Serenbe Style and Soul

with Marie Nygren

Thursday

22

January 2015

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Back to Birmingham: Chris Hastings Loves Us Up Again

Written by , Posted in Miscellaneous

SSS Chris Hastings collage

How far would you go for a great meal?

Some people prefer to stay in their culinary comfort zone and return to the same restaurants over and over. And some travel the world with an open mind and mouth, eating their way through new experiences.

I’m a little of both. I have my local favorites—places where everyone knows my name and order. But I also have no problem hopping in a car or on a plane in search of something delicious. And it’s not just about the food—it’s about the adventure.

So of course I was the first one to say yes when, at the end of chef Chris Hastings’ chefs series visit last fall, one of the participants suggested we take a road trip to his restaurant in Birmingham. No one wanted his class to end, so we planned an overnight trip to see him in his own element. Part of it was about the food, but it was also about spending more time in his presence. Chris is incredibly gracious, down to earth and is an absolute superstar at making people feel at ease around him.

Now this is not the first time I’ve made a pilgrimage to Hot and Hot Fish Club and it will likely not be the last. As he did when I took some friends to see him last spring and fall, Chris came out and told us he was going to “love us up.” And love us up he did.

That love came in the form of a beautiful beet salad, sautéed scallops with mushrooms, greens and Jerusalem artichoke sauce, pasta stuffed with foraged pine needles, roasted duck breast and cake with a funnel cake-like garnish.

We left full and of food but hungry for more of Chris. Good thing he has plans to open Ovenbird, a South American-influenced restaurants, this year.

Stay tuned for tales from future road trips. And in the meantime, tell me where your wanderlust has taken you, what you’ve eaten, what you’ve loved and why.

chris hastings in birmingham

 

 

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