Tag Archives: food

UPDATE: A petition supporting area food trucks appears

Food Truck. Courtesy of Operation New Birmingham

See updates below | It’s been a long time since anyone’s talked about the issue of food trucks here in Birmingham, AL – relatively speaking. It’s been nearly two years since an episode that eventually led to ONB announcing and then changing its stance on them.

It’s not hard to find folks supportive of their existence based on the crowds that gathered for two different events built around them in the metro area held on the same day back on May 12. If nothing else, folks are more aware of just how many options they have.

Some residents are wanting to make sure that members of Birmingham’s City Council are aware of how many people enjoy the options currently available to folks who work, live, and visit our fair city. They’ve already garnered about 75 virtual signatures as of 10 a.m. this morning on a Change.org petition asking our municipal legislative body to establish policies that support them when possible (and they’ll probably reach their goal of 100 well before lunchtime).

Early Wednesday evening, July 11, the owner of Spoonfed Grill shared an update from a Birmingham City Council meeting where new regulations were being discussed.

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/SpoonFedGrill/status/223184528913596416″]

It’s been interesting to look at the conversation taking place on the petition’s page, particularly when you look at what some who aren’t signing the petition are saying about whether or not other issues facing the area need the same level of opinion.

UPDATE 3 p.m.: According to a post this afternoon on Magic City Post, the total number of signatures being sought has been raised to 500 – and its nearly reached that goal as well.

UPDATE 5:27 p.m.: The Birmingham News is now reporting that the new goal for Naomi Anderegg’s effort  is 1,000; it’s currently at 617.

UPDATE 7/15, 8:50 a.m.: A quick check of the petition currently shows the new goal as being 1,500 signatures with more than 1,160 already collected.

Bettola’s Lewis involved in new Aspen concept restaurant

chefs-club interior. courtesy of their websiteLast week the St. Regis Aspen opened a new concept restaurant. Why should this culinary event in Colorado mean something to Birmingham residents? It matters because James Lewis, the chef at Bettola in Pepper Place, will be among the first of the chefs to be involved in the project.

The 2011 winner of Food & Wine magazine’s New Chef award is one of four past recipients chosen to collaborate on the initial menu offerings for the new Chefs Club by Food & Wine. Lewis will join George Mendes of ALDEA in New York City; Alex Seidel of Fruition in Denver, CO; and Susan Zemanick of Gautreau’s Restaurant in New Orleans, LA. Plans call for the chefs to make appearances at the restaurant during their involvement and work with Food & Wine editors to determine and/or create the restaurant’s wine and cocktail offerings. Plans also call for the venue’s artwork to be changed out twice a year to showcase local artists.

Photo: Interior of the restaurant. Courtesy of its website.

Know when the Hot Light goes on from your desk

the Krispy Kreme hot lightIt’s that time of the holiday season that finds you spending hours on the road as you go to the last of those holiday parties or as you head out to visit family. Part of that tradition for many includes hunting for the almost elusive Krispy Kreme “Hot Now” sign (the company calls it the “Hot Light”) for a glazed treat (or two) to help give you the energy to get to your final destination.

The folks at the popular donut chain have made that search just a little bit easier now with the launch of their new Hot Light apps for the desktop and your iOS or Android smartphone. The apps allow you to select the location closest to your home while also letting you know where the closest location to you with an activated “Hot Light” is when you’re out and about.

Yep, this may explain mass exoduses from offices for many in the coming days…

UPDATE: Brew B-Q at the “14th St. Entertainment District” tomorrow

UPDATE: We’ve been informed that this is a beer tasting event hosted by Piggly Wiggly in the parking next to Good People Brewing Co. Check out this flyer for more information. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit Magic City Harvest and Alabama Tornado Relief.

Good People Brewing logoYou figured with all of the excitement among craft brewers in Alabama about the passage and signing of the Brewery Modernization Act into law that it wouldn’t take long for one of them to announce take part in a their post BMA event.

Well, wait no more – Good People Brewing Co. will be the answer (sort of) to that trivia question here in Birmingham, AL and it’s this Thursday.

It’s already shaping up to be a fairly busy day in the Magic City with the YP Street Fair taking place along 2nd Ave. N. between 23rd and 24th Streets and the Birmingham Museum of Art holding a VIP party for the opening of their Who Shot Rock & Roll exhibit. Craft beer fans can now add a visit to the parking lot next to Good People’s home on 14th Street South to the list for Brew B-Q, an event being hosted by Piggly Wiggly. Tickets are currently available for $25 at all area Piggly Wiggly locations. A beer tasting as well as Full Moon BBQ is included. There will apparently also be a chance to win a private beer dinner for 10 people.

Camp Taco empire expands

Fans of Camp Taco who ventured into Homewood in recent days may have done a double take after seeing the logo hanging over a former Qdoba location.

It appears that the Five Points South-based restaurant is preparing to open a new location on Greensprings Hwy, one that gives them much more space and an outdoor patio so regulars have another option of where to enjoy their meals.

The Qdoba location it replaces was the last one operating in Alabama. The metro area had two locations as late as early last year. The other location, at 18th Street and 5th Ave. S., closed in early 2010 and was replaced that May by a Moe’s Southwest Grill.

Trader Joe’s? It’s going to be a while

UPDATE: 9/17/2014 – Patience has paid off as an announcement was made this morning | Trader Joe’s arrives in Birmingham in late 2015

Trader Joe's logoA recent Los Angeles Times interview with Trader Joe’s founder, Joe Coulombe, referred to the popular retailer “a lifestyle feature.” It’s one that folks in metro Birmingham are desperately trying to land.

The interviewer asked about the online battle taking place here in Alabama about where to put a Trader Joe’s. The response has sparked some debate:

There’s a Facebook battle in Alabama to get a Trader Joe’s. It’s become like landing an NFL franchise.

I had that in California. Claremont was especially noisy, but unless you have enough well-educated people, Trader Joe’s will not work. Claremont had well-educated people, but not enough. They have one [there] now.

Another interesting point brought up by Coulombe was how the salaries were determined for the original stores; it was based off of the median family income – a practice that is still followed by the company (which is now owned by a trust created by the owners of the Aldi grocery store chain).

If Trader Joe’s were to put a location in the state of Alabama and they followed the median family income policy, based on 2009 figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, the average employee for the chain could potentially make $39,980/year, plus benefits.

This would all be great – if Trader Joe’s had plans to move into metro Birmingham in the near future. According to a Birmingham News article written last month, it’s not in the cards (at least not for the next couple of years). That’s even with three different efforts taking place on Facebook trying to get them to consider a location in Birmingham or Hoover. Then there’s the one we wrote about back in March 2009 – they’ve now got close to 1,500 members.

National Pancake Day is almost here!

National Pancake Day logoTuesday morning brings with a chance to enjoy a tasty tradition, while giving you an opportunity to support an extremely worthy cause.

IHOP will once again give away one short stack (read: three (3) buttermilk pancakes) per dine-in customer at participating restaurants as part of their National Pancake Day celebration. They hope that you’ll in return leave a donation and help them raise $2.3 million for the Children’s Miracle Network.

The network includes our own Children’s Hospital located on Birmingham’s Southside. They happened to send out a friendly reminder via Twitter on Monday afternoon. All four Birminghamarea locations will be participating this year.

This is the first time in five years that the promotion will not take place on Fat (Shrove) Tuesday but a week earlier.