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Birmingham's restaurants have become a lure for people. . the goop-free Continental Bakery, where the Belgian chocolate and apricot-pecan croissants are for adults only; . . . and the homemade Bloody Mary mix at Chez Lulu's Sunday brunch.
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The restaurant scene here is hailed as the best. . .
standout, Chez Lulu, in semi-suburban Mountain Brook, is an amazingly cozy restaurant-bakery with fresh, high quality Mediterranean food.
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Continental Bakery - Owner and baker Carol Griffin serves up the meanest brioche in town, and with her signature loaf, Pain au Levain, a 4.5-pound miche flying out of the oven and onto the tables of the city's Francophiles, it's a small wonder she transformed the once-decrepit, Tudor-style English Village enclave into a tiny bustling hamlet. Next door, her other restaurant, Chez Lulu, dishes out yummy tarts and garlic peasant soup amid a bracing performance by the city's only belly dancers. "The restaurant and bakery has given me an opportunity to explore all my passions," Griffin says, "from the whimsical decor to the bistro cuisine to the entertainment has made us an avatar of fun." Chez Lulu is the destination for local hipsters.
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HALL OF FAME-BEST BAKERY
BEST PIE-CONTINENTAL BAKERY
BEST SOUP-CHEZ LULU
BEST AMBIENCE-CHEZ LULU
BEST BATHROOM-CHEZ LULU
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At Continental Bakery, Carole Griffin prepares crusty, hearth-baked breads, and decadent pastries daily. The breads are created using traditional European methods, hand-shaped and hearth-baked of the freshest, natural ingredients without unnecessary additives. And as a connoisseur of chocolate, Griffin creates a Chocolate Swirl Tarte to feed eight. The tarte is filled with Callebaut, the best of chocolates. Of the highest quality, perfectly roasted cocoa beans, Callebaut uses no vegetable oils, animal fats, or artificial additives to reduce costs or extend its shelf life. Bars of the chocolates are also sold from Continental Bakery's refrigerated cases.
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Bonjour, y'all--a taste of France in our Deep South Chez Lulu
This funky, cozy cafe is brightly painted inside and filled with kitschy items such as old-fashioned Christmas lights and zany lamps. You have to smile, even before you taste the food. Wine is inexpensive and served in juice glasses. There's no pretense here. Bread comes from the popular Continental Bakery next door, and of the appetizer spreads, the olive tapenade is the best. On a cool fall evening, warm up with La Doba à la Nissarda (Daube à la Niçoise--tender beef that's been long simmered with vegetables and red wine) and served with wild mushrooms as well as toasted bread for sopping. Desserts--such as thin, crisp pear-almond tart and a rich tart of swirled Belgian chocolates--also come from the bakery.
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Chez Lulu and Continental Bakery
This authentic bistro features delicious French tartes, sandwiches, soups and desserts, all made from scratch. Wednesday nights feature bellydancers and hand-tossed pizzas. Next door, Continental Bakery creates European-style breads and pastries every day and serves a private blend of coffee. Homemade spreads, imported cheeses, olive oils, vinegars and other culinary specialties also available.
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Chez Lulu
The tarragon chicken salad, on or off of the fresh-baked bread from Continental Bakery next door, is delicious, as is the French Brie and roasted red peppers. Frankly, we haven't had anything on the menu that we didn't enjoy. Grab one of the outdoor tables for a pleasant dining experience.
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Her daily bread
Carole Griffin has provided sustenance for her Birmingham clients for two decades. Some of the success has been due to her innovative approaches to a bakery and a bistro:
-- She introduced artisanal breads in the French tradition to the Birmingham area. These breads, fashioned after those of France's leading bread maker, the late Lionel Poilane, are huge sellers at Continental Bakery.
-- She opened Chez Lulu in bistro style, basically serving a vegetarian menu, with very few meat dishes. The bistro also has featured musicians of old style tradition, such as accordion player, as well as belly dancers and opera singers. The mix of old and new has attracted customers for lunch and dinner, and late into the evening.
"Chez Lulu was born of my desire to showcase the beautiful artisan breads we were creating next door . . . and to share with Birmingham my own passion for the flavors and spirit of French cafe society."
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Christmas.
Bite their heads off. Run to get some gingerbread men at Continental Bakery. Sweet and traditional, they're an ideal treat for any holiday gathering.
Halloween. Scary good. Put your hand in the bag and act fearlessly. That's the only thing to do when you've bought shortbread cookies from Continental Bakery. So rich, we don't even want to think about the sugar and butter involved. But the taste is superb, the texture rules and the shapes are creatively whimsical. Our advice: Plump for the hefty Halloween hat, pumpkin or ghost.
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