Dining Out In Mobile, Alabama - Madden and Soto, Attorneys

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Ruth Chris

Osman's

Bakery

Yen

"Midtown", the buffer between West Mobile and Downtown, means something different to just about everyone. For "Downtowners", its our secondary fallback zone for food and entertainment. We've set out this section which is basically the loop created by the two interstates, to exclude areas - like the malls and most of Airport Boulevard south of the Interstate - that are difficult to get to from work within a normal lunch hour.

One of our readers sent in this comment: "They have great white pizza and excellent bread sticks. They have a steak night on Saturday that I have not tried yet but plan to. If it is as good as the pizza it should be excellent. I have heard good things about the steaks there. I have eaten there about 6 times, mostly due to proximity of my house and I have not had one bad experience. "

Michael's Midtown not only began the trend towards fine eateries, it trained many of the area's best chefs. This was probably the first fine restaurant that sprang from that legacy. They, in turn, have expanded on the tradition of offering excellent cuisine. Not only is the setting pleasant, the food is the area's best. Fresh soups and homemade bread and desserts, inventive salads, pasta dishes, and more. The deli next door is also top-notch, serving great take out and one of the best wine selections around.

You've probably been impressed with their fare at the last fancy-schmancy party or wedding you attended. Well, they have the same food in take out form. Bay Gourmet more than makes up for the demise of Naman's. Check out their website for an idea of the fare they make available.

Home of the "soon to be famous Butch burger." Casual, daily specials, dine in or take out. Caveat: A smoky bar.

This is where the locals go to get a beer, watch a game, play shuffleboard, and chat. Really nice ____. (What's the Irish word for "ambiance"? Someone help us here!) Their lunches always feature a special and a nice respite from the downtown lunch rush. When the weather permits, they keep the windows open. It has a New Orleans neighborhood feel to the place. Go there for lunch on a Saturday afternoon, watch a game, BS with the locals. Also a great venue for really (really) good music. Plus, they now have a no-smoking area.

Getting off work and need an easy dinner "to go"? This place has all of the ambiance and authenticity of a Beijing dive. REALLY GREAT take out.

Locals' favorite, the Dew Drop has been serving up their famous hot dogs as well as other home-cooked specialties like onion rings, turnip greens, and gumbo since 1937.

Ribs-and-white-bread-Chic? Thought by many to be the paradigm of barbeque, people have been lugging Dreamland Sauce back from Tuscaloosa for years. Call 1-800-752-0544 to have ribs and sauce sent anywhere. Open seven days a week.

Okay, so this is getting stupid, guys. You cannot keep loading Mid-town with really great places to eat. When we first heard about this place, well, we were under-impressed with the idea of a "French Market Cafe". "Yeah, sure," we said, "another one." But this place is a really a welcome addition to the area and does a really excellent job of setting out light fare. Up and around on Saturday morning? Why drive two hours for a beignet? Go here.

A bit wee too pretentious and over-priced for what is essentially Mexican food, there are, nonetheless, some really interesting and excellent items on the menu that make this a really essential place to visit and make up one's own mind about.. The venue is impressive (if somewhat under-lit for those of us not out on a date) and the wait staff very attentive.

So, we're sort of snobs about sushi, which is why we hadn't deigned to grace this place with our presence for oh so long a time. What a mistake. This is your mama san of sushi places. Not pretentious, genial, excellent fare at really reasonable prices.

Okay, truth be told, the best Mexican food in Mobile is at La Cocina on Airport Boulevard. But, that's halfway across town. If your palette is all that fancy, what are you doing eating Tex-Mex? This place does a really good job of turning out the plates of Mexican staples and has a really loyal following. They do it right.

U.S. prime beef, fresh Gulf seafood, veal, and rack of lamb. Excellent service.

Another little out-of-the-way place favored by the locals, this place is really excellent. Don't be fooled by the name, their pizza is excellent, but their entrees are as good and sophisticated as any thing offered at the other fine dining establishments listed here.

This place is always full of pleasant surprises. Despite the fact that it's a chain, we have included it because the food is so top drawer. And, in spite of its Grateful Dead motif, the chain originated in Auburn, Alabama. War Damn Eagle!

OSMAN'S

These folks emigrated here from Eastern Europe and have established themselves as one of the best restaurants in the area. Classically European fare. The really exciting news is that they are relocating to the midtown area.

Okay, so you're out shopping or goofing off, or on an errand and you're near Florida street in Midtown. You're looking for something that's not fast food but not really a big meal. How about a really nice home-cooked meal like your granny would have made you? Morrison's is okay. But this place is better and won't be crowded. Lunch only, Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Diner. Seafood and burgers. Plate lunches and all-you-can-eat specials are a bargain.

The best steaks in Mobile. Excellent service. Perfect for meeting a client and discussing business.

This place grew from a little bitty mom-and-pop-and-kids store at Five Points to a converted Waffle House and then, finally, to its current location at the old steak house. They are in serious contention for being the best Barbeque in Mobile.

Remember when the only place to go in Mobile was T.P's? Jim and Julie? Taking a deep breath before you opened the door and walked the gauntlet of stares? Mobile's first fern bar is still there. Don't miss the weekend brunch featuring two-for-one Eggs Benedict and champagne. Open seven days a week.

What is so very cool about the midtown area is that you can always walk into a little neighborhood bar expecting nothing but maybe a passable meal and come out with a gem like this place. In fact, when we were putting this list together it struck us how many of the places in Mid-Town really are wonderful little eating places. Tammy Morgan used to run one of our very favorite places and left to follow her dream of owning her own little place. She honed her culinary expertise there and it really shows. Don't expect a greasy spoon experience here.

Folks lucky enough to call Midtown home eat here because, like the Tiny Diny and the Dew Drop, this place makes a name for itself by being unpretentious and consistently good. Barbecue, steaks, soups, salads, and sandwiches.

Now, how in the hell does a little hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese restaurant get the same rating as the best premiere restaurants in the city? Go there and find out.