Roadfood_ Revised Edition - Jane Stern [103]
A wood-paneled, colonial-themed restaurant that moved to its current location in a strip mall about ten years ago, Martin’s is busier at lunch than at supper; in fact, at noon, you will likely wait, and watch, as early-arriving customers devour their plates of irresistible fried chicken with hedonistic gusto.
Niki’s West
233 Finley Ave.
205–252–5751
Birmingham, AL
BLD | $
In the Deep South, vegetables are grown nearly year-round, and many of those vegetables are trucked to the produce center in Birmingham, where they are then shipped to destinations all over the East. Niki’s West, surrounded by warehouses and loading docks, is where the produce-haulers come to eat. We counted more than three dozen vegetables along the steam table line—far too many to even contemplate sampling some of each; so prepare yourself to make some hard choices among the likes of yellow squash casserole, fried green tomatoes, black-eyed peas, and three different kinds of seasoned greens (turnip, collard, and spinach). Some items from the market are austere enough to please even the strictest dieter: unadorned sliced tomatoes, raw vegetable vinaigrette, and baby lima beans. But the more temptatious segment of Niki’s produce repertoire is prepared according to voluptuous southern-café tradition. Broccoli is mixed with cheese and rice in a crazy-rich mélange; tomatoes are stewed with sugar and shreds of torn white bread until they become as sweet as cobbler; bright orange yams are infused with sugar; crunchy-fresh okra is sheathed in a deep-fried crust.
The decorative theme at Niki’s is the Aegean sea (fish nets, scenic art of fishing boats, etc.), and when it comes to choosing an entree, we recommend baked fish Creole, broiled mackerel, and grilled amberjack. For fish-frowners, there is always a selection of beef and pork as well as baked Greek chicken that is terrific.
Our only disappointment was dessert. In so many southern cafeterias, desserts are really big: cobblers, puddings, pies, cakes. Niki’s has all of them, but only the pleasantly balmy banana pudding stirred our passion.
Pete’s Famous Hot Dogs
1925 2nd Ave. N
205–252–2905
Birmingham, AL
L | $
A hole-in-the-wall downtown hot dog shop that can feel as snug as an MRI machine, Pete’s Famous has been dishing out cheap eats since 1915. We first learned about it thanks to a Roadfooder who goes by the handle “The Don.” The Don described Pete’s hot dogs as “the absolute best in the land, perfectly grilled every time, always on a fresh steamed bun.” He said that Pete’s hot dogs are “so good I have to hit myself in the head with a brick to stop eating them.”
We can relate. Pete’s hot dogs are addictive. They are modest-size crisp-grilled weenies, loaded into soft steamed buns, and almost always served “all the way”—with onions, sauerkraut, and tangy-sweet sauce, as well as a shot of mustard. Pete’s “special” supplements the mix with dark, beefy chili. Cheese adds a whole other level of taste to the combo and is highly recommended.
Other than hot dogs and hamburgers, there is nothing on Pete’s menu, not even French fries. If you need something on the side, bags of chips are available, and the beverages of choice are Coca-Cola and a curiously tangy grape-flavored bubbly bug juice known as Grapico. For dessert, choose from a selection of candy bars that includes Goo Goo Clusters. Expect to dine standing up.
The Waysider
1512 Greensboro Ave.
205–345–8239
Tuscaloosa, AL
BL | $
Alabama’s breakfast house for a half a century, the Waysider is the place to go for country ham with red-eye gravy and dainty-size, fluff-centered, crisp-topped biscuits and, of course, grits on the side. With the biscuits comes honey, a nice complement; the triple whammy flavor combo of salty