Friday Night in Birmingham

Fall in Birmingham isn't all about football after all. While Moose's husband was away playing golf, we set out to entertain ourselves. From the events we were most likely to enjoy included, but was not limited to:

1) Art show opening at Bare Hands Gallery
2) ArtWalk 2010
3) Animal House playing at the historic Alabama Theatre (where I originally saw it in 1978)
4) Eat Pray Love at Carmike Summit 16
5) And, of course, attitude adjusters, dinner, and conversation

We chose 1, 2 and 5. We viewed the interesting and whimsical paintings of Dan Bynum and Robin Melinda Nance at Bare Hands and braved the crowds to view various displays of eclectic art along Second Avenue North. But, the biggest surprise of the evening came when we chose to have dinner at longtime Birmingham landmark, John's City Diner.

Photo and description from their website:

By blending a bit of the old with the new, owner Shannon Gober has transformed the Downtown Birmingham landmark John's Restaurant into the new and improved John's City Diner. While the restaurant still maintains much of the charm from the past, the decor and menu have undergone a facelift to meet the needs of the increasingly food savvy Birmingham public. The menu at John's City Diner features a wide range of flavors from Southern comfort food to Asian-inspired dishes.

Although this transformation took place in 2004, I hadn't eaten at John's since 1997. Because it is so much a part of my history and Birmingham's, it was a delight to see how it had changed.

Food, service, atmosphere: Good
Best part:  They make a delicious Cosmopolitan!