Exclusive preview: Bobby Carl’s Table, your grandmother’s comfort food in English Village

IMG 0434 Exclusive preview: Bobby Carl's Table, your grandmother's comfort food in English Village
Left to right – Bobby Carl’s Table Trey McLemore, Christie Lowe and Tim Lowe. Photo by Pat Byington for Bham Now

The wait is over. This weekend, Bobby Carl’s Table, a new classic southern food restaurant, will be holding a soft opening at it’s Mountain Brook English Village location ( 2031 Cahaba Road).

Patio Sign Exclusive preview: Bobby Carl's Table, your grandmother's comfort food in English Village
Entrance and patio at Bobby Carl’s Table at 2031 Cahaba Road in Mountain Brook. Photo courtesy of Bobby Carl’s Table

Recently, Bham Now sat down with Bobby Carl’s Table owners Trey McLemore and Tim and Christie Lowe to talk about food and grandmothers.

Coming Home

When you first enter Bobby Carl’s, you immediately feel like you’ve entered the homes of Trey and Tim’ grandparents. The two old friends from rural Shelby County (before it was suburbanized), intentionally wanted to elicit at Bobby Carl’s the same feelings they had growing up, visiting the farm on a Sunday afternoon after church, surrounded by family, eating fresh homemade meals prepared by their grandmothers.

Bobby Carl’s Table is a shrine to their grandmothers and their foodways.

Homage to Grandmothers

Wall Exclusive preview: Bobby Carl's Table, your grandmother's comfort food in English Village
Wall of photos and prints at Bobby Carl’s Table. Photo courtesy of Bobby Carl’s Table

“This is an homage to our grandmothers,” said McLemore, who is  the chef at Bobby Carl’s. “When we looked at this spot, and thought about what we wanted to do here, we wanted it to be like when we returned home.”

Bar room Exclusive preview: Bobby Carl's Table, your grandmother's comfort food in English Village
Tables and bar at Bobby Carl’s Table. Photo courtesy of Bobby Carl’s Table

Comfort Food at its Fondest

Cornbread Exclusive preview: Bobby Carl's Table, your grandmother's comfort food in English Village
Cornbread. Photo courtesy of Bobby Carl’s Table

Tim Lowe added, “My grandparents had a farm, your (pointing McLemore) grandparents had a farm. They were the greatest generation and they grew their own food. It was like the most delicious food in the world.  There was always something fresh coming through. This is comfort food at its very fondest.”

Nanny Rubys Pimento Cheese with Pepper Jelly Exclusive preview: Bobby Carl's Table, your grandmother's comfort food in English Village
Nanny Ruby’s Pimento Cheese with Pepper Jelly. Photo courtesy of Bobby Carl’s Table

Bobby Carl’s will be serving up freshly picked locally sourced vegetables, out of this world potato salad, pimento cheese, chicken and dumplings, and so much more.

McLemore said, “It is going to be the kind of food we always ate, what we grew up with. When I was a kid, my favorite thing was when my grandmother fed me butterbeans and ham and chicken and dumplings. It turns out, its what everyone wants to eat.  It is basic, the way you want to eat it at home. That is what we are trying to preserve at this place, a pathway to the roots of who we are as Alabamians. It’s that safe place.”

Fried Chicken Sandwich Exclusive preview: Bobby Carl's Table, your grandmother's comfort food in English Village
Fried Chicken Sandwich. Photo courtesy of Bobby Carl’s Table
The Geraldine Exclusive preview: Bobby Carl's Table, your grandmother's comfort food in English Village
The Geraldine: Cathead pecan, white rum, sweet potato, apricot & aromatic bitters. Photo courtesy of Bobby Carl’s Table

Taste of Mountain Brook

How good is Bobby Carl’s Table food?  Earlier this month, they participated in the Taste of Mountain Brook.  On their first time out, they won!

Blue Ribbon Award (for best taste)
Top Notch Award (for best presentation)

Deviled Eggs Exclusive preview: Bobby Carl's Table, your grandmother's comfort food in English Village
A classic. Deviled eggs. Photo courtesy of Bobby Carl’s Table

Opening their doors on Friday, September 27

Ready for the classic Southern meal like your grandmother made it?

Bobby Carl’s is holding their soft opening on Friday and Saturday, September 27-28 with lunch only. They intend to hold dinner in the very near future. When they do, according to Bobby Carl’s Table, here are the hours they intend to operate:

Tuesday through Saturday
Lunch 11:00am-3:00pm
Dinner 4:00pm-9:00pm

Pat Byington
Pat Byington

Longtime conservationist. Former Executive Director at the Alabama Environmental Council and Wild South. Publisher of the Bama Environmental News for more than 18 years. Career highlights include playing an active role in the creation of Alabama's Forever Wild program, Little River Canyon National Preserve, Dugger Mountain Wilderness, preservation of special places throughout the East through the Wilderness Society and the strengthening (making more stringent) the state of Alabama's cancer risk and mercury standards.

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