Silvertron Cafe

Long time no Ranch! Back in April, some of my best friends and I went to Birmingham, Alabama to celebrate my 23rd birthday. Those close to me know that I have another love in this life other than ranch dressing...singing karaoke. It turned out that Birmingham has a bar called "The Nick" where you can sing karaoke with a live band...so naturally I dragged my friends kicking and screaming to Bama so I could sing at this place. Anyways, one morning of this trip we weren't feeling too fresh and needed a nice meal (accompanied by some ranch of course) to put some pep in our step. Drew (my best guy friend in the whole world) knew of this great little restaurant called Silvertron Cafe, and so we decided to check it out. I ordered a burger, some thin & crispy french fries, and as always, a side of ranch. The waitress presented me with a very generous serving of ranch. Wonderful coloring, nice ranch aroma, perfect cool temperature, and that thin consistency I always look for. Drew took a picture for me and we were out the door. We went browsing at some nearby shops, and I was surprised when the man pictured below tapped me on the shoulder and said "Ma'am, I think you forgot your credit card." Sooo typical of me. This guy had overheard us talking at the table about shopping, and when he noticed that I had left my card, went into every store on the block to try and give it back to me. Talk about customer service! He was my hero!! I couldn't wait to get home and write my review! Unfortunately, Drew lost his phone that next day and had never sent me the photo. Without a photo there is really no point in making a new post, so I was super bummed. I shared my ranch woes with a work pal, and he informed me that he was going to Bham on business soon and didn't mind stopping by Silvertron to get some pics. What a great friend! I couldn't believe that he did it! To be completely honest, his pictures are much better than mine; I need to step my game up. I personally think that the second photo with the floral arrangement and the people eating in the background could be on a food magazine cover...just saying. As for the rating...with the combination of excellent customer service, large serving size, great taste, and all the trouble went to get this photo, the Silvertron most certainly gets 5 out of 5 stars! Here is Silvertron's menu: http://www.silvertroncafe.us/

Ruth's Chris

Hey fellow Ranchers! Sorry I haven't posted in a while! It's been insanely busy at work, and to my extreme disappointment, I haven't gotten to enjoy much ranch! This past weekend I was invited to a wedding in Birmingham, Alabama. The groom's family generously provided all of the wedding party with rooms at the Embassy Suites, and all meals were taken care of too. Free meals and lodging was such a thoughtful gesture; I quickly came to terms with the fact that my beloved condiment wouldn't be served at such a fancy smancy affair. Indeed, no ranch was served at the wedding. Luckily for me, the combination of booze, fancy footwork, and fireworks (they were incredible by the way) made post reception-ers hungry for some late night munchies. Conveniently located in our hotel was a Ruth's Chris restaurant, so most of the wedding guests sat down in the bar to enjoy some appetizers and drinks (the party is NEVER over). Someone offered me a shoestring fry (salty, crispy, and delicious) but I couldn't indulge myself until I had a saucer of chilled ranch alongside it. The bartender (Kevin I believe) was wonderful and gladly fetched me some. I was not in love at first sight with the ranch he presented me. Although it was a nice shade of white and the herbs had a vibrant green color, I was a little put off by the thickness of it. Typically good, homemade ranch has a runny consistency, but Ruth's Chris was able to discredit this rule. The ranch was UNBELIEVABLE. Not only did I eat the fries I had ordered, but I found some leftover fries that our party had left behind so that none of the ranch went to waste. If that wasn't embarrassing enough, when I took the saucer up to my room later that evening, I had nothing else to dip so I just licked the ranch right off my fingers. Ruth's Chris, I'm extremely impressed. I must warn other rancholics though, my tastebuds could've been a little off that evening...Ranch Out would've gladly charged me with an R.U.I. (Ranch Under the Influence). I think my actions in my hotel room make it pretty clear though, this ranch was finger-licking good! Bama did not disappoint. 5 out of 5 stars!