Huntsville’s Best Sandwich

(From http://thebestofhuntsville.biz )

      Looking for Huntsville’s best sandwich? You’ll find it at a hometown restaurant called Dallas Mill Deli. I seem to find a new favorite there on every visit.       The deli’s Southern Reuben is tops this week. Order it, and the kitchen staff is quick to explain that this is not the classic pastrami-and-sauerkraut specialty. The Southern Reuben cushions a thick slice of bologna between rye toast. It is dressed with a Thousand Island dressing, kraut, and American cheese. For about $5.50, it is delicious.       Of course, not every customer can appreciate the distinctive tastes of sauerkraut and rye. Worry not. You can still find your own favorite here.         Before the Reuben, the toasted pimiento cheese sandwich was tops. Order it on white or wheat bread. If you ask for it all the way, expect lettuce and tomato. It costs just under $4.        For about the same price, you can get what might be Huntsville’s best burger. It is pretty basic, but with a delightful taste. You never know what makes a cheeseburger special. This one is reminiscent of one served in the bar of Huntsville’s long-ago Boots Restaurant.        Dallas Mill Deli has become legendary as a hometown restaurant in only a few years. It opened in 2006 near the intersection of Pratt Avenue and Washington Street, just outside of the historic Dallas Mill Village. Its walls are covered with pictures and memorabilia from Huntsville’s past.       The deli became a neighborhood hangout for downtown office workers and professionals, as well as residents of the nearby historic districts. After several years in business, it stopped serving breakfast and put a lunch truck on the streets to hit the city’s research parks and construction sites.
      Another of the best choices at Dallas Mill Deli is its strawberry pretzel salad, which is listed as a dessert. It is a refreshing combination of strawberry gelatin and sweetened cream cheese on a pretzel crust. It’s displayed in a glass cooler with other desserts and salads. If you’re on the run, stop and grab a slice of it. You’ll be back soon.
      Dallas Mill Deli is at 500 Pratt Ave. N.W.; zip code 35801. It’s open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The phone number is (256) 489-3354.
Say hello to Kaki, who works there. She’s my daughter.

--November 8, 2012


Farewell to Pauli's
      One of Huntsville’s premier restaurants, Pauli’s Bar and Grill, has closed its doors. Owner Paul Thornton this week e-mailed his loyal patrons that this was “the hardest decision I have ever had to make.”

      Pauli’s and its adjoining tapas restaurant, Vinotini, closed permanently last Friday night. Thornton had planned to turn ownership of the restaurant over to his mother, but “her financing fell apart,” he said. That led to his decision to close.
      Thornton’s message went to customers who participated in his “Birthday Program,” an electronic messaging network that he said he plans to expand city wide. He said customers with gift certificates can e-mail him, and he will find another establishment to honor the offer or make other restitution.
      Pauli’s opened at the corner of Slaughter Road and U.S. 72 West in 1998. Thornton had earned a reputation on the staff of the Green Bottle Grill on Airport Road, which was Huntsville’s top restaurant of the 1980s and ’90s. Matt Martin, also from Green Bottle, had been executive chef at Pauli’s for nearly a decade.
      Thornton’s farewell e-mail thanked his family and friends for their patronage at Pauli’s. He lauded the loyalty of his staff and encouraged other restaurants to offer them new opportunities.

--October 2, 2012

Yesterday's Review

      City Café Diner in Huntsville is much more than its name implies. Neon lights create a retro perspective. All-day breakfast and black-and-white aprons are hints of a diner. Meatloaf, liver and onions, country-fried steak or catfish filets are standards at most Southern cafes.

     But what about chicken Marsala, Greek moussaka and Cajun jambalaya pasta? Who can imagine nearly half-dozen variations on the gyro?

     City Café Diner offers all of these without sacrificing quality for quantity. And helpings are plentiful.
     This restaurant has its roots in Savannah, Ga., and branches that reach as far north as New York. With more than two dozen locations, it still seems to have no official website. Google “City Café Diner,” and you’ll find thousands of choices.
     That’s much like the official printed menu soon to roll out in Huntsville. It has page after page of selections – enough to cover 24 hours a day, which will soon be the regular schedule. City Café Diner began opening at 6 a.m. this week.
     The restaurant is next door to Cracker Barrel off South Memorial Parkway at Drake Avenue. The building was first a Mexican restaurant called Tia’s Tex-Mex before being transformed into a Chinese Royal Buffet. As City Café Diner, it has become open and spacious, with a dineresque noise level and lively atmosphere.
     Business has been brisk during its first few weeks open, and repeat customers are becoming the norm. A huge dessert case is hard to miss coming in or leaving the restaurant. Expect to pay between $8 and $10, whether you have breakfast, a mid-day sandwich, or dinner. A few entrees range up to $15.
     RaeRay tried breakfast there about 11 a.m. Tuesday. Service was very good; pancakes and eggs-and-bacon were pretty basic. Grits had the texture of oatmeal.
     We’ll go back, though, for the gyros, the patty-melt, the Reuben, the liver-and-onions and the lasagna. City Café Diner has it all.

--September 11, 2012

 

Yesterday's Review
     Zoe's Kitchen adds a new niche to Huntsville's restaurant scene. Zoe's is a fast-casual, Mediterranean-influenced restaurant founded in Birmingham some 13 years ago.
      The Huntsville location is on Whitesburg Drive, in the former Tony's Little Italy space at Village on Whitesburg. It adds a new dimension to this restaurant haven at the corner of Whitesburg and Airport Road, which features no fewer than eight eateries now and another under construction.
      Hummus, orzo, Greek salads, kabobs, pita chips, and wraps give the restaurant its Mediterranean theme. Potato salad, eggs salad, and pimiento cheese add a Southern flavor. The pimiento cheese differs from Mom's with its spicy kick.
      Someone's mom must have made it this way, though. The original Zoe's Kitchen was a mom-and-pop's eatery in Birmingham's Homewood subdivision, operated by Zoe Cassimus and her husband Marcus. In 2002, their football-star son John, a former running back for the Alabama Crimson Tide, joined the operation. Since then, more than 60 more Zoe's locations have appeared across the South from Maryland to Arizona. Huntsville's is the 13th in Alabama.
      Zoe's opened on Thursday, and the restaurant was spilling over at midday when RaeRay came to visit, needing to be at work in precisely one hour. The crowd seemed overwhelming, but once through the line, our food came in a minutes.
      As mentioned before, the pimiento cheese sandwich had a spicy kick, in spite of its claim as a "Southern favorite." It's listed as a vegetarian offering.
      Topping the list of grilled sandwiches is the Gruben, which is as good as any sandwich in Huntsville. It's a variation on the Reuben only replacing the corned beef, sauerkraut and Thousand Island with grilled turkey, slaw and spicy mustard. All of this on rye creates a robust savour. Even the roasted fresh vegetables -- boring at other restaurants -- burst with flavor.
     On this day, RaeRay could have tried Yaya's hand-made chocolate cake or house-baked cookies for dessert with time to spare. But, no, let's get on to work. Forty minutes was the total time -- not bad for the second day of serving.
      What other restaurants are on this corner of Airport and Whitesburg? Well, here's a list of just the northwest quadrant:
Ding How II
Jason's Deli
Panera Bread
Nothing But Noodles
Subway
Momma Goldberg's
Bonefish Grill
Shane's Rib Shack

                                                                                       --July 6, 2012

Today’s Review

I apologize to anyone who has looked here for a new review over the last few months. I’ve lapsed, but I plan to do better. Several things I could have pointed out here if I just took the time. A project called Raeray’s Great Adventure again proved to me how much I love writing. It filled some of the space in my mind that has been empty for some time. This renewed venture with thebestofhuntsville.biz can do the same.

My eating habits have changed drastically since I began punching a time clock. Years of setting my own schedule left me eating once a day at times—often just at lunch with friends or dinner with the family. Now I have a pastry or cereal for breakfast without fail. If I have a lunch hour, I come home for two sandwiches or leftover chili or meat and vegetables. When I can eat out, I make convenient choices.

Regular habits are difficult when you may work one day at 6 a.m., the next at 1 p.m., and then at 10 a.m. Quick meals on the way to work might consist of a Schlotzsky’s sandwich, a plate full of Krystals, or the $5 special from Hardee’s, which includes a burger, hot dog, fries, dessert, and drink. If I have time, I’ll stop at Mellow Mushroom, where a slice of pizza and salad – the Caesar is very good – is a reasonable lunch, minus the exceptional tip for my daughter, Morgan, who works there. My favorite noontime meal on mornings off is the toasted Pimiento cheese sandwich at Dallas Mill Deli, where my other daughter, Kaki, works.

During free evenings, my wife, Jenny, and I hit the special deals at nearby restaurants. Ruby Tuesday’s continues to prepare us its Parmesan cream sirloin from a previous menu. We do the Chili’s two-person deal with spinach dip and burgers, or we take advantage of Logan’s Roadhouse’s special that includes the mini –desserts in a pail. And practically every Wednesday, we order dinner to go at Bonefish Grill, where the famous Bang-Bang Shrimp is on special at $5.

These are a few of my current BESTs, but I vow to keep more coming in the future. Please join me in the journey.

                                                                                --June 26, 2012

New Reviews of Huntsville Restaurants from http://thebestofhuntsville.biz

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

Old Huntsville Magazine features the late Bill Easterling

The Life and Times of BILL EASTERLING
By Mike Kaylor
(As published in Old Huntsville Magazine No. 198, August 2009)

Dressed in pajamas, he sat on the edge of his bed with feet on the floor. His voice was weak, but his determination was strong. It was the last week of December, and he was flipping through the pages of a book just off the presses. It missed the bulk of the gift-giving season because of a series of printing snafus. He struggled to flash a smile.

“We’ll sell these books for many Christmases to come,” he said, emphasizing the word “we.” Bill Easterling knew he had cancer; he knew how hard it was to sit up in bed. He even labored to breathe. But the determination never faltered. That was Bill’s last night alive. Barely past his 60th birthday, a gloried and storied life came to an end on Dec. 28, 2000.

Bill Easterling was a sage to sports fans across Alabama during the 1960s and ’70s. He was the sports editor of The Huntsville Times, and his grasp of Alabama and Auburn football, Huntsville and North Alabama high schools had boosted him to legendary status. His behind-the-scenes antics and fast living made him an idol among his cohorts in the press box.

Young Bill had arrived in Huntsville in 1949 at the age of 9. His father, William Rhodes Easterling, was a government employee transferring from Texas to Redstone Arsenal. The family consisted of “Slim,” as friends called the elder Easterling, his wife Eleanor, and three boys – Edward, Bill and Charles. They lived first in the Farley community south of Huntsville before moving into an area known as the old Dallas Mill village. Bill attended Rison School, which had been built by the mill, and graduated from Huntsville High School. He was toying with college classes when he landed a job at the newspaper.

Copy carriers were the so-called “gophers” of the press. They raced from department to department with scraps of paper that would eventually land on readers’ doorsteps as news. The copyboy might run to the nearest sandwich shop when editors were hungry or fill up bosses’ cars when they were too busy. Most of them knew their places in the organization. Not little Bill.
A new editor named Leroy Simms had arrived from Birmingham in 1961, and he had summoned all personnel of The Huntsville Times to meet him. As they gathered, he asked each to give their name and position. This bubbly teenager listened intently, and finally his time came to speak. “I’m Bill Easterling, and I run this damned place,” he said. Instantly, the publisher took a liking to him, and Bill’s career at The Times began a meteoric rise.

Bill’s insights in large part made The Huntsville Times one of the foremost newspapers in Alabama. He shifted to the news desk in the mid-1970s and became state and then city editor. He was climbing a ladder that began at the lowest rung.

His rise continued despite a few small bumps along the way. Not long after New Jersey newspaper magnate S.I. Newhouse bought The Times, the new owner was in town checking on his investment. He made a necessary stop in the men’s room one morning, and young Bill just happened to be there too. Bill saw a pair of shoes in the next stall that he thought belonged to a co-worker. He stomped the toes. The response was silence. Bill later learned those were not his friend’s feet.

Bill had already enjoyed a successful career of nearly 25 years at The Times when he became the newspaper’s daily columnist. It was a coveted job for any writer, yet a constant chore to crank out a new tale five days a week. The words that began to flow bared the writer’s soul – his empathy, his mood swings and his unfaltering opinions. His became a household name.
A preacher’s wife who lived on Huntsville’s Country Club Circle stopped in at a neighbor’s house one day to collect for the Heart Fund. When she heard that Bill Easterling was on his way over, she seemed in no hurry to leave. She had read his columns regularly in The Times, and she was anxious to meet him.

Suddenly, the front door flew open and a man with wispy grey hair, squinting eyes and a prominent nose burst into the room. “Those damned drivers on the Parkway scare the hell out of me,” he roared. Then he looked at the elderly stranger. “Isn’t that the truth?”

The woman’s eyes were wide with dismay, but her look slowly changed to admiration as Bill’s grin spread from ear to ear. His warm expression could melt away any sort of tension. The woman babbled about how many people she knew who had been featured in his columns. She told him she hoped he would write a book. She beamed as she headed out the door and back down the lane.

No one could predict what words might explode from the mouth of Bill Easterling; however, they would likely be profound. In the same way, his columns were equally honest. That’s why so many people turned to the second page of the newspaper first.

His readers knew Bill’s likes and dislikes. When he was struggling for a topic for the next day’s column, he might begin with the words: “These are the things I love….” On another day it might begin “If I could be in charge of 1992:” or “Some Wisdom in the Still of the Night.” He was always chiding himself in print about his smoking or other habits. He wrote on April 4, 1993, about the second anniversary of his conquest of smoking. He mused that “So many people have turned against smokers, I’m almost sorry I deserted.” Bill wrote a similar column in October 1994, a year after he had quit drinking. He vowed at the end of the article to never mention it again, and he probably never did in print. He did point out his lifestyle change, though, to friends who kept living life on the edge.

Concerning alcohol, Bill said he kept drinking for years because he “didn’t want to surrender my image as a fast-playing, hard-drinking newsroom legend.” His image had found him married just out of high school, missing many of his two children’s firsts as he buried himself in Alabama’s sports rivalries and the festivities that surrounded them. By the time he had begun writing human-interest columns at The Times, he had ended one marriage, started a new one and made amends with his almost-grown children.

He had a love-hate relationship with golf, and the game fueled a fiery temper. He could throw a golf club about as far as he could hit the ball. He talked of Alabama’s legends, such as Paul “Bear” Bryant and Ralph “Shug” Jordan, as if they were ordinary people. He shared many hours solving the world’s problems with his one-time brother-in-law Floyd Hardin on a porch swing at Jackson Way Barber Shop.

Bill said time and again that he couldn’t believe someone would pay him to do what he did. After leaving sportswriting, he loved the human-interest columns about people he found on backroads and dusty country lanes. He had corralled all of his addictions except his zeal for the written word. Then his whole world changed. Medical exams and blood tests were showing something awry in his body. His energy level was faltering.

On July 18, 1999, he told his readers the whole story. It began with the words: “I woke up one morning and something didn’t seem right.” Later in the column he proclaimed that he had “written about people who just simply refused to let life’s slings and arrows destroy their faith,” and he said their stories were an inspiration to him. “Now I get a chance to see if I can handle what’s ahead of me with the same kind of dignity and class and bravery those people displayed.”

That he did for the next 17 months and 10 days. He kept his followers apprised of his condition from month to month. His column might disappear for a few weeks during surgery and recovery, but it always returned. While going through the stress and pain, he collected many of his favorite columns from the 1990s for a book to be published in time for the Christmas shoppers. It was called “A Locust Leaves Its Shell.”

Scheduling at the printing company carried the production into November. A truck driver quit his job and left a trailer filled with Bill’s books on the side of the road between the printer and binder. Soft cover copies arrived around Thanksgiving, and Bill was treated with a handful of autograph parties. But his health was getting worse. He struggled to sign copies of the hard cover books when they arrived only days before Christmas.

His last column in The Huntsville Times was published on Nov. 28, 2000. It was a light-hearted tale about losing his hair and how it was growing back black and curly instead of thin and grey. His beard also had a distinct five o’clock shadow look. A summary of his cancer columns published in mid-December included a letter to Santa Claus. “I’m not afraid of facing what every man with a potential life-threatening disease faces: I’m not afraid to die. I was before I got ill, and stayed that way for an awfully long time. Then it went away, that feeling of apprehension, that dreading of what was in front of me. I just quit worrying and let THE expert take over.” He said he was thankful for the arrival of a granddaughter several weeks earlier, for his wife Pat and his children Leigh Ann and Mike.

From his bed, Bill saw no reason for fuss. He had told Santa in his letter that no one needed good health to celebrate the true reason for Christmas. “So, Santa Claus, I believe that’s about all I have to say about the subject as this Christmas season quickly approaches. But I naturally feel sure you and I will be talking about it some more in 2001. Thanking you kindly, Billy.”


If you would like a copy of Bill’s book, “A Locust Leaves Its Shell,” send $5 (includes shipping and handling) to Mike Kaylor, P.O. Box 737, Huntsville, AL 35804. Books will be mailed U.S. Postal Service book rate or hand-delivered to the address included. For multiple copies, contact Mike at the e-mail address: mike@thebestofhuntsville.biz.

Huntsville dines, shops in Mike Kaylor's thebestofhuntsville.biz

Huntsville shoppers can find their favorite stores, and diners can find the best and most enduring restaurants at http://thebestofhuntsville.biz. This is the site that is growing into a new print edition of THE BEST OF HUNTSVILLE by Mike Kaylor. At the present time, it features the restaurants, nightclubs and stores that have survived the quarter century since the first edition of THE BEST OF HUNTSVILLE was published. Mike was restaurant critic for The Huntsville Times for more than two decades before leaving the newspaper at the end of June. The book also features tourist attractions from around the area, arts and entertainment groups, annual events and other Huntsville peculiarities.

Two editions of THE BEST OF HUNTSVILLE appeared in 1984 and 1985. Now, 25 years later, a new edition is in the works. Kaylor is soliciting input from long-time readers, friends and family for restaurants, clubs, sights, stores, arts groups and other entertainment spots around the Tennessee Valley. The original book was nearly 150 pages and included an index to make it easy to find items for addresses and phone numbers. It was handy as a reference book in the home or car for looking up favorite spots.

Mike Kaylor arrived in Huntsville in 1977 as assistant state editor of The Huntsville Times. He served through the next three decades as assistant city editor, business editor, entertainment editor, ShowTimes editor, Leisure editor, assistant systems editor, nightlife columnist, restaurant critic and page designer. He wrote about clubs and restaurants weekly for 31 years, while handling other responsibilities at The Times. He left newspaper during a voluntary reduction in force/buyout to pursue other ventures.

Check out what's new in http://thebestofhuntsville.biz

Mike Kaylor's new edition of THE BEST OF HUNTSVILLE book is beginning to take shape. Since Mike Kaylor left The Huntsville Times, he has time for transcribing the 1985 edition on this web site and at http://thebestofhuntsville.biz to get it in order for printing. It may take another month or two, but it's going to come together.

Check out the site and offer comments.

Thanks and bon appetit!!!!

Mike

New restaurants at http://thebestofhuntsville.biz

Check out the new entries in http://thebestofhuntsville.biz/. Find more upscale restaurants listed, both local creations and regional chains. Also, check out some of the BEST meat-and-four diners in town. Click the DINING page on the right side of the HOME PAGE.

Thanks for joining us. I look for your comments as the new book develops.

Bon appetit!!!!


Mike
cazit@knology.net

Huntsville’s Top 10 Restaurants

This list will be constantly changing and updating as new restaurants arrive and as tastes change around town.

Pauli’s Bar & Grill
Upscale dining has never been so cozy and friendly as this neighborhood restaurant. It is on the border between Huntsville and Madison – a premier dining experience for both cities. 7143 U.S. 72 West. Phone: 722-2080.

Cotton Row Restaurant
This sidewalk café is downtown Huntsville’s answer to big-city dining. Enjoy a gourmet meal streetside, at the bar or in a rustic wine cellar below ground. 100 South Side Square. Phone: 382-9500.

The Chef’s Table
Tapas is a Spanish style of dining that’s best shared, and this restaurant provides a dining experience like nothing else in Huntsville. The food is divine, and watching the chefs work is an amazing show. 2030 Cecil Ashburn Drive S.E. Phone: 880-7333.

801 Franklin
Fine dining and a lively bar are the attractions at this restaurant in the city’s Medical District. Its calendar is always filled with special events. 801 Franklin St. Phone: 519-8019.

Dolce
Huntsville meets Hollywood at this upscale restaurant in the exclusive Bridge Street shopping and entertainment complex. It has the glitz and glamour of the movies, and fittingly so, since a group of stars own Dolce. It has a sister restaurant next door called Ketchup.
365 The Bridge St. N.W. in Bridge Street Town Centre. Phone: 327-8385.

Grille 29
The exclusive Providence Town Centre planned community is the perfect spot for an innovative dining experience such as this. The menu is eclectic, and the desserts are heavenly.
475 Providence Main St. N.W. Phone: 489-9470.

The Chop House
Choice steaks are the attraction at this restaurant that is part of Washington Square – a trifecta that includes Humphrey’s Bar & Grill and Mason’s Pub. They have pumped new life into the downtown area.
109 Washington St. Phone: 704-5555.

D&L Bistro
This casual eatery has quietly become one of Huntsville’s favorites. It is fine dining with a friendly atmosphere.
7500 Memorial Parkway S.W. at Main Street South. Phone: 881-7244.

Mezza Luna
Upscale meals take on a Mediterranean aura at this Jones Valley restaurant. The owners trained under Alabama’s master chef, Frank Stitt. 2724 Carl T. Jones Drive S.E. Phone: 650-2514.

Wildflour Bistro
Fine dining can be healthy. Vegetarian and heart-friendly meals are mainstays, and they never lack flavor. This bistro offers something for every taste. 501 Jordan Lane N.W. 722-9401.

Dining--Tried and True (Part 4)

Huntsville’s Largest Sandwich
Even Blondie’s man Dagwood wouild have had trouble puttinig away an entire sandwich from Schlotzsky’s Deli in Huntsville. The mozzarella cheese makes this monstrosity nip at your pizza fancy, while balancing your meals with sandwich meats, shredded lettuce and special sauces. Actually, if your appetite is small, Schlotzsky’s has a smaller version . The Huntsville area has threee locations at 4319 University Drive N.W. Phone: 830-6400; 11120 Memorial Parkway S.W. Phone: 650-6300; and 8969 Madison Blvd. in Madison. Phone: 464-5300.

Elegance American Style
As many as 10,000 Huntsvillians qualify to join the Redstone Arsenal Officers’ Club on the sprawling army base that makes up the city’s southwest border. The modern military club is open for membership to all officers, to arsenal civilian workers or to Department of Defense employees ranked GS-7 and above. Dining, entertainment, catering and othe rconveniences are available to the club’s 3,000 members. Redstone Arsenal. Phone: 830-2582.

Best-Balanced Meal Anytime
For a really well rounded meal of your own choosing, try Piccadilly Cafeteria. Huntsville once had locations in all of its malls, but the Parkway Place restaurant has sifted out as the lone survivor. 2801 Memorial Parkway S.W. Phone: 536-6440.

An After Church Sunday Dinner
Ryan’s Family Steakhouse has two locations that have become favorites for Sunday lunch. They feature a fine fresh salad bar, soups and more than just beef entrees. 10017 Memorial Parkway S.W. Phone: 882-0863; and 1808 University Drive N.W. Phone: 536-0586.

A Beautiful Morning Buffet
Hands down, the best breakfast buffet in Huntsville is put out at Shoney’s restaurant. It has everything, and plenty of it – fruit, juices, eggs, biscuits, muffins, sausage links and patties, cereal, the list goes on. 905 Memorial Parkway N.W. Phone: 539-8433.

A Super Shopper’s Meal Anytime
Ruby Tuesday restaurants often appear in shopping malls, but the wide menu selection and the lively bar atmosphere attract more than the shopping crowd. In Huntsville, Ruby Tuesday has become a neighborhood hangout spread across town. 11594 Memorial Parkway S.W. Phone: 883-3105; 110 Tom Thrasher Lane in Madison. Phone: 461-8282; 7814 U.S. 72 West in Madison. Phone: 830-5050; 4901 Whitesburg Drive S. Phone: 880-8214.

Dining--Tried and True (Part 3)

A Black Tie Meal
The downtown Holiday Inn’s Lofton’s offers a specialized menu and dining in a most elegant style. This is an uper-class restaurant – from the selections to the service. The chef creates gourmet specials most evenings along with the regular steak and seafood fare. And don’t dare miss the dessert cart. The room is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and is located in the hotel just across from the Von Braun Center. 401 Williams Ave. S.E. Phone: 533-1400.

Noble Samurai Specialties
Juggling knives isn’t an art confined to circuses. At Shogun Japanese Steakhouse, it is part of the routine that brings some of the best stir-fried veggies, chicken and shrimp onto your plate. The food is prepared there right before your eyes. 3991 University Drive N.W. Phone: 534-3000.

The Most Talked About Barbecue
Anyone who has lived for any length of time in Madison County has discovered Greenbrier Bar-B-Que just across the western border in Limestone County. Nobody cooks pork, beef or chicken like the folks at this down-to-earth restaurant. And pick up a pint of white sauce for your next backyard cookout. 15050 Alabama 20, Exit 3, on I-565 West at Greenbrier Road. Phone: 256-353-9769.

Smoothest Sailing for Seafood
Seafood restaurants in Huntsville have found the going rough, but Red Lobster seems to have weathered every storm. This chain restaurant continues to thrive against the fast-food competition. The service is consistent, and cocktails are available. 1818 University Drive N.W. Phone: 533-2880.

The Best Barbecue Ribs
One restaurant that is sure to put meat on your ribs, literally, is Thomas Pit Barbecue. This has been among Huntsville’s favorite smokehouses for years for take-out or eating in. And if it’s a whole pig you need for a special roast, Thomas can fill the bill. 7929 U.S. 72 West in Madison. Phone: 837-4900.

Dining--Tried and True (Part 2)

The Tastiest Thin Pizza
Before the major pizza chains arrived in Huntsville, Big Ed’s ws everyone’s choice, and many still swear by it. Big Ed’s was first hidden in a small shopping center near the intersection of Pulaski Pike and Oakwood Avenue. It now has an easy-to-find location near the corner of Memorial Parkway and University Drive. It’s the oldest surviving pizza parlor in town. 903 Memorial Parkway N.W. Phone: 489-3374.

The Cream of the Crop in Coffee
If ever Huntsville had a coffeehouse, the Kaffeeklatsch is it. Anytime your tastebuds scream for caffeine, the ’Klatsch can answer them. In the ’50s, this hangout would have suited the Beatniks perfectly. Likewise, it would have beeen hip in the ’60s, and it truly was far out when it appeared in the 1970s. What’s left? The Kaffeklatsch is open daylight hours serving pastries and a variety of coffee blends. An adjoining bar is a popular nightspot, featuring blues, jazz and other unorthodox entertainment. 103 Jefferson St. N.E. Phone: 539-1636 and 536-7993.

Meanest Meat Ball Sandwich
Stanlieo’s Sub Villa believes that sandwiches are the spice of life, and the meat ball sandwich here is definitely the spiciest in town. This isn’t the only imaginative creation at Sanlieo’s, though. Try the steak and cheese or the submarine at either of the two locations. 605 Jordan Lane N.W. Phone: 837-7220; 602 Governors Drive S.W. 536-6585.

The Very Best of Everything
In searching for favorite specialty items at Huntsville restaurants, the name of one popular chain restaurant surfaces over and over again. It is T.G.I.Fridays, the place with the most extensive menu in town. Give yourself time to browse through the voluminous booklet of appetizers, brunch items, entrees, desserts or whatever suits your fancy. It is beyond belief how a single kitchen could produce so many different specialties. Folks mention the nachos, cheese sticks, chicken fingers, burgers or brunch. This is also a fun place to take the children. 4935 University Drive N.W. Phone: 830-2793.

The Best Knife-Throwing Show in Town
When you’re looking for a place to take a lively bunch of adults or youngsters, Mikato Steak House is always a crowd pleaser. The cooks juggle their knives before your eyes, speak their own style of Japanese-American language and create stir-fried finery. Areas are sectioned off to make each group of diners feel that they are having their own private party. In fact, you expect geisha girls to appear anytime. 4061 Independence Drive N.W. Phone: 830-1700.

A Cheap But Clean Meal Anytime
For years, peoople have been traveling from the far reaches of the city to feast on the hot dogs, cheeseburgers and fried chicken at Mullins Drive-In. The curb service is gone, but don’t be shy to walk in, regardless of your attire, to witness middle-class Huntsville at its best. Actually, politicians find this an attractive place for a little hand-shaking on the sly when their other hangouts are closed. Had Mullins been open when Andrew Jackson marched his men through here in 1814, they would’ve surely stopped. 607 Andrew Jackson Way N.E. Phone: 539-2826.

These are six of more than two dozen restaurants included in this Tried and True chapter of THE BEST OF HUNTSVILLE.

Dining--Tried and True

These are restaurants that survive from the 1985 edition of THE BEST OF HUNTSVILLE. The descriptions are as they were originally written unless the restaurant has moved or substantially changed since then.

The No. 1 Greasy Spoon
To lubricate your bones at any hour of the day, Big Spring Café No. 2 awaits. This is the successor of Big Spring Café, displaced and forgotten many years ago. Stop in before your next hunting trip to stock up on some vittles that will keep you warm. 2906 Governors Drive S.W. Phone: 539-9994.

The Best of Bavaria
This isn’t old Germany, but you would never know by the décor, the waitresses or the food at Ol’ Heidelberg. This fine restaurant offers the best variety of schnitzels and wursts this side of the Rhine River. Ol’ Heidelberg also has one of the largest wine selections available at any restaurant in Huntsville. And a weinstube in the midst of this establishment offers a place for an Oktoberfest anytime. 6125 University Drive N.W. Phone: 922-0556.

The Reuben That You Been Thinkin’ Of
One of Huntsville’s oldest surviving sandwich shops is Duffy’s Delicatessen. Former Alabama football player Duffy Boles opened this sandwich shop nearly 35 years ago, and it’s been feeding lunch to a regular crowd of office-workers ever since. The Greek desserts are a nice ending to your meal. 2324 Whitesburg Drive S.E. Phone: 533-4179.

The Numero Uno in Cheese Dip
Set your tastebuds on fire with a bowl of cheese dip from El Palacio restaurant. This Mexican eatery is tucked away near the intersection of Governors Drive and Memorial Parkway. The stucco walls and ceiling give this the atmosphere of a real adobe mansion. 2008 Memorial Parkway S.W. Phone: 539-6075.

Blue-Ribbon Homemade Pies
Before Gibson Barbecue, Mother always baked the best pies. But during the last 50 years, this family restaurant has taken over that distinction. Gibson’s has the most delicioius, homemade pies and sky-high meringue. Lemon ice-box, pecan, coconut, you name it – they’re all good complements to a meal of barbecue pork, beef or chicken at either of Gibson’s two locations. 3319 Memorial Parkway S.W. Phone: 881-4851; and 8412 Whitesburg Drive South. Phone: 882-0841.

These are the first five of more than two dozen restaurants included in this Tried and True chapter of THE BEST OF HUNTSVILLE.

Introduction

Condominiums are sprouting up where cotton has grown for years. More and more new clothing stores and specialty shops appear, and they find a profitable place among the long-established businesses. A town with much tradition and pride in its past is making history as the future unfolds. This is Huntsville – the self-proclaimed Rocket City and one of America’s top technology centers. If you live here already, you are to be applauded. Visitors should beware that Huntsville is contagious, and it is catching.

I caught onto the city quite by accident in 1977. There was a job opening at The Huntsville Times, and I wanted it. With it came an opportunity to live in one of the nation’s fastest growing cities. My first few weeks here, I stared out the window of my one-bedroom apartment at the cotton fields that stretched for miles to the west. Today, those fields are gone — replaced by apartments, condominiums, warehouses and office complexes.

Since moving to Huntsville, I have tried to take advantage of as many of its pleasures as possible. At The Times, I began writing a column in 1979 called “Night Moves,” which covers the city’s nightlife. The idea for the original THE BEST OF HUNTSVILLE, published in 1984, stemmed from the many phone calls I received from readers wanting to know where to entertain visiting friends or where to take their spouse on a special occasion. This second edition of THE BEST OF HUNTSVILLE reflects changes that had come during the following year. It includes more than a dozen new eating establishments and nightclubs, as well as several dozen additional suggestions for shopping. None of the businesses have paid to be in the book. All opinions expressed herein are my own, and the choice of items to include was entirely mine. At the same time, I would like to commend those businessmen and women whose establishments are included here, and I would especially like to congratulate those that have remained unchanged from the first edition. In addition to making it easy on the author, they have proven to have consistent service.

Of course, this book could never have come to pass without the enthusiasm of civic leaders and support of co-workers and bosses at The Times. My family encouraged me to continue during long nights when the Sandman begged me to sleep. I would also like to thank the many friends who have assisted by editing, proof-reading or helping research this book. Without people like them living here, Huntsville’s attractions would have little meaning.

So we come to the pages of a new THE BEST OF HUNTSVILLE. May you find it entertaining and informative, and may it help you find better ways to enjoy our wonderful city. If any of your favorites have been omitted, please let me know for future reference. And if any of thse bests fall by the wayside, look at this book as a way of recording the way Huntsville was. If anyone during the 21st century discovers a copy of THE BEST OF HUNTSVILLE and finds anything in it interesting, the work will not have been in vain. But for today, join me as we travel though these pages to THE BEST OF HUNTSVILLE.

--Mike Kaylor

NOTE: This was the Introduction from 1985 slightly edited and updated for clarity.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Dining

Specialty Items

The Right Stuff

Bill of Fare

Time of Day

Entertainment

Pubs and Clubs

The Arts

Sports and the Outdoors

For the Little Ones

Sights

Shopping

Things for the home

Things to Wear

Odds and Ends

Surrounding Area

Dining

Entertainment

Sights

Shopping

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous

Annual Events

People, Places and Things

Index

Foreword by Bill Easterling

I was 9 years old on a morning that sparkled when I first saw Madison County from the top of Brindlee Mountain, and I knew I had found my home. There were five of us jammed into a 1946 Chevrolet with suitcases, pots, pans -- just the essentials to begin a new life until our furniture arrived from Texas. My father, a government employee, had transferred to Redstone Arsenal, and I remember how uneasy we all felt when he gave us the news that we were going to some place called Alabama.

Now on this beautiful day, after a long night's drive, he pointed his bony finger over the steering wheel and said to my mother, my two brothers and me: "There it is!" That was in 1949, and I've been in Huntsville ever since, except for a few months some years ago when I became temporarily insane and worked for a newspaper in another town. There aren't many what you'd call "original" Huntsvillians to be found, but I like to believe I qualify. For there was no "Rocket City USA" then. All that came later. In 1949, it was mostly cotton fields, pastures, Redstone Arsenal and a quiet little city about to explode at the seams. When it did explode, the noise deafened, and it is still being heard.

Push forward, then, to the present. In the three-plus decades since I rode over Brindlee Mountain as a scared little boy, many people uprooted and replanted here and now call Huntsville home. This city has a wide assortment of peoples and cultures, customs and religions, and all have blended well to make it a unique place to live. Huntsville has it all: Modern airport, splendid civic center, gallery of night spots, restaurants to satisfy any taste, active artistic community, superb museums, ample recreation, superb business community.

Now the hub of North Alabama has been properly documented by another of its transplated "natives." In Where to Find The Best of Huntsville, author Mike Kaylor has not only captured the flavor of my favorite city, but has also published a guide that leads the reader right to the doorstep of whatever he or she seeks. This isn't just a "where-to" book. It transcends the ordinary and takes us into cobweb-covered nooks and crannies where the heart and soul and history of this town lie hidden.

Like many thousands of us, Mr. Kaylor has come to love this place nestled in the shelter of the mountains. He has explored Huntsville as few before him have. The result is a piece of work that all of Huntsville can be proud of, and I am delighted to have been asked to be a small part of it.

NOTE: Bill Easterling died of cancer in December of 2000.

The Best of Huntsville is back

The 140-plus page guide to North Alabama called The Best of Huntsville by Mike Kaylor first appeared in 1984, when 10,000 copies sold out within months. A second edition hit the book stores a year later with updated information. It was never reprinted.

I wrote and published the book in response to the many phone calls from readers of The Huntsville Times wanting advice on nightlife and entertainment. I began writing a weekly column for The Times in 1978 that covered clubs, restaurants, local bands and other activities. People would call to ask where they should go for an anniversary dinner or what was fun for out-of-town visitors. The book was a summary.

Each year since then, I have planned to update The Best of Huntsville, but it never became a priority. Today's technology, though, gives me a chance to bring it up to date and make it an interactive guide book. That's what this blog will do.

Huntsville graphic artist and actor Fred Sayers illustrated the book, and many of his illustrations will appear here. My dear friend Bill Easterling, who died in 2000, wrote the book's Foreward. The Library of Congress number is 85-080556 and the book carries the ISBN: 0-916039-01-3.

My plan is to begin transcribing portions of the book in this blog that have withstood 25 years of change and to add new innovations. When it's updated, we'll release it again in print. Join me in this new venture. I'm excited about it. I hope you are too.

Copies of the original THE BEST OF HUNTSVILLE book are available. Post a comment for more information.