Birmingham Magazine April 2018 Issue

• TABLE | Spotlight
“
A lot of the inspiration for the food at the
restaurant was from things I enjoyed
feeding my family, things I’d grown up
eating, and things that I’d seen traveling.
”
JENNIFER MIMS, OWNER OF REAL & ROSEMARY
Photos by WES FRAZER
OPPOSITE PAGE: The Spice Rubbed Chicken with sides of Seasonal
Succotash and okra; the Upbeet Salad; and Fried Eggplant.
THIS PAGE: Clockwise from top: The Orange Blossom Lemonade.
Classic aprons hang inside the quaint restaurant. The interior of Real
& Rosemary has casual and classy charm that features exposed brick
walls, comfortable seating, plenty of natural light, and a blossompatterned
floor.
TO APPRECIATE HOW Real & Rosemary
uplifts Southern downhome cooking, try the
side dish Humble Green Peas.
They might be called humble, but they’re
far from bland. The Homewood eatery starts
with green peas and butter, enhancing them
with orange zest, mint, and shallots. Sautéing
them in a sizzling cast-iron skillet gives the dish
a distinctive flavor that Chinese gourmets call
the “kiss of the wok.”
Real & Rosemary, which Jennifer Mims
opened two years ago with business partner
Nate Carlson, puts a chef-driven twist on the
everyday food folks eat at home.
“A lot of the inspiration for the food at the
restaurant was from things I enjoyed feeding my
family, things I’d grown up eating, and things
that I’d seen traveling,” says Mims, the mother
of two children, ages 6 and 4.
She is from Chilton County, where peaches
grew in her family’s backyard orchard, and their
food was raised nearby. “That was my mentality
growing up—you eat what’s fresh,” she says.
Prior to Real & Rosemary, Mims’ career
was opening and running restaurants for Zoë’s
Kitchen, Maki Fresh, and Jinsei. As such, she
knew that home cooking doesn’t automatically
translate to a commercial kitchen. Before launching
Real & Rosemary in March of 2016, Mims
brought in a chef to adapt her home recipes for
the masses.
The successful result is seen (and tasted) in
dishes like Braised Beef ($10.99), with deep
savory flavors that some home cooks spend a
lifetime trying to achieve, and Spice-Rubbed
Chicken ($11.99) that is marinated overnight
and served with chipotle-lime vinaigrette.
Flash-fried Sweet Potato Wedges ($4.99)
come with slightly tart crème fraiche spiked with
lemongrass, a thin dipping sauce that perfectly
coats the potato when it's dipped. Sorghum
butter adds a sweet, Southern twang to another
starter, Pretzel Bread ($4.99).
Meal-sized salads ($8.99-$9.99) include the
Upbeet with spring mix, red and yellow beets,
oranges, pears, goat cheese, almonds, tarragon
vinaigrette. Or consider the menu’s “garden sides,”
which accompany entrées and sandwiches. Four
sides also can be combined into a vegetable plate
(the Garden, $8.99).
Macaroni and Cheese is home-style comfort
craft. Charred Carrots with Thyme is an upscale
take on a supper-table standard. Zucchini with
Avocado Pesto is a thoroughly modern take,
with noodle-like vegetable strands, tomatoes,
sunflower seeds, and fresh thyme, all bound in
a decadently creamy sauce.
Vegetarians have plenty of options at Real &
Rosemary, including the Beet, Fig, Goat Cheese
sandwich ($7.99) served on cranberry walnut
bread. The menu identifies dishes that are vegan,
gluten-free, or contain nuts. If you’re doing
the popular Whole30 diet, the restaurant also
identifies which of their dishes are compliant.
Children’s options ($3.99-$4.99) include
grilled chicken, a healthier kid’s meal since it’s not
breaded and deep-fried. Hand-rolled meatballs top
spaghetti. PB&J gets a makeover as AB&J, with
almond butter and house-made blueberry jam.
Sides are made with fresh fruit and vegetables.
“Everything is made from scratch,” Mims
says. “We want to provide a nice dining experience
at a price point you feel good about, with
food you feel good about serving your family.”
Real & Rosemary’s house-made meatballs,
also available on an adult entrée and sandwich,
are based on an Italian family’s recipe created
more than a century ago. They add new meaning
to the word “family,” according to a recent
Real & Rosemary diner who was staying at the
nearby Aloft Hotel.
Mims recalls the conversation: “She said,
‘These are the best meatballs I ever had. I
learned to make meatballs from the Mob families
in Philadelphia. These are better than the
Mob meatballs.’”
The interior at Real & Rosemary has a casual
yet classy charm. In the afternoon, natural light
floods the space. At night, the comfortable seating
and small bar is warmly lit.
The building, which dates to 1922, once
housed a dry-cleaning business. The recovered
original floor is stenciled in a blossom pattern
that matches a design in the booths. A brick
interior wall and the exposed metal ceiling
beams also are original.
Out front, a cozy, walled patio is shielded
from both weather and traffic. “It’s probably
my favorite part, as far as dining,” Mims says.
Order inside at the rear counter, and the food
is delivered to the table. Entrées ($8.99-$11.99,
called “Plates” on the menu) are accompanied
by two sides. Sandwiches ($8.99-$10.99) and
most children’s entrées come with one side.
The restaurant pours beer, wine, and cocktails,
as well as orange blossom lemonade and infused
waters. Cocktails also play to the fresh, herby
theme, with options like the Rosemary Gimlet
and the Passing Thyme. For dessert, there’s Pastry
Art cake cups ($2.99).
For the time-starved, try the curbside service.
Order and pay online at realandrosemary.com.
Park in the reserved spot in front of the restaurant
and call the counter (205.820.7100)
upon arrival.
Real & Rosemary anchors Homewood’s
emerging restaurant district on a once-lonely
section of 29th Avenue South. Big Bad Breakfast,
Urban Cookhouse, and Farm Bowl + Juice Co.
became its neighbors early this year. Pastry Art
Bake Shoppe is across the street.
“There is a lot of life and energy down here,”
Mims says. “I don’t know if we started it or not,
but we certainly have some nice additions to
the neighborhood.”
DETAILS
Real & Rosemary | 1922 29th Ave. South
(Homewood) | 205.820.7100 | Open daily,
11 a.m.-9p.m. | realandrosemary.com
36 | Birmingham | APRIL 18 APRIL 18 | Birmingham | 37