Good Eats at Grille 29
Obviously being a restaurant TV host & extreme foodie, you eat at a variety of places, but there are a few of them that really, really, really excites me. Grille 29 is one of them! They take not only the quality of food, but the overall presentation very serious. In fact, they’re very competitive in many local food events. Last year they won an award at the Taste of Birmingham for their scallop with bacon jam. After one bite, I could not stop saying bacon jam and walking over to the table for one more bite. So now when I see them out, I have to ask do you have any bacon jam tucked away? So as I met some friends to enjoy their Birmingham Restaurant Week special, we were treated by one of the delicious scallop with bacon jam on a bed of grits.
I almost forgot the manager on duty, Chris King was still in front of me as I nearly lost my composure for one of my favorite bites.
Their $30 special menu included the option of French Onion Soup of Chicken & Sausage File Gumbo.
My friends opted for the soup while I had the gumbo. It was a very thick & rich rue filled with chunks of shredded chicken, vegetables with steamed rice. That appetizer could have been an entree if the bowl was a little bigger. It was very savory and filling. I would love to have that for Sunday dinner.
The dinner options were: Orange Beach Salad, Grilled 29 Surf and Turf which the gentleman ordered. That dish had sauteed beef tips with roasted pearl onions & grilled shrimp. Now me & my girlfriend ordered the stuffed gulf flounder. It was a generous portion that was stuffed with their signature crab cake under a bed of white Parmesan grits topped with a buttery hollandaise sauce. The fish was well seasoned. The grits were very creamy. The Parmesan cheese along with the a few subtle pieces of whole kernel corn gave the grits a nice burst of flavor.
In fact, I had to ask the server for a night gown because I needed room for dessert. The look on his face was priceless!
Speaking of the final course, we were served one of my favorite sweet treats which is bread pudding. But what kicked this up a notch was this was a banana walnut bread pudding with vanilla bean ice cream. It was really a great way to end a meal. It was not overly sweet and was baked to the right texture. It would make for a great mid day or late night snack.
Once again, Grilled 29 delivered with their amazing service and perfect timing of the meals coming out. It is a great place to meet with friends or dinner with the family.
They also have a wonderful weekend brunch with .29 mimosas between 10-11 am on Saturdays. They are nestled away on the side of Brookwood Mall near Belk in the old McCormick & Schmick’s location.
