What to Eat in Birmingham

We made a mental note. This looked very, very promising.

Days later, in response to our Travis Burger post, my friend Daron asked if I knew about Granny’s Fish and Grits. I was so excited to find out that one of my friends was already in the know. We immediately made plans to go together.

So this past Saturday, we decided we would have dinner. Granny’s has a Facebook page, which I messaged. I got an immediate response that they would be at Daquri’s (324 9th St N) at 5:30pm. We love Travis Burger and we are totally willing to wait till 11pm for dinner if we have to, but I was excited to eat earlier.

Mr Foodie and I met Daron there at 7pm. Already, there was a steady stream of business. There was a friendly woman peering out of the truck ready to take our order. We asked her to take us through the menu. We forgot to take a picture of it, but for your first visit, you’ll want to stick with the crowd favorites. She recommended the superbowl: shrimp and sausage and bacon over grits. Yes, please. She also noted you can get it just with shrimp, if bacon and sausage aren’t your thing. She also highly recommended the wings, which according to my friend, were a must-try. And finally, Mr Foodie’s favorite is fried catfish, so we got a platter with two sides-fries and slaw.

We waited for just a few minutes for all of it to come out. While we were waiting, we had a chance to talk to our new friend behind the window. She explained that Granny’s has been around for a little over a year. I asked if Granny is a specific person, or just a cool name for the truck. Granny is, in fact, the mother of one of the women in the truck. Hopefully one day we will have a chance to learn more-it sounds like a great story.

Daron explained that Daquri’s seems to be ok with people sitting on their patio eating Granny’s. You can certainly order a drink-we got water, but more exciting adult beverages are available too.

We carefully unpacked everything, resulting in a smorgasbord of goodness. Here it is:

The superbowl. I have been daydreaming of the superbowl constantly since I had it. It’s one of those rare dishes that is the perfect proportion of base (grits) to toppings (bacon/sausage/shrimp). Usually, when I eat shrimp and grits, the shrimp is gone right away leaving me with a giant bowl of plain, sad-looking grits. Not so here. The toppings were so plentiful, they just seemed to keep on coming. By the time we were done with the toppings, we were finishing the grits. The sausage was hot and juicy, the bacon was meaty, and the shrimp was perfectly seasoned. All of it was just spicy enough to give it the kick it needed. And the grits, well, they would have been outstanding just on their own. A thick layer  of cheese was deliciously melted on top, and the grits were definitely of the cheese variety. Amazing.

A closer look:

Next, the wings. Juicy, deep fried, and delicious. Some of the best wings I’ve had in town.

And finally, the catfish. Light and flaky, with perfectly seasoned breading. Cooked just right. Mr Foodie proclaimed it among the best he’s had–high praise. It was so flaky, we were breaking off pieces with our fingers and dipping it into the hot sauce (condiments pictured). Served with a particularly yummy coleslaw-vinegar-based, sweet and sour-and freshly cooked French fries with old bay seasoning.

In sum, I can’t think of a better calorie splurge than Granny’s superbowl, or Granny’s wings, or Granny’s catfish. Granny’s is an incredible addition to Bham’s food truck scene.

Hours: Daquri’s on Tuesday and Wednesday from 5pm to 11pm then Friday and Saturday from 5pm to 3am. The “Station ” across the from the Birmingham police department on 1st ave north Tuesday through Friday from 11am to 2pm.