Donuts in the Magic City

I have traveled to some towns around the southeast that have a serious donut game. Lexington, KY comes to mind. I feel like most people in Alabama spend time arguing that Krispy Kreme is better than Dunkin Donuts, or vice versa. As with most things involving food, Birmingham has really stepped up the game.

There are a couple of really distinct places that focus on doing one type of donut really well, then layering local and seasonal ingredients and toppings from there. I have no idea which one came first, but I will review two of my favorite ones.

The first is We Have Doughnuts. They are obsessed with mastering the art of the old fashioned doughnut. In my opinion, they have. Here's a sample of the type of donuts you can find from them:

1) White chocolate pistachio

2) Blueberry 

3) Pumpkin

4) Japanese Sweet Potato

5) Nutella

6) White chocolate peppermint

7) Cranberry Satsuma

8) Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate

9) Double Chocolate

10) Blackberry

11) Bacon, Cream Cheese and Pepper Jelly

The other big game in town is Hero Doughnuts. They focus on brioche-style donuts and also have seasonal and locally-sourced toppings and ingredients. 

1) Matcha Green Tea

2) Pumpkin

3) Chocolate Crisp

Another option that isn't as unique, but makes some seriously good donuts is Heavenly Donuts. I really enjoy their maple bacon version. 

Best Burger in Birmingham?

If you ask 10 people who makes the best burger in Birmingham, you're likely going to get responses that span the gamut. Is a certain place your favorite because of the variety of offerings, or because they focus on doing one thing and doing it well? Any list is going to be subjective to some degree, and although science is my day job, I don't want to incorporate it into something like ranking burgers. In fact, I'm not even going to rank my favorite burgers, but I will tell you several places that I think consistently make a good burger.

1) Hotbox at Parkside. This little gem is tucked away in the back courtyard of Parkside cafe. Although the Hotbox menu is full of asian-inspired dishes like lemongrass fried chicken and drunken noodles, they also make a seriously good burger!  It is modestly priced at $11 and unlike most dishes at Hotbox, it comes with a side (fries). This burger is a simple double-patty burger with cheese, pickles and bacon jam. I think the bacon jam takes this burger over the top.

2) Saw's BBQ. Rarely does a BBQ joint have a burger that's as famous as its BBQ, but Saw's made Garden and Gun's "Guide to the South's Best Burgers" List. There are usually several burger options, but my favorite is the Carolina burger. This burger has mustard, chili, cheese, onion, pickles and slaw. It is pretty messy, hence the fork that comes with it, but well worth a try. You can usually get it with a combo, but the burger itself is $8.99. 

3) Jack Brown's Beer and Burger Joint. If you want variety, then this is your place. The burgers all begin with a Wagyu beef patty, then the combinations are endless from there. The beef is so good that it's hard to go wrong. My two favorite are the Greg Brady and The Showalter. The Greg Brady is the Wagyu beef patty topped with house-made mc-n-cheese and Martin's BBQ potato chips. The Showalter is the Wagyu beef patty topped with bacon, a fried egg and cheese, but the buns are swapped for a Dunkin' Donuts glazed donut. .Jack Brown's also has one of the best beer selections around. 

 The Greg Brady:

The Showalter:

4) Chez Fonfon. I have reviewed this place before, but the Hamburger Fonfon is one item on their menu that isn't just another burger. It begins with a whole, 30-pound boneless chuck that Chef Frank Stitt sources from ranches. The meat is cut and ground daily at the restaurant before it is shaped into plump 8-ounce patties. A limited number is made each day, so once they're out, you'll have to wait until tomorrow. The burger is then cooked to order on a gas-fired charbroiler grill and topped with melted comte and served on a slightly grilled sesame-seed bun. The buns are made fresh every morning at Bottega, another of Stitt's restaurants. Trimmings include crisp Romaine lettuce, grilled red onion, tart cornichon pickles and a ripe, juicy tomato slice fresh from the Finley Avenue farmers market. Ketchup and a house-made Dijon-mayonnaise are served on the side. This is one of the more expensive burgers at around $17, but you pay for quality ingredients. 

5) Shindigs Food Truck. This food truck has several great burger options. Usually they serve what is in season and fresh. Two of the main stay burger options are the Willis burger and the Bama burger. The Willis burger has a grass-fed beef patty, apple-smoked bacon, gorgonzola cheese, arugula, and a blueberry mostarda. The Bama burger has two chicken patties, pimento cheese, conecuh sausage, lettuce and tomato. I also had an opportunity to try The Delizioso burger, a salmon patty-burger with smoked mozzarella, basil yogurt, prosciutti, balsamic onion, lettuce and tomato. I honestly enjoyed all 3. The burgers come in around $9 each, but you can add truffle fries for another $3. 

 Willis Burger:

The Bama:

The Delizioso:

6) The Standard at Pizitz Food Hall. This is the new kid on the block, but the chef is certainly not new to the game. Chef Matt Ralph worked under Frank Stitt at Bottega, then opened Hotbox with fellow chef Ryan Champion. He later opened his own restaurant Wooden Goat, which didn't last too long. His newest venture is getting back to the basics. A hamburger and hotdog stand called "The Standard" where he is getting back to the basics of a great burger using hand-ground beef. You can add-on things like bacon-jam, fried egg and pimento cheese. The burgers are very reasonably priced at $7 each. You can also add tots or fries for an additional $2. I chose the bacon jam. It's no secret that this burger is very similar to the hotbox burger, but it's just as tasty. 

7) Fancy's on 5th. Fancy's on 5th is right next to Parkside Cafe in Avondale and is a burger bar and oyster dive restaurant opened by the owners of Melt. The burgers are unique, and some are a mainstay on the menu. They also have weekly specials that rotate on and off the menu. One of the most interesting burgers I've ever had was their ramen burger. The buns were made of ramen noodles and inside was seared ahi tuna and ginger remoulade slaw. Another limited time special was the Godfather burger, which consisted of a meatball patty, arugula, grilled salami, basil aioli and mozzarella on a grilled brioche bun. One of their more popular choices is the Fly Pig burger which is a beef patty topped with fried pork belly, pimento cheese, pickles and BBQ sauce. 

 Ramen Burger:

 The Godfather:

 The Flying Pig:

There are probably many other places that I haven't gotten the chance to try yet, but this list is a pretty good start. I'm open to any suggestions on new places to try!

Chez Fonfon

To celebrate my wife's first Mother's Day, I told her we could go anywhere she wanted for dinner. She chose Chez Fonfon which is located in the 5 points area in downtown Birmingham. It is a casual french bistro owned by renowned chef Frank Stitt. That means that almost anything you order will be delicious, but oddly enough most people rave about the burger more than anything else. The Hamburger Fonfon was named one of the best 33 burgers in the country by the food and travel website, Thrillist. Here's what they had to say about it:

"Chez Fonfon may be a classic French bistro, but it plates an All-American caliber burger. James Beard Hall of Famer Frank Stitt grinds boneless chuck in-house to form his 8-oz. patties that get no seasonings other than a pinch of S&P. The sole frou-frou touch comes from Comte, but the cheese's nutty-sweetness melts into the beef, amping the patty's flavor. Topped with grilled red onion, lettuce, tomato, and pickle, it's hard to believe this burger could've started with escargots or foie gras paté."

It is easily one of my top 5 burgers in Birmingham, and therefore one of the best in Alabama. 

We arrived a little early hoping to beat the crowds. Chez Fonfon does not except reservations, so it pays to eat a little earlier. If you arrive and there is a wait, there's always an opportunity to get a drink at the bar while you wait for a table. 

Once we arrived at around 5:30pm, there was already a 45 minute wait. We took a seat at the bar and I had a beer while my wife enjoyed a non-alcoholic rosemary soda drink. I can't remember the exact name of it. 

My wife ordered the Hamburger Fonfon, and I wanted to try something new. I decided on the steak frites. 

We enjoyed finishing our drinks and chatting about what it's going to be like to be parents and how different that will look. Before long, our food arrived. 

Hamburger Fonfon:

Steak frites:

Everything was delicious as always. The hamburger was juicy and tasted like a grilled burger. The steak was perfectly cooked, and had a homemade salsa verde which was tasty. 

After dinner, we knew that we had to get a dessert. They very strategically place them by the front door as you come in, so you start thinking about them pretty early. 

We decided on the chocolate caramel nut tart. 

It was very good, and surprisingly the caramel was the main flavor with a slight hint of chocolate. It tasted very similar to a Skor bar, if you've ever had one of those. 

As with any restaurant owned by Frank Stitt, I suggest going at least once to try food that takes local ingredients and turns them into french masterpieces!