Road Trip to Birmingham!

I have a several passions in life.  To name a few, I love being out on my boat, for around fifteen years I was blessed by getting to volunteer with a youth group - when people I meet asks me if I have kids, I have always responded with "I have several hundred" - so students have long been a passion of mine, and for this particular group of students, I love them dearly.  I love Marketing and get to do it full time with my job at WT Cox Subscriptions.  I really do love eating out - thus this blog.  And I love God and try to make Him the center of all aspects of my life.  I just realized I used the word "Love" several times in a row.  I love - It's who I am...

A combination of all of the passions merged yesterday and today during an incredible road trip.  The highlight of my trip was getting to spend some time with Adair.  She is one of those students who I have known for years.  Matter of fact, the first time I remember meeting her she was probably 8 or so.  Maybe younger?   If Adair reads this, she'll know the story that comes to mind - one I have embarrassed her with time and time again!  But I won't embarrass her with that story this time.  Rather, I'll mention that Adair has gone to the lake with me numerous times.  I'm sure by now I have taken literally hundreds of groups to the lake with me....and one of the trips with Adair certainly goes down as one of my favorite all time trips.  Matter of fact, two of the trips with Adair will be considered my all time favorites.  The first one the day ended with me having dinner over at her house after an incredibly fun day at the lake.  The other is a "siblings day" we had last summer.  Adair has meant so much to me through the years...And it was wonderful to see her!

When I knew I was going to be in Birmingham, I got in touch with Adair to see if she would be up for dinner, coffee, desert...whatever.  And it worked out so we could go eat together.  She asked me where I wanted to go, and of course I didn't care so she asked a friend for a suggestion, and the friend suggested a place called Urban Cookhouse.  Adair had never been there, I had never been there...so it seemed like a great adventure for the two of us.  I was so hoping the food would be good, because my first impression of this place was great and I thought it would make a good blog post.  It did not disappoint!

Urban Cookhouse has a very different look and feel to it than most places I like.  As the name would suggest, it had a very Urban look.  Everything feels very modern, very hip.  The menu and selection are both very impressive.  I literally had to make a choice among five different things that I wanted to try.  Adair had a couple she was deciding between.  Their menu made everything seem so tasty and the naming and descriptions were fun.  Whoever came up with this menu certainly had major creativity and culinary excitement at their core.  They offer a great selection of sandwiches, salads and "fork & knife" entrees.  I choose "Lime-Marinated Steak & Rice" from the "fork & knife" section.  It came with a salad and an orange roll - all for under $9!

The salad was full of a wide array of vegetables, that all appeared and tasted to be fresh from someone's personal garden.  The rice was seasoned to perfection and the steak was incredibly impressive.  And that orange roll I mentioned - YUMMY!!  Had I not been with Adair, I probably would have been tempted to go buy a dozen of those orange rolls!

Urban Cookhouse has sidewalk seating, and on a perfect night like last night, we were able to enjoy the fresh air while catching up.  It was a bustling spot full of friends and families enjoying time together.  The atmosphere was welcoming and lent itself to good conversation.  The steak was quickly delivered and devoured, but Adair and I had the opportunity to sit and catch up with each other for a while. We reminisced about lake trips, friends, and I got to hear all about what was going on with her at college.  She's been such a blessing in my life, and it's obvious she continues to be a blessing to others in Birmingham.

Adair had mentioned a Mexican restaurant that I tried out today before I left Birmingham.  Concina Superior was excellent!  And again I got to eat outside and loved every item they served me.  I want to mention this place simply because it lived up to "superior" that is in the name.  I even brought home a souvenir cup from there it was so good!

What an opportunity I had in Birmingham. I got to spend some time with someone I think the world of, I got to see how God is working in her life, I got to do a little marketing for my company, I got to reminiscence about some fun lake trips (which make me crave the lake so much) and I got to eat at two very outstanding restaurants.  This road trip was a success!