Another restaurant we visited on our trip was an Irish pub called O’Neill’s. It is your stereotypical Irish pub, with thick wood tables, low lighting, and assorted plaques and memorabilia on the walls. They had plenty of beers on tap and a better than expected menu. I ended up ordering the mixed grill, which consisted of a 4oz steak, half of a chicken breast, a sausage link, a fried egg, potato wedges and steamed veggies. It was quite good. Eric had a BBQ burger which he liked as well. The food was good but the price was excellent. My mixed grill came out to around $11! Not bad for a decent meal. O’Neill’s is definitely a place to visit when on New Street. Best all around bang for the buck.

On our recent trip to Birmingham UK, we did visit a few places that stood out. The Café Rouge was one of them. Café Rouge is a cozy little French restaurant located on New Street, in Birmingham’s downtown district. The atmosphere was nice, and the staff was pleasant. What I liked the best, of course, was the food. They offered a large selection to choose from, but once I saw the Moules (mussels) du Café Rouge, I was sold. Coming from a French family (and working 6 years as a sous chef in a French restaurant), I have had the pleasure of enjoying many different French dishes, and properly prepared mussels is one of my favorite. The Moules du Café Rouge consisted of mussels cooked in a white wine, garlic, herb and cream, and came with a basket of baguette (French bread). Let me tell you, they were every bit as good as they sounded. The portion was very generous and even though I was pleasantly full afterward, I still continued sopping up the broth with my baguette. It was good stuff all around. Even the price was fair, with the whole meal just under $20. It was a good stop, with good food and atmosphere, and sure beat the hell out of fish and chips.