When we dream about an American restaurant, it looks and smells a lot like Highlands Bar & Grill: a gleaming, big-city place with the precise butter glow of our favorite Parisian bistros and professional waiters who are both knowledgeable and kind. The wine list, densely packed with American and southern French bottles, was obviously put together by somebody who likes to drink wine more than he likes to show it off.
Frank Stitt's cooking, which showcases Gulf seafood, splendid Alabama produce, ande southern staples like grits, pan-roasted rabbit, and country ham is both all-American and extremely French—as if Alabama was somehow sandwiched between Mississippi and Provence. If Alabama really did border Provence, Stitt's lightly hickory-smoked pork loin with braised pork shank and collard greens might be border-town favorite, a shotgun marriage between bistro and barbecue. Don't miss the milkshake made with perfectly ripe Alabama strawberries and freshly turned ice cream.