SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY

The Culinary Map

BIRMINGHAM'S grandest hotel, the Tutwiler (2021 Park Place North, 205-322-2100; rooms starting at $129), is under renovation and in the process of becoming a Hampton Inn. Its new restaurant, ICON will open in January. To be right in the middle of the dining action in Five Points South, try the Pickwick Hotel (1023 20th Street South, 800-255-7304; starting at $139) or the Cobb Lane Bed and Breakfast, an eight-room painstakingly restored 1890s Victorian inn (1309 19th Street South, 205-918-9090; $89 to $119). Begin your dining tour at Five Points South, near the University ofAlabama at Birmingham. There you'll find the Highlands Bar & Grill (2011 11th Avenue South, 205-939-1400), where it all started, as well as Ocean (1218 20th Street South, 205-933-0999); 26, Ocean's sister restaurant (1210 20th Street South, 205-918-0726); Chez Fonfon (2007 11th Street South, 205-939-3221); Bottega (2240 Highland Avenue South, 205-939-1000); and the Hot & Hot Fish Club (2180 11th Court South, 205-933-5474) are nearby. More good restaurants are tucked away in neighborhoods like Forest Park on Clairmont Avenue South east of the university, Homewood and the elite suburb of Mountain Brook. Menus can be found at www.birminghammenus.com; recommendations at www.bhamdining.com. Another good reference is the brochure ''100 Things to Eat in Alabama Before You Die'' from the state tourism board (www.touralabama.org). It includes high and low cuisine. A word of caution: many of the best restaurants in Birmingham serve dinner only, and virtually all are closed on Sundays.
For entertainment, try Bottle Tree, a music club just east of downtown. It was opened by Merrilee Challiss and Brian Teasley, a young couple who tired of driving to Atlanta to see their favorite indie bands, and Ms. Challiss's brother, Brad. Ms. Challiss, a visual artist, stood at the door one night in November, shaking hands and saying, ''Thanks for coming!'' With murals in the bathroom and a mirror-tiled deer head on the wall, the place has a distinctly handmade feel. Until recently Bottle Tree (3719 Third Avenue South, 205-533-6288) was B.Y.O.B., but its bar is now open. Try the ginger margaritas.