Whistling Table
Whistling Table was a restaurant located at 3916 Clairmont Avenue in Forest Park Village. It was owned by Shindigs food truck co-founder Mac Russell. He acquired the former V. Richard's grocery store building in 2016 and initially planned for his new restaurant to be called DMac's. Before it opened in June 2018 he changed the name to express his notion of applying joy and delight to the "sacred place" of the dining table.
The restaurant's menu expanded on the "farm to casual" offerings of Shindigs, making use of produce from his family's two farms in Perry County. The dinner menu featured "elevated" seasonal dishes such as rabbit agnoletti and som am poke, as well as stock items like a fried pork chop, fish & grits, and a "MacDaddy" burger with bacon in the grind, caramelized onions and strawberry ketchup. A small retail area was provided, stocking produce, prepared foods and a selection of wines.
The decor in the restaurant's public areas included cedar planks and trim salvaged from the timbers that framed V. Richard's arbor and porch, complemented by a "live edge" poplar bar top. Inspirational landscape paintings by Michael Marlowe were displayed in the dining room.
Russell closed the restaurant in October 2019 to focus on his catering business.
References
- Chandler, Alyx (August 2018) "Finding Joy at the Table." Iron City Ink, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 10–11
- Robertson, Terri (May 22, 2018) "Whistling Table opening in June! And 7 other facts about chef-owner Mac Russell’s restaurant in Forest Park." Bham Now
- Van der Bijl, Hanno (October 28, 2019) "Bham chef closes Forest Park restaurant to focus on catering business." Birmingham Business Journal