Pistachio cake topped with matcha mousse and caramel cremeux at Birmingham's Tasting TBL. Photo by Mason David Erwin
April 02, 2024
Your favorite restaurant is a comforting place, where the satisfaction of knowing exactly what to order is right up there with savoring the dish itself. But once upon a time, what has become “the usual” for you was a mouthwatering discovery that required taking a chance.
From high-end supper clubs to ghost kitchens and pop-ups in the unlikeliest of places, these 4 tantalizing food and drink experiences in Alabama might just inspire your next indulgence of choice.
Located inside popular coffee shop Foam, pop-up wine shop Isla offers bottles of natural sparkling wines and small-batch cabernets, chardonnays, and pinots. Photo by Jaylee Photography
This new wine purveyor in Gulf Shores has one goal: to pour you something you’ve never sipped before. Calling Isla (pronounced EYE-la) a wine shop misses the point, considering its hyper-curated collection of no more than 60 bottles gathered by industry veteran Robin Riddell Jones. “I opened Isla because I wanted something to drink,” the mother of 3 says with a laugh.
Isla is located inside popular coffee shop Foam, where a bank of shelves house wines from around the world, emphasizing varieties from family farms and wines that are made with integrity, according to Riddell Jones. After 2 decades working in all areas of the wine industry, acquiring unique imports is her specialty. At price points between $13 and $99, the collection isn’t fussy.
On the last Sunday of every month, head over to Isla for free wine tastings. Photo by Jaylee Photography
The last Sunday of every month—also the Isla wine club’s pickup day—features a distributor pouring its collection of wines for a free tasting. The tastings are an ideal way to discover new wines. “It’s very casual, very approachable,” Riddell Jones says. “You walk around, visit with friends, and try some wines you may not have tried before.”
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Michelin-circuit chef Tyler Lyne and his pastry chef wife, Jennifer, host up to 50 people in their home as part of Birmingham's Tasting TBL. Photo by Mason David Erwin
The Southeast’s hottest supper club, Birmingham’s Tasting TBL, is actually located inside a private home.
Chef Duaine Clements teams up with chefs Tyler and Jennifer Lyne in their home to host tasting menus. Photo by Mason David Erwin
Michelin-circuit chef Tyler Lyne and his pastry chef wife, Jennifer, along with chef Duaine Clements—who boasts an equally impressive culinary pedigree—host up to 50 people in their Birmingham home twice a week for a 5-course or 10-course tasting menu.
Tasting TBL bites include savory options such as butternut squash and chanterelles served with pumpkin seeds and sage. Photo by Mason David Erwin
Evenings overlooking the Lynes’ open kitchen include beverage pairings, discussions with the chefs, and rarefied dishes influenced by time spent in New York, Japan, and beyond. “There’s nowhere in the region that’s equal to what I’m doing in my home in Alabama,” Tyler says. “It’s a really special place.”
Don’t miss the Hamachi crudo with ancho amino avocado and toasted sesame at Tasting TBL. Photo by Mason David Erwin
Perhaps that’s why, 3 years in, Tasting TBL still books up every weekend. But the window for reservations is closing. When the Lynes’ new French restaurant opens in the Five Points neighborhood this year, the supper club will transform into more of a test kitchen. And only prior guests will be eligible to sample the chefs’ menu mainstays.
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Savor spiced veggie-stuffed sourdough pita pockets, also known as koshari, at Egyptian kitchen Abadir's. Photo by Sarah Cole courtesy Abadir's
Alabama’s Black Belt is an unlikely spot to savor Egypt’s favorite street foods, such as ma’amoul cookies and spiced veggie-stuffed sourdough pitas. But Abadir’s, a one-woman food venture located in a historic Victorian cottage, aims to put the world on Greensboro’s plate.
Sarah Cole started Abadir's in 2020 to promote a more mindful process of creating and sharing wholesome food. Photo by Robert Fitzpatrick
Food advocate and self-described third-culture kid Sarah Cole spent her childhood in this rural region eating her mother’s Egyptian cooking, her father’s Southern cooking, and the processed food that’s ubiquitous in working-class communities throughout the region.
She launched Abadir’s (her mother’s maiden name) in 2020 to promote a more mindful process of creating and sharing wholesome food. “I’d dreamt of this venture for a really long time,” Cole says. “It felt right to bring it back home to my community.”
After years of operating at weekly pop-ups, markets, and online, Abadir’s is expanding. It recently became Alabama’s fifth certified B-Corporation, a designation that takes into account Cole’s social and environmental missions.
Plus, an overhaul of Cole’s space downtown means that she can offer dine-in service, cooking classes, grab-and-go options, a farmers market, and even host fellow pop-up chefs. “I’ve met so many chefs in the region, and they don’t have a place to showcase what they can do,” Cole says. “I don’t want this to be just my space.”
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Accessing the hidden land of craft cocktails in downtown Auburn makes for quite the adventure. Fine-beverage enthusiasts must follow the road through a municipal parking lot, leading to a door marked with construction signs. Though it cheekily lists its address as “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” Oz is actually located behind upscale Italian eatery Il Forno, and is operated by the same team.
A faux fireplace on hinges swings open to reveal the entrance to the city’s only speakeasy, known as Oz, where the vibe is decidedly chill and cozy. Stamped-tin ceiling tiles, dramatic wood paneling, and low lighting give the watering hole, which opened in December, a 1920s smoking room feel.
“When we saw the space, it just kind of said, ‘Speakeasy!’ ” says bar manager Holly Cornelius. “It felt like a crime not to lean in to those elements that this historic building gave us.”
Enjoy libations concocted with house-made syrups in exclusive environs; seating is limited to just 27 revelers.
“A majority of places downtown cater to students,” says Cornelius. “We adore our students, but we want to cater to a different clientele.”
There are few lengths travel pro and guide author Jessica Fender won’t go to for an interesting bite. Follow her adventures—gastronomic and otherwise—on Instagram @travelerbroads.
