Friday, January 29, 2010

Best Post of the Week: Week Thirty Six


It's time to link in your best post of the week!

The purpose of this column is to make it easier to keep up with each other's blogs, so that even if we don't have time to read all of the Alabama Blogger blogs every day, at least we get the week's highlights.

So, link up, tell us why you linked that post, and let's start reading! And remember - the best way to get new blogging friends is to comment on other people's posts, so be sure to say "hi" to your neighbors when you visit!

p.s. - please feel free to interpret "this week" as loosely as you like!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Cafe Lazio - Hoover

By Leigh Bratina

Yesterday was to beautiful a day to not take advantage of. With temperatures in the mid 70's. I met my mother and my cousin Gina at Cafe Lazio at Patton Creek in Hoover for lunch. None of us had ever eaten there and we wanted to give it a try. We grabbed one of the umbrella topped tables on the patio outside. Out waitress, Stacey, brought over some menus and made some lunch suggestions. Namely the brushetta appetizer (5.95) and the hero sandwich (6.95) , "I don't even like hero's. But that sandwich is great!" insisted Stacey. I had thumbed through the clipper coupon mailer before we arrived and had a free slice of pizza with any purchase coupon burning a hole in my pocket, so I ordered the pasta salad and slice of cheese pizza. Stacey suggested I get a specialty salad rather than a small side. I listened to her suggestion and got a small greek salad and cheese slice. My mother chose the grilled vegetable flatbread sandwich (6.95) Gina ordered the vegetable calzone (6.50)

It wasn't long before Stacey returned with my greek salad. It was a perfect size. My only complaint was that the bowl it was in wasn't large enough for me to toss the salad and dressing without it spilling over the sides. The greek salad was a spring mix of greens, some Greek olives, greek peppers, roma tomatoes and feta cheese. The salad was served with the balsamic greek dressing. The dressing made the salad. It was delicious. I asked Stacey about the dressing, if they sold it by the bottle. She said they would. She said that both the ranch and balsamic greek are homemade. She also told me that Cafe Lazio is owned and operated by the same people that own Petrachelli's Italian Restaurant, on Highway 280 in Inverness. No wonder the dressing tasted familiar!

After finishing my salad, Stacey returned with the lunch orders. My mother's grilled vegetable flatbread sandwich looked delicious, with perfect grill marks. Inside were mushrooms, peppers, red onions, roma tomatoes and provolone cheese. She said it was very good.

Gina's calzone was big and golden. Inside of it there were bell peppers, mushrooms, green olives, mozzarella and tomatoes. Gina also commented on the great flavors of the calzone.

My slice of pizza was actually two. I couldn't eat it all and halved it and took the other half home. I ordered the cheese. It was the perfect amount of cheese. NOt so much where it is sliding around. The crust was light and pizza oven baked to perfection. I really liked the pizza.
Stacey was kind enough to bring me the pasta salad (small size portion) so that I could try it. I loved it. The pasta was tossed in olive oil and lightly seasoned with Italian spices. I had a reserved about of the dressing from my greek salad and drizzled it over the pasta-even better!
Next to us was another table of ladies lunching. We noticed the cannoli that was brought over to their table. We all looked at one another and agreed, we needed one too. We ordered one for dessert and split it. The cannoli was not to rich, with the slightest taste of cinnamon. It was served with chocolate drizzled over the top, whip cream dollops on the sides of the plate with strawberries on the whipped cream. Thank goodness I had dance class that night. The waitress told us that the cream inside the cannoli was made from ricotta cheese, confectioners sugar and mini chocolate morsels, beat together until smooth. It was very good! Worth the 2 bite indulgence! Our entire meal cost $19.00 and change for the three of us. (This after we used the free slice of pizza coupon and my mom had a coupon for a free flatbread sandwich with purchase of another entree) . What a deal! It was the prefect end to a lunch in the sunshine.


PS- Stacey is the best waitress I have EVER had! Kudos! Ask for her!
Cafe Lazio-A Slice of Italy

http://www.cafelazio.net/

Hours
Monday – Thursday 11:00am to 10:00pm
Friday and Saturday – 11:00am to 11:00pm
Sunday - 11:00am to 9:00pm


Located on Main Street at the Patton Creek Shopping Center in Hoover.

181 Main Street, Suite 241 Hoover, AL 35244205. 403.7480



*Leigh is a full time mother, a part time photographer and writer. Her photography and written work is featured in several professional business and local publications. She owns her own photography business, Photographic Memories. Leigh resides in the Alabama with her three children and husband "Big Daddy". You can read more of Leigh's daily adventures by visiting any of her three blogs: Tales from Bloggeritaville , Plates and Places , as well as Photographic Memories Cafe Lazio on Urbanspoon

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Amy's Extraordinary Alabama: Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer

By Amy

I'd heard of Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer by Warren St. John in passing, but never gave much thought to reading it. Even though I enjoy Alabama football games I don't know that I would consider myself a die-hard fan. So when my sister-in-law gifted our father-in-law a copy of the book I read a few pages and knew I wanted to read it. Of course it helped that Alabama was having such an amazing season. Reading over that last line I might need to clarify and say the football team at the University of Alabama, just in case anyone who is not from Alabama and not familiar with Alabama football is reading this.

Having grown up in Birmingham, Alabama, Warren St. John readily admits that growing up in Alabama is "possibly the worst place on earth to acquire a healthy perspective on the importance of spectator sports." And having been born and raised here myself I have to agree.

After moving to New York to attend Columbia University, St. John begins to realize that maybe this obsession we all have with football here in Alabama is a bit different. As he writes, "It was quite an adjustment to go from coutning up a record number of wins under the Bear to the inexorable accumulation of a record number of losses at Columbia. And just as disconcerting: no one at Columbia seemed to mind." He really begins to wonder about the strangeness of it all when home for Thanksgiving he sees a couple at Legion Field in a RV being interviewed by the local news. They tell the reporter they missed their daughter's wedding because she picked the Alabama/Tennessee game day to get married.

So in his search for answers to the question of why sports can turn otherwise sane people into raving lunatics he seeks out the community of RVers who travel to each Alabama game. Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer isn't so much a travel story, but St. John's own experiences as one of those hard core fans who follow their team.

Having grown up in Alabama myself I understand the almost religious nature of college football here. Honestly the only people I know who aren't Alabama or Auburn fans are a rare few that did not grow up in Alabama and my mother, who belongs in the small minority of those who don't really care for sports. According to St. John my mother belongs in a minority outnumbered by atheist in our state. A fact I have no problem believing.

Although my husband's family doesn't take an RV to each Alabama game, they very rarely miss an Alabama home game. My father-in-law supports the University of Alabama, his alma mater, without waver. Crimson and white, houndstooth, elephants and Roll Tide are in the blood in our family, with the exception of one sister-in-law who graduated from Auburn.

Life stops for Alabama football games. My dad, who is serving overseas with his national guard unit, set his alarm to wake up in the middle of the night so he could watch some of the Alabama games this past fall. Imagine a bunch of Alabama soldiers when the hub housing the wiring for everything burned knocking out their means of watching the Alabama/Auburn game during Alabama's glorious 2009 season.

So it should come as no surprise that reading Rammer Jammer was like seeing our family's life played out on the page without the RV aspect. The obsession, joyful moments of a win, and the depressing moods of a loss described by St. John need no explanation. I see it in my husband and countless others each Saturday from August to December.

So have you read Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer? What is life like in your family during Fall or better know as Alabama or Auburn football?

You can also visit St. John's blog here. (Be sure and scroll down and watch the YouTube video of the little toddler -- well, unless you're an Auburn fan. Don't say I didn't warn you if you do though.)

Monday, January 25, 2010

Center Stage: Birmingham Restaurants

By Jamie

Welcome back to Center Stage where we take a fanfare look at one of the many great blogs being churned out here in Alabama. You can find past spotlights here.

Disclaimer: This post may incite feelings of anger or hunger. I'm hoping for the latter.

I have this weird rule when it comes to eating out.

I don't like to eat at restaurants with foods in the name. I don't want to point fingers, but think "chili" or "waffle" or "apple." It's not that those places can't serve great food. But I figure life's too short to eat only at regional or nationwide chains.

Especially if you're looking for grub in Birmingham.

And if you ARE looking, there's no better site to follow than Birmingham Restaurants.


Untitled
This comprehensive site gives you exactly what you need to plan your next meal out. Whether you live around the corner or you're just visiting. Birmingham Restaurants includes detailed restaurant profiles with overviews, menus, reviews, chef info and website links. You can sort restaurants by cuisine, neighborhood, child-friendliness and even wi-fi availability.

Two of my favorite sections of the site are Recipes and Chef's Secrets. And I'm not just saying that because of the pictures of gorgeous food and a few gorgeous chefs.

Hi. {wink}

Jamie is a planner of events by day and chaser of shiny things by night. Follow her trails at Jamie's Rabbits. If you'd like to have your blog featured on "Center Stage" then contact Jamie so she can swing by your neck of the internet woods. Please know she sometimes shows up uninvited, so you may see your blog on stage if she really digs it.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Try Zoës Menu Out for Yourself - Giveaway!

Did I make your mouth water last week when I told you about Zoës newly expanded menu?

Well I don't like making people crave things without giving them a chance to try them, so come over to my other blog, Grasping for Objectivity, to comment for a chance to win one of TEN free meal cards to try their new Steak Roll-Ups!

IMG_7020



Thursday, January 21, 2010

Best Post of the Week: Week Thirty Five


It's time to link in your best post of the week!

The purpose of this column is to make it easier to keep up with each other's blogs, so that even if we don't have time to read all of the Alabama Blogger blogs every day, at least we get the week's highlights.

So, link up, tell us why you linked that post, and let's start reading! And remember - the best way to get new blogging friends is to comment on other people's posts, so be sure to say "hi" to your neighbors when you visit!

p.s. - please feel free to interpret "this week" as loosely as you like!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Winners of Showdown at T'Town Tickets and CD Prize Pack!

Don't forget about a really exciting concert coming up this week:


EYE DAWG PRODUCTIONS
Presents

LARRY KEEL & NATURAL BRIDGE
Featuring the Legendary
TONY RICE

with special guests
GRAYSON CAPPS & GUTHRIE TRAPP


Thursday, January 21, 2010
The Bama Theatre, Tuscaloosa, AL
Doors @ 7PM

SHOWDOWN in T'TOWN...

Schedule:
7:00pm Fresh & Local acoustic showcase
7:30pm The Newgrass Troubadours
8:30pm Grayson Capps with Guthrie Trapp
9:45pm Larry Keel & Natural Bridge with Tony Rice
11:20pm Encore Jam Ensemble

**Advance tickets ($21 adv/$26 door) available online through Brown Paper Tickets at the below link.

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/92138


Now - I have two pairs that you have won!! I randomly drew from the comments on the giveaway post, and the winners are:

Clayton
Lafe

And, the winners of the Larry Keel CD Prize Pack is:

Anita

Congratulations! Email me at rachel@alabamabloggers.com so that I can get your contact information!

And for the rest of you, it promises to be a great show - don't miss it!!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Furniture Shopping in Birmingham

Although we don't often do this, Chris and I found ourselves buying a lot of furniture over the holidays.

Ali needed a big girl bed.

We desperately needed a bedroom suite.

We needed to replace a chair in our living room.

So we set off on an epic adventure of visiting every furniture store within a 30 mile radius of Birmingham to find what we wanted and the best deals.

Our objective: to get the best discounts, sales, and deals on good quality furniture.

So, I decided I'd share what we learned about the furniture stores in the area - or at least, our experiences with them.

We ended up actually purchasing furniture from three stores: Ashley Furniture (Ali's bed), Alabama Furniture Market (Our Living Room Chair), and Mazers Furniture (Our Bedroom Suite and a bedside table and desk for our guest room), so I will, for the most part, limit my reviews to these three stores.

But, for the record, we did find a bedroom suite we liked at Havertys, but it was twice the price of everywhere else. And Rooms to Go had the most inventive children's beds, but their "normal" twin beds were too pricey.

Without further ado...

Ashley Furniture Homestore:

They most definitely had the most inexpensive-but-still-nice children's beds. The bed plus the roll-out trundle cost the same of just a bed at Rooms To Go. So the decision to buy from Ashley was easy.

However, that was the only part of our Ashley dealings that were easy.

First of all: One thing that you need to be completely aware of before buying anything from Ashley: They have a NO RETURNS OR EXCHANGES policy. Completely strict - what you get is what you get, even if it has a few dents or dings on it. This didn't come up for us, but it is an important thing to remember.

We knew this risk before choosing, but after we paid for the furniture, everything else got difficult - something we weren't expecting.
  • It was going to be 10 days before pickup (which put us dangerously close to our deadline of Christmas).

  • We had to pickup from their warehouse in Leeds.

  • The warehouse in Leeds has very inconvenient hours.

  • They never called us when the furniture came in, so we had to track them down.

  • We arrived at the warehouse on a cold and rainy day, and waited for over an hour at the loading dock for our furniture, only to find out that the footboard had been damaged in delivery, and that they would bring it to our house when it came in - in another FEW DAYS, but that we had to call to make that happen.

  • I called on the next business day, and I got major runaround because there was apparently no record that they could deliver it and they wouldn't do it without that. They said that we'd have to come yet again during inconvenient hours to pick it up, unless we could prove that we were told that they would deliver. We finally got them to look up our warehouse paperwork for the guy's name that told us that.

  • They finally delivered it, mere days before Christmas.
The bed was nice quality and we like it, but the customer service and helpfulness was atrocious. When I mentioned this on Twitter, I got LOTS of corroboration that many people have had these issues.

Bottom line: If you want the best price and don't mind being inconvenienced, put off for quite a while, and possibly yanked around to get it, Ashley Furniture Homestore is right for you.

My grade for Ashley Furniture: C-


Alabama Furniture Market:

I adored Alabama Furniture Market in every way. Their sales team was awesome - not at all pushy but very available to be helpful, look up special orders, answer any questions, and even try to help me find furniture similar to the (extraordinarily expensive) bedroom suite I had seen at Havertys.

Their prices were also amazing - great discounts and great selection, but they just didn't have exactly what we needed, except for the perfect chair for the living room.

They also have no taxes if you pick up your furniture.

If I could have found what we had wanted, I would have bought everything from them.

My Grade for Alabama Furniture Market: A-


Mazers Furniture:

Mazers was the last stop we made - I'm not exactly sure why, but it was. However, they had a MUCH larger selection that I thought that they would. They had several bedroom suites that we liked, all MUCH less expensive than the others we looked at.

The one that we decided on was very similar to the one at Havertys, except half the price AND with an extra piece of furniture (an entertainment center). It was an awesome deal! Also, our salesman was awesome - he always seemed to pop up exactly when we had a question, but disappear the rest of the time (for the record, Havertys and Rooms To Go salesmen about drove me BATTY).

Their delivery was great, but the furniture delivered had a couple of issues: the sliding doors in the dresser wouldn't slide, and the chest of drawers had a crack in one piece of wood and a chip off of another (that had obviously been painted over to try to hide).

I called their customer service and they were very nice. They sent a master woodcraftsman out to fix the sliding drawers and sent another chest of drawers out to replace the faulty one. They were also nice enough to simply have the woodcraftsman bring the chest out with him so that I didn't have to wait for him AND a separate delivery truck.

They took care of all of our problems and informed me that we had a one year warranty on the furniture - if ANYTHING went wrong, they'd be glad to come out and fix it again.

At first, I was a little disappointed that it wasn't delivered in perfect (or even working) condition, but they were SO great in handling it and so gracious, I really felt better about them for the extra trouble. We are QUITE happy with our bedroom furniture.

My grade for Mazers: B+

I hope this helps in any future furniture shopping that you have!! Let us all know of any insights you have from your furniture dealings.

If you ever have any Alabama products or retailers that you'd like to share your review of, please email me at rachel@alabamabloggers.com.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Best Post of the Week: Week Thirty Four


It's time to link in your best post of the week!

The purpose of this column is to make it easier to keep up with each other's blogs, so that even if we don't have time to read all of the Alabama Blogger blogs every day, at least we get the week's highlights.

So, link up, tell us why you linked that post, and let's start reading! And remember - the best way to get new blogging friends is to comment on other people's posts, so be sure to say "hi" to your neighbors when you visit!

p.s. - please feel free to interpret "this week" as loosely as you like!

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Chef Bob's At the Trussville Antique Mall

By Leigh Bratina





Southern cooking is just one more reason to pay a visit to the antique shopping meca, The Trussville Antique Mall. Sure, you could spend hours shopping the rooms upon rooms of antiques, but it is the food there that takes center stage. It was what my parents, cousin Sandie and I came for on this particular day. The Trussville Cafe is located in the center of the antique mall and is headed by local favorite, "Chef Bob". Southern cooking is an art form, and Chef Bob certainly knows his medium.




His dished are piled high in flavor and served buffet style. The Buffet, $7.95, includes your choice of entrees, salad bar, vegetables and desserts. The food was very good, the only thing I would change would be to add a bit more "kick" to the mexican cornbread (in the form of jalepeno peppers). That , though, is a personal opinion and I know not everyone would agree to it.




Chef Bob, who is actually Robert "Bob" Vaningan, has owned his own catering company since 1996, and has been the creator of such recognizable eating establishments as The Ole Springville Bakery and The Chocolate Cottage, among others. But is at the Trussville Cafe where you can find his flair for southern cuisine style cooking evident. Chef Bob is also a regular guest Chef on Fox 6 Good Day Alabama show every Tuesday Morning at 8:45 am for the past 12 years. His segments on the Birmingham Fox 6 morning show, "Good Day, Alabama!", are viewed regularly by his many fans (including my mother) throughout the state of Alabama.

Chef Bob has his own web site that is just brimming with information on his cafe, cookbooks (he is currently working on his follow up), catering information and his new venture, "CBU", which is Chef Bob University.


(More information on this venture-CBU- will be updated onto the blog as I receive more info on this myself)

If you see Chef Bob, introduce yourself. He is a very kind, humorous man that seemed to enjoy receiving feedback on his food and seeing that his customers are happy and satisfied. He was very nice and accommodating to me. His place was packed and he continually was bringing out fresh, hot dishes to the buffet, yet he still stopped to chat for a moment and allow me to take a picture before going back into the kitchen. I can tell you this, with Chef Bob in the kitchen, satisfaction is guaranteed.

Chefbob.com
Deep-South Cooking. "Best Southern food in town"
Catering for over 25 years
cakes, pies and desserts from scratch
147 N Chalkville Mt Road
Trussville, Alabama 35173










*Leigh is a full time mother, a part time photographer and writer. Her photography and written work is featured in several professional business and local publications. She owns her own photography business, Photographic Memories. Leigh resides in the Alabama with her three children and husband "Big Daddy". You can read more of Leigh's daily adventures by visiting any of her three blogs: Tales from Bloggeritaville , Plates and Places , as well as Photographic Memories

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Lunch Meet-Up Tomorrow!!

Our next meet-up will be tomorrow - Thursday, January 14th starting at 11:00 (come late if you need to - we're always there for quite a while!!) at Qdoba in Homewood (it's like Moe's, only better).

The address is:
437 Green Springs Hwy.
Homewood, AL 35209

Please RSVP either on this post or on the previous post regarding this meet-up so that we know how many to plan for!

We always have a great time visiting and talking, so be sure to join us!!

As usual, the Twitter hashtag for this event is #AlaBlogMeet. Help spread the word!!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Zoës Expanded Menu!!

Today is an exciting day for Zoës Kitchen: It is the grand unveiling of their new expanded menu!!

Being that I love Zoës so much that I practically stalk them, I got to go Sunday night to a preview event to taste their new dishes!

(If you don’t believe that I stalk them, that was my THIRD trip to Zoës in a week – one of which was for my three-year-old’s birthday lunch – because Zoës is her favorite too!)

On to the new menu. I had the opportunity to talk to Lindsey Limbaugh, who is on their marketing team, about their new items. They are aiming at a bit more “Guy Food”, and the centerpiece of masculine food are their new Steak Roll-Ups:IMG_7020

They were fantastic!! They are cooked with swiss cheese and mushrooms, and come with a yogurt dipping sauce, which was nothing like I expected and absolutely delicious in it’s uniqueness!

(And of course the side item is whichever one you want – I know that my hubby would be ordering it with their amazing rice!)

They also introduced a Club Pita, which includes grilled chicken, ham, swiss, lettuce and tomato. I didn’t get to try this, but it sounds awesome!

Their other menu additions include a delicious Hummus dip (very flavorful but not at all oily) that can be ordered with just Pita for an appetizer, or on a Hummus Salad Plate:

IMG_7019
They have a couple of new side items as well, one of which is on the above plate, which is their tomato-cucumber salad. It has Tomatoes, Cucumbers, White Beans, Tomatoes, and Onions tossed in a flavorful dressing, and is a wonderful addition to their already amazing salad choices.

The other new side item are the white beans, braised and warm. They were filling and tasty.

The last new item on their menu are their House Baked Chocolate Chip Chunk Cookies.

After sampling everything else, I was going to save my cookie for later, but when they brought them out, they were still hot.

And soft.

And gooey.

And chocolatey.

And the size of my hand.

IMG_7023 And I ate every bit of it.

I am so excited about their new menu, really enjoyed getting to meet Lindsey, Jennifer, and Mrs. Zoë herself, and can’t wait to take my husband back to try their new guy food additions!

IMG_7021

Lindsey and I.

Zoe's Kitchen Crestline on Urbanspoon

Amy's Extraordinary Alabama: Rick and Bubba's Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage

By Amy


Rick&bubbaRick Burgess & Bill “Bubba” Bussey are the self proclaimed two sexiest fat men in America. Their nationally syndicated radio show based in Birmingham, Alabama brings their laughter, funny takes on news, their Christian faith and much, much more to listeners each morning.


In their newest book, Rick Burgess and Bill “Bubba” Bussey take a humorous look at what it takes to make a marriage work in today’s society. With their trademark sense of humor they recount misunderstanding with their wives, family vacations, children’s activities and so much more.


They admit in the book that their marriages aren’t perfect. But they say any marriage can be “almost nearly perfect” and in their book they show us how.


I enjoyed “Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage” because of the humor and short chapters. It was easy to read a bit and come back to it later. While of course the book was light-hearted due to their humorous outlook on life, there is an underlying seriousness. While always funny, Rick and Bubba are very serious when it comes to their marriages and commitments to their wives. Amidst the hilarity they also give biblical ways to make your marriage stronger and “Almost, Nearly Perfect.”


I’ve always enjoyed Rick and Bubba’s radio show. They have a way of bringing fun and comedy to situations we can all relate to. This book is no exception.



Monday, January 11, 2010

Center Stage: Boomama

By Jamie

Welcome back to Center Stage where we take a fanfare look at one of the many great blogs being churned out here in Alabama. You can find past spotlights here.

Mommy bloggers are fabulous. I know they are the majority of folks visiting my own cyber journal so I would never speak ill will. Trust me.

However, I used to think their blogs wouldn't resonate since my life is wrapped in sleep and travel and working long hours. Of course, moms are often wrapped up in the same things - I just get to keep all my money.

Boo Mama
Boo Mama is an actual mommy. But she's that and much more. Even though she's produced one more child than me, I knew we were kindred spirits when I discovered a category of posts entitled "TV is my Friend."

Boo Mama writes with a nice dry wit about her son, her husband, her faith and her adventures on the interwebby. I'm now a faithful follower.

Finally, she doesn't care for unicorns. That's good people.

Jamie is a planner of events by day and chaser of shiny things by night. Follow her trails at Jamie's Rabbits. If you'd like to have your blog featured on "Center Stage" then contact Jamie so she can swing by your neck of the internet woods. Please know she sometimes shows up uninvited, so you may see your blog on stage if she really digs it.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Upcoming Concert: Music and Tickets Giveaways!!

There's an exciting concert event coming to Tuscaloosa!!!

EYE DAWG PRODUCTIONS
Presents

LARRY KEEL & NATURAL BRIDGE
Featuring the Legendary
TONY RICE

with special guests
GRAYSON CAPPS & GUTHRIE TRAPP


Thursday, January 21, 2010
The Bama Theatre, Tuscaloosa, AL
Doors @ 7PM

SHOWDOWN in T'TOWN...

Schedule:
7:00pm Fresh & Local acoustic showcase
7:30pm The Newgrass Troubadours
8:30pm Grayson Capps with Guthrie Trapp
9:45pm Larry Keel & Natural Bridge with Tony Rice
11:20pm Encore Jam Ensemble

**Advance tickets ($21 adv/$26 door) available online through Brown Paper Tickets at the below link.

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/92138

EYE DAWG Productions is proud to bring one of the most exciting combinations in the world of bluegrass and acoustic music to The Bama Theater. It will be a stringed-showdown of epic proportions, combining energies of flat-pick guitar masters TONY RICE & LARRY KEEL.

The night will begin with a band set by rising southern song writer and roots artist Grayson Capps with the Master of all things stringed, Guthrie Trapp. Both will be featured guests in the encore jam ensemble, to include all the players that we have on hand. There will also be a late night party hosted by local favorites Shaglo. at The Mellow Mushroom that will start shortly after the music ends at The Bama (around midnight). You can get latest on all EYE DAWG events at www.EYEDAWG.com.

EYE DAWG serves the Tuscaloosa community with information and participation on the Tuscaloosa FRESH & LOCAL event program. Their sponsors and FRESH & LOCAL partners will have a major presence at this event and they continue to focus on ways to produce events that work together with emphasis on community. Tuscaloosa FRESH & LOCAL aims to bring local music, arts and foods together with local businesses to shed light and celebrate green and healthy living.


If you would like win a pair of tickets to this show, please comment and say you would like to go to the show! There are TWO pairs of tickets available!




If you would like to win a CD Prize Pack, including Larry Keel and Natural Bridge's "Backwoods" album and Larry Keel's "Journey" album, comment and let me know that!


You can sign up to win both - just let me know if your comment that you'd like to win either one. I just want to make sure that the tickets go to someone who can actually use them.


This giveaway is open until Monday, January 18th. The winners will be randomly chosen and announced on Tuesday, January 19th.

Good luck!

Friday, January 8, 2010

Best Post of the Week: Week Thirty Three


It's time to link in your best post of the week!

The purpose of this column is to make it easier to keep up with each other's blogs, so that even if we don't have time to read all of the Alabama Blogger blogs every day, at least we get the week's highlights.

So, link up, tell us why you linked that post, and let's start reading! And remember - the best way to get new blogging friends is to comment on other people's posts, so be sure to say "hi" to your neighbors when you visit!

p.s. - please feel free to interpret "this week" as loosely as you like!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Share Your Snow!


Whether you hate it or you love it, we ALL talk about it when it snows in Alabama.

AND we all MIGHT make too big of a deal of it.

I'm pretty sure that "Black Friday" for the local bread and milk companies is the annual "it-might-snow-tomorrow" day.

So, since I know that we will ALL be talking about it by the time the day is up, this post is a place to link up your snow pictures, snow posts, and snow thoughts. I can't wait to visit your snow fun!


Tate's Bar-B-Que, Scottsboro

By Leigh Bratina



Driving down the road, in a search for Tate's Bar-b-que in Scottsboro, you could almost pass by the place if you weren't looking closely for it. Tate's is actually a "dive" of a place in every sense of the word. The building is questionable. I'm not even sure that it would pass inspection and never noticed a food rating but the food is delectable. Any true BBQ place-one that has delicious tender BBQ, as most can agree, is usually a "dive". Tate's cannot ever be called anything better than a "dive" but it is a "dive" that serves up some delicious bar-b-que with a thin vinegar BBQ sauce. It is a place where one can only be served by walking up or by driving up to the window. There is no indoor seating, or ordering...in fact the only thing they do in the the building is prepare the food. Tate's offers up pork bbq, hamburgers, chicken, grilled cheese sandwiches, BLT's as well as some delicious accompaniments to go along with the main dishes: balked beans, vinegar slaw, french fries, onion rings, fried peanuts, salads. BBQ is available by the pound ($7.95). The BBQ was very tender and had a great smoky flavor (as a testament by my husband, Tom).


Tate's Bar-B-Que
South Broad Street
Scottsboro, AL
(256) 574-6173

Hours: Mon-Thurs 10-6/ Fri. & Sat. 10-7/ Closed Sun.



*Leigh is a full time mother, a part time photographer and writer. Her photography and written work is featured in several professional business and local publications. She owns her own photography business, Photographic Memories. Leigh resides in the Alabama with her three children and husband "Big Daddy". You can read more of Leigh's daily adventures by visiting any of her three blogs: Tales from Bloggeritaville , Plates and Places , as well as Photographic Memories

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Hometown Tour - Courtland

By Valerie

Hello everyone,

Welcome to Courtland Alabama! The town of Courtland is located on the site of an Native American village. The town was incorporated in December of 1819 by the town's early settlers. These were wealthy settlers who came from Virginia, Tennessee, the Carolinas and Georgia. The town was named for having a federal courthouse.



The park, in historic downtown, is very beautiful and peaceful place to spend the afternoon. The first Saturday in June the town hosts Picnic in the Park. Along with all the concessions and vendors they also host a children's parade. Later in the evening the is the Miss Cotton Pageant. It really takes you back to old hometown living. All the other days of the year you can enjoy the beautiful scenery while sitting in the gazebo or enjoy a nice walk with your family.




This is the Courtland Presbyterian Church. The church was founded in 1821 as "The Church of Nazareth". In 1833 it was renamed the Courtland Presbyterian Church it was first constructed in 1859 but due to the Civil War it was not completed until 1868. It was one of the first historical land markers in the area.




I love going to a town that has a lot of historical homes! I just love looking at them. This is one of the oldest houses in Courtland it was used as a hospital during the Civil War. This link has several of the historical homes a long with a lot of the historical markers in the area.

Courtland's school is part of the Lawrence County School system. R. A. Hubbard High School consists of grades Kindergarten - 12. Their colors are Orange and Black and they are the Chiefs!



While visiting you may want to check out The Wheeler Plantation, Valley Landing Golf Course, The George C. Wallace Industrial Air Park and don't forget that the Tennessee River runs nearby so you can enjoy all of your water activities too. Lots to do in this little town!

Courtland has worked hard to keep the town growing but also to stay true to it's history. They take pride in preserving all of their historical sites. To learn more about Courtland please visit Welcome to Courtland Alabama Pride of our past . . .Looking forward to the future!


If you would like to feature your hometown on Alabama Bloggers, please contact Rachel (rachel@alabamabloggers.com) or Valerie(valwonderfullife@aol.com) and let us know!

Monday, January 4, 2010

January Meet-Up Reminder!!!

I missed meeting up with all of you in December!! Although I can imagine that none of us had a spare moment TO meet!

We've been having a great time visiting, brainstorming, and learning at our meet-ups, so I hope you can join us!

The next meet-up will be Thursday, January 14th starting at 11:00 (come late if you need to - we're always there for quite a while!!) at Qdoba in Homewood (it's like Moe's, only better).

The address is:
437 Green Springs Hwy.
Homewood, AL 35209

Please RSVP either on this post or on the previous post regarding this meet-up so that we know how many to plan for!

As usual, the Twitter hashtag for this event is #AlaBlogMeet. Help spread the word!!

Friday, January 1, 2010

Best Post of the Week: Week Thirty Two


It's time to link in your best post of the week!

The purpose of this column is to make it easier to keep up with each other's blogs, so that even if we don't have time to read all of the Alabama Blogger blogs every day, at least we get the week's highlights.

So, link up, tell us why you linked that post, and let's start reading! And remember - the best way to get new blogging friends is to comment on other people's posts, so be sure to say "hi" to your neighbors when you visit!

p.s. - please feel free to interpret "this week" as loosely as you like!
If you haven't linked up and introduced yourself yet, be sure to go here to do so!