Little Donkey

Little Donkey Kitchen and Bar

Last night, Jennifer and I were invited out for a preview night at Little Donkey, the new Mexican restaurant in Homewood, just south of Birmingham. As if we needed another Mexican restaurant... But this is something fresh and new. It's not typical Tex-Mex. It's somewhere between Southern food and traditional Mexican fare. Nick Pihakis, a founder of local BBQ staple Jim n Nick's, is behind this bad boy. So after gorging ourselves and taking a few notes, here are my thoughts before it opens this Tuesday.

Pimento Cheese

Pimento Cheese

If you follow my tweets at all, you know I like pimento cheese. Not the store-bought, in a tub, fauxmento cheese. The creamy and bold homemade stuff. I put it on plenty of different things - a practice which only recently developed. Everything from sandwiches, to snacks, to tacos. It adds a completely unique flavor to things which call for other cheese. This is my mom's old recipe (gussied up a bit), which I wasn't a fan of as a kid. But hey, I wasn't a fan of steak either. You get wiser as you age.

Wordless Wednesday - Last Day

Buffalo Mac and Cheese

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

I promised myself when I started this I wouldn't just use other people's recipes and share them all the time - so far, so good. But then, Jennifer found this recipe for Buffalo Mac and Cheese over at Table for Two, which you should go check out. I hadn't seen it until she showed me this recipe - good stuff. Anyway, she wanted to cook it for me - and it ain't bad! She knows that I constantly joke to people that I'm a connoisseur of both Shrimp n Grits and Mac n Cheese. She also knows that I'm probably really not joking so much. But this is great stuff - a combination of a southern classic and something good and spicy? Hard to beat. And seriously, check out Table for Two.

Wordless Wednesday - Cue Shack

Southwest Salad w/ Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Southwest Salad

We had a birthday party for my mom at a family member's house a couple of weeks ago. It was southwestern/tex-mex themed, and I was asked to bring a salad. I've made a southwestern salad a few times before and thought it would be easy to do. Several people (surprisingly) told me it was their favorite part of the meal. So I decided to reproduce it here so they - and you all - could see it. It's colorful, hearty, and healthy. And it's great as a side - or if you want to use it as an easy meal, add some grilled or rotisserie chicken and you have a quick and easy meal.

Wordless Wednesday - FBS Lunch

Butts To Go

Ribs from 'Butts To Go'

It's March, which means it's officially grilling season in the South. Not that we weren't grilling anyway, what with the 70 degree winter days and all, but now it's official. And I love grilling. Meat, vegetables, everything. And I love barbeque. I love all the different styles. I really do. All of them are great. I like judging a city based on its BBQ.


Memphis dry rub style is probably my favorite - maybe because growing up near Memphis gives a lot of character to Birmingham Q. There is also a considerable amount of Carolina-style, vinegary Q around here. And of course, the Kansas City-style with lots of thick, sweet sauce is great too. As long as you start with a good meat, it's hard to beat.