Girl Meets City: Birmingham
I’m always on the run.
Always something new.
Always something different.
A girl on a mission, a girl meeting many different cities.
Girl Meets City heads to Birmingham, Alabama- catch me if you can and follow me along cause we’re gearing up for one wild ride.
Serendipity is the word for this trip. Every time I turn around there has been one more moment of serendipity.
Birmingham is not a town I am unfamiliar with. I spent nearly every Thanksgiving there as far back as I can remember, the most memorable road trip of my childhood included Birmingham, and it is where my father would spend his childhood summers – visiting the matriarch of our family. Katee, she was called. Katherine McWilliams was a formidable woman, a Southern Belle of such strength that it should be no surprise that she spent much of her adult life in the Iron City.
But for as much time as I have spent in Birmingham, both visiting family and for various work trips when I was in management at a rental car company, I realized there’s so much of it’s heart that I do not know.
My friend, Jim Windsor, at INBirmingham was instrumental in helping me along with this trip and let me thank him right here and right now.
And while I had many personal guides, if you don’t you can always check out their handy app- we have a link for it!
One of the first things that has to be decided for any trip is where to rest your head. My choices came down to The Tutwiler, a historic hotel in downtown Birmingham, and the newer Grand Bohemian in Mountain Brook. If you want a historic setting, go with The Tutwiler. If you want some place that has a luxurious spa, go with the Grand Bohemian.
For me, I choose the Tutwiler. Not just for it’s history, but for my own.
I mentioned my father having spent a lot of time in B-ham, but my father’s side of the family has a deep history in Alabama. My great-great grandfather’s name is Harry Tutwiler Inge. What’s the tie between the Inge’s and the Tutwiler’s? I’m not sure, but I felt a special draw from the start based on that.
Everyone here was amazing, from the doormen opening the doors to welcome us into the friendly staff at the desk- more than willing to make recommendations about where to go and what to see. The room was comfortable and I could have easily laid down and slept a good sleep right then- but there were adventures to be had.
Now, for anyone out there who follows my adventures you already know I’m a coffee fiend. If you didn’t know, well now you do. Coffee is essential to my everyday life. So when going to Birmingham visiting O’Henry’s is an essential stop.
First stop is @ohenrys for #coffee! #GirlMeetsBirmingham #sweethomealabama
A photo posted by Molly @ Southern Bon Vivant (@mollymwilkins) on
They’ve got this really cool store in Homewood that feels cozy, much like one’s living room extended into a coffee shop. There are young people, older people, families, it’s really a mixed bag of people.
And the coffee is good. Damn good.
My friend, Georgia, got their Chai Tea Latte- I could smell it from across the table and briefly questioned if I ordered the right thing.
Sidebar- I should note: whenever preparing for any trip I always plan my wardrobe ahead of time.
I also find that for me, since I am generally travelling with my camera gear, a notebook, water bottle, and computer that the right kind of gear is essential here. Thankfully I had just come across my new Legacy Design handbag at this time and it held it ALL.
Next- shopping! For anyone who has been following my website for a length of time you know I started out as a fashion writer, so this is still very much a core of the Girl Meets City series. I wanted to go and cover everything but the very cool thing about Birmingham is that while much of the neighborhoods are close together- there’s also so much to choose from. Check out some of the ones we didn’t quite make it to in this post: Boutiques of Birmingham- A Girl Meets City Behind the Scenes Post. For now we stopped into M. Lavender Boutique.
Weekend style #newarrivals #navyandwhitecombo #mlavenderstyle #weekendstyle #spring2016
A photo posted by M. Lavender Clothing (@mlavenderclothing) on
There’s a lovely little puppy dog there to greet you upon your entrance and all of the clothes that I could want to take home.
Serendipity met us here as well as my hometown soul singer Otis Redding came on the store radio. It happens on each trip that I hear either Otis or The Allman Brothers.
I always consider that to be a good sign.
I seriously wanted to come away with everything in this store- especially these adorable clutches.
But, time marches on and demanded that we move forward in our journey. And… if I’m honest… my stomach was rumbling. A lot.
Here’s where we get to one of my favorites of the trip: Saw’s Soul Kitchen. We knew we had to get barbecue on this trip, I mean, duh I’ll give you all the sideeyes if you question me on that point. The trick was, where to go? There’s so much amazing barbecue in B-ham! What was cool about Saw’s is that it’s in the recently revamped Avondale neighborhood- you’ve got Post Office Pizza and Avondale Brewing next door. There’s was also this cross fit tournament type of thing happening as we walked up, and I was very tempted to sample some of the crawfish available.
At Saw’s Soul Kitchen there’s not just barbecue, but all kinds of soul food fixings. How in the WORLD was I going to pick?! Hell, how were any of us going to pick?
Our entire crew sat down to eat here, even our camera guys. How could they not?
“Saws kitchen surpassed my expectations and made me reevaluate how southern food can be served,” Anthony said.
As it was, I ended up being last in line due to running my mouth and talking to everyone along the way. I typically always order a pulled pork sandwich when given the chance. And I know Alabama spots are known for their white sauce. But I decided to take a chance and go for the Sweet Tea Fried Chicken.
Good choice, as it turns out this is also served with the tangy white sauce that must have descended from heaven. Calorie counting? Forget it, I don’t even want to know nor do I really care.
What to do after a fulfilling lunch? Get ready for an even more amazing dinner.
We headed back to the Tutwiler to change clothes, take a rest, and get ready for dinner.
It was during the time to rest that I had to marvel some more over how many times I’ve been to Birmingham, almost every Thanksgiving since I was ten years ago, and how I had been so busy with family I never really go to see it. But before I could get too sad, I had to go on ahead and get changed.
Fully rested and ready to go we headed to The Highlands to check things out before dinner.
The Highlands Bar and Grill has been a mainstay of Birmingham culture since the year it opened in 1982. Chef and Owner Frank Stitt is someone who has worked and learned his craft across America and in Europe- even taking menial jobs like grape harvesting so as to perfect his craft.
Perfect it, he has. For someone like me, who loves food as an art form that I cannot quite replicate- but simply appreciate, it was awe-inspiring to be able to sit in the bar as he gave instructions to the waitstaff before service. I almost wanted to hide because if he made eye contact with me I might very well burst into tears at being so overwhelmed.
I’d like to think that serendipity was a factor here as well once I realized Highlands opened in November 1982, the year and month of my birth. Maybe I’m being silly and sentimental but I find that interesting.
Without a doubt, this was one of the best meals of my life. Everything was perfect from the very start. Another serendipitous moment happened when we first got here. After taking a tour and getting the video shots we sat at the bar to have a drink.
We told one of the bartenders, Stacey, we were from Macon and he said- “Macon? Macon, Georgia?” YESSS!!!!
So it turns out that Stacey’s stepfather is Jim Bodell, not someone I know well but we run in some of the same circles due to each of our involvement and ties to the Macon Arts Alliance. I. Just. Love. It. LOVE IT.
I knew I could trust anyone here to make me a good drink, but given that we now had a personal tie I was even more excited to see and taste what Stacey would create. For me, it was the French 75. It can be made with gin or brandy, in my case it was gin. I should note Stacey asked me what I drink, which is pretty much anything but at the beginning of the night I prefer to start out with gin or champagne. I love a good bourbon as much as the next Southern Belle but it tends to make for an early night for me.
Back to the French 75: gin, splash of Quantro, splash of brandy and topped with champagne and a lemon twist. In other words, perfection.
One member of our crew, Anthony, ordered the Bitter Southerner No. 3. I’m really glad he did as I’m a huge fan of that site.
I would have had another but we needed to leave and come back.
This was when we would give our video crew a break and let them changes clothes- travelling is very different when you have videographers with you. I’m used to it being me, my camera, and possibly a friend or a guide.
If I didn’t say it before, not only did my friend Georgia tag along but we also had a 2-man video crew. Big big props to Anthony and Charles for keeping up with us, checking our mics, sound levels, shot angles, telling me when I sounded stupid or keeping me in check when I would get tired and whine (hey- this is a ton of fun but also exhausting) and just in general being badasses. HUGE thanks also to Brandon who led the editing efforts afterwards, that stuff is not easy either.
So. The food. Always one of the hardest decisions to make on a Girl Meets City trip, but let me tell y’all- The Highlands isn’t a James Beard Award winning restaurant for nothing.
Absolutely everything was perfect. More kismet, more serendipity here. The boys went elsewhere, as my rare poor planning resulted in my thinking they would video tape us eating and so I made the reservation for two rather than four. So there’s that. Then because of said snafu, that meant the boys drove us to the restaurant and dropped us off- but because they would have to search for parking, and I like to be safe with my timing, we were early for our reservation.
Because we were early for our reservation we didn’t get our original table, they said they could seat us early. This comes into play later- but just remember it later. Trust me it’s an interesting plot twist and one that only seems to happen to me- and can ONLY happen in the South.
But on to the food.
As The Highlands website says, this is a French-inspired Southern dinner. Everything about them exudes class and taste and style. Dawson was our server and something that struck out to me was before we ordered anything, he noticed we were both wearing black dresses and offered to switch out the white linen napkins for black.
For wine, both Georgia and I knew we would need to go light as it was going to be a long night. Dawson offered to course out the wine with each portion but we knew that we couldn’t quite do that. So I went with his suggestion for a wine by the glass: the Barbaresco Cantina del Pino. It was just lovely, had enough body to keep up with the heavier courses but also not to overpower the lighter ones. Good fruity notes without being too much so, balanced out with earthy and oaky notes. I very much enjoyed it.
All of the food items were amazing and overwhelming in all the best ways. The Vaucluse Pork Crepinette, swiss chard, bacon, chicken liver, fried oysters.
A Winter citrus salad, Cara Cara & blood oranges, avocado, frisee, walnuts. A special surprise soup- with collards in a way that I had never had before. And then there was the fish course and meat course.
Oh, and dessert?! They didn’t let us have just one there either.
A photo posted by Molly @ Southern Bon Vivant (@mollymwilkins) on
Everything went beautifully together, and the portions were just right. I was doing great and pacing myself well until the dessert came out and all of it was some damn good that I felt like I was going to hell because I couldn’t finish them. We even had an amazing dessert wine to top it all off.
“The food was outstanding at every bite. Every server was friendly, welcoming, professional and knowledgeable. A superb experience all around,” Georgia said.
Oh, and for more serendipity. The table next to us was a group of people clearly having fun who had known each other for some time. They started to take a photo at one point and I offered to do it for them, both with their camera and mine. I told them why we were in town, and about my family roots- not just in Birmingham but also in Mobile.
And wouldn’t you know it- they know my Inge cousins in Mobile! It really brought a tear to my eye to hear the lovely words they had for my family.
We also got to talk to Pardis Stitt, Frank’s wife and clearly a large part of the restaurant. This was when I found out that the person who owns their Bottega building is a Tutwiler, and likely would know what the tie is between my family and theirs for sure. My thoughts are that we’re blood kin somewhere along the lines, but I don’t want to bore y’all with my family tree at this moment.
Something I liked about Highlands is the ease of it’s elegance. It’s not something they push or show off, it’s just what they do. It’s another day seeing them. It’s completely effortless & natural- like breathing. And I am in love. Food will never be the same for me again and I do not regret it one last bit.
Afterwards, our camera guys put their equipment away and say down to have a drink with us at The Blue Monkey Lounge. It’s a really cool spot in easy walking distance from Highlands and it was nice to get to see a little bit more of Birmingham at night. The night scene isn’t like Atlanta, where it’s so busy and crazy in some places. But it’s got a nice pace to it and still a whole lot of fun.
At this point, the activities of the day were catching up with me and all the amazing food and I was one sleepy girl.You know what? It was Uber to the rescue! Uber is new to Birmingham and I’m so glad they were available. The driver was super helpful- his name was Marion- and I gave him five stars.
I’ll also note, if you’re travelling check out the Bond Intelligent Care app, it’s an app that let’s you talk to a doctor anywhere you go! When I used it, I found out my early morning headache was just from lack of sleep, too much wine, and lots of excitement. It was easily cured by over the counter medicine.
Bill took us to find the boys the next morning, again by Uber, and was able to give us some tips and pointers about where to catch lunch.
And this was when it was time to head to Red Mountain.
NOW let me just say something in my defence right here and now. I knew we were ziplining. I didn’t know about the bridge thingy. I wore boots that I knew would hold up and could get muddy. That I anticipated. Our main camera guy, Anthony, KNEW WHAT ALL WE WERE DOING and did not tell me to pack appropriately. I blame him.
*but if i’m being honest i may have been stubborn and worn the boots anyway cause they’re cute and i wanted to look cute, too, and i overestimate my abilities sometimes… whoops*
So I’m going to post this video of him that Brandon edited… it’s just too good not to:
I loved loved loved flying through the trees. And we just, shall we say, hit the tip of the mountain of what all there is to do there. There’s even some dates when you can zip after dark! The Mega Zip is a whole one thousand feet long. I’m doing that one next time! You can camp, you can hike, you can really do it all. And they do have a package for doing it all, too.
This land is historic, too, as it was once the site of the extensive iron ore mining that fueled the growth of Birmingham.
Then it was time to eat, as we ran too late for breakfast. We stopped into The Southern Kitchen and Bar. It’s in a newer development and we just kind of stumbled across it. But I got the biscuits and gravy and coffee and a mimosa.
As good as it all was, I still needed more coffee. So while the crew paid for everything I skipped across the way to Octane for more coffee and I was happpppppyyyyyyyy. Coffee coffee coffee.
From there it was off to the Birmingham Museum of Art. I am honestly embarrassed that I didn’t realize what a first class art museum Birmingham had. These beautiful Chihuly glass sculptures greet you once you walk in. There’s Asian sculptures, African art- even artists I grew up studying from my art teacher mother and grandmother like Mary Cassatt. It’s breathtaking to see items you read about in books right up front and close.
“The incredible Dale Chihuly installation that greets you upon entering the Art Museum is a mere sample of the wide variety of wonders from across the world awaiting you inside,” Georgia said.
Next, it was the Civil Rights District.
It seems fitting that our last official stop was here. I had a really hard time speaking on camera, if it hadn’t been for Charles- our Production Assistant- joking around with me I would have been in tears and we likely would have had to stop filming. It is that powerful.
“The Civil Rights District is a beautiful and somber reminder of our nation’s past and the power of reconciliation,” Charles said.
Seeing The 16th Street Baptist Church, the sculptures replicating dogs attacking, walking in between them…. There are no words. I am humbled by the experience here and left in awe of how Birmingham went to an effort to stay true to it’s history. To honor those who gave themselves to it, to something bigger than themselves. And I am grateful to have this spot where I can sit, and watch, and try to soak up and learn.
After this we made a quick stop to visit with my family, to learn a little more about my own family history here. Then it was time to hit the road and head home.
It was nice to have Georgia in the car with me, I’m always so emotional whenever I leave a city. Here, I was leaving not a new place- but one that I was learning again. The place where my father would spend his summers. Where I spent nearly every Thanksgiving. Where my roots are so firmly placed that I share a name with the hotel where we stayed.
While Birmingham has so much of the Old South, there is very much a heavy presence of the New. It’s fast and slow all at once. It has everything anyone could want in a town. I leave every new place wanting to move there, and Birmingham is no exception. I’m already planning my return. So I really will see y’all next time!
Love to all y’all,
Molly
