Birmigham Named 'Hottest Top Foodie City' & Here's Why

Zagat has named Birmingham one of the Top Foodie Cities in America. The Magic City has just about every ethnicity of food there is. So I thought to celebrate the new honor, I would take you on a journey of some authentic foods from other countries that you can get here in Birmingham.

Now, I literally stumbled upon Masaman Thai Kitchen Restaurant being curious in Vestavia and trying to get back on the main highway. Omg, when it comes to Thai food I could literally eat there every single day. Initially I was unsure since most Thai restaurants uses a lot of curry and I was like “no thank you” until I tried the varieties at Masaman. I am now a changed woman. A customer recommended I try the green curry. My brain said are you crazy? Once the sample hit my tongue, I was thinking where is your big cup of this! All of the flavors are creamy, sweet with just a little kick, but never over-powering. I’m not sure which is better the food or the customer service. I’ve tried about 4 or 5 of their dishes and 2 thumbs up to the chef.

I heard so much about “dim sum” from Red Bowl Restaurant in Homewood that I had to stop in. Dim sum is basically a cart of appetizers that comes to you and you pick out what you want. There are soooo many delicious choices that you MUST come extra hungry to try them all. All of the food at Red Bowl are Korean or Chinese food. Red Bowl also has a grocery store attached (Asian Supermarket) so you can try to make some of those items at home. They are located on Greensprings Hwy near the I-65 exit and you can only get “Dim Sum” on the weekends.

Southern Jamaican Style Restaurant is attached to the Shell gas station on Bessemer Rd near Fairfield. There’s only a few seats on the inside and it’s probably because the food is so good, you want to eat it alone so you can sing to it. Thomas is the chef and owner and using spices that makes the oxtails, cabbage, rice and beans taste just it’s cook on the island. All you can say when you leave Southern Jamaican Style Restaurant is yeah mon! The cornbread is like none other. It has some type of cheese on the inside and it’s heavy like a home made pound cake. All of the jerk and Jamaican seasoning are a dry rub.

Please check out all of the wonderful local spots from today’s show, especially if you are looking for something different. Tell them I sent you and you let me know what you tried and what you think!