The Pantry: Perfect Lunch Spot for Mom

Back to School = Lunch without a Kids Menu.  The timing could not be better because this week is also Birmingham Restaurant Week.   During this annual event, local restaurants offer a wonderfully priced, set menu that provides a taste of the chef’s best.

Our first stop on our BRW2014 path is The Pantry by Stonehollow Farms – a small, unassuming cottage just outside of the Crestline business district on Dexter Avenue.  Once inside though, your day fades into delicious smells and the calm of an authentic farm-to-table environment.  The intimate setting is the perfect place for friends to meet for lunch.  It makes you wonder if burlap could look that good in your own home.

The restaurant week menu is one of the best we have experienced in two

Tuna Salad Croissant with Hoppin John side

years covering BRW.   Where else can you taste roasted beets in two different forms, deviled eggs and Hoppin John Salad with peas right from the farm?   For $15, a lunch guest receives a Lemon Verbena Lemonade, Margarita or Water which is followed by a Late Summer Salad (roasted beets, feta and greens).  Guests then choose from three possible entrees and three sides.  For our meal, I enjoyed a Tuna Salad Croissant (fresh yellow fin tuna locally sourced and not slathered in mayo), Hoppin John Salad and finished with the Cheesecake Bouchon.

More than anything, The Pantry always inspires me to do “better”.  Fresh vegetables thoughtfully prepared offer taste far beyond anything processed or store-bought.

Your shortcut: The Pantry also provides a locally sourced farm stand in the store for moms-on-the-go to pick up ingredients for dinner.

Be a hero: Grab Steel City Pops for the kids or return with the family on Saturday mornings for their Waffle Bar!