The Busy Gourmand

John’s City Diner
112 Richard Arrington, Jr. Blvd. North
Birmingham, AL
(205) 322-6014
http://www.johnscitydiner.com/

I found myself working in Birmingham, Alabama recently. Unlike most of our work venues this one was located downtown. As I like to walk to restaurants when I am traveling (it is just one of my many neuroses) I did some research ahead of time and came up with a list of restaurants that seemed to offer food with a southern influence but with a twist. One of those, a brief walk from the hotel, was John’s City Diner.

When we arrived I realized that we must be in the grittier city version of the restaurant that was not featured on the web site. It was definitely in the diner format with an emphasis on chrome and black as the background colors. Although my first take was less than an auspicious start we were whisked away to a table featuring Michelle, who turned out to be the font of knowledge for all things in the diner.

To call this a diner is definitely a misnomer. You can get a variety of sandwiches with fries and cole slaw, but the largest part of the menu is taken up in some offerings that one would like to see on many restaurant menus. Crispy duck and blackened Atlantic salmon were along side the traditional meat loaf and macaroni and cheese. If you have never dined in a restaurant below the Mason-Dixon Line, macaroni and cheese is considered a vegetable.

With so much to choose from I asked the efficient Michelle if she could just recommend something for me. She opted for the meatloaf, with smashed potatoes, and skillet corn. She assured me that everything was fresh. And she graciously steered me away from the fried green tomatoes as a side dish, stating that they were a little bland, but that the appetizer portion was worth investigating. Unfortunately I was not that hungry. She also helped me out with turning my garden salad into a sort of Greek salad. I asked her if she might find a way to stumble in the kitchen and drop a couple of chunks of feta cheese and some Greek dressing on my salad. She assured me that in fact she stumbles with her salad every night doing the same thing. My companion opted for the pan seared rainbow trout and a cup of gumbo.

My salad arrived with the feta cheese and Greek dressing on the side. The greens were very fresh and included a variety of lettuces. The gumbo was a very dark brown color and had a bit of a sweet taste to it. Not exactly to my liking, but there are as many versions of gumbo as there are versions of barbecue so who is to say what is good?

My meatloaf arrived atop the smashed potatoes and corn. Michelle told me that she took the liberty of serving it that way because that is the way she likes to eat the meatloaf. It was a bit unusual, but of course she was right again. The meatloaf had been finished by browning it on the griddle and was topped with a nice mushroom sauce. It packed a bit of heat, the way I like it. It was moist and delicious.

My companion thoroughly enjoyed the trout. It was moist and flaky. And judging from the speed of consumption I guess he would probably order it again.

Of course Michelle had one other recommendation, the bread pudding for dessert, featuring raisins soaked in Grand Marnier. She seemed to delight in this whole soaked raisin thing so of course we followed her directions. It was absolutely totally delicious and decadent. I just had one bite. But I think the raisins were kind of lost in the white chocolate sauce.

Without the alcohol my meal cost $20. It would be kind of hard to find anything so good at that price. And if you feel like a nice bottle of wine or a cocktail with your meal, well they can accommodate that as well. The wine list is extensive. Although I am not sure I would want an expensive wine with my meatloaf, I am sure there are others in Birmingham who want just that. Most of the people dining in the restaurant that night had bottles of wine at their tables.

If you are looking for a casual, inexpensive restaurant while in Birmingham, this is definitely the place to go. And if you can have Michelle wait on you, well then it will make it all the more special