Penn State has always been my second-favorite team. Love the tradition and the fans. I was in school during the first part of the series in the '80s, and thought the PSU fans were a really classy group. I'm already planning a trip to University Park for the 2011 game up there. Tough place to get to, though.
If you're staying in Birmingham, there are several really fine local restaurants. Hot 'n Hot Fish Club is my favorite, but it can get kind of pricey. Little Savannah has an outstanding take on upscale southern comfort food. It isn't cheap by any means, but isn't quite as expensive as Hot 'n Hot. Highlands has the big name, and the swagger to go with it, but I prefer the other two.
Bottega has some really good northern Italian, but Gianmarco's in Homewood is better in my estimation.
If you want to get adventurous, a place called Fox Valley is outstanding. It's about 15 - 18 miles south of downtown, in an area called Maylene. Not much on atmosphere (it's in a strip center anchored by a BP station), but the food is incredible. Steak and cake is the one to get there -- a small filet and a crab cake that Baltimore would kill to have. The grilled shrimp appetizer is the best I've had anywhere.
At a slightly lower price point, Surin (Thai) is good, as is Silvertron. And the Mellow Mushroom Pizza is also good, though it's part of a small chain, so it's not exactly local.
Dyron's in Crestline Village has really good South Carolina low country food, and Dram / Avo in Mountain Brook Village is also good.
For upscale drinks, I'd go with Dram. If you like wine, the Wine Loft downtown has a great selection. For beer, I'd go with Dave's near Five Points South or The Garage. The Garage bar is near a lot of the places I've named, but kind of hard to find (several winding one-way streets), but well worth the search.
Lou's Pub in the Lakeview district is also good, but it's not the same since Lou himself died a couple of years ago.
If you're looking for an entertainment district to go bar-hopping, I'd suggest Lakeview over Five Points South. Five Points has gone downhill over the past few years, draws a pretty young crowd, and the parking lots aren't always the safest.
Lakeview has several places, and draws mostly a crowd 30 and older. A couple of the smaller bars have a young crowd, but they're in the minority.
Be sure to get to Tuscaloosa early enough to enjoy the Quad and The Strip. It's an incredible game-day atmosphere.
If you're staying in Birmingham, there are several really fine local restaurants. Hot 'n Hot Fish Club is my favorite, but it can get kind of pricey. Little Savannah has an outstanding take on upscale southern comfort food. It isn't cheap by any means, but isn't quite as expensive as Hot 'n Hot. Highlands has the big name, and the swagger to go with it, but I prefer the other two.
Bottega has some really good northern Italian, but Gianmarco's in Homewood is better in my estimation.
If you want to get adventurous, a place called Fox Valley is outstanding. It's about 15 - 18 miles south of downtown, in an area called Maylene. Not much on atmosphere (it's in a strip center anchored by a BP station), but the food is incredible. Steak and cake is the one to get there -- a small filet and a crab cake that Baltimore would kill to have. The grilled shrimp appetizer is the best I've had anywhere.
At a slightly lower price point, Surin (Thai) is good, as is Silvertron. And the Mellow Mushroom Pizza is also good, though it's part of a small chain, so it's not exactly local.
Dyron's in Crestline Village has really good South Carolina low country food, and Dram / Avo in Mountain Brook Village is also good.
For upscale drinks, I'd go with Dram. If you like wine, the Wine Loft downtown has a great selection. For beer, I'd go with Dave's near Five Points South or The Garage. The Garage bar is near a lot of the places I've named, but kind of hard to find (several winding one-way streets), but well worth the search.
Lou's Pub in the Lakeview district is also good, but it's not the same since Lou himself died a couple of years ago.
If you're looking for an entertainment district to go bar-hopping, I'd suggest Lakeview over Five Points South. Five Points has gone downhill over the past few years, draws a pretty young crowd, and the parking lots aren't always the safest.
Lakeview has several places, and draws mostly a crowd 30 and older. A couple of the smaller bars have a young crowd, but they're in the minority.
Be sure to get to Tuscaloosa early enough to enjoy the Quad and The Strip. It's an incredible game-day atmosphere.
