of events such as this.


Aside from sampling the highly anticipated cuisine, I am looking forward to the performance by the Japanese Taiko Drumming troupe, Matsuriza.

There will be everything from an Asian sales bazaar, an Asian fashion show,
a geographical display sponsored by National Geographic and MORE!!!!

For your convenience, there will be an ATM on site.


Tickets for this annual event will be only $8.00 for adults over 18.
$5.00 for teens 13-17, military veterans & college students with ID.
Children 12 & under are FREE!!!!!!!

For more information, please visit the Alabama Asian Cultures Foundation website at http://alabamaasiancultures.org/
*There are still more slots for Asian food vendors!
Please contact bina.fleck@gmail.com OR click here to be one of the  Asian Food Vendors

Click here to volunteer

See you there!

祭でお会いしましょ


Thanks for reading & sharing this post!
~The Birmingham Restaurant Raider

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