by Glynn Wilson
Due to all the whirlwind of activity since Thanksgiving, I am just now getting around to thanking the friendly folks at the Veranda restaurant on Highland Avenue on Birmingham’s Southside for the scrumptious meal on Thanksgiving Day.
Since I’m not one for large family gatherings, I posted a notice on Facebook asking my friends to recommend a restaurant that would be open on Thanksgiving. My friend Louis Baxley, who I found out used to work at Veranda, recommended the place.
So I invited videographer Hippie Stew and a couple of other friends out to dinner, and the experience was well worth the price. The meal was delicious and the service top notch.
It was a surprise to see Good People Brown Ale on the menu, so I started with that. Per Baxley’s recommendation, I ordered the New Orleans Style Turtle Soup for an appetizer, and it was unbelievably delicious.
Most of us had the Roasted American Turkey with Country Style French Bread Dressing, Bourbon Whipped Sweet Potatoes, Grilled Autumn Vegetables and Giblet Gravy with House Made Cranberry Compote. It was all good, especially the sweet potatoes and the cranberry sauce. Try this and you will never eat the canned stuff again.
For desert, I had the White Chocolate Bread Pudding with White Chocolate Ganache and Raspberry Coulis.
The service was Old South and First Class, with none of the stuffiness of some fancy restaurants. The entire experience reminded me a lot of New Orleans.
According to the restaurant’s Website, their approach is simple: They specialize in using fresh, locally grown ingredients, and use inventive combinations that “entice the sublime from the ordinary.”
“The food itself is complemented with gracious service by people who understand that your meal is an experience to savor,” they say. We found that to be true and therefore we recommend the place 100 percent.
© 2011 – 2016, Glynn Wilson. All rights reserved.
