My husband surprised me yesterday by bringing me to Lapeer. I had not even heard of the restaurant…read moreso on our drive there, I looked up the menu. It's a fine dining restaurant with nice seafood options. Valet parking was available, which I love. The restaurant has low lighting and a quiet, yet engaging atmosphere. Our waiter was phenomenal! Tens across the board. His recommendations were spot on. We started with the calamari. It wasn't served with a sauce and baby....it didn't need a sauce. It was perfect on its own The bread he brought out was good--very airy. I had to try the Caviar slider. It was the perfect blend of salty and crunchy. I tried the onion rings and they were delicious. My husband and the NY Strip Steak with Au Gratin Potatoes. I tried a bite of his food and it was delicious. We ended with a Pineapple Passionfruit Sorbet and it was so good! I have no criticisms. I would most certainly come back.

I booked Lapeer to celebrate a friend's birthday -- what should have been a special evening turned…read moreinto one of the most disappointing dining experiences I've had. For a restaurant at this price point, the service was inexcusable. Our server, Chris, failed to take everyone's drink and appetizer orders before walking away from the table. We were a party of eight -- large, but hardly unmanageable. When appetizers arrived, he made no effort to confirm that every guest received their items. One of our guests had to physically track him down to report missing dishes. The food issues were just as bad. The birthday girl ordered a steak -- nearly $90 -- and it came out overcooked to the point of being burned. It had to be sent back and remade. That is simply not acceptable at this level. Another guest ordered the Lobster Pasta, which was under-seasoned, watery, and so overwhelmingly lemony it was nearly inedible. She flagged it to Chris, who took it back -- then had the audacity to include it on the final check and accuse her of eating it. It was offensive. When we raised these concerns, the manager on duty, Marshall, was condescending and dismissive rather than apologetic or solution-oriented. Our table spent roughly $1,000 that evening and left feeling disrespected. Birmingham has grown into a serious food city with high standards and plenty of options. With food and service like this, Lapeer will find it very difficult to compete.

Came here to watch the SEC Championship. Wait time was minimal and we received our food in good…read moretime. Our waitress was good and was knowledgeable about the menu. The Steve burger is so good! Casual spot to watch the game. Great for groups or solo.

I went to The Fennec on a Friday night to watch college basketball games and have some drinks. We…read morewere seated quickly, and in front of multiple large screens. There's literally not a bad seat if you're there to watch games. The sound on was a nice touch as well. After a bucket of beer (which was a special for the night) we felt like a snack and ordered the nachos. It left a little to be desired, but it did the trick. However, I was mainly here for the drinks and games and I've got to say it was a lot of fun. The staff was checking in frequently to see if needed anything else, and helpful when we had some questions. If you're looking for somewhere for sporting events, this is definitely a place that should be on your radar!

Centrally located in downtown Birmingham and near a number of businesses and hotels, BridgeStreet…read moreGallery and Loft is as lovely as a venue as they come. This place is an ideal spot for medium to large'ish gatherings (50-150 peeps?) and a perfect setting for any special occasion. Whether it's an art installation, photo gallery, wedding reception, or just a big ol party, there are two floors of quality spaces to work with. There is no elevator unfortunately, but the bathrooms are handicap friendly and there is a separate back entrance for vendors. Parking is a bit limited to alleyways and street parking, but as the area finishes their renovations, I wouldn't be surprised if a parking garage would eventually make its way here. The fun in a raw space is seeing how much it changes for whatever the theme merits. There is a dedicated team here that works to make that vision come true and they're a professional and friendly bunch. I think their operation is stellar from top to bottom that perspective folks should really consider this gem of a venue.

This is an absolutely beautiful little venue! I have never heard of this place until I had a Yelp…read moreevent here last night, and I have to say I was extremely impressed! There are two floors, and our event was on the upstairs. I'm not sure how old the building is, but it has an exposed brick wall painted white, beautiful hardwood (oak looking) floors, with gorgeous strands of light setting the perfect evening event. Not sure if the lights are part of their everyday decor or if they were for Christmas, but it's absolutely stunning! I could see this being a great venue for a rehearsal dinner, work/birthday party, or a small wedding/prom venue (My graduating class of 7 would have had enough room!) My only question is how do I get invited back to this place?! I don't plan events, but this is a place I definitely want to come back to! Just a head's up I only saw street/metered parking, but that's pretty much expected in downtown Birmingham.

Was at a conference today with B&A Warehouse catering. I got the grilled chicken Greek salad and it…read morewas delicious. I loved how everything in the salad was separated. Good portion size, perfect amount of dressing included. The giant chocolate chunk cookie also included was rich and not too sweet.

I'm a florist and have yet to have a negative experience working with this venue. This past Friday…read morethey were even better than I last remember. It's a busy time of year with holiday parties but they made it absolutely perfect. The tables were set and ready by noon so that florals could be placed well in advance. They have an over-achiever event director, Courtney Swaid Mince, that treats us vendors just as professionally as she treats her clients. According to my client, Courtney created additional decor without additional charge. And imagine our surprise as a vendor to see the votives we used with the table centerpieces were cleaned and packed along with the florals for us to pick -up immediately after the event. Who does that?! We look forward to working with B&A again.

Vulcan Kiwanis has had its Juneteenth Brunch at the Alcove for the past two years! I've also…read moreattended a networking event here before. The space is a nice size. Very clean with multiple restrooms. It's also accessible for those with disabilities. It has a stage and already has a simple elevated look which limits the need for tons of decoration. It's black owned and located in the 4th Ave District. The owners are super nice, helpful and professional. The rental fees are very reasonable in comparison to other local event spaces! It comes highly recommended!

I have had the pleasure of attending two events at this venue over the last few months. The first…read moreevent was hosted by an organization I'm a part of--the J. Mason Davis Leadership society. We had a Headshot Happy Hour event here that went very well. Most recently, my Kiwanis club had a Juneteenth event here to raise scholarship money for kids in the Birmingham City school system. Again, our event went very well. The venue is spacious, customizable (the lighting, dance floor, etc), and has great features. If you need a venue in Birmingham for an event, check them out!

In search of a venue for our rehearsal dinner in March. Fingers crossed, if the weather…read morepermits--we'll enjoy the outdoor patio of this space! This is the penthouse of the Kress building and is used for an array of events. You bring in your own caterer and alcoholic beverages. There is a bocci ball court and enough space if you want to have a band. The inside will hold between 100-175 and add the outside, it holds 275, I believe. Great view of downtown Birmingham--and right next to Alabama Theater and McWane Center. If you look in the distance, Vulcan is directly ahead. Really a great space for anyone looking to hold an event. Check it out!

It was a very nice venue. It was great seeing familiar faces. The selection was really nice…read more Everyone was very pleasant behind the table. I enjoyed some new things I've never had before. The table center pieces were pretty. Music was fun. The only HUGE negative was I am not someone that gets hot.....ever. I was sweating. I was uncomfortable. I wanted to eat and get the heck out of there. Someone failed and didn't lower the ac ahead of time for that large space.

I came here for the Birmingham restaurant week kickoff…read more There was lots of amazing food and desserts. The only negative thing I have to say is that it's July and it did not even feel like the air conditioning was on there. I was like sweating. I wasn't very comfortable. I don't think I'd wanna have a personal event there like a wedding, etc.. The bathrooms were pretty clean when I visited them, which was a plus. This is my first time being here and it's definitely a huge event space.

The main point of our trip to Birmingham was to see an exhibit at the art museum. However, we are…read moreearly rises (especially with the 1-hour time difference from home), so we had some time in the morning to fill. My wife determined that the local botanical garden opened by 7 a.m. (!) and was also free, so we opted to stop here before the museum opened later at 10 a.m. We made it here by around 7:30 a.m. A word of caution - the highway interchange nearby was nightmarish. We missed 2 turns (even with a navigation app running). I don't think it was just me. So be careful and add a few extra minutes to get lost. Once finally off they highway and through the final roundabout, we proceeded along a road bordering the gardens. On the other side appeared to be an expensive hotel and an upscale shopping / dining plaza. The garden was having some sort of plant sale, and crowds were apparently expected. They had traffic control cones in place, but we arrived early enough so that parking was still plentiful. When we left, it seemed like the lot had mostly filled up. The gardens are quite large. They are divided up into sub-areas and there is a large map posted about 100 yards inside the main gate. No paper maps were on offer, so I guess you can take a photo of theirs and use that. We first strolled to the Japanese Garden. We had this to ourselves until almost when we left. This area is quite large by itself. They have koi ponds, a tea house, etc. It was nice. We took an alternate path back to the map pavilion. From there, we explored other areas (mostly dedicated to specific flowers). Some of the terrain is hilly. We routed through the vegetable garden and eventually ended up back at the central formal rose garden. This was being watered periodically that morning and some of the brick paths in it were flooded. They seemed to have some satellite restrooms in remote areas, in addition to the main set near the gate. We spent almost 2 hours here and probably could have spent even more time, but we wanted to drive to our prime stop. If you have any interest in botanical gardens, this is a very worthwhile stop.

One of the first things I appreciated was free parking and free entrance, which is always an…read moreattractive feature. From there, it just kept getting better. You can easily spend hours exploring the many trails that wind through beautiful flowers and plants, the serene Japanese Gardens, and even an active beehive community--which was my favorite part! We were on a bit of a time limit and didn't get to walk the entire property, but we still managed to spend about two hours covering roughly three miles, and it never felt rushed. While it's still a little early in spring for everything to be in full bloom, there were still plenty of gorgeous floral displays to enjoy. Some of the trail directions can be a bit confusing at times, and we did end up wandering off course once or twice. That said, it was never difficult to find our way back to the main trail and continue exploring. If you're looking for a place to meander, slow down, and truly enjoy nature, this is absolutely the place to do it. A peaceful and rewarding experience overall.