The fifth annual Birmingham Shout film festival returns in September with a new venue and a new season. Wade on Birmingham has an exclusive on the lineup.

As previously reported, the gay/lesbian film festival will take place the same weekend as the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival; in the past four years, Shout took place in the spring. The Alabama Moving Image Association manages both festivals.

The opening night film, “Howl,” will be Sept. 23 at WorkPlay, the night before Sidewalk’s Sept. 24 kickoff. The remainder of the Shout festival will be Sept. 25 and 26 at  a new location, the Hill Arts Center, adjacent to the Alabama Theatre.

Here are a few highlights from the 24-film lineup …

• • •

‘An Ordinary Couple’

Orin Kennedy hailed from a Jewish family in New York, while Bernardo Puccio grew up in an Sicilian community in Birmingham. Both came of age in the 1970s. And since 1981, the two have been in a committed monogamous relationship, making their lives in Los Angeles. The documentary “An Ordinary Couple” tells their story as they work on a monument to their relationship at the Hollywood Memorial Cemetery.

• Starring Orin Kennedy and Bernardo Puccio.
• Directed by Jay Gianukos.
• Official site | IMDB | Facebook
• 5 p.m. Sept. 26 at Hill Arts Center
• Scheduled to attend: Kennedy and Puccio.

• • •

‘Howl’

Shout opening night film: The story of poet and poem, “Howl” looks at young Allen Ginsberg (James Franco) on his journey to create his masterpiece work. It also follows the 1957 obscenity trial in San Francisco to determine if the book should be banned. The biographical story shows how the leader of the Beat Generation brought forth the counterculture movement.

• Starring James Franco, Jon Hamm, Jeff Daniels, Mary Louise Parker, David Strathaim and Bob Balaban.
• Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffery Friedman.
• Official site | IMDB | Facebook
• 7 p.m. Sept. 23 at WorkPlay
• Scheduled to attend: Kennedy and Puccio.

• • •

‘The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls’

Shout closing night film: Meet the world’s only comedic, country song and dance, yodeling lesbian twin sisters. The documentary “The Topp Twins” shows Jools and Lynda from childhood in New Zealand to mainstream entertainers in a 50-year span that includes one sister’s fight against breast cancer, their worldwide touring and their prime-time TV show.

• Starring Jools Topp and Lynda Topp.
• Directed by Leanne Pooley.
• Official site | IMDB | Facebook
• 7 p.m. Sept. 26 at Hill Arts Center

• • •

Tickets: three-day pass, $50, $40 for members and students ($40 and $30 in advance); one-day pass, $20, $15 for members and students.

Also:

• Full lineup
• Venues

• • •

Do you like having Shout in the fall? What movies are you going to see? Tell us in the comments.

Action! Complete Shout festival coverage.

At Max’s Delicatessen at the Colonnade, the regular Reuben
comes with corned beef and Russian dressing.
Photo by Brad Daly.

By Glenny Brock and Brad Daly

Taking inspiration from the great delis of Detroit and New York, Max’s Delicatessen at the Colonnade features more than 40 sandwiches. But the standout on the menu is the Reuben ($8.99), which comes with a pickle slice and choice of cole slaw, fresh fruit or potato salad.

The sandwich, always on rye, includes a combination of corned beef, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese. The difference is in the dressing: Some delis serve it with Thousand Island, others use Russian. Max’s is one of the latter, but with three variations. The regular Reuben comes with Russian dressing. The Russian Reuben features pastrami instead of corned beef.

And the Rachel is a smoked turkey sandwich dressed like a Reuben. (Max’s doesn’t offer the variation known as the Southern Reuben, one slathered in barbecue sauce.)

The massive sandwich has a range of piquant flavors: savory and mildly spicy meat, tart dressing and mellow rye. These tastes combine into something distinctive and delicious. Perhaps the only way the sandwich comes up short is by being too tall — unless you pull off some of the meat, it’s the kind of sandwich you have to eat with a knife and fork.

While the menu has a few vegetarian options, most of the setups are meant for meat-lovers. The three dozen non-Reuben sandwiches fall under the combination sandwiches, classic sandwiches or open faces. Other fare includes soups, salads, hamburgers and hot dogs.

• • •

Max’s Delicatessen

• The Colonnade, U.S. 280 and I-459 [map]
• (205) 968-7600
• Maxsdelionline.com
• Hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. seven days a week

• • •

Also:

• Bhamdining.com mini-review of Max’s Delicatessen
• Birmingham News feature on Max’s Delicatessen

Video: In the kitchen at Max’s Delicatessen.

• • •

Writer Glenny Brock (@glennybrock) and photographer Brad Daly (@bwdaly) launched the Birmingham food blog Stay Hungry (@stayhungrybham) in June. He cooks, she writes, and they both eat, thoughtfully.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

Birmingham civic group Catalyst will hold a forum for Jefferson County Commission candidates on Tuesday. The event, called “Birmingham: Looking Back, Moving Forward,” will include a conversation with Birmingham News metro columnist John Archibald and editorial board member Joey Kennedy and Eddie Lard, and Second Front writer Kyle Whitmire (updated per new info from Catalyst in comment).

It’s not clear which candidates will attend, or whether Sandra Little Brown and David Carrington will participate, as both are running unopposed on Nov. 2.

The forum runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at WorkPlay, 500 23rd St. S., Lakeview [map].

[Map of Jefferson County Commission districts]

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

The moussaka at Nabeel’s Café in Homewood
is comforting and authentic. Photos by Celeste Ward.

By Celeste Ward

Nabeel’s Café constantly bustles with happy patrons for a reason: The food is authentic, fresh and lip-smackingly delicious.

Upon stepping through the doors of the Homewood restaurant, you’re transported to a cozy cafe reminiscent of those in Europe. The atmosphere is casual, intimate and charming; the staff, equally wonderful. Even the private booths make the experience more enjoyable.

You’re sure to find something to suit your fancy on the extensive menu of Greek and Mediterranean fare. We were certainly smitten from the start.

The bruschetta was one of the highlights of our evening.

The Greek salad with grilled chicken tastes fresh and scrumptious.

For dinner, we started with the bruschetta ($7.95), without a doubt, the best we’ve ever had. Fried eggplant is the star of the dish, paired beautifully with the fresh basil, tomatoes, feta and roasted peppers from northern Greece. We also sipped on a refreshing glass of iced mint tea ($1.89).

The moussaka ($9.95) was fabulous! This eggplant-ground beef casserole tasted like a closely guarded family recipe. It comes with a small Greek salad on the side.

We also had an entree-size Greek salad topped with grilled chicken ($7.95), piled high with classic ingredients, including fresh pita wedges and the most amazing kalamata olives you’ll ever eat.

We ended with a little piece of heaven, the finest tiramisu ($4.95) around, pictured at left.

While there, don’t miss a visit to the adjoining market which has a plethora of the best international ingredients available.

• • •

Nabeel’s Café and Market

• 1706 Oxmoor Road, Homewood [map]
• (205) 879-9292
• Nabeels.com
• Hours: 10:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday (market open 8 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday).

• • •

Also:

• Southern Palate review of Nabeel’s Café.
• VisitSouth.com profile of Nabeel’s Café.
• Bhamdining.com mini-review of Nabeel’s Café.
• Birmingham Magazine profile of Nabeel’s Café.
• Birmingham News Q&A with Nabeel’s manager of special events, Maria Gambino.

• • •

Celeste Ward is a Birmingham blogger passionate about food and photography. Her food blog Sugar and Spice by Celeste, founded in 2007, has been featured on the Cooking Channel website and AL.com.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

Finding the perfect summer tomato takes care, but the
reward can be mouthwatering. Photo by Ellen Riley.

By Shaun Chavis

Nothing tastes better than the perfect summer tomato. And nothing can be as disappointing as a faker. These three tomato experts shared their secrets for bringing the best ones home.

• Ellen Riley, manager of Oak Street Market in Mountain Brook’s Crestline Village, sources tomatoes from small growers who ripen them for better flavor by keeping them on the vine longer. She says larger growers may get tomatoes to market faster, but that denies them the chance to develop goodness. Just because they’re red doesn’t mean they’re ripe.

Another problem with tomatoes from some larger growers are tough white cores. “That comes from too much fertilizer, not enough water and picking too early,” Riley says. Her advice: “Buy from people who will cut a tomato open and let you see inside.”

Riley’s favorite kind? The Amelia, a new variety with old-fashioned flavor.

• Rod Palmer of Owl’s Hollow farm, near Gadsden, is partial to sandwiches made with pineapple tomatoes, bulging yellow-and-red heirlooms. He sells tomatoes to 15 Birmingham-area restaurants and markets, including Southside’s Hot and Hot Fish Club, home of a great heirloom tomato salad. (Find them at Murphree’s Market and Garden Center in Cahaba Heights in Vestavia Hills, Homewood Farmer’s Market [pdf], Pepper Place Saturday Market in Lakeview and Urban Cookhouse in Homewood.)

• Donald and Kelly Warren of Greenwood Farms grow 20 varieties of tomatoes in their back yard in Homewood. Their favorite, the black plum tomato, goes on Pizza Margherita that Donald grills on his Big Green Egg. (Find them at Pepper Place Saturday Market in Lakeview.)

• • •

Also:

• Recipe for tomato tart.
• Gilchrist Drug Co. and the old South rarity, tomato aspic.

• • •

Shaun Chavis (@shaunchavis) is the co-founder of Birmingham’s Foodie Book Club, and a food journalist whose work has appeared in “Cornbread Nation 4: The Best of Southern Food Writing,” eGullet and Friends Journal. In the fall, she will teach a course on food and literature at Samford University’s Samford After Sundown.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

sidewalk.wadeonbirmingham.com

Sidewalk 2010 is just 5 weeks away, but the lineup is almost complete.

The 12th annual Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival has 208 films scheduled so far; yet to be announced are the opening night and closing night films, along with the Shout lineup (running concurrently with Sidewalk).

Let’s take a look at movies in the lineup with a local connection …

• • •

‘Hey Boo: Harper Lee and “To Kill a Mockingbird” ’

A timely look at Monroeville author Harper Lee. (You may know her for her classic novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.) Lee’s life story is shared in the documentary through family, friends and admirers such as Oprah Winfrey and Tom Brokaw.

• Directed by Mary Murphy.
• Official site | IMDB | Facebook | Sidewalk page
• 11 a.m. Sept. 26 in the Harambe Room
• Scheduled to attend: Murphy.

• • •

‘Lifted’

The latest Hunter Brothers (Alan and Hugh) production tells the story of Henry Matthews, a boy from the South who takes part in a reality TV singing competition to escape his crumbling world. he finds out his father has been re-deployed to Afghanistan. The film, shot in Alabama, includes several local and regional actors.

• Stars Nicki Aycox, Uriah Shelton, Dash Mihok, Trace Adkins and Ruben Studdard.
• Directed by Lexi Alexander.
• Official site | IMDB | Facebook | Sidewalk page
• 11 a.m. Sept. 25 at Alabama Power
• Scheduled to attend: Alexander, cast and crew.

• • •

‘Man in the Glass: The Dale Brown Story’

Directed by Birmingham’s Patrick Sheehan, the documentary follows the career and beyond of Louisiana State men’s basketball coach Dale Brown. The story covers his winning over fans in a football school and his battles with the NCAA over student-athletes. Not only is Brown a legend in college basketball but also continues to work as a human rights activist.

• Directed by Patrick Sheehan.
• Official site | Facebook | Sidewalk page
• 1:10 p.m. Sept. 26 at Alabama Power
• Scheduled to attend: Sheehan.

• • •

‘Not My Son’

The documentary examines gun violence through interviews with Birmingham mothers whose children were killed. Featured is Carolyn Johnson-Turner, who founded the Parents Against Violence Foundation in 2004 after her son, Rodreckus, 20, was shot and killed on his way to a friend’s birthday party.

• Directed by Dwight Cammeron.
• Official site | Sidewalk page
• 10:30 a.m. Sept. 25 at the Alabama Theatre Studio

• • •

‘Ready, Set, Bag!’

Follow Huntsville’s Roger Chen in his quest for a championship. This Chinese immigrant, born in Trinidad and Tobago, studies computer science and needs the prize money after earning the state title.

The sport? Bagging groceries. The documentary focuses on Chen, a bagger at Publix, and seven other contestants headed to the annual Best Bagger Championship by the National Grocers Association.

• Directed by Justine Jacob and Alex D. da Silva.
• Official site | IMDB | Sidewalk page
• 4 p.m. Sunday at the Alabama Theatre

• • •

Shorts blocks

• Life and Liberty Shorts, 1:15 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute [lineup]
• Local shorts No. 1 — Dramatic Narrative, 10:20 a.m. Sept. 25 at the Carver Theatre [lineup]
• Local shorts No. 2 — Comedic Narrative, 1:15 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Harambe Room [lineup]
• Local shorts No. 3 — Documentary, 1:15 p.m. Sept. 26 at the Harambe Room [lineup]
• Music videos (including winners from July’s Scrambled Jam), 8 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Harambe Room [lineup]
• National and local shorts — Narrative, 3:50 p.m. Sept. 26 at the Alabama Theatre Studio [lineup]

• • •

The Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival takes place Sept. 24-26 in downtown Birmingham. Tickets: three-day pass, $50, $40 for members and students; one-day pass, $20, $15 for members and students.

Also:

• Full lineup
• Venues

• • •

Are you planning to go? Which movies are on your list? And which ones should we review? Let us know in the comments.

Action! Complete Sidewalk Festival coverage.

The patio at the Garage Cafe offers a setting
unlike any other. Photos by Eat Birmingham.

By Eat Birmingham

In the world of food, places are rated on food, service and atmosphere.

You can expect certain things every time you go to the Garage Cafe: a healthy collection of regulars, no shortage of places for your eye to land, a fully stocked bar, great bartenders and a cash-only policy. (You know this going in, so no complaining, especially with an ATM on site.)

Know that the food is sandwiches. You choose your bread, your meat, your cheese your toppings, and again, no complaining. We all go there because it’s like visiting another land in the middle of our city, and no one wants to hear your whining. The drinks are flowing and cold; the bar even has a nice selection of high-gravity beer.

The service is sassy, with one of our favorite servers being the 6-foot-9 bartender (we don’t recommend calling him sassy to his face).

You go to the Garage for off-the-charts atmosphere. From the motorcycle hanging above the front door to the collection of artifacts scattered around the open-air courtyard, you get the feeling that something really cool has been here, and it will be back.

Antiques, pots and assorted knickknacks fill the
nooks and crannies of the Garage’s courtyard.

• • •

The Garage Cafe

• 2304 10th Terrace S., Southside [map]
• (205) 322-3220
• Garagecafe.us
• Hours: 3 p.m.-2:15 a.m. Monday, 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, 11 a.m.-3 a.m. Thursday-Friday, 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Saturday and 3 p.m.-2 a.m. Sunday

• • •

Also:

• Garage Cafe on Esquire’s list of the Best Bars in America.
• Chris Hastings of Hot and Hot Fish Club considering restaurant near Garage Cafe.

• • •

Eat Birmingham (@EatBHM) writes about eating in Birmingham and the relationships people have with food, because of food and around food on her site, Eat Birmingham.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

A new music festival is in town, one modeled on the popular South by Southwest Festival in Austin. Meet the Birmingham Arts and Music Festival, or BAAM.

Starting tonight through Sunday, 13 venues from Southside to Lakeview to downtown will have nearly 150 musical acts onstage. Sharrif Simmons, Birmingham-based musician, poet and actor, started the festival as a way to expose fans to new music, and bands to a new audience.

One-day passes are $15, and three-day passes are $30, available at the door.

On the BAAM site:

• Full bios of all scheduled acts;
• Venue list and map;
• Full schedule in PDF form.

Also:

• Features in Birmingham Weekly | Birmingham Magazine | Birmingham News | Birmingham View
• BAAM on Facebook | Twitter @baamfest

Plus, videos of select performers (full schedule after the jump) …

Video: Erin Mitchell

Video: Nick Hill

Video: “Do What I Say,” by Laura Luke

Video: “Sugar,” by Vulture Whale

Video: Cleve Eaton and the Alabama All-Stars

Video: “Skeletons,” by Jesse Payne

Video: “Funky 4 U,” by Sharrif Simmons and the Alien8 All-Stars

(more…)

By Brian Heptinstall

Mention New Orleans, and many people think of Bourbon Street and the revelry that comes with it. For me, the city represents a never-ending search for the native foods that I crave so much.

On a 2005 trip just one month before Hurricane Katrina struck, I ventured with a friend into a restaurant in the French Quarter, where we ordered Blackened Voodoo Chicken made with Dixie Blackened Voodoo Lager. I wish I had obtained the recipe from the chef, because the restaurant went out of business after Katrina.

I tried my best to re-create this dish soon after. But I ran into one fundamental problem every time: the flavor of the substitute beer just didn’t measure up to Dixie. Because the hurricane heavily damaged the Dixie Brewing Co. also, it made Voodoo even harder to find.

Nowadays, several breweries produce Dixie varieties under contract, while the Dixie Brewing works to resume operations in New Orleans. Shoppers can find the brand at most high-end supermarkets and at Cost Plus World Market on U.S. 280 near Best Buy.

• • •

Photo by Brian Heptinstall.

Blackened Voodoo Chicken

• Preparation time: 20 minutes
• Cooking time: 40 minutes
• Servings: 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds chicken breast, cubed
• 1/2 cup sweet onion, small dice
• 1/4 cup green bell pepper, small dice
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bottle Dixie Blackened Voodoo Lager (available at Cost Plus World Market)
• 2 cans (12 ounces) stewed tomatoes, small dice (reserve the tomato juice)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning (we use Tony Chachere’s)
• 1/2 cup butter, cut in 1/2-inch pieces and dusted with flour (beurre manié)
• Salt and pepper, as needed
• Hot sauce, as needed
• 4 cups cooked white rice (follow instructions on bag)

In a medium sauce pan over high heat, sear chicken, onions and bell pepper in the olive oil. When chicken is cooked, add in the garlic and sweat for about 1 minute, then add beer to deglaze. Let the alcohol cook off (about 2 minutes), then add tomatoes and tomato juice. Bring to a boil.

After a boil has been reached, turn heat down to a simmer and add in bay leaves and Creole seasoning. Allow liquids to reduce by half, about 30 minutes.

After reduction, turn off heat and add in butter dusted with flour, stirring until butter has melted. Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference; adding any hot sauce should be done at the end.

Serve over bed of rice, or mix in rice to let it soak up the goodness. Leftovers should be refrigerated immediately and will keep for up to 5 days.

• • •

Other recipes using Dixie Blackened Voodoo Lager:

• New Orleans Voodoo Jambalaya
• Voodoo Cheese Fondue
• Voodoo Barbecue Sauce

• • •

Gadsden native Brian Heptinstall (@bheptin) writes the AL.com blog Food and Farce and produces how-to videos featuring his favorite foods from Walt Disney World on A Taste of Disney. A classically trained chef, he has worked in several top kitchens including Mar-A-Lago, the Four Seasons, Il Cioppino Italian Restaurant and the PGA Resort and Spa.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

Connie Blalock, left, and Paula Hunt Hughes.
Photo by Shaun Chavis.

By Shaun Chavis

Good home cooks fill our tummies and make meals memorable. They serve as stewards of local cuisine and culture.

Not only are these three women excellent home cooks, but they are also people who make an impact on foodways in Birmingham and across Alabama, creating food loved by many.

• Connie Blalock compiles cookbooks for Alagasco, 10 so far, filled with recipes from Alabama chefs and amateurs. (Many recipes appear on inserts in the utility’s billing statements.) “Once, we tried to take those recipes out; we thought people didn’t use them,” she says. “The phones rang off the hook!” The Bluff Park resident uses jalapeños often in her cooking, as in Cedar-Plank Salmon with Cilantro Pesto (recipe below).

• Paula Hunt Hughes loves baking cookies for friends. But she says her God-given passion is feeding Birmingham’s homeless. On Thursdays, she cooks enough meals at her South East Lake home to feed breakfast to 75 people in Linn Park downtown. (They love her sausage-cheese muffins, a recipe found on her food blog, Let’s Eat.) Later this year, she and her friend Lisa Latham plan to open Grace’s Kitchen, a pay-as-you-can restaurant. “We want to serve people with dignity and create a sense of community,” Hughes says.

• For Helen McEwen, selling packaged grits and fresh eggs is the family business at McEwen and Sons. The company plans to sell locally raised grass-fed beef in Birmingham soon. “Alabama’s got to be able to feed itself,” said McEwen, an advocate of local food. At home in Wilsonville, her husband Frank grows the produce she uses not only for family meals but also her fabled dinner parties. Her secret? “Start impressive, end impressive!”

• • •

Cedar Plank-Grilled Salmon with Cilantro Pesto
(adapted from an Alagasco recipe)

• Preparation time: 10 minutes, plus time to prepare grill and planks
• Cooking time: 8 to 12 minutes
• Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for salmon
• 1 cup packed cilantro leaves and smaller stems
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1/4 cup pepitas or pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted
• Juice of 1/2 lime (or more to taste)
• Minced jalapeño (to taste; start with half a pepper)
• Salt, to taste (start with 1/2 teaspoon)
• Ground black pepper, to taste (start with 1/4 teaspoon)
• Four 4-ounce salmon filets

Also:

• Cedar planks

Preheat grill; use indirect heat, keeping temperature at 350 degrees or lower. Prepare cedar planks according to the package directions.

Blend olive oil, cilantro, garlic and pumpkin seeds in a blender until completely smooth. Stir in lime juice and minced jalapeño. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Transfer cilantro pesto to an airtight container; store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Brush salmon filets with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place salmon on planks, place planks on grill and close lid, turning it into a smoker. Cook until salmon reaches desired doneness. (Generally, allow 4 to 6 minutes for each 1/2 inch of thickness.) Remove salmon from the planks with a spatula.

Using tongs, plunge planks into a bucket of cold water. (They could be re-used, but check package directions.)

Serve salmon filets with cilantro pesto sauce.

• • •

Who’s your favorite home cook, and why? Tell us in the comments below.

• • •

Shaun Chavis (@shaunchavis) is the co-founder of Birmingham’s Foodie Book Club, and a food journalist whose work has appeared in “Cornbread Nation 4: The Best of Southern Food Writing,” eGullet and Friends Journal. In the fall, she will teach a course on food and literature at Samford University’s Samford After Sundown.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

Rickwood Field celebrates its 100th anniversary today, a significant milestone not only for our national pastime but also for America’s oldest ballpark.

Sportswriter and Birmingham native Allen Barra wrote “Rickwood Field: A Century in America’s Oldest Ballpark” [aff. link] to mark the occasion. Rickwood has seen its share of history: Among the legends who played there were Hank Aaron, Dizzy Dean, Willie Mays, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Satchel Paige and Jackie Robinson.

The field opens at 2 p.m. today for an anniversary celebration, with tours, exhibits and a short game. The program starts at 3, with the game starting at 4:30. The event is free.

Video: Photographer Bill Chapman discusses
shooting the Rickwood Classic over the years.

Also:

• Bhamwiki: Rickwood Field
• Birmingham News feature on Rickwood Field
• New York Times feature on Rickwood Field

A lunchtime treat: Shaun Chavis of the Foodie Book Club and Jason Horn of the Messy Epicure will chat live at noon CDT about Birmingham’s Best Eats, including your thoughts on local dining, food, recipes and more.

We’ll be here for the full hour, so join us.

Full transcript, after the jump …

(more…)

By Elisa Muñoz

Panko-crusted chicken with arugula-basil pesto is my go-to recipe.

This easy meal impresses every time, with its powerful punch of flavors and textures from the breaded chicken and the spicy/sweet pesto. (The pesto can be made ahead to make things easier.) It’s also incredibly filling and satisfying.

The abundance of basil and spicy arugula makes this a great summertime dish. Add a bit of red wine, some crusty French bread, along with an interesting dining partner and good tunes for a terrific evening.

• • •

Panko-crusted chicken with arugula-basil pesto

• Preparation time: 30 minutes
• Cooking time: 20 minutes
• Servings: 2

Ingredients

For pesto:

• 1 cup fresh arugula (we used Jones Valley Urban Farm)
• 1 cup fresh basil (also Jones Valley Urban Farm)
• 1/3 cup pine nuts (toast for 2 minutes in the oven)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

For chicken:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 egg
• 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• Salt, pepper, basil, oregano to taste
• 1/4 cup oil (we used canola)

Optional:

• Pasta

For garnish:

• 1 cup arugula
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Pesto: Combine arugula, basil, pine nuts and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until chunky and combined. Slowly add olive oil while processor is running until everything is combined, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the cheese, salt, pepper and lemon juice and pulse three to four more times until it is incorporated. (Unused pesto can be kept in the freezer or the refrigerator for later use.)

Chicken: Using a meat mallet, pound the meat to about 1/4-inch thick. (Instead, we covered the chicken with wax paper and slammed a heavy skillet against them.) Whisk the egg in a bowl and set aside. Combine breadcrumbs, cheese and seasonings on a plate or shallow bowl, mixing well. Dredge chicken breasts in egg, then the breadcrumb mixture, coating thoroughly. Heat a skillet to medium and warm oil until water pops in it. Carefully lower the chicken into the skillet. Cook on each side for about 4 minutes, until fully cooked.

Suggestion: Cook two servings of pasta (we used penne). Drain. Add 2 tablespoons pesto, stirring to cover pasta. On a plate, pile half the arugula, half the pasta and a chicken breast, then top with some Parmesan; repeat for second plate.

• • •

Also:

• Birmingham Bargain Mom’s list of area farmers’ markets, plus bonus list.
• Greater Birmingham Community Food Partners’ list of area farmers’ markets.

• • •

Elisa Muñoz is an avid cyclist and a food activist. In addition to founding and helping run the Bici Bicycle Cooperative, she is the program coordinator for Greater Birmingham Community Food Partners. Her thoughts on cycling and life in Birmingham can be found on Bike Skirt (@bikeskirt), a blog she co-writes.
• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

As part of our special Birmingham’s Best Eats series, a couple of our bloggers will chat live with you the eating public. Join Shaun Chavis of the Foodie Book Club and Jason Horn of the Messy Epicure for a fun discussion on local food, restaurants, recipes and more.

We’ll take your questions and your suggestions for the hourlong chat. Join us at noon CDT Wednesday. (If you need an e-mail reminder, just drop your e-mail address in the form below.)

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

Crawfish étouffée on white cheddar-Parmesan grits
at Dyron’s Lowcountry in Mountain Brook. Photo by
Virginia Jones, Birmingham Daily Photo.

By Deborah Lockridge

During a recent morning meeting at an Atlanta hotel, I watched a colleague from the Southwest slurp up the grits from the breakfast bar with relish. Looking at the thin, pale, watery gruel, I told him to come to Birmingham to enjoy some real grits.

Here, after all, is where this Missouri-bred girl learned to love grits. It started with the decadent baked grits appetizer at Highlands Bar and Grill on Southside. I learned how to cook grits at home, and I discovered McEwen and Sons’ stone-ground grits, which I now ship to out-of-state grits lovers.

Many local restaurants serve up dinner-worthy grits dishes, but Dyron’s Lowcountry in Mountain Brook has gone far beyond, featuring five grits bar selections on its menu ($9 to $16 for lunch, $14 to $24 for dinner).

Dyron’s version of classic Southern shrimp and grits includes fresh Gulf shrimp, applewood-smoked bacon, garlic and lemon. The crab cake sits atop roasted grits with beurre blanc, while the buttermilk fried chicken rests on roasted red pepper grits. And let’s not forget the slow-braised pork cheeks on blue cheese grits.

My favorite is the Creole-style crawfish étouffée with andouille sausage, both on white cheddar-Parmesan grits.

Diners can enjoy plenty more at Dyron’s. Favorites include West Indies salad ($14), house smoked trout ($13) and Peace Maker Po’Boy with oysters ($10).

For more, see the extended post on Bhamdining.com.

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Dyron’s Lowcountry

• 121 Oak St., Mountain Brook [map]
• (205) 834-8257
• Dyronslowcountry.com
• Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday

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Also:

• Ham-Wrapped Fried Oysters, recipe from Dyron’s Lowcountry executive chef Phillip Baio.
• Birmingham News Q&A with owner Dyron Powell

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Deborah Lockridge (@DLinBham) is a freelance writer and editor who founded Bhamdining.com (with husband Evan) to offer an independent source of information on local restaurants, back before anyone had heard of blogs or social networking.

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Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!