Smokin' Hot Experience at Ash Bar & Grill

Ash Bar & Grill Homewood is now open and serving up wood fired dishes to suit nearly every appetite. Located just across from the beautiful Patriot Park on Oak Grove Road, Ash has attracted droves of people who patiently awaited their opening. They are fast becoming an attractive spot to grab a delicious meal cooked in a trendy wood fired kitchen. We recently stopped in to check out this happening new spot & try out their interesting concept.

Atmosphere: When we arrived we were informed of a roughly 20 minute wait which was not that bad for a new restaurant. The weather was pretty decent so we sat outside on the patio to review the menu. The seating was not bad at all. There were plenty of tables filled with hungry and engaged customers. The atmosphere was extremely comfortable. We eventually got a table by the window.

What we had: We split an order of cornmeal fried chicken livers with a green tomato salsa & lime crema. These chicken livers were cooked to absolute PERFECTION! Moist, well seasoned & flavorful. 

My entree consisted of the BBQ of the week. This particular week's bbq feature was pulled pork shoulder topped with red & white bbq sauce, a side of mac & cheese, seasoned collards & field peas.The greens had just the right amount of spice added to them. I was "southernly" pleased with them.

 My dinner companion had the wood grilled hangar steak. This was accompanied by caramelized onion mashed potatoes, fire roasted baby sweet peppers and board dressing. This was an extremely tasty selection cooked to tender perfection.

From the cocktail menu, we had a couple of Ash's specialty cocktails. The Patriot Paradise- Bacardi, pineapple juice, lime, simple syrup and Campari. The Beesknees cocktail consisted of El Jimadour, lemon, bitter, and honey syrup.

Patriot Paradise

Beesknees

For dessert, I had their now infamous brownie. You gotta get the brownie. It's served with smoked graham cracker crumble and soft, homemade (fire toasted) marshmallow surrounding it.

The Staff: AMAZING! Everyone from "Greet to Eat" was pleasant and warm. We were very happy with the service and a table visit from one of the kitchen staff members to ask how we enjoyed our food.



The Prices: Pretty standard for a restaurant of this caliber. Appetizers started at $4, entree's start at $11.

For more information about Ash Bar & Grill, visit their website at https://www.ashhomewood.com/

Ash

705 Oak Grove Road

Homewood, AL 35209

(205) 558-9401

 

Thanks for reading & sharing, 

~The Birmingham Restaurant Raider

"Anonymously Raiding A Restaurant Near You"

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