Fleur de Lolly: Dining Out Southeast: Commerce Kitchen, Huntsville, AL

Back at the end of August, we enjoyed my birthday dinner at Cotton Row. For our 24th Wedding Anniversary, we chose to have brunch at their sister restaurant Commerce Kitchen in downtown Historic Huntsville.

We arrived a few minutes before our reservation time and were promptly seated. Social distancing was practiced and the staff wore masks. Our server, William, was patient with our debating the menu items, made sure our drinks were refilled promptly, and always appeared just when we needed him.

Sweet Harold (SH) started his brunch with coffee (of course). Y'all know I'm not a coffee drinker and I chose the Brunch Punch made with vodka, orange and pineapple juices, prosecco, berries, and mint. While not visible in my photo, my glass contained a strawberry and blackberry.

A bright and delicious start to our fabulous brunch!

Now, on to the appetizers!

SH ears pricked up when he heard that biscuits with sausage gravy were on the appetizer menu that day. These biscuits were extremely light and flaky, the gravy was full of sausage and was a perfect consistency. (One was brought home to be enjoyed during the week for breakfast!)

I spied fried green tomatoes on the menu, so my decision was made! The tomatoes were extremely crunchy (!) with a nice panko coating. The house-smoked aioli and hot sauce paired well with the tart tomatoes. An added bonus was the pimento cheese served alongside. The presentation was lovely.

After enjoying (and sharing) these delicious appetizers, we could have left the restaurant satisfied with our brunch. But wait....There's More!

SH always has two or more items that he wants to try on any given menu! He finally selected the Cast-iron Skillet & Eggs which has sausage, bacon, eggs any style (he ordered scrambled), and roasted potatoes all served in a cast-iron skillet!

The choice was simple for me: Shrimp and Grits! Yes, it tasted as great as it looks. Super creamy grits served with crispy bacon, a fried egg, and parmesan cream. I've tried this dish all over the Southeast. These are on the top of the list!

But wait....THERE'S MORE! It was our celebratory anniversary meal after all. We HAD to order dessert.

Sweet Harold chose the Bourbon Pecan Pie. While the bourbon flavor wasn't as pronounced as he had hoped, it was still a nice ending for his meal.

And, of course, I had to try the Crème brûlée. The custard was a perfect consistency and the caramelized sugar topping had the trademark crunch when I broke into it with my spoon.