The Birmingham Restaurant Raider: Steak in Birmingham

Friday, January 25, 2019

Review: Saltgrass Steak House 280

Anyone who knows me knows that I love a good steak, but an even greater steak is better. Highway 280 in Birmingham has some of the best steak restaurants in the area. I feel it's my duty to try them all because of course, the people want to know all about them.
I ventured over to the new Saltgrass Steak House in Birmingham. I typically don't do steak for lunch, but I had a craving after several of my twitter followers recommended this spot.

Atmosphere: Saltgrass has the feel of an "out west" steak house. They have definitely erased every reminder of The Tilted Kilt, which previously occupied this location. There is Texas themed decor throughout the building. They have lots of booth seating and a cool bar set up. It's a spacious restaurant and definitely a great place for date nights or family dinners.

Staff: The staff was friendly. My server Joel was eager to provide great service and was very knowledgeable about the Saltgrass menu options. Everyone I came in contact with was great. No complaints.

What I had: To start off, each table is delivered a warm, delicious loaf of their famous beer bread. It was really good, so I only ate half in order not to fill up. I followed up with a traditional garden salad with balsamic dressing. For the main course, I had the Gulf Coast Steak & Shrimp with a side of sauteed Brussels sprouts . I opted for the 6 oz steak (medium) with grilled shrimp. This is the kind of steak where sauce is not needed. The flavor was very good. They don't skimp on the shrimp! The Brussels sprouts were A-MA-ZING! ( I don't know why I rejected these as a kid).
I also decided to have huge a slice of their amazing cheesecake to go.
(sorry, no pics)

*click photos for larger (mouth watering) view

Overall Experience: Overall, I feel that Saltgrass is a great addition to the Birmingham area and I am hopeful that they will definitely attract steak lovers from all across the region. I saw several other things on the menu that I'm anxious to try so a return visit is definitely on the books. The staff was super!

For more information on Saltgrass Steak House Birmingham, visit their website at https://www.saltgrass.com/

Saltgrass Steak House - Birmingham
14 Perimeter Park S.
(205) 967-1181

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*Ask your server about AAA and AARP discounts.

Thanks so much for reading & sharing!

The Birmingham Restaurant Raider
Est. 2009
http://birminghamrestaurantraider.blogspot.com/

Celebrating 10 years as a trailblazing Dining Experience Examiner

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

The Fig Tree Cafe' " The Total Package"

I'm often asked to describe the best place in town to grab a________________ (fill in the blank)
Most of the time I can narrow down a place that has great seafood, great drinks or great steaks.
Well, I'm excited to tell you guys that a couple of weeks ago I found a place that has great EVERYTHING.

The Fig Tree Cafe, a recently renovated Birmingham based restaurant in the Cahaba Heights area, has managed to nail everything. Expect the unexpected at Fig Tree. This team strives to create one of the most memorable dining experiences ever. Chef JP Holland, a self taught chef, works effortlessly to ensure patrons nothing but the finest quality when it comes to the farm-to-table dining experience. In order to do that, they go several steps further by being hands on when it comes to how the cattle is raised & what they consume. Their cattle is not fed your average run-of-the mill diet. I won't give away the secret, but I could definitely taste the quality in every bite.
The Fig Tree offers a wide variety of locally produced ingredients in pretty much all of their dishes.

We decided to let the chef recommend & prepare dishes for us. We started out with an order of insanely delicious crab cakes. OMG! I can still taste them. They were made with "fresh from the dock" succulent crab claw meat. Next we were delighted to try the (Alabama grown) fried green tomatoes, accompanied with the PERFECT version of a remoulade sauce.

Delivered from the custom built bar, our cocktails consisted of two of their signature cocktail specials. One was the the Citradelic Martini containing Titos Vodka, ginger syrup, lemon & basil. Also on the table was the Cucumber Mojito, a mixture of Bacardi rum, cucumber lime mint puree, Agave nectar & soda. Drink mixing definitely is a craft here. Any cocktails that contain fruit contains only the freshest fruits. The cucumber flavor in the mojito was just right. Both drinks were perfect pairings to our main entree's. 👌

My entree consisted of their "fresh-from-the-dock" salmon. This was a large, thick cut of perfectly grilled salmon placed upon a bed of fresh, perfectly grilled veggies. Again, their seafood is NEVER frozen.
My dinner companion had the 12 oz rib eye steak accompanied with delicious truffle fries. Not a combination I expected, but it was a great selection.

In addition to amazing, high quality food & drinks, the cafe offers private dining for larger groups, an impressive brunch menu, and more!
If you're looking for a great spot for a special occasion or to impress that someone special,
The Fig Tree in Cahaba Heights is the total package.
Reservations are HIGHLY recommended.
The best dates to get into this popular spot are Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays. Otherwise, you just might find yourself on a wait.
Thanks again to Justin, Brandon & Chef Jon for the outstanding hospitality.
For more information about the Fig Tree Cafe, visit their website at http://thebirminghamfigtree.com/

Reservations can be made by calling (205) 249-0312 OR look for them on OpenTable.com
Get a LYFT to The Fig Tree Cafe https://www.lyft.com/invite/RAIDBHAM2017
Thanks for reading & sharing,

The Birmingham Restaurant Raider
"Anonymously Raiding A Restaurant Near you"
#RaidBham

* Click Images to Enlarge*