Month: July 2013

If you watched the Bizarre Foods America show based on Birmingham, you may have noticed what Chris Hastings of Hot and Hot was using for his plating — it’s by the same artist as he commissioned when he appeared on Iron Chef America.

The first time I ever had supper at Chris’ Hot and Hot Fish Club was right after Av and I were married — I thought the food was great, but the dishes the food was on…amazingly beautiful.  I figured they were probably made by someone far off, only available to the trade, but being someone who loves china (seriously, even when I was crazy-poor in college, I found a service for eight of Noritake Lucille for less than $100 and couldn’t help myself) I inquired found out that it was made in Leeds, about 20 minutes from Birmingham, and open to the public.

So I ran right out and found Earthborn Pottery and Tena Payne, the artist behind it:

Glaze samples:

Whenever I make something at home and want to photograph it, her pottery is the first I usually reach for:

—
Speaking of art and pottery, the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi is hiring a director, and Kentuck in Northport is hiring an executive director and program manager.

So, from yesterday’s post when I was talking about helping advise where the show could visit/shoot…Av was invited out one day to meet Andrew.  One of the days Andrew Zimmern and the Bizarre Foods America crew were here, they shot at the Bodnar farm.  It belongs to John Michael Bodnar, who was a year behind Av in high school at Indian Springs School.  He’s involved with Jim ‘N Nick’s and other ventures, and his home was featured in a 2009 issue of Garden and Gun.  That’s where they shot the boudin-making scene with Donald Link of Cochon / Herbsaint / others.

This is part of the setup they had for lunch there:

For the demonstrations and filming:

That’s John Michael with the hat, then Andrew, then Donald Link, and Nick Pihakis of Jim ‘N Nick’s.  They’re just talking about what’s on the grill which from here you can see some ribs:

…but Av said the first thing they all had was boudin.  It wasn’t the boudin rouge (blood boudin) that Donald Link made and they showed on the episode.  That came later.

Now they’re getting ready for the shoot:

…and this might be part of the shot that made it into the show.  Av says while they were talking during lunch, they were saying that Donald Link is one of very few people who have ever been on Bizarre Foods three times.

This was Av’s first time to meet Andrew Zimmern, and he said that he’s just a great guy, someone that would be really easy to hang around with, just super-nice.  Oh, and Av said the food was (of course!) amazing.  Well, yeah!

Several months ago, I was contacted by a producer with the Travel Channel’s show, Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern.  She told me that they were shooting a show in Birmingham in January and found DeepFriedKudzu while doing research.  She wondered if they could talk to me about the food scene here and where to go.

((of course!! wow, I was so tickled to help out with this project!!))

So before the show airs in a few hours, I want to tell you where I suggested they go, because I don’t know if every place they shot made it into the episode.

These are just some of the notes that we talked about, and that I emailed her later:

Go to Eagle’s. It is right outside the ACIPCO plant, they are in a small space, they keep the tv on too loud, but they love you. Ox tails. Pig feet and ears. Neckbones. Best chicken and dressing. Chitlins. Go to Eagle’s for sure!

Niki’s West: there is not a vegetable you can imagine that they don’t serve in their line. And when it’s busy the first guy/server actually YELLS at you “SIIIRRRR/MA’AAAAAM..CAN I HELP YOUUUUU…”

Green Acres is this small soul food place that has taken off so much that they have a handful of satellite restaurants across the city (maybe four or five). Great chicken wings — not like at the sports bars but the nice big wings.  Also: 10th Ave Deli.

Also I mentioned:
Jim N’ Nick’s which…is controlling their (food) supply chain in a linear fashion, from raising the animals to how they are processed, also Bright Star, the Greek hot dog places in B’ham, Fish Market, John’s and John’s slaw which is a dressing much like comeback in Jackson MS… Again, Niki’s… The Greek story of food here is a good one.

Barbecue:
Dreamland, but their original is in Tuscaloosa.

Saw’s — this was started by a man who worked for the Time/Southern Living magazines, and just went out on his own. In just a few short years, he’s got three locations that STAY busy. One is in a location that he really took a chance on because it’s been in decline for so long, and the neighborhood is only now starting to come back, and he/Saw’s is a big part of that. In another part of town, he’s in business with American Idol winner Taylor Hicks, and that one they are going after a juke-joint feel (although it just opened and it’s not quite there yet in appearance). His food is great. I love the barbecue over collards over grits. Yum.

Birmingham barbecue. you have to talk about Jim N Nicks which even though it’s a chain, it’s a chain because it’s so good and so successful. See my note above about what they’re doing.

Miss Myra’s is good barbecue, and for years she’s been serving it with white barbecue sauce.

My favorite ribs in the city come from Roadside Barbecue, which has great window paintings and can give you instant asthsma from their smokehouse depending on where you park outside. Those are good, good, good ribs.

Sorry if some of these notes seem disjointed above, but I wanted to give just the flavor of what I was describing to them.

I am *crazy excited* to see what made it into the show, and what else they found — like I heard about their visit to UAB, for something I totally didn’t know about, and I hope that’s included.

Something else fun is that they were looking for an interesting way to tie up the show, and I suggested Mrs. B’s on Fourth, which is where they have bean pies (Z’s too) and this terrific sign.  I told them you could go out on the sidewalk and see the historic 16th Street Baptist Church from there. I love the idea of ending with this.  Maybe!?!?:

You know where I’ll be tonight!  Can’t wait to see!!

Tomorrow, I’ll post pics from when Av was invited out to the Bodnar farm (which…this part at the farm I think *has* to make it) and met Andrew who Av says is just terrific and fun, and where they filmed Andrew and Donald Link and some others cooking and talking about food.  Yay!!

When we go to services in Jackson, we attend Beth Israel — my post from last week about our visit to KKBE in Charleston made me think of the BI — first of all, BI is just mid-century wonderfulness:

Although established in 1860, the congregation moved here to Old Canton Road in 1967.

Yes:

Whereas the centuries-old KKBI had this above its ark — ‘Know Before Whom Thou Standest’:

Beth Israel has this on the wall diagonal from the ark:

And my home synagogue has it (more about the phrase here) in Hebrew above its ark, too, which can be transliterated as ‘Da Lifnei Mi Atah Omed’:

Someone co-opted Foghorn Leghorn in Birmingham.

‘This Week’s Various’ will be back next week.