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Roasted lamb chop with curried cous cous

62 B I R MIN G HAM
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consistency and attention to detail keep Hot and Hot Fish Club, well hot.
BY JOSEPH FLOOD

The reports have been coming in bowls and plates by hand. Everything kitchen and the seating at the
for years now. From sources as seems designed to create an intimacy counter, along with the complex quilt
renowned as Gourmet magazine, and care that can only enhance the of tables arrayed in the semi-circular
Wine Spectator, and The Food dining experience. main dining room, assure the keen
Network: Hot and Hot Fish Club is a Food is central to the Hot and Hot sense that this is a fun and open
culinary star. experience, but comfort is the key. place.
I knew the reviews and accolades. The meals and preparation are com- The heritage of the restaurant
And that knowledge made me want plex, I'm sure, but the presentation solidifies this sense of easy hospitali-
to experience the restaurant, founded isn't fussy in the least. The fully open ty. Hot and Hot was named for the
in 1995, anew. It seems that every
day could be like every other in the
restaurant business, and yet that's
not really the case. Consistency is the
key to real success, and Hot and Hot
Fish Club is nothing if not consistent.
I visited mid-week and the restau-
rant was excitedly a packed house.
All of the tables sported an interest-
ing collection of people-families,
couples, what looked like a couple of
business dinners or two. In short,
what you might expect from a high-
end restaurant with a loyal following.
One of the first things you notice
about Hot and Hot is the care with
which guests are greeted-from the
valets (you're going to need to valet)
to the hostess just inside the door.
The other thing you notice is the
art. This really is an art-filled restau-
rant. The well-known portrait of Chef
and owner Chris Hastings is a visual
welcome that matches the human
one at the front door. Inside the main
dining room is the Mona Lisa by Nail,
a painting that never fails to catch my
attention.
With the same careful attention,
that Chris and his wife, Idie Hastings,
have given to the food and staff
preparation, the visual attributes of
the restaurant have been lOVingly
curated. Musician Robert Moore built
the Harvest Table and hutch. Artisan
blacksmith Robert Ledford created
the chandelier and iron and wood
chairs. Potter Tena Payne formed the
 Address: 2180 11th Court South
Phone: 933-5474
Hours: Dinner Tues.-Fri. 5:30-10; Sat. 5:30-10:30
. Reservations recommended
Web: www.hotandhotfishclub.com
dining and discourse club for gentle-
man run by Chris Hastings' great-
great grandfather. That same spirit
permeates the well-designed, inti-
mate dining rooms with its rich pur-
ple draperies and candles illuminat-
ing the restaurant's nooks and
crannies.
On this night, everything con-
spired to make Hastings' vision of an
intimate dining club come true.
I had a table by the window and
was able to look out on the Hot and
Hot patio. The bUilding that houses
this restaurant started out its brick
and mortar life as Caddell's
Creamery, a burger joint in the
1950s. In the 1970s, the restaurant
was the famous Upside Down Plaza,
the bar with the upside down sign
and the right-side up sense of what a
neighborhood bar could be.
Now Hot and Hot Fish Club has
been showing for most of a decade
what happens when you mix culi-
nary panache with a friendly flair
and absolute professionalism. It real-
ly is an intriguing mix. You feel like
the wait staff is so adept at the
restaurant skills they could pull off
anything.
For me, on this evening, they
pulled off a really memorable meal. I
began with the soup: a puree of but-
ternut squash with lemon creme
fraiche ($7.50). The combination of
the earthy taste of the squash and
the soaring lemony swirls of the
creme fraiche was truly memorable.
Other appetizers seemed equally
memorable from the Hot and Hot
Cheese Plate to the crispy seafood
spring rolls to the roasted baby beet
salad with arugula, fried goat cheese
and champagne vinaigrette.
64 BIRMINGHAM
The entree choice in the end was
quite simple. There is something
intriguing about ordering signature
dishes-kind of like accepting the
ultimate test. If ever there was a
Chris Hastings' signature dish it is
the Shrimp and Grits ($25.50).
I went with the signature, on this
evening served with slithers of coun-
try ham, tomato, fresh thyme and
VerJus.
The shrimp and grits come grace-
fully massed in a pure white, deep-
bowled plate-an almost ceremonial
and reverent presentation.
It was wonderfully complex in
terms of taste and texture, yet as
comfortable a dish of food as I think
I've seen. The shrimp were large and
flavorful-tasting saltily reminiscent
of the sea and yet grounded in
creamy and rich grits. What a won-
derful combination.
There were other entrees I could
have tried that night-from grilled
black grouper to seared duck breast
to saffron pasta-but it is hard to
imagine a more perfect dish.
Staying in the simple yet sublime-
ly creative mode, I chose the Hot and
Hot doughnuts ($6.50) for dessert.
This is the dish that has gained
prominent recognition on The Food
Channel. And deservedly so. The
doughnuts, a collection of three fla-
vored alternatively with espresso
cream and a brittle, Bavarian-creme
filled, and a chocolate-orange glaze.
They were terrific.
I think one of the keys to the Hot
and Hot style is an overwhelming
respect and an abiding love for the
food. In fact, Chris and Idie Hastings
are really activists working to
enhance that respect. The couple has
been instrumental in the creation of
the local chapter of the Council of
Independent Restaurants-code-
named Birmingham Originals.
The Hastings' belief in the inti-
mate mission of restaurants leads
them naturally to a muscular support
for the tenents and values of inde-
pendence.
Chris Hastings has also become a
tremendous advocate for family
farms and small agricultural enter-
prises-like The Chef's Garden and
the SpringVille farmer who supplies
pork and lamb. His belief in the
power of food to draw people togeth-
er, to heal, and to ennoble us is truly
palpable.
This comes through in every
aspect of the restaurant-from the
on-display kitchen to the leisurely,
friendly tone of the wait staff. These
people love their food, and they
make you love it, too. ~