Steaking Claim

Michael’s Steaks and Seafood has hit a home run with their new downtown location. The restaurant formerly at the Aloft hotel in Homewood announced plans to reopen in the Negro Southern League Museum (NSLM). The steakhouse will feature a rooftop bar and have an exterior entrance separate from the museum’s. Adding a restaurant to the NSLM has been a long-term goal for the city—the restaurant received $1.5 million in incentives to open there. In addition, the restaurant will receive a 24-month rent abatement. These incentives helped make the project financially feasible for Michael’s. And now we’ll be able to enjoy a good steak downtown—although you might need more than a 7th-inning stretch after a 22-ounce bone-in ribeye.

Feeling Catty

Cat got your tongue? That might just be the case at Gatos & Beans, a newly opened cat café in Avondale. Popular in Europe and Asia, cat cafes are exactly what they sound like—coffee or tea shops where free-roaming cats cuddle up to patrons or lounge on windowsills. But Gatos & Beans takes the concept one step further by including a cat adoption center, run by Kitty Kat Haven, in order to help promote adoptions for cats in need of a home.

Kelli and Stephen Steward are the cat lovers behind this venture. The couple won second place in last year’s REV Big Pitch competition for their business idea, and as such, they were awarded $10,000 in start-up capital to open Gatos & Beans. The café opened August 1, and the Stewards suggest reservations for those wanting to visit on a weekend (reservations can be made via their website gatosandbeans.com). The fee to play with the kitties is $10 per hour and includes a free coffee or tea. If you end up wanting to take a furry friend home, all adoption fees go directly to Kitty Kat Haven. Now doesn’t that just seem purrfect?

Perk Up

A new coffee shop soon will be caffeinating Ensley. Entrepreneur Troy Whetstone plans to open Modern House Coffee in a renovated storefront in the neighborhood. The new coffee shop has a mission behind it—to hire people experiencing homelessness who are in need of a full-time job. The nonprofit shop is meant to help bolster the community. “I think Ensley is the perfect community,” Whetstone said, via REV Birmingham. “I think that’s why God led me this way because it’s a community of second chances.

Preserving Tradition

Five Points South added a new restaurant to its roster in July with the opening of The Preservery. The long-awaited concept from Chef Andrea Foster features upscale soul food such as Field Pea Fondue and Buttermilk Brined Fried Chicken with watermelon chow chow. Foster gained a following after a stint in REV’s rotating restaurant stall in the Pizitz Food Hall in 2018. Since then, she’s been doing popups and catering events while working to open her full-service restaurant. The Preservery is located in the former Fuego Cantina building in the heart of Five Points. The newly decorated interior features a subtle nautical theme, including many navy and copper accents, that nods to Foster’s father who served in the Navy.

An appetizer from The Preservery, Five Points South's newest restaurant.

Gone Rogue

Long-running downtown establishment Rogue Tavern closed in May after 10 years of business. While patrons were sad to see it go, interest quickly piqued in the announcement of a new restaurant in its place. Local chef Tom Saab of Bistro 218 is planning to open a full-service restaurant in the large space. The concept hasn’t been finalized yet, but they’re planning to open in late 2019 or early 2020.

Seeing Double

One of our favorite bars is getting a sibling. Carrigan’s Public House announced in July that they will be opening a second location in Mountain Brook in the former Dram Whiskey Bar space (Abhi Eatery and Bar will take the upstairs AVO space). The gastropub will be similar to its downtown iteration, but with a few small tweaks. The smaller space will allow for table service (rather than ordering at the bar like you do at the original) and the menu will include new dishes and more salads. The restaurant and bar plans to open by October or November.

Order Up

Birmingham loves its burgers, and soon we’ll have another option to get our fill. A fast-casual chain called Burgerim is opening in town later this year. Although the location has yet to be announced, people already are excited for the restaurant’s creative burgers, including options like the Dry-Aged Beef Burger, the Crispy Chicken Sandwich, and lighter options such as the Hawaiian Salmon Burger and a Falafel “Burger.” Francis Perdue, the company’s public relations director and owner of the Birmingham franchise, is not only one of the youngest black women to purchase a franchise, but she also has ties to Birmingham. She wanted to open a location here in her family’s hometown and looks forward to giving back to her community.

This story appears in Birmingham magazine’s September 2019 issue. Subscribe today!