Birmingham Restaurant Week - 2023 Summer Edition Returns July 20th through 29th

 BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — June 30, 2023 — Birmingham Restaurant Week (BRW) organizers are pleased to announce BRW 2023 - Summer Edition presented by Spire will take place Thursday, July 20 through Saturday, July 29. The 10-day event brings patrons the opportunity to indulge in two, three and four-course meals at a prix-fixe price at over 50 participating restaurants, bars and food trucks. BRW also has plans to host its most recent addition, a Food Truck Pop-Up Park July 20-22 in addition to crowd-favorite events like the signature BRW Preview Party on Tuesday, July 18 and Wineology on Tuesday, Aug. 1.

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. Now in its 14th year, the 10-day culinary affair provides an opportunity for the public to revisit old favorites or experience new restaurants, allow local chefs to showcase delicious recipes that put Birmingham on the foodie road map, promote and support local restaurants, and most importantly, create real change around issues of food insecurity. BRW inspires diners to taste all that Birmingham’s thriving culinary scene has to offer.

BRW 2023 - Summer Edition will also include its annual Preview Party to kick off the foodie event, which will be held at the Sloss Furnaces Visitor Center (20 32nd St. N., Birmingham 35222) on Tuesday, July 18 from 5 to 8 p.m. Party goers will taste and see what more than 10 participating BRW restaurants will be serving on their menus. Restaurants include Avondale Common House, I Love Tina & Gina’s, Michael’s Restaurant, Nori Thai and Sushi, Roots & Revelry, Sabor Latino, Slice Pizza & Brew House, Taj India, Vino and others. Each restaurant will serve a signature bite served alongside drinks from Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Stella Artois and Wicked Weed with Adams Beverages, United Johnson Brothers of Alabama and Coca-Cola United. Complimentary valet parking will be provided by Parking Professionals at this typically sold-out event. 

BRW’s Food Truck Pop-Up Park will take place Thursday, July 20 through Saturday, July 22 and will provide a central spot for 10 BRW participating food trucks to offer meals to the public, located downtown at 32nd Street South and Sixth Avenue South, convenient to the business and residential districts of Southside, Lakeview, Forest Park and Avondale. 

* Preview Party Ticket Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/birmingham-restaurant-week-preview-party-tickets-673919109197

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 #BRW2023.

Thanks for reading & sharing!

~The Birmingham Restaurant Raider

Est. 2009

To view full page on PC visit http://birminghamrestaurantraider.blogspot.com/

SoHo Social - "The Place You've Been Waiting For"

Prior to opening day I was invited to stop by to get a first hand look at one of the most anticipated restaurants ever to hit the city. SoHo Social is the newest addition to a family of independent restaurants owned and operated by Dave Horn, a local restaurant guru. If you've been to Mudtown or The Ridge, then you will love SoHo Social.

Atmosphere: You know how good it feels when someone tells you to "make yourself at home?" Well this is one of those places. One side of the restaurant features table & booth seating along with a nice sized bar. The other side, which will be my favorite side, features comfortable couch seating, televisions and bistro tables. I wonder if they will allow blankets 😥 ???

The Food: This is one of the most diverse menus I've seen in a while. They have about 9 appetizing appetizers. I selected the Queso dip with a basket of their house made tortillas. SoHo was fortunate enough to hire someone with tortilla making experience. What a lucky break! Although I selected chips, you can opt for tots, fries or sweet potato fries with your queso.
My entree' consisted of the Green Gobbler- a turkey burger topped with salsa verde, crumbled cotija cheese, thinly sliced radish & red onion on a delicious, soft brioche roll. The side dishes were VERY hard to choose from. I had the perfectly seasoned Conecuh Collards, made with local Conecuh sausage and the Southern Street Corn. Two items that I predict with me a gigantic hit.  I also opted  for the Valley Veneno from the cocktail menu. After I was completely stuffed, my server, Kayla, forced me have their featured dessert, two fluffy, delicious, soft chocolate chip cookies with vanilla ice cream between them. These cookies are everything dreams are made of! The cookies are a supplied by a new local company called Cookie Fix. I had the pleasure to meet, Amy Jason, the lovely owner of Cookie Fix. They have an outstanding product as well.

The staff: The staff seemed to all be very customer oriented and helpful. If they continue to maintain quality service standards, this place is sure to develop a reputation that will put them at the top of the "go-to" list when it comes to restaurants & bars.

My overall experience: I cannot wait to return to SoHo Social. They exceeded my expectations during this visit and I encourage everyone to stop by on their opening day, 2/21/17. The fact that they utilize several local suppliers, their service and menu make them a winner in my book.

For more information about SoHo Social
visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/sohosocialhomewood/
Follow them on Twitter @SoHoSocialAL
Don't forget your Cookie Fix! Visit https://www.facebook.com/CookieFixHomewood/

SoHo Social is located at

1830 29th Ave S, Ste 160

Homewood, Alabama 35209

Get a LYFT to SoHo Social https://www.lyft.com/invite/RAIDBHAM2017

Thanks for reading & sharing! 

~The Birmingham Restaurant Raider

"Shhhhh! Anonymously Raiding A Restaurant Near You"

The Queso

Wall of Beers

Valley Veneno Cocktail

The Snapper (catch of the day) Picture courtesy of stranger next to me =)

Green Gobbler w/ Conecuh Collards & Southern Street Corn

Local Stuff (1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Dessert feat. cookies from Cookie Fix

Buy a gift card while you're there!

REVIEW: Black Market Bar & Grill 280

The Black Market Bar & Grill is one of the most popular places in town. Either you've heard of it or you've been there. Several of my twitter followers have recommended this spot repeatedly with the suggestion of several different dishes. Although widely known for their super exciting "trivia nights", the menu and atmosphere have a reputation of their own.

I was in the mood for something different this particular day so I took the short drive over to the Inverness location to see what all the fuss was about.

Atmosphere:  Moderately sized interior with outdoor seating options available. There is bar seating and plenty of tables to choose from. The decor is different. It has a pop culture-ish, comic book kinda theme. There are televisions and a well stocked bar with a variety of brews to choose from.

The Meal: The bartender suggested an order of their infamous Greek Egg Rolls. This dish is prepared like your traditional egg roll, hand made & stuffed with chicken, feta cheese and spinach. Coming from someone who HATES feta cheese, I'd give this appetizer a gold medal in the app-Olympics. As an entree' I decided upon their Apple Pork Sandwich- smoked chopped pork on a warm toasted bun, house made bbq sauce & with a side of hand cut sweet potato fries. I was still reeling from the taste of the egg rolls, but this was a great sandwich.

The Staff: The staff was great. I sat at the bar and the bartender was very attentive. She really knew the menu and all about the preparation of all of the food. I have no complaints there.

The Prices: No complaints. Everything was very affordable given the portion sizes. Aside from lint, I had a quite a bit of change left over in my pockets from lunch.

Overall Experience:  Even though I have a bad relationship with feta cheese, the egg rolls will definitely see me one again. I've heard mixed reviews about the 5 Points South location, but I will pay them a visit soon to see for myself.

For more information about The Black Market Bar & Grill, visit their website at http://evilbartenders.wix.com/blackmarket

Follow them on Twitter at @BlackMarketGeo

 Black Market Colonnade
3411 Colonnade Parkway
Birmingham, AL 35243
Call for current hours
(205) 967-8787

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

The Greek Egg Rolls

The Apple Pork Sandwich & Sweet Potato Fries