Restaurant experiment: Leon’s Full Service

Leon’s Full Service

131 East Ponce De Leon Avenue at Church Street

Decatur, GA 30030

404-687-0500

http://www.leonsfullservice.com

Dave and I went to Leon’s Full Service (sister restaurant to the Brick Store Pub) for a late dinner on a Wednesday evening.  Initially we were given places at a table designed for a large party since that seemed to be the only available option.  Our hostess mentioned that we were seated in Really Rad Waitress’s section.  Besides feeling somewhat awkward at the banquet table, we were adjacent to the men’s room.  Really Rad Waitress kindly allowed us to move to a more private and cozier booth when one came up.  She had a cool personality.  I guess you have to be a hip gal to work at Leon’s.  Tattoos for bonus points.

Leon’s features a line of rotating quality beers on tap.  I perused the winter cocktail menu but it was too springy out for whiskey drinks.  The bar made me a margarita that earned my approval.

Dave had been to Leon’s several times, so he recommended we share the Brussels sprouts hash.  It smelled and tasted like a hug, so familiar and yummy.  The menu states that there’s also Pine Street bacon, Fuji apples, and sweet onions.  Bacon, it’s all you need.  The sprouts were kind of deconstructed so no little globes in case you were wondering.  I actually tried cooking some Brussels sprouts this week.  Raw, they smell sort of like broccoli.

I went for one of the specials: mixed grill of pork loukanika sausage and duck confit terrine with green lentils, sea island red peas, golden beets, dried cranberries, pork jus ($16).  I liked the sausage fine, though I found the terrine to be a little more superior.  In case you were wondering, loukanika is a Greek sausage flavored with zesty orange peel.  It wasn’t overwhelmingly orange, in case you were wondering.  The peas & lentils had a bit too much salt, and normally I don’t like beets, but the golden beets were harmless.  The pork jus jazzed up the peas & lentils.

I couldn’t pass up dessert.  Eventually Dave and I decided to split the strawberry rhubarb crumble ($5).  Wow, it was like eating a really delightful rainbow.  Everything was on point; it wasn’t too sweet, the cream complemented the fruit wonderfully, the crumble was magnificent.  Mmmmmmm.

Really Rad Waitress said they would be updating their drink menu with new spring cocktails, and today I checked the online drink menu, and lo and behold, spring cocktails have been posted.

All in all, I found Leon’s to be a fun happening place with commendable grub; the crumble was a definite highlight for me.  I hope to try their late-night poutine another time!

Restaurant experiment: El Barrio

El Barrio

2211 2nd Avenue North between 22nd and 23rd Streets North

Birmingham, AL 35203

205-868-3737

http://elbarriobirmingham.com

Laura suggested this place as a venue for her pre-birthday dinner.  Not being familiar with El Barrio and because I like new things, I readily agreed.  Having lived in Manhattan’s El Barrio, I found it to be all very amusing.  I did a little research and found out that El Barrio is from the team who brought us the delightful Trattoria Centrale.  With this pedigree, I was all the more excited.  Brigitte, if you are reading, the chef is a Kiwi!  Not too many Kiwis in Alabama, that’s for sure.

Anyway, being 7:30 on a Friday night led us to discover that there was a wait for a table.  We plopped down in seats by the bar and soaked up the coolness.  The hostess told us 30 minutes, but it was only around 10 minutes.  Managing expectations?  El Barrio is very beautifully renovated, with a gigantic mural as the showstopper.  Here’s a donkey/burro in a sombrero that glared at me.  The crowd was mixed though mostly 20/30somethings.  And lots of girls in wedges.  Looked like the place to be for date nights.

The two of us both decided on grapefruit margaritas ($6.50) for our beverages.  Yum, thumbs up from me.  Wish it were a tad cheaper though.  Laura wanted Queso Fundido ($4), and I certainly wasn’t going to argue.  Here is a picture of the queso.  To my disappointment, the huge pile of cilantro clippings did not endear me to the dish initially, but the actual taste won me over.  Laura told me to just push the cilantro aside, which is what I did.  The unmistakeable flavor of blue cheese really made the dip sparkle.

As it turns out, we both ordered the platos de tacos ($8.50) which includes your choice of two tacos, black beans, and red rice.  Laura’s two tacos were the barbacoa and pollo, and I elected to try the al pastor and the barbacoa.  The al pastor was described as “chile-marinated pork with charred pineapple salsa” and the barbacoa as “slow cooked beef, charred onions, chipotle, fresh cheese & cilantro.”  Still recovering from the cilantro party foul earlier, I specifically requested no cilantro which they took to heart, even omitting the dusting of cilantro I spotted atop Laura’s rice and beans.  The tortillas were legit, having that spongy texture that handmade tortillas possess.  I started off with the pork tacos which promptly set my lips, gums, and tongue a tingling.   A little too spicy for my tastes, but hey, no lack of flavor there.  The barbacoa was soft and hearty.  Spicy too but not as killer.  The rice and beans were a fine complement to the tacos.  I sipped more margarita to ease the hot pain.

There was a large succulent growing in a sink right outside of the bathrooms.  How neato.

Our waitress was probably the weakest point of the meal.  I don’t recall her really checking up on us, and she also didn’t seem too friendly.  She didn’t offer us dessert, horrors!

Despite her and the cilantro worship, I would definitely come back.  Laura wants to try the sidecar!

Restaurant experiment: Sitar Indian Cuisine

Sitar Indian Cuisine

729 20th Street South at University Boulevard

Birmingham, AL 35233

205-323-6500

http://www.sitarbirmingham.com

I’m not the best at reviewing Indian buffets mostly since I don’t remember what is what and what is the name of what, so this entry will be short and sweet.  Plus, I was here with colleagues so jotting down notes and such would be awkward.

Anyway, I’ve heard a lot of Sitar’s famous lunch buffet (website says they have it seven days a week), and I of course jumped at the chance to go one Friday afternoon.  Sitar apparently is a regional chain; the business card I snagged lists locations in Louisville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Huntsville, and Nashville.  Haha, I just noticed that Birmingham and Chattanooga are the only non-villes in the bunch.

I was worried we wouldn’t be able to be seated, but Sitar has a roomy space, and I was anxious for naught.  We were seated by a television which was broadcasting the weather forecast; a big storm was predicted for later, and folks were on edge.  [Spoiler: it was all overblown.]

I’m looking at the menu on the website, but I’m not sure what this bread was, but a personal standout  for me was this deep-fried and donut-like-but-not-sweet bread.  Mmm, fried bread.  I really liked everything I ate.  As with buffets, I was sad that I only got to eat a little of everything because I wanted to make sure I could try all of the dishes.  There are lots of options, sure to please veggies and non-veggies alike.  Sitar tones down the spice level for the buffet, but the dinner is supposed to be no-holds-barred; order spicy if you’d like.

Yay, dessert!  I delighted in some mango pudding with chunks of pineapple, as well as kheer.  If you like gulab jamun, the balls were up for grabs as well.  I dipped some of my mysterious fried bread into the mango, delish!  Hmm, I find it curious that I can remember the dessert names but nothing else.  That’s the sweet tooth talking!

The server and host were fine…plates cleared promptly, water filled periodically, smiling cashier.  That’s pretty much all you need with a buffet.  Two Birmingham Indian restaurants down, a few more to check out.  Good work, Sitar.

Restaurant experiment: Saw’s BBQ

Saw’s BBQ

1008 Oxmoor Road between Broadway Street and Evergreen Avenue

Homewood, AL 35209

205-879-1937

http://www.sawsbbq.com

The Brother’s friend had stated to him that Saw’s is the best BBQ in Birmingham, and Birmingham being a bastion of BBQ, that’s not a bitty statement to make.  Making sure that it was well before 7pm (this closing time still bothers me), Dave and I made it to Homewood with more than an hour until Saw locks its doors.  Whew.  There isn’t really a parking lot for the restaurant, so if you can’t find street parking, there’s a small lot at the corner of St. Charles Street and Oxmoor that seemed to be legit.

Yes, another order-at-the-counter establishment.  There was a small line at the register which allowed Dave and I to carefully ponder our dinner decision.  We ordered a family special which they had for about $26.  It included pork, buns, pickles, sauce, and two sides of your choice.  We ended up going for the baked beans and the mac and cheese.

The pulled pork was amazing!  Hands down, the best of any pulled pork I’ve eaten in this state.  I love it when the meat isn’t so finely shredded.  So soft and flavor-packed.  Superb!  You have your pick of a couple of sauces.  The one in the styrofoam, I poured over my pork.  There was a bottle of Saw’s own sauce on the table which I found wasn’t my bag since it had too much of a spicy kick for me, but Dave was a fan.  Saw’s also has a white sauce but I didn’t try it this visit.

The beans were droolworthy, though the mac and cheese really didn’t do it for me.  Dave found me crazy for thinking the latter.  Your mileage may vary.

No fried okra, and there is a lot of University of Alabama memorabilia as decorations.  Patrons are encouraged to doodle on the walls though I refrained from writing anything.

Ribs apparently were a big draw, as they were sold out of them by the time we got there, and some folks turned heel and left after they heard this sad news.  Note to self: must try ribs and white sauce next time[s].