6 Alabama dishes you need to try in March

When people find out you’re an Alabama life and culture writer, one of the first things they ask you about is food.

“Ate at any good restaurants lately?”

“Where should I get dinner tonight?”

“Have you heard of so-and-so restaurant?”

They’re always fun conversations, and we love giving recommendations and hearing about the dishes we need to try. (Email us suggestions — we love to hear from you!)

So we decided to put our heads together and make a list of dishes we’ve recently loved that we think you should try in March. Some are elegant (potato pavé), some are not (Mardi Gras corndogs), but all are tasty.

Let’s get to it:

Potato pavé at La Fête in Birmingham, Ala.(Photo by Stacy K. Allen; used with permission from La Fête)

Potato pavé at La Fête

2018 Morris Ave., Birmingham

The potato pavé — savory squares of thinly sliced and meticulously layered potatoes that are baked, chilled overnight, cubed and then fried to order — have been a favorite at La Fête on Birmingham’s Morris Avenue since Kristen Farmer Hall opened her French bistro in late 2022. Her guests can’t get enough of them, and neither can she. “For me, as both an executive chef and a pastry chef, I love the merging of pastry techniques with savory flavor profiles,” Hall says. “I feel like the potato pavé is the best of all of the worlds.” Available as an appetizer at La Fête, the crispy potato cubes are sprinkled with Maldon sea salt and served with whipped crème fraîche and chives. “My favorite way to eat them is to peel them apart like an accordion,” Hall says. “You get the creamy potato interior and then you get those crispy edges. It’s like a celebration of the potato.” — Bob Carlton

Mardi Gras food

Mobile

Look, have a corndog. I’m sure this sounds a little weird in the context of the fine selection of entrees doubtless presented by my colleagues … But it’s Mardi Gras time in Mobile. So, if you work downtown or if you’re coming downtown for a parade, corn dogs are on the menu. As are funnel cakes. As is chicken on a stick. As are the diverse specialties of numerous food trucks. So lean into it. You don’t have to wait until county-fair season to indulge your inner 8-year-old. And dessert is on the house, at least if you want a MoonPie. — Lawrence Specker

Mahi wrap at Domaine South

200 West Side Sq., Huntsville

A beach vacation for your mouth. Domaine South’s mahi wrap is built around the titular fish, seared and seasoned with coriander and cumin. Also inside the warm tortilla, house-made cucumber tomato pico de gallo and salsa verde ranch sauce, plus queso fresco and shredded lettuce. On the side, more of that zingy salsa verde ranch for dipping. Comes with fries. But pay the $2.50 to sub Domaine’s duck-fat fries, delectable planks served with curry ketchup and herb aioli. — Matt Wake

Orchiette pasta at Ravello Ristorante

36 Commerce St., Montgomery

I’ve been to Ravello Ristorante in downtown Montgomery a few times since it opened in 2022 and have always enjoyed my meal. On my most recent visit to the fine dining spot, which serves authentic Italian cuisine inspired by the Amalfi Coast and made from fresh, Southern ingredients, though, I had a pasta that I’ll likely be ordering again and again. The “Orchiette,” offered on Ravello’s dinner menu, features the restaurant’s handcrafted pasta, made in-house daily, as well as Italian sausage, broccolini, cherry tomatoes and parmesan flakes for a savory flavor that comes with a touch of heat. While it’s the kind of meal that makes cleaning your plate easy, I will suggest you save a little room for one of their nightly desserts too. While the offerings vary depending on when you go, count yourself lucky to be there if the tiramisu cheesecake is up for grabs. — Amber Sutton

Sautéed salmon dish at Brick & Tin — Sautéed salmon with sweet potatoes, kale, farro, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, sorghum-sherry vinaigrette and pesto at Brick & Tin in Mountain Brook, Alabama.(Mary Colurso | [email protected])

Sautéed salmon at Brick & Tin

2901 Cahaba Road, Mountain Brook

We’ve tried plenty of salmon dishes at restaurants in the Birmingham metro area, and lots of them taste pretty darn good. But there’s a new favorite in town — the sautéed salmon at Brick & Tin’s Mountain Brook location — and it’s delicious. According to the menu, you get seared salmon, nestled atop a bed of sweet potatoes, kale, farro, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, sorghum-sherry vinaigrette and pesto. The salmon has a crispy skin and tender interior. And that farro salad it’s paired with? Just plain yummy. The mixture of flavors and textures makes this a dish to remember — and to order again on the next visit. — Mary Colurso

Cajun Sampler at Papa Dubi’s

9510 US-431, Albertville

Someone once told me that the further you get from the Coast, the worse the Cajun restaurants become. Respectfully, that person is very, very wrong, and if they’d eaten at Papa Dubi’s in northeast Alabama they’d understand why. The Albertville restaurant has it all — an inviting atmosphere, refreshing cocktails and delicious food that won’t cost a fortune. I’ve never had a meal there I haven’t liked (and I’ve tried most of the menu), but my go-to is always the Cajun Sampler. Choose three or more from their offerings — etouffee, gumbo, sausage and chicken jambalaya, crawfish sauce on rice, lobster sauce on rice, imperial sauce on rice, or red beans and rice. Choose as you wish, but always make sure you get the crawfish sauce and rice. The sauce is hearty and perfect and unlike anything else I’ve tried before. (You can also get it topped on your fish or steak, if you’d rather go that route.) — Haley Laurence