A tenner followed by a visit to Birmingham's Fish Market

Last Saturday was our last day in Alabama.  Since Sunday was a travel day (and an early one with our plane leaving around 7:00 AM), I decided to combine my Saturday and Sunday runs into a single one.  That made for ten miles which I started early morning to minimize the effect of the high temperature and humidity.

The run was great.  The winding road I took was rather quiet, since most was part of an undeveloped subdivision, but still offered two other runners to cross a couple of times.

Later that day, we went to Birmingham's Fish Market for lunch.  If you find yourself in Birmingham looking for a place to eat, this is definitely the one.  A Greek seafood restaurant with a fish market full of great and vey fresh seafood and spices (some of which our hosts Don and Sheila graciously bought for us).

The inside is pleasant, and reminiscent of a Mediterranean restaurant, but given the good weather we opted to seat outside.

The menu is hardly a Greek one.  Some of the items are definitely greek, but the southern-Creole fingerprint is definitely present with some of it's staples picking my interest from the menu written on a chalkboard.

Don, a regular who works just a mile down the road, knows the place well and orders appetizers for all (a hole in one if you ask me).    

The fried crab claws (above) are tender, almost sweet, but the big surprise is the fried pickles.  The briny flavor turns into a deliciously salty.  We devour those pretty fast and find ourselves digging through the crumbs at the bottom of the plate.

Last, the obligatory fried green tomatoes disappoint no one.  The crispy cornmeal exterior contrasts with the fresh, juicy tomatoes on the inside.  A great treat.

After learning from my experience at The Depot I ignore my niece Jessica's advise and listen to Don.  An easy task since he not only knows the place well, but also recommend the Jambalaya, one of my favorite dishes.  All entrees come with two sides.  I order the greek style potatoes (part of my carb loading strategy ;-) and the fried okra (at right) which is delicious.  

With the exception of the spice level (not hot at all and requiring a good dose of the hot sauce on the table)  the dish is fabulous.  Most definitely a great ending to a trip that was not planned as a culinary adventure, but a High School Graduation celebration for our niece.