20 • Thursday, May 31, 2018
FOOD
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
FOODIE NEWS CHOCOLATE WARS: BAKERS, CHEFS WILL COMPETE IN JUNE 21 CHALLENGE
Birmingham bakers, chefs and restaurateurs will face off June 21 in the fourth annual Magic City Chocolate Challenge. The fundraiser for Disability Rights & Resources will be from 5:30-8 p.m. at Regions Field. Participants will compete for a people’s choice award for the best chocolate dish. The event also will include musical entertainment and a silent auction. Already signed up to participate are Anna Claire, The Bright Star, Carrabas Italian Grill, Crestline Catering, Dena’s Cakes, Ivory LeShore’s Gourmet Bread Pudding and Cheesecakes, Savoie Catering, Taco Morro Loco, and We Have Doughnuts. Early bird tickets are $30 and on sale through June 11. Regular admission tickets will be $35. Children ages 12 and younger get in free if they’re with an adult. For tickets and more information, visit drradvocates.org.
Tom Sheffer owns the Green Apple Restaurant Group, which includes Avo and Dram in Mountain Brook, Jackson’s in Homewood and Nashville, and now Icehouse on Culver Road in Mountain Brook, above. Another eatery will be added to the group later this summer when Sheffer opens Soda Jerk in Homewood’s Edgewood neighborhood.
LOW and SLOW
Restaurateur Brings Texas BBQ to Mountain Brook – and Plans New Edgewood Eatery By Donna Cornelius Debates about which state has the best barbecue can get heated in a hurry. But a Mountain Brook restaurant that opened in March puts forth a pretty tasty case for Texas. “In Alabama, barbecue is more focused on ribs and pork,” said Tom Sheffer, owner of Icehouse Texas BBQ on Culver Road. “In Kentucky, where I’m from, it’s more mutton and chicken.” The Lone Star State, where it’s said everything is bigger, has a heavy-duty contender in the barbecue wars: brisket. This cut of beef can be tough if it’s not prepared properly – but when it is, look out. “Brisket is less forgiving than other meats and has to be cooked low and slow,” Sheffer said. Justin Green, the pit master at Icehouse, has the cooking method down pat. You almost don’t need a knife to eat his tender, flavor-forward brisket – but you’ll be glad to see a handy roll of paper towels on each table at the restaurant. Green, who’s from Arkansas, said another difference in Texas barbecue is the sauce – or lack of it. “They don’t do sauces, except maybe on the side,” he said. “The thought is that the meat is good enough to stand on its own.”
He and Sheffer know many Alabama folks are partial to sauce, so Icehouse serves theirs in separate containers. Green said there are three kinds of sauces. “You have sweet, heat and tangy,” he said. Icehouse smokes its meat at the restaurant. “In Texas, they use oak, not hickory,”
‘In Texas, they use oak, not hickory. The best is post oak – a type of native oak they use for fence posts on ranches. We ship it in from there. It’s great for pork. We use local pecan wood, too.’ Sheffer said. “The best is post oak – a type of native oak they use for fence posts on ranches. We ship it in from there. It’s great for pork. We use local pecan wood, too.” Sheffer said one reason he chose Texas
barbecue for his new restaurant is because he loved Texas growing up. “And the fun part of the Texas thing is that you can play off Tex-Mex, too, so we can have tacos and chips and queso,” he said. As a tribute to central Texas culture, side dishes include German potato salad and Czech-inspired kohlrabi slaw. “Our turkey has been a surprise hit, and so has our sausage,” Sheffer said. “Brisket has been even more popular than we thought. We also have barbecued bologna.” Dessert offerings are Texas-themed, too. “Pecan pie is a Texas and Southern favorite,” Sheffer said. “We also have Texas sheet cake, which is heavy on the chocolate.” Each Icehouse cocktail is named after an old Texas country song. “Red-headed Stranger” is a ruby red grapefruit margarita. “Make the World Go Away” is a Manhattan with Old Forester, sweet vermouth and orange bitters. “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights” combines Tito’s vodka and sweet tea. Also on the drinks menu are beer and wine. Brunch, served only on Saturdays, has Austin, Texas-style breakfast tacos, eggs and brisket, mimosas and bloody Marys. Carry-out and catering are available. Sheffer said the restaurant’s name comes from, as one might guess, Texas. See ICEHOUSE, page 22
The Funky Food Truck Festival will be from 1-6 p.m. June 16 at Cahaba Brewing Co., 4500 Fifth Ave. S. in Birmingham. Participating food trucks will include Dixieland Funnel Cakes, Lazy Boy BBQ, Nola Ice and Taco Morro Loco. Fetch: A Treat Truck for Dogs will be on hand, too, and the Greater Birmingham Humane Society will bring adoptable dogs. Suggested donations of $5 benefit AIDS Alabama programs. For more information, visit aidsalabama.org.
TOP TACOS: ANNUAL FESTIVAL IS AT AVONDALE BREWERY
Try some of the best tacos in Birmingham at the second annual Taco Festival from noon to 5 p.m. June 30 at Avondale Brewing Co., 201 41st St. S. in Birmingham. Bare Hands Gallery, host of the annual Dia de Los Muertos Festival, is presenting the event. Those who attend can vote for the best taco and have margaritas and other beverages. The festival also will have live music and a kids’
See FOODIE NEWS, page 22
Photo special to the Journal
Journal photo by Jordan Wald
WHEELS ON THE GROUND: FOOD TRUCK EVENT BENEFITS AIDS ALABAMA
Anna Claire won Most Creative Use of Chocolate and Best Dressed Table awards at last year’s Magic City Chocolate Challenge.