Today's Review
Sandwiches are packed with pork. Southern-style sides include black-eyed peas with okra. Sauces are tangy and slightly sweet. Huntsville has a new restaurant, and it’s called Moe’s Original Barbecue.
Moe’s has its own niche in the smokehouse tradition. Think barbecue, and the mind races to cities known for their own cooking styles: Memphis, Tenn.; Fort Worth, Texas; and Lexington, N.C. Where do you find Moe’s? It’s in Vail and Denver, Colo., Daphne and Fairhope, Ala. That gives Huntsville a special distinction, along with Birmingham and Tuscaloosa.
I had suggested Moe’s in Tuscaloosa several times over the last year, but my daughter said I could try the one in Huntsville anytime. We always ended up at more legendary Tuscaloosa restaurants, including Nick’s in the Sticks, The Waysider, and 15th Street Café. I finally discovered Moe’s in Huntsville this afternoon.
The atmosphere has the informal feel of Dreamland yet the warmth of Gibson’s. Customers order at the counter the way they would at Thomas Barbecue, then wait for the cook to call their name. Sandwiches and platters include pork, chicken, turkey, and catfish. The restaurant also has a shrimp Moe boy and a chicken wing plate. Prices are for a full meal: $9 for sandwiches, $10 for plates; both include two sides and a drink.
Sweating over the grill is a young cook that looks more like a computer whiz than a barbecue man. Yet he makes customers comfortable calling them by name to pick up their orders and again to invite them back as they leave.
The pork sandwich is stuffed with moist and tender meat and dripping with Moe’s special sauce. Special sides include an intriguing black-eyed pea dish with tomatoes and okra. Macaroni and cheese is another daily special, made with a mild white cheese. Banana pudding is a choice any day of the week.
Moe’s is in the former Chef’s Table building on Cecil Ashburn Drive just east of Carl T. Jones Drive. It is fast and informal and like nothing else in the bustling Jones Valley development. Give it a try.
--From April 25, 2011
Yesterday's Review
Chicken cordon bleu schnitzel was my favorite meal for many years in Huntsville. Only two restaurants served it. Then I discovered the gypsy schnitzel -- a pork cutlet smothered with a sauce of myriad flavors. It was another dish that drove taste buds wild. The dish put Café Berlin among my favorite local eateries. Its sister restaurant, Ol' Heidelberg, had been on the same level since 1978.
The last time I reviewed it for The Huntsville Times, Café Berlin earned the top rating of 4 forks and 4 waiters. That was probably 10 years ago. The restaurant today is better than ever.
Joining the bratwursts, schnitzels and other German delicacies of old are tenderloin, tilapia and even tapas platters. Iceberg wedges and Caesar salads are additional options to traditional red cabbage and sauerkraut. Creamed spinach, cauliflower or brie macaroni and cheese are unique side dishes. Desserts are still delightful.
The chef no longer worries about visits from a newspaper critic. He has no reason for it. The food and the service are impeccable.
--From April 16, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
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