D's Tamales

Hueytown, AL
$4-$6 Entrees

I first had authentic tamales at a rancho outside of Saltillo, Mexico in the Sierra Madre mountains while on a mission trip with 75 college students. The people living in the small ranchos we visited had almost nothing. We distributed food staples, over-the-counter medications, and toys. We would stay for mass and then head back to the mission in the city, sometimes not arriving until after midnight, missing dinner entirely. One night, a tiny widow recruited a few neighbors, and they used her entire yearly supply of food to make tamales for all of us. The students ate like wolves, most not realizing this was all she had. She then thanked us for the honor of coming to her house for dinner.

D's Tamales serves its niche market authentic, knock-your-socks-off tamales. For those of you who have never had a tamale, whether north or south of the border, they are made with cornmeal and meat, rolled into a corn husk, tied on either end with string, and boiled. While this may not sound appetizing on its face, believe me, at D's Tamales in Hueytown, AL, they are. D's tamales are so delicious that two men eating at the counter near me had driven all the way from Gardendale just to eat there. You can order a combo, which comes with crispy fries and a drink. Filling and inexpensive, tamales may be ordered by the dozen, half dozen, or quarter dozen. Prepared with a touch of exciting sauce, they may be spicy or mild and are stuffed with meat.

This basic, window-lined restaurant has an unfinished floor and air of nostalgia. You'll feel like a little kid again when you walk in and swing your legs on a wooden stool at the square counter, which wraps around the interior. The customers are friendly and regularly strike up conversations with each other, much as you'd see at a hibachi grill. The owner will take your order with a smile, and you'll leave smiling too.

2.5 Kudzu

Yuki

Hoover, AL
$10-$25 Entrees

If it is a choice between ice cream and sushi, I will choose sushi. If it is a choice between chocolate and sushi, I will choose sushi. If it is a choice between having a second child and going another nine months without sushi and sushi, I really might choose sushi.

Yuki is a fantastic Japanese restaurant located in Hoover, AL. They are at the end of a strip mall, a few doors down from a Walmart. I have been kicking myself for not having noticed it sooner. Their sophisticated interior belies their modest exterior. Yuki has an extensive hibachi menu and respectable wine, beer, and saki lists. As for sushi, you name it, they've got it. The Japanese Bagel Roll, Lobster Tempura Roll, and Super Crunch Roll are my favorites. The presentation is always beautiful. You will be amazed at the size of their portions, especially if you order from the hibachi menu. Their skilled chefs evidently sympathize with those of us who wish to strap on the feed bag.

The service is friendly and accommodating. For instance, our waitress did not object to bringing my husband at least a gallon of the brown ginger sauce to eat with his fried rice. Their shrimp sauce is on the sweet side and does not quite rival Benkai's in Tuscaloosa, but it is very good. The white ginger dressing on the house salad is excellent. The prices are reasonable - more than reasonable if you take into account portion size. This restaurant is family friendly, but also a sufficiently romantic place to take a date. You will leave shouting "Umai!"

3.5 Kudzu

Jubilee Joe's

Hoover, AL
$9-$14 Entrees

My father was raised in Lafayette, LA like his mother before him and her whole family going way back. As a child, I would go with him to visit my grandfather and grandmother in Abbeville, a small town outside of Lafayette. Instead of turkey on Thanksgiving, my Paw Paw would make crawfish etouffee. The kitchen smelled of spices. Although little about the restaurant's atmosphere resembled southern Louisiana, when I walked into Jubilee Joe's, I was back in my Paw Paw's kitchen. The same spices and the promise of good, Cajun cooking were in the air.

Jubilee Joe's looks like a great place for a crowd to watch a Saints game on a Saturday night, but on a Wednesday at lunch, my friend and I were the only two people dining. As he had been there before, he ordered for both of us. The words "gator bites" did not register until he had ordered the appetizer and the waiter had walked away. Now, I am an adventurous eater. I will try almost anything. However, I have shied away from alligator on my numerous trips to New Orleans, because, well ... it's alligator. A reptile! Suddenly, this reptile (or its tail anyway) was set before me, cut up into bite-sized pieces, breaded, and deep fried. It was surprising. It was succulent. It was served with homemade remoulade and horseradish mayonnaise.

And speaking of sauces, I don't know anyone who goes to a restaurant for their sauce. Sure, for their chicken wings or their pizza, but not their sauce. Well, let me tell you, the fried shrimp platter was served with made-from-scratch cocktail sauce, and the grouper with homemade tartar sauce. Although the seafood was perfectly cooked, I could have just stayed there and eaten all four aforementioned sauces with a spoon.

My platter came with a cup of spicy seafood gumbo my Latiolais cousins would approve of, and my friend's platter came with shrimp bisque. The bisque had a hint of cheese in the cream base. This could be either a pro or a con, depending on the customer. It was also unusual, because, as my friend astutely pointed out, it was made without the customary tomatoes. Both platters came with Joe's signature potato chips. The bread pudding had a perfect consistency, and the whiskey sauce was delicious. The chocolate syrup drizzled over the top augmented the presentation. However, I would have held the chocolate syrup and doubled the whiskey sauce. Or just served the whiskey sauce alone in a large mixing bowl with a spoon with whiskey sauce on the side.

The thoughtful waiter gave me a Diet Coke to go, without me even having to ask. (And he didn't even know I'm a restaurant critic.)

3 Kudzu

The Bright Star

Bessemer, AL
$12-$25 Entrees

The Bright Star, an institution in central Alabama, was established in 1907 and relocated to its present location in 1914. It is clearly a restaurant whose surrounding environment has drastically changed over time. It is now one of the few beacons of culinary light (or any light for that matter) in downtown Bessemer, AL.

The Bright Star serves what is undoubtedly the best fresh seafood for miles around, and their selection is extensive. You will forget that you are dining at an inland location when you taste their red snapper (I recommend the Greek style) and gulf shrimp. Their seafood is perfectly cooked, whether broiled, steamed, fried, baked, or pan seared. This restaurant is also known for its high-quality steaks, which include beef tenderloin, rib-eye, filet mignon, t-bone, and prime rib. Excellent appetizers, salads, and desserts round out their menu. Be sure to try the blueberry bread pudding, an occasional lunch dessert special.

The dark paneling, mirrors, marble, and tiled floors make you feel like you've stepped back in time to 100 years ago. The service is consistently excellent. Sunday lunches are family friendly, as well as easy on the wallet, and you get the impression that the diverse crowd really has been to church that day. Dinner is more formal, and certain tables offer an air of privacy. This restaurant will get any husband out of the doghouse.

4 Kudzu

Libby's Catfish

Decatur, AL
$5-$12 Entrees

It's not called Libby's Catfish for nothing. This country diner, located in Decatur, AL, serves mouth-watering, farm-raised catfish with crispy, cornmeal breading and finger-licking-good hushpuppies. (For all of you who think "hushpuppies" is two words, you are right. For all of you who think "hushpuppies" is one word, you are right, too.)

Again: It's not called Libby's Catfish for nothing. The other items on the menu, aside from their large, country breakfasts, are consistently mediocre. The ham steak and chicken fingers are too salty and rather dry. Vegetables are invariably canned or fried. In the case of the fried squash, this is a plus; but sometimes you want fresh vegetables, right? Iceberg lettuce salads are served with a bottle of Kraft blue cheese dressing. The sweet tea, for which I had high hopes, was unsatisfactory even to my husband, who sent it back. Unfortunately, they do not serve Diet Coke (my DOC, to you new readers).

The service is communal (We had two or three waitresses - I lost count). One of our waitresses had a t-shirt that said, "Lord, make my words as sweet as honey, for tomorrow I may have to eat them." (Ain't that the truth.) The pictures of roosters and horses along the walls create a tackily homey atmosphere (For those of you who don't think "tackily" is a word, you are right.). This restaurant was packed out on a Wednesday at lunch. The atmosphere is hopping, attracting a local clientele including farmers, blue-collar workers, and other salt o' the earth types.

Any criticisms you may conceive upon entering will dissipate with one bite of the catfish. When I received mine, I fell to with an intensity that shocked my husband and father-in-law. I could not - could not! - stop eating those heavenly, buttery hushpuppies. Libby's boasts extremely large servings, but I polished my plate.

After we paid (and the price was right), I was touched when a waitress ran out after us with our to-go box, which my husband had left on the table. I was positively moved when a second waitress ran out after us with my glasses, which I had left on the table. Now if that isn't Southern hospitality, I don't know what is.

1.5 Kudzu

JW's

Decatur, AL
$10-$20 Entrees

My husband is a native of Decatur, a small city in northern Alabama gracing the banks of the Tennessee River. He and I went with his father to dinner at JW’s, a steakhouse located on Highway 67, near the I-65 junction. Upon entering, we saw they were running a special: two filet dinners for $30. Not bad.

No steak – and I mean no steak – meets the standard of my father-in-law. He enjoys complaining about any steak he receives and has been known to send steaks back to the kitchens of various, unfortunate restaurants. However, he continues to order steaks wherever he dines, preferring filets. I used to be a rib-eye girl myself, but he converted me. We agreed to order two filet dinners. I prepared myself for a scene.

However, the other shoe never dropped. After a basket of steaming, yeast rolls, we enjoyed colorful side salads with excellent blue cheese dressing (short on the blue cheese, but never-the-less, excellent). My sweet potato was perfectly cooked and as soft as melted butter. The small bowl of brown sugar on the side was a thoughtful touch. The thick, 9-ounce filets melted in our mouths. Really, it was incredibly delicious with a crushed black pepper exterior and a warm, pink, juicy center. I asked my father-in-law how his steak was. He said, “It’s good.” High praise.

Although we were stuffed like ticks, we ordered dessert. The pecan pie was hot, gooey, and just right. But the cheesecake. Oh, the cheesecake. Did I mention the cheesecake? There is a company in Chicago called Eli’s cheesecake. People would come from as far as other states to buy Eli’s cheesecake. JW’s cheesecake is better than Eli’s cheesecake. We received quite a large slice, which my father-in-law and I split. It was creamy and delectable. The buttery, graham cracker crust was clearly made from scratch. My baby daughter liked it too, and she is known to be a discriminate eater.

The atmosphere at JW’s is unremarkable (which can be a good thing) with comfortable, large booths. The service was timely and unobtrusive. You may want to ask for Lauren’s section.

4 Kudzu