Hot and Hot Fish Club
Alabama
Hot and Hot Fish Club brings Southern, French and Californian influences together in Birmingham's Pepper Place district. Chris and Idie Hastings have built a network of growers, foragers and artisans around the restaurant, allowing the seasons to guide its changing menu. The light-filled room has exposed brick, Italian marble tables and locally sourced hackberry wood, with a curved chef's counter beside the open kitchen. Summer brings the restaurant's heirloom tomato salad with lady peas, fried okra and balsamic vinaigrette. Cooler-weather dishes include rabbit pappardelle with butternut squash and an ancho-rubbed Iberico pork chop with apple chutney. Chocolate soufflé with crème anglaise provides a familiar finish. Bar seats, tables and a weather-dependent patio offer different ways to experience the same kitchen.