Kozy's

What a wonderful date night Wes and I had at Kozy's. If you have never been, it's one of those must do dining experiences in Tuscaloosa. We went on a Thursday night when a jazz piano player is there to serenade. It made the experience so much better. If you didn't read the Opus post (one at the very beginning) you need to read it too. Kozy's and Opus are sister restaurants with many of the same great ideas, a nice dinner, served just perfectly, and a wonderful night on the town in Tuscaloosa or Northport. Kozy's is located on Loop Road in a quaint house with candles on the tables and a perfectly wonderful atmosphere. Here is a shot in the room where we were sitting. You can see more great photos and find out more on their website.

Of course we started with an appetizer. Rick and Mike were wonderful enough to suggest a sampler so that I could talk about a few of the options you will have when you visit. We tried the Roma Tomato with stuffing and cheese and baked to perfection. I think this one was my favorite. We also had the duck spring rolls. These had just enough spice and a sweet sauce on the top that made for a fantastic flavor combination. And, we also tried the bacon wrapped scallops. Oh my, they were so good. Wes and I love scallops and these did not disappoint. Maybe these were my favorite. I know they were Wes'.

Instead of a salad, I wanted to try the soup du'jour, gazpacho. It was a tomato based soup with a variety of vegetables purred, and served cold. I had a great taste with a little spice to it. I forgot to ask what was giving it the added kick. In the picture, you can see there is a balsamic vinegar drizzle and some special cream drizzle too. I hadn't had this before and it was really refreshing and not too heavy. Wes tried the ceaser salad and it was perfect too.

For dinner, we took two of the top suggestions from the waiters again. We had the lamb and tuna. We are both pretty well rounded eaters so when we go to a restaurant that serves these types of dishes we always try to get something we couldn't find just everywhere. They were both gorgeous when they came to the table and tasted just as great. The tuna was seared with a cracked pepper outside and a nice flavor. It was served with delicious Parmesan risotto, an Italian rice, that might have been the best thing I had all night. Wes' lamb had a wonderful herbed flavored crust, no breading, but a seasoning on the outside. And the smashed potatoes paired up very nicely. We cleaned both plates so I would say we were pleased!

You hate to miss dessert on a night like this. So, we didn't. We had the cheesecake of the day which had a strawberry compote on the top with just enough flavor to carry over to the whole dessert. What an unbelievable piece of cheesecake!

All in all it was a fabulous date night. We really enjoyed the jazz music, I enjoyed a $5 martini (you can't beat that) and we had delicious food throughout the meal. It is a great location for a special occasion and I know a lot of people who celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and graduations by having a special meal at Kozy's. You will have a chance to get $50 gift certificates for only $25 Friday July 1st. Just click here or go to the station websites at the bottom  of the page.

Walton's

This week I am talking about a great family option, Walton's. This one is perfect because there are two locations both in Northport and Tuscaloosa south of town. This makes it easy for most people to take advantage of this deal. And, $50 will go a long way. Wes and I invited one of some of our friends and their kids so that I could demonstrate how well it works for families. Here is Rainy enjoying her mac and cheese. Walton's has a several options for the kids too.

And we had lots of great food. Don't forget, Walton's would be an excellent spot to pick up a platter of food for a party or tailgate, too. Check out their website to see the full menu or visit them on facebook.

We just ordered a variety of things to split and try. We started with the corn nugget appetizer and they were delicious.  Its a tasty way to have a veggie. Think about creamed corn in a little fried bite. These would be the perfect pick me up in the afternoon or a nice start to a meal.

For the main course, we split a hamburger, Black & Bleu Salad, and wings. If you know anything about Walton's, you know they have awesome chicken fingers. If you are feeling like being good you can get the grilled tenders which are moist and a lighter option. However, I am sure the most popular item on the menu is the fried tenders, breaded perfectly, freshly cooked, and served with the delicious secret sauce. So, since I already knew I loved the tenders, I wanted to try several other items.

First, the burger. This burger was pretty big. Bill suggested a Jr. Burger if I was going to eat just that but since we were splitting we went with the regular with cheese, of course, and it comes with all the fixins. This burger was serious, just like a perfectly grilled burger you would make at home. It was great and not at all what I was thinking I would get from a chicken place. I would definitely recommend it.

We got a mixed chicken wing plate with honey mustard and mild. Both of these were really good. I forgot to take a picture of just the wings but you can see them in the above picture with all the food.

My favorite of the night was the Black and Bleu salad. There are two options and I went with the salad without jalapenos, with grilled chicken, and mild sauce.  It was fresh, a large portion, the chicken was great, and I could have eaten it without dressing (but I put some light ranch on there just for good measure). Here is a picture of the salad. It definitely would have been a full meal for me without all the other options.

What is a good dinner without some dessert. It was a tough choice, so I went with the chocolate and peach fried pies with ice cream.  Walton's has a big variety of soft serve ice cream flavors. But, I had heard the fried pies were great and I had to throw some vanilla on there too. Seriously, these are fresh fried pies. I love dessert and these were really good. The chocolate pie was kind of like a brownie inside the fried outside with ice cream. Yes, it was that good! And it is just plain hard to beat a fried peach pie. Bill suggested the key lime cake so the next stop I make will include that.

Walton's is a great lunch or dinner option and you don't want to miss the chance to get half price gift certificates. Check it out starting Friday June 24th at 10 a.m. on one of the station websites or click here.

The Pigg Shack

Ok, y'all. We know there are lots of places to get BBQ in the south. And, The Pigg Shack should be at the top of your list!  The Pigg Shack is on Hillcrest School Road off 69 South. It is a cute little building with some picnic tables where you can sit. Or, you can drive-thru and take it with you. I picked up food to take home since it's so hot outside right now. We had a wonderful dinner and we got the chance to try lots of the food so I can tell you all about it. You can check them out on facebook and see even more of the good looking food. Big Ed's going to make sure the food is fresh, delicious and some of the best you will have.

Let's start with a basic. Any good BBQ place needs some good sauce. The Piggsicle sauce has been talked about around the radio station for a few months.  It lives up to the hype.

Ok, so the sauce is just the beginning. We got to try a sampler of several meats. Big Ed suggested ribs, pulled pork, and chicken. And, I knew that Pigg Shack was supposed to have good smoked chicken wings, and those are Wes' favorite. So, we had to try some of those too.  Here is a picture of the chicken that must of had some kind of dry rub seasoning. It had a great amount of flavor and was so juicy. 

Now, lets talk about the other meats. I don't necessarily consider myself a connoisseur of barbecue. The main idea is that I like it. So, what about the pulled pork. It was tender and had good flavor. You can't go wrong with this one. I asked Wes his thoughts on the ribs because I have a hard time judging. He said they had a good amount of meat and they fell off the bone. That means these ribs are a winner. And, when I took a bite that's exactly what I thought too. It was so tender and really did fall off the bone. The dry rub on these ribs was delicious too. And then for the chicken wings. I specifically asked for chicken wings because Wes is a big fan of smoked wings. These were my favorite.  The meat literally fell off the bone and I never have that happen with chicken wings. The dry rub was on these too and they are just wonderful.

We piled the meat on our plate and then moved on to the sides.  Pigg Shack has a few of the traditional sides as well as a few different sides. They have a great broccoli salad with what looks like golden raisins, bacon bits, and some kind of tasty sauce. It was lighter than most sides you get at a BBQ place and was really good. I know this is freshly made and will be one of my go-to sides at Pigg Shack. The baked beans have barbecue in them. Good beans! We also tried the mac and cheese which was obviously homemade. But, the potato salad was the best thing I had out of the entire dinner. I do not know what is in this potato salad but it isn't like anything else. Wes said I could quote him that this was possibly the best potato salad he has ever had.  I can't even figure out how to explain it to you I just know that it is awesome. Here is a picture of the entire plate of food.

So, if you haven't figured it out by now, I am recommending that you try all of the above from Pigg Shack. This is the perfect place to get some 4th of July picnic food, tailgating platters, or just family dinner. Be sure to grab a half price certificate on Friday June 17th on one of the station websites or click here.