Birmingham Restaurant Week Sometimes A Deal
Three courses for $30 is the going rate for dinner at many eateries during Restaurant Week, which runs through Sunday. Eric Velasco writes about food in Birmingham and he says it’s the perfect time to check out some good eats.
“Restaurant Week I think is a great opportunity to try new places to go to places you might not have gone to before,” he says.
I went to see Little Savannah Chef Clifton Holt on day one of Restaurant Week. 
He’s serving roasted corn and bacon chowder, pork shoulder steak and a chocolate mousse for dessert. I asked him how he prepares for the 10 day event.
“The first thing we focus on obviously is the menu. The second thing we focus on is proportioning and our cost proportioning as well,” Chef Holt says.
Basically, that means he has to create a menu that’s inexpensive for the restaurant and the customer without skimping on quality and freshness. But that’s not always easy to pull off. In fact, that’s why some Restaurant Week deals are better than others.
“Its limited in that you have limited opportunities of what you get a bargain for,” Velasco says.
The main idea behind Restaurant Week is to get people in the door – especially new customers. But some restaurants would rather concentrate on their regulars. Taso Toulopis, owner of Ted’s Restaurant, a meat and three near UAB, says he doesn’t use up time and energy on attracting new customers,”but rather than to appreciate the existing customers because they’re my bread and butter,” he says.
Ted’s is skipping Restaurant Week this summer. For Toulopis, it’s just not worth the headache of coming up with a custom menu.
“I don’t think that restaurant week is designed to increase business for the business,” he says.
So is Restaurant Week worth it? To customers, maybe. To chefs and restaurant owners, it just depends on the menu and where ya eat.
Pipe bomb suspect told FBI he targeted U.S. political parties, memo says
The man accused of placing two pipe bombs in Washington on the eve of Jan. 6, 2021 told investigators someone needed to "speak up" for people who believed the 2020 election was stolen, prosecutors said Sunday.
Chinese military stages drills around Taiwan to warn ‘external forces’
The drills came after Beijing expressed anger at U.S. arms sales, and a statement by Japan's prime minister saying its military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan.
Trump and Netanyahu to meet in Florida at a crucial moment for the Gaza ceasefire
President Trump could use the face-to-face at his Mar-a-Lago estate to look for ways to speed up the peace process, as Israel's leader has been accused of not pushing his side to move fast enough.
‘Bomb cyclone’ forecasted to bring heavy snow, blizzard conditions and dangerous travel
A 'bomb cyclone' is intensifying severe winter weather for millions of people across the U.S. The system is expected to knock out power and disrupt holiday travel.
Russia sends 3 Iranian satellites into orbit, report says
The report said that a Russian rocket sent the satellites on Sunday from a launchpad in eastern Russia.
Viral global TikToks: A twist on soccer, Tanzania’s Charlie Chaplin, hope in Gaza
TikToks are everywhere (well, except countries like Australia and India, where they've been banned.) We talk to the creators of some of the year's most popular reels from the Global South.
