Birmingham, AL
Both the city center and the suburbs have some astonishingly good food—from delicious deep-fried oysters to exquisite sushi.
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When I recently visited Birmingham to check out the food scene, the local experts pointed me to the central business district, the heart of downtown. One of the restaurants they named was Café Dupont (113 20th St. N.; 205-322-1282). But as I walked around, I was dubious: I counted seven empty storefronts on the block north of the restaurant. Then I went inside Chris Dupont's French-Southern spot. When I got a taste of his perfectly fried, fat Apalachicola oysters and his okra with horseradish-spiked beurre blanc, I was happy I hadn't just given up. Dupont will open a bakery nearby this month and a beer bar next year.
A few blocks away at Icon (2021 Park Pl.; 205-251-2021), in the restored Tutwiler Hotel, I sampled more incredible food: the updated Southern cuisine by chef Geoffery Slate, a former cook at the esteemed Magnolia Grill in Durham, North Carolina. I fell hard for the spicy, tangy green-tomato soup.
The biggest surprise was the Gardens of Park Place (corner of Seventh Ave. N. and 25th St.; 205-439-7213), a new urban farm. Customers can buy fresh produce there four nights a week or grow their own vegetables on individual plots. Fans include local hero Frank Stitt of Highlands Bar and Grill (2011 11th Ave. S.; 205-939-1400).
The same insiders who told me about the central business district urged me to head to the suburbs. Again, I was skeptical—until I found some astonishingly good food in Homewood. I grabbed creamy goat cheese from local dairy farm Belle Chèvre at Tria Market (1831 28th Ave. S., Suite 110; 205-776-8923). At nearby Jinsei (1830 29th Ave. S.; 205-802-1440), I had stellar Japanese dishes like aji (horse mackerel) served first raw, then deep-fried. I later found out that F&W Best New Chef 2005 Tyson Cole of Austin's Uchi had consulted on the menu. By then, I'd learned not to be surprised anymore.
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