Soul food originated from the African slaves. Being the subservient class, many of them were the ones doing the cooking for their owners in addition to cooking for themselves. Once the Civil War ended and the 13th and 14th Amendments were established, these food traditions were only passed down through Black families while the rich Whites were left with nothing since they didn't know how to cook. For a time, white men could neither jump nor cook. Moral of the story: learn how to cook for yourself and others regardless of who you are or where you come from. It's a very valuable life skill.
The food scene in Birmingham, like much of the South, is based heavily on soul food. The most common type of establishment to get this is the "meat and 3". As the name says, you get a choice of meat with 3 side dishes. There are some well known ones in town like Niki's West, which was established in 1957 and has grown into one of the largest restaurants in the area. But my choice for a meat and 3 is Eagle's Restaurant, which looks the same as it did since 1951.
Eagle's Restaurant is a dingy, tiny, and historic shack near the industrial area of town. The surrounding area has probably seen better days. Boarded up homes, an unpaved parking lot, and an abandoned gas station are all nearby. I remember walking into the restaurant feeling quite uncomfortable.
Right as you walk in, there are a few booth seats, an arcade machine to the left, and an old TV in the back. But I felt right at home when I saw the small but amazing selection of food. There were smothered pork chops, beef liver, chicken wings, meatloaf, yams, black eyed peas, and the ubiquitous collard greens among others. But there is one thing that brought me here: oxtails.
Right as you walk in, there are a few booth seats, an arcade machine to the left, and an old TV in the back. But I felt right at home when I saw the small but amazing selection of food. There were smothered pork chops, beef liver, chicken wings, meatloaf, yams, black eyed peas, and the ubiquitous collard greens among others. But there is one thing that brought me here: oxtails.
With the meat, my 3 are collard greens, candied yams, and cornbread. Once I took a bite, I was instantly hooked. It was the best preparation of oxtail I've ever had. The oxtails were really tender having been cooked down at a low temperature for a long time. But then again, for a tough cut like the oxtail, it's probably the only way to go in order to soften the meat. The sauce actually gelatinizes onto the meat, giving it another layer of texture. It was so good I quickly forgot how the scorching humidity was burning me. While it is starting to cool in the North in the fall, the Deep South still feels like a tropical jungle.
To balance the meal, I choose some veggies that also received the same love and care as the oxtails. The collards are cooked in the Southern way with bone-in meats to give it a smoky flavor. The yams are really sweet and thick. It is cooked down with lots of sugar and butter. Sounds like something Paula Deen would make. Since they are located near a farmer's market, they have access to some of the freshest ingredients every day.
Eagle's serves a different selection of food every day of the week, expect for Saturdays when they're closed. Open 10:30am-3:30pm Central Time.
2610 16th Street N
Birmingham, AL 35204
To balance the meal, I choose some veggies that also received the same love and care as the oxtails. The collards are cooked in the Southern way with bone-in meats to give it a smoky flavor. The yams are really sweet and thick. It is cooked down with lots of sugar and butter. Sounds like something Paula Deen would make. Since they are located near a farmer's market, they have access to some of the freshest ingredients every day.
Eagle's serves a different selection of food every day of the week, expect for Saturdays when they're closed. Open 10:30am-3:30pm Central Time.
2610 16th Street N
Birmingham, AL 35204
No comments:
Post a Comment