Birmingham Restaurant Week Preview Party 2011

TamikaBelle & ShermikaBelle

A belle is a foodie. Good food makes us do a one two step and a he he he like MJ. We had the honor of attending Birmingham Restaurant Week’s Preview Party, which had samples from participating restaurants and benefited the restoration of The Lyric Theatre.

Birmingham Restaurant Week is in its 2nd year, and brings a new dynamic to Birmingham’s dining scene by encouring us foodies to get out and EAT!

Laura Kate Whitney, the Co-Director of BRW, says the event “Aims to showcase the city’s tremendous culinary strengths. Focusing on locally-owned and operated, BRW encourages diners to enjoy their favorite restaurants and try a few new ones. We hope that dining rooms are packed and that Birmingham is well-fed– as our city is known for great cuisine!” Hurry and read on as there is more to see!

This sign & many others pointed you to the goodies!

Check out those grits!

The South never disappoints! Jim ‘N Nicks served up stone ground organic grits from McEwen & Sons. The grits were served alongside pork and some of the best barbecue sauce a belle has tasted! Who would have known that grits and barbecue sauce taste good together?

YUM! Spicy tuna rolls

California rolls galore. What a pretty set up.

Some of the ArtBelles’ faves from the events were the chocolate chip green tea cookie bites from Maki Fresh. Those little critters were sinfully delicious–so much so that ShermikaBelle had to get another. We also enjoyed the strawberry green tea lemonade. We could actually taste the fresh strawberries. The spicy tuna rolls were great and had the right hint of spiciness. We really LOVED the fact that one of the employees, Jennifer, was uber friendly. Y’all know that goes a long way in the belle’s book of manners.

Silvertron’s Chef Marco/wife serving up bread pudding. He and Elan were extremely nice!

Some of the delicacies we tried: eggplant and goat cheese bruschetta, boston butt (greek style), squash casserole, steak sandwiches, black bean salsa, and the list does go on. An ArtBelle favorite was the white chocolate bread pudding Silverton served. Chef Marco had the most infectious personality. Oh, and the sirloin Micheal’s served was beyond scrumptious! Too bad we couldn’t get the chef’s secret (we tried!).

There was a wine tasting by Rush Wines and plenty of food and fun to be had by all. BRW starts TODAY and ends on August 28, 2011. Be sure you go out and support local restaurants during the week!

Restaurants on hand included: Silvertron Café, The Veranda on Highland, Ted’s Restaurant, Frio en La Paz, Sweet Tea, Rare Martini, Nebeel’s Café, Sysco Foods, Michael’s Steak House, and Maki Fresh. Check out more pics below!

The event was held at the Hill Event Center at the Beautiful Alabama Theater.

The fastest registration/will call line EVER!

Check out those fresh veggies!!

Having a ball!

Who wouldn’t want a picture in front of not one, but two forks?!

B’ham’s Mayor William Bell was in the building enjoying some good eats!

The sweet ladies of Frio en La Pez with the YUMMY meatballs!

A taste of this & that.

Everyone seemed to be having a grand time! 

Don’t they just make you want to smile?! Two charming gentlemen from Ted’s.

We thought Ted’s squash casserole was mac-n-cheese!

Lobster mac-n-cheese (tasty!)

Fresh and Delish shrimp from Michael’s Steak House!

VERY tasty locally grown fruits/veggies from Sysco Foods.

Wineology…come one come all!

This year BRW launched Wineology, which will be an informative wine tasting.  BRW menus are at three different price points–$10, $20, $30, and some feature a kids menu and brunch options. Be sure to check out the site for more info. Happy eating!