Niki's West and the Birmingham Zoo

A few weeks ago, one of my daughters, Kathryn, "decided" that we were all going to head down to Birmingham for a day trip. With some snacks and drinks packed, iPods and books at the ready, and a fiance and friend-boy along for the ride, seven of us piled into the van and headed south to "The Magic City".

There were a few reasons that Kathryn wanted to make this little trip. One was probably just to get away for a day. That's always a good reason, right? Two, Scott had never been Dreamland, a BBQ place that the family loves to visit. We have been several times and love to eat there. This one is near the UAB campus. Of course, the original Dreamland in Tuscaloosa is where you gotta go, but we just did not have that much time. That will be another trip. All that is served in the Tuscalooa store is ribs, white bread, sauce, banana pudding and drinks. Man, my mouth is watering even as I write this.

The third reason was to visit the Birmingham Zoo. We had never been there and had not been to a zoo in a while, so it sounded a good option. Fourth, shopping. Yes, I have two teenage daughters and a wife. What more can I say? At least I had some male moral support on this trip.

Well, I had a surprise of my own up my sleeve. A few years ago, after a University of Alabama A-Day football game, I had visited Niki's West, a meat-and-three not too far off Exit 262/Finley Blvd., with my son, father, aunt and uncle. Even though on this trip we were going to arrive at Niki's at lunch time, I knew the meal would be worth the potential long wait.

The line was pretty long - probably 50 or so folks when we got there - but moved amazingly fast. We waited "maybe" ten minutes before picking up our trays and silverware. The men and women who worked the steam table didn't hold anything back and were courteously adept at pushing people through in a friendly, fun way.

With a boatload of meat and veggie choices, it wasn't hard for each of us to find something that we liked. And, liked we did. All seven of us chose a different meat and a lot of different vegetables. The cornbread and rolls, and the sweet tea - well, this native Birmingham guy was feeling right at home.

One tip: if you have a party of 7 or more, make sure you heed the sign and let a hostess know about your party. That way, they can go ahead and reserve a table for you as you are going through the line. Otherwise, your wait for a table could be a bit longer.


If you are headed to Birmingham, you should give this place some thought. I know there are quite a few meat and three restaurants there, but this one is not likely to disappoint and would be a great introduction to meat and threes, if this is your first time.

The rest of the day was just about perfect, except for being quite warm and muggy. The zoo featured some entertaining animals, although there were a few of the exhibits that were closed.
If you are interested, I took quite a few photos and have posted a number of them on one of my Flickr Photo Sets. This guy to the left, though, was one of my favorites - he was quite a character.

Yes, we did spend some time at the mall, although not as much time as I would have thought. And, yes, this meat-and-three guy did take the group over to the Birmingham version of Dreamland for the evening meal. I am a big ribs fan and have come to love Dreamland's version, and I was not alone.

We were all very well satisfied, which made the drive home kind of lonely for me. They were all snoozing their well-fed little selves while I was left alone in my thoughts. That can be a pretty dangerous thing sometimes, just ask my family. But, that night's version was pretty good: pondering the blessings of a fun day with family and friends, and thinking about where we ought to go on our next little jaunt.

Can anyone say, "ROAD TRIP!"

November 2006 HistoryBlog articles

Click any of the links below to go to the entry on HistoryBlog.MEATandTHREE.com, my old blog.

• Maisie's in the Village of Old Hickory, TN
• Need some Alabama Meat and Three History
  
• Quick lunch at downtown City Cafe in Murfreesboro, TN
• Quick lunch at Cal’s Country Kitchen in Madison, TN
• Twice is Nice at Star Cafe in Goodlettsville, TN
• Ole Dinner Bell in Nashville, TN rings bell for free lunch
• A Trip and Detour to Rudy's and Sarah's in Clarksville, TN
• Upscale B. McNeel's in Murfreesboro, TN serves weekday Meat & Three option
• Lunch Road Trip to School House Cafeteria in Adams, TN

Thanks!
Phil Roberson (mn3guy)

MEATandTHREE.com (Home)
MEATandTHREE.com (USA page)
MEATandTHREE.com (Photo Gallery)

January and February 2007 HistoryBlog articles

Please see the list of blog posts from January and February 2007 on our former blog, HistoryBlog.MEATandTHREE.com. Click on any of the links below to go to the particular blog article.

• Photo Tour of Nashville and Middle TN Meat and Threes
  
• Additions to MEATandTHREE.com
• Lunch at Ole' Farmhouse Diner in Millersville, TN
• Lunch at the Ole Dinner Bell in Nashville, TN
• Judy's City Cafe in Gallatin, TN
• Recent additions to the MEATandTHREE.com site
• Copper Kettle Cafe in Nashville, TN still strong after 2004 fire
• New Meat and Three in Selma, AL
• Lunch at Amy's Cafe in Greenbrier, TN
• Lunch at Miller's Grocery in Christiana TN
• Ruby's Kitchen in Hendersonville TN
• City Cafe in Brentwood, TN
• Meat and Threes Alive and Well in 2007

Phil Roberson (mn3guy)

MEATandTHREE.com (Home)
MEATandTHREE.com (USA page)
MEATandTHREE.com (Photo Gallery)

March 2007 HistoryBlog articles

Take a look at some of the March 2007 articles that were posted on HistoryBlog.MEATandTHREE.com. Most were randomly selected during the month, but one was a blurb about a Nashville meat-n-three restaurant that was featured on the Fine Living Channel.

• The Log Cabin Restaurant in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee
• Madea's Down-Home Cookin' in Fort Worth, Texas
• Latest visits to Meat and Threes
• Mama Dip's Kitchen in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
• Kierre's Kountry Kitchen in Little Rock, Arkansas
• Mary Mac's Tea Room in Atlanta Georgia
• Bell Buckle Cafe in Bell Buckle Tennessee
• Romie's Grocery in Tupelo Mississippi
• Main Street Diner in Greenville South Carolina
• 15th Street Diner in Tuscaloosa Alabama
• Nashville, TN Meat & 3 on Fine Living channel

Take care, and come back to see us!

Phil Roberson (mn3guy)

MEATandTHREE.com (Home)
MEATandTHREE.com (USA page)
MEATandTHREE.com (Photo Gallery)

April 2007 HistoryBlog articles

Here are the HistoryBlog articles that were posted during the month of April 2007. Click on the link below to go directly to the article you are interested in.

During the month, I randomly selected restaurants from my MEATandTHREE.com web site and posted them in an article, to help provide some additional traffic to each restaurant's page. I also had several visits to Middle Tennessee meat-and-three restaurants and wrote about those visits in separate blog posts.

• Carson's Country Cooking in Greenville, SC


• The New York Restaurant in Copperhill, TN


• Lunch at Grassland Soda Shop in Franklin, TN


• Louie's Restaurant in Paris, KY


• Lloyd's Restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama


• Bell and Sons Cafeteria in Winston Salem, NC


• Jeff's Family Restaurant is new in Murfreesboro, TN


• Weaver D's in Athens, Georgia


• Lunch visit to White House Cafe


• DayBreak Diner in Anderson, SC


• Southern Kitchen in Charleston, WV


• Lunch at 2 Country Hot Spot in Hendersonville, TN


• New Meat and Three in Madison, TN


• Threadgill's Home Cookin' in Austin, TX


• Niki's West in Birmingham, AL


• White House Cafe in White House, TN


• Lunch visit to Jay's Family Restaurant in Nashville, TN


• Hub Restaurant in Rocky Mount, Virginia


• Jim's Family Restaurant in Summerville, Georgia


• Bon Ton Mini Mart in Henderson, Kentucky


• Nanny's Country Kitchen in Hattiesburg, Mississippi


• 4 Dice Restaurant in Fordyce, Arkansas


• Box Car Cafe in Woodruff, SC


• Daisy's Diner in Montgomery, Alabama

Thanks for visiting.

Phil Roberson (mn3guy)

MEATandTHREE.com (Home)
MEATandTHREE.com (USA page)
MEATandTHREE.com (Photo Gallery)

May and June 2007 HistoryBlog articles

Since MEATandTHREE.com's blog is now being hosted on Google's "Blogger" as of 7/29/07, I thought it would be a good idea to create a "path" to the old "HistoryBlog.MEATandTHREE.com" articles. Take a look at the posts below for ones which might be of interest. You can click each one individually to get to the post itself.

July 2007 Articles:

• 07/19/07 - Adams, TN Schoolhouse Cafeteria and Tea Room

May 2007 Articles:

• 05/29/07 - Lunch at the Copper Kettle Cafe in Nashville, TN
• 05/18/07 - Take a Kid to a Meat and Three Restaurant
• 05/18/07 - Lunch at Sylvan Park in Nashville, TN - times three
• 05/16/07 - Carol's Place in Nashville, TN for lunch
• 05/16/07 - Lunch visit to K and F Cafe in Madison, TN
• 05/16/07 - Grassland Soda Shop in Franklin, TN is closed
• 05/14/07 - Walkers Cafeteria in Birmingham, AL
• 05/04/07 - Providing feedback to Meat and Three owners
• 05/04/07 - Mary's Kitchen at Elm Lake Golf Course in Columbus, MS