Manna Grocery

In a town like Tuscaloosa, home to pulled pork and wings, being a vegetarian can be hard.  The answer, my fellow herbivores (and omnivores), is Manna Grocery and Deli.  Manna is separated into two sections: the grocery section located at the front of the store and the deli/restaurant section near the back of the store and is a fabulous spot to eat whether you are grabbing lunch for the afternoon or for the next week.

The grocery section, while not large, is adequately stocked with products you can’t find in most other stores around Tuscaloosa.  While Manna is slightly pricier than say Target or Publix on products you can get around town (primarily Morningstar and Boca products), it is only a dollar or so difference and you are supporting a local business rather than a chain store (not to mention the selection of vegan/vegetarian/organic options is much larger).  Also, Manna offers more than just organic food, sporting organic beauty products, supplements, and some other miscellaneous items like jewelry and candles.

If you venture out of the grocery section, you will find the small deli in the back.  The deli section offers cheeses, cold vegetarian and vegan snacks, limited fresh produce (you should note that this is all the fresh produce that is offered), and to-go wraps, sandwiches and burritos.  If you aren’t in the mood for cold selections, however, you can order something hot from the restaurant area.

The restaurant area is right next to the deli and offers four types of vegetarian pizza and all vegetarian burgers. But fear not, my meat-loving friends, there’s plenty for you too (and it’s healthier than anything you can get from a crinkly paper bag)!  Manna offers both vegetarian and non-vegetarian paninis, sandwiches, burritos, and salad and soup plates, as well as daily specials, which vary from day to day (you can find them on their website). The restaurant, like the store, isn’t large, but there is ample room.  I ate there at around 11:30 a.m. and though it was busy, there were still tables available.

For lunch, I chose the veggie and goat cheese panini.  I should note that I’d never had goat cheese before and subsequently discovered that I am not a fan, but the panini was still very flavorful.  The portabella mushroom added a tangy taste that mixed well with the other veggies and ingredients.  The bread was well toasted and really added to the flavor.  The panini was also very filling but if you’re still hungry you get your choice of chips to go with it—not to mention you can add dessert to your meal. Chocolate or mint chocolate pie, anyone?

The staff there is also very helpful.  Anytime I’ve been in the grocery section I’ve received assistance and found the same to be true when ordering food.  With great food and a helpful staff, Manna is a nice place to visit if you’re looking for a quick meal between classes.  As a vegetarian I feel lucky to have a place like Manna that offers alternatives to the limited selection of vegetarian foods found in larger stores around town.  It’s a good place to go if you’re a vegetarian looking for variety or if you’re just looking for healthier alternatives to Tuscaloosa’s usual fare.

[amanda stevens]

Manna Grocery is located at 2300 McFarland Blvd East across from Snow Hinton Park.

Manna’s store hours are Monday-Saturday 9am-7pm.
Their deli/restaurant/lunch hours are from 11am-2:3opm Monday-Friday and 11am-2pm on Saturdays.

Los Tarascos Mexican Restaurant

Forget about a clever introduction. No need to bury the lede. Los Tarascos is the best Mexican-American restaurant in Tuscaloosa. I feel quite confident in this assessment. At bare minimum it satisfies my need for Mexican flavors, and it frequently goes beyond the minimum.

Los Tarascos is like every other Mexican-American or Tex-Mex place in so many ways: same faux roof shingles extending from the walls; same yellow & red & green & tan color scheme; same hardwood booths that feel like church pews; same simple beer selection of Bud & Miller & Corona & Dos Equis & Modelo; same chips; same salsa.

The menu, with over 100 numbered order options, initially seems like the same ol’ same ol’, until you read some of the more obscure sounding items. Los Tarascos makes a staggering variety of burritos, filled with all manner of peppers, vegetables, meats, sauces, cheeses. They make fresh takes on some staple items; the guacamole salad, for instance, contains carrots, onions, and pickled bell peppers.

The menu moves from pretty standard fajitas and burritos to Mexican City-style alambres dishes (lots of savory meats and stringy, melted Chihuahua cheese. Then you start to notice the fish and shrimp dishes, some in garlic-based sauces that don’t sound typically “Mexican,” that are reminiscent of Jalisco cuisine. Then you see the roast quail. Seriously.

If you are very hungry then order a burrito. They are the size of an entire plate, specifically the size of the giant novelty plates that Los Tarascos seems to prefer. And they are generously filled. They are basically Man vs Food style challenges. Take for example the Burrito Brava: steak, pablano peppers, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, chipotle ranchero sauce, optional sour cream. All of that is wrapped up in a giant flour tortilla and covered in cheese and enchilada sauce. It is a lot to handle, but it is really good. A spicy, earthy example of what Mexican-American food can be.

My favorite reason to come to Los Tarascos is for the dish that Tuscaloosa is in such short supply of ever since Taqueria Jaripeo got wiped out in the tornado: the humble taco. True authentic Tacos Mexicanos are some kind of meat served in a small tortilla (preferably corn tortillas), topped simply with onion and cilantro. That’s it. America took the taco and created this bastard child topped with tomatoes and lettuce and shredded cheddar and ugh. The traditional taco is one of Earth’s perfect dishes. All of that is to say that Los Tarascos serves authentic tacos! Before you get your hopes up too much, they only serve asada and pollo tacos. No cabeza or lengua or tripa or cachete to be found. But Los Tarascos excels at their skillet-cooked and grilled meats, so these standard tacos taste pretty good. They come with a roasted chile hot sauce (sometimes served on the side, sometimes added to the taco for you) that adds a lovely smoky character to the steak taco.

Los Tarascos dares to create interesting, complex flavor combinations in a restaurant genre where homogeneity is the norm. They excel at both the basic fare and the stranger, more region-specific dishes. If only El Rincon would take some cues from Los Tarascos. Quality matters, especially here.

[barry]

This Los Tarascos is located at 1759 Skyland Boulevard E, Tuscaloosa (right by America’s Thrift). They have a second location (pictured above) at 3380 Mcfarland Blvd Ste 18, Northport (in the stretch of storefronts between Popeye’s and the Northport Civic Center).

Mon – Thu:11:00 am-9:30 pm
Fri – Sat:11:00 am-10:00 pm
Sun:11:00 am-9:00 pm

Fernando’s Mexican Grill

My roommate recently had a discussion with a physician about where to eat Mexican food in this town now that Taqueria Jaripeo was totaled by the tornado. Two places came up in the positive: Jalapeno’s and Fernando’s Mexican Grill. Sure enough, Fernando’s is pretty solid.

Nothing about Fernando’s aesthetic gives me an indication that it is any different than the likes of an El Rincon. There are statues of Mariachi musicians standing out in front. The walls inside are a hodgepodge of light browns and yellows and reds and greens. Gimmick light fixtures and neon abound. It is over-the-top.

Service at Fernando’s is quick and efficient. You are seated, with drink orders taken, in a flash. Those last two sentences are very restaurant-review-cliché, aren’t they? Well, there’s a lot about Fernando’s that is cliché. But cliché works sometimes. It is something of a cliché to the idea that if a server keeps your water glass filled without your having to ask then the service must be good. But there’s truth there, and Fernando’s keeps those glasses full.

I was hoping to find some authenticity on the menu, but Fernando’s only offers the core essentials that you find in seemingly every family-owned-and-operated Mexican-American restaurant all across the country. Chips and salsa that isn’t so much spicy as it is a tastier, more robust alternative to ketchup. Combo plates and quesadillas and $11 fajita dishes served in a sizzling, personal-sized skillet. Rice and refried beans and guacamole salads on the side. Not a real taco or torta to be found.

But this classic sort of menu is just fine when well-executed, and Fernando’s executes. The quesadillas here – filling and balanced and seasoned — are a far cry from El Rincon’s sad lumps (El Rincon, being on The Strip, is always my point of reference for these kinds of restaurants). There was an inlet menu with what appeared to be specials, and the carnitas were calling my name. These pork tips were served no-frills: meaty cubes of pig with plenty of moderately-cooked onions. The pork was cooked through to well-done, which isn’t ideal, but the earthy seasoning blend made up for it. The small, quite round steamed tortillas were durable enough to hold plenty of pork for the impromptu tacos I made. Everything that I saw on other tables that came from the grill looked and smelled tasty.

As far as sides go, Fernando’s rice sticks out amongst Tuscaloosa competition for being somewhat Spanish-influenced. A Spanish-Mexican hybrid rice (that could have used some saffron) that matched up nicely with the earthy flavor of my carnitas. The refried beans, by comparison, were very standard-issue.

If you live in Northport, give Fernando’s a chance. It is leagues ahead of the likes of Pepitos and El Rincon. What I had there was quite solid, and I feel that their menu warrants further exploration.

[barry]

Fernando’s Mexican Grill is located at 824 McFarland Blvd W in Northport, across the street from Cici’s Pizza.

Mon – Thu:11:00 am-9:00 pm
Fri – Sat:11:00 am-10:00 pm
Sun:11:00 am-9:00 pm

Mr. Bill’s Kountry Kookin

Tuscaloosa/Northport is a community of Meat & Three restaurants, and everyone knows that the venerable City Café sits pretty at the top spot in the civic totem pole. City Café was one of my first Tuscaloosa meals, and I’m pretty sure that just about everyone can say the same. It’s an icon. But part of what I want to do for you, Dear Reader, is to expose you to unconventional thinking, to opinions that differ from the city council mainstream. So, for you, I take the risks inherent in speaking the following heresy: City Café is not the best Meat & Three in town. Mr. Bill’s is better.

“Mr. Bill’s? What is that?” you may be asking yourself right now. I sure did after I was told about it for the first time. The name itself registers as hilarious, and it’s located on McFarland in Northport, in that mysterious strip of commerce between state highway 69 and U.S. 43. It’s located in an innocuous brick building with crimson awnings, but all I really had to do was look for the parking lot. Mr. Bill’s was absolutely packed on this Sunday afternoon; apparently it’s a popular place to be post-church.

Mr. Bill’s has one of the stranger interiors in a town that’s full of ‘em. For one thing, it’s a very long restaurant, with dozens upon dozens of Formica tables split across three clearly delineated sections. One third of the restaurant is covered in blonde wood paneling, the middle third is very open, with a beeline to the kitchen; the final third features a gigantic painted mural of wooden buildings and horses and carriages and, presumably, this is supposed to be old timey Northport or something. Very quickly you are directed to one of the many tables (and on this Sunday there were only two that weren’t occupied) and handed menus.

Mr. Bill’s Meat & Three menu (a single sheet of paper printed on one side) appears to change regularly, perhaps weekly. Meals cost between $7 and $8 depending on what meat you order, that price inclusive of sweet tea or coffee & your choice of cornbread, Mexican cornbread, or roll. The cornbread comes out in muffin form – a fluffy yet firm interior, singed and tangy on the caramelized bottom.

The side dishes are just straight-up, well-executed versions of Southern staples: green beans, purple hull peas, creamed potatoes & gravy, macaroni & cheese, baked beans, coleslaw, fried okra. Mr. Bill’s prides themselves on their made-from-scratch apple cobbler and banana pudding, and these desserts are available as one of your three sides. I can’t speak to the desserts, but the green beans were classically seasoned with just the right amount of vinegar tang, and the mac & cheese looked quite cheesy. The creamed potatoes are very rich, and they cram a lot of them into the unexpectedly deep plastic serving bowls. My only complaint with these potatoes is that the ratio of brown gravy to potato was slanted too far in favor of the potatoes; the potatoes are certainly enjoyable without any gravy, but this is solid gravy, y’all. Each of the sides I tried at Mr. Bill’s is slightly better than their counterparts at City Café. It is useful to note that the green beans weren’t cooked with ham or other meat, and the hull peas likely aren’t either. It’s hard for vegetarians to find sides at meat & threes that don’t have of animal in them, so Mr. Bill’s $6-for-four-sides deal might be an attractive option.

Where Mr. Bill’s really separates themselves from City Café is in the meats. Mr. Bill’s focuses on chicken, with fried chicken strips and smoked chicken strips, and a delicious chicken & dressing w/ giblet gravy being staples of the menu. There’s a rotating slot that will change from week to week, usually occupied by traditional comfort foods like meatloaf or pot roast & carrots. Some days will feature actual, legitimate barbecue.

I’ll one day go to Mr. Bill’s specifically to try their pulled pork, but I could not resist ordering their catfish. If there’s a better fried catfish in town then I’d be surprised. You get two large, meaty filets per order. Two sounds like you’re getting ripped off, but there is no comparison between these beauties and the three frail, over-fried, skimpy strips you get at City Café. A batter composed of nearly entirely cornmeal, simply seasoned with salt and pepper, coats each filet and coaxes out their essential flavor. These are not overcooked one bit. The flesh has a slightly flaky texture without being at all dry. While uniformly moist and tender, the only thing that could make these better would be if Mr. Bill’s could cook up wild catfish. These farmed ones acquit themselves nicely, though.

Mr. Bill’s is precisely the sort of place that Druid City Eats wants to introduce people to. I’ve lived in Tuscaloosa for more than a year and I’d never heard of it. This community is full of hidden gems. I strongly recommend that the southern cooking fans out there find Mr. Bill’s and make it a little bit less hidden.

[barry]

Mr. Bill’s is located at 2715 McFarland Boulevard, Northport, AL, near the Buford Plaza Shopping Center.

Monday-Friday: 10:30am-8:00pm
Sunday: 10:30am-2:30pm