Food & Drink in Montgomery

Roux's creative chefs tantalize palates with a menu of reenvisioned regional cuisine. Like an android replica of William Faulkner, the bill of fare tastefully revamps beloved southern classics, satisfying appetites with appetizers of crispy fried oysters and okra ($10) or entrees of BBQ smoked chicken with braised collard greens and coca-cola BBQ sauce ($17). Summer hearts of romaine salads feature focaccia croutons, crispy capers, and parmesan dressing ($7.50). Guests can cap off feasts with dulcet desserts, such as warm peach cobbler ($6), which gets a velvety karate chop from milk and honey ice cream.

Though online reviews for Smoothies-N-Things Café are still growing, more than 600 Facebookers are fans and three award the business five stars:

What sets the Hungry Howie’s menu apart from other pizza parlors, other than its complete lack of profanity, is the eight flavored-crust options that inject life into the formerly discarded pizza part. If you’re allergic to life, inject butter, onion, butter cheese, ranch, Cajun spices, garlic herb, or sesame instead. Keep thinking outside the pizza box by loading your flavorful crust with specialty pizza innards, such as the Howie Maui, packed with ham, smoked bacon, and pineapple ($13.85 for medium), and the Meat Eaters, with pepperoni, ground beef, Italian sausage, and ham ($13.85 for medium). DIY diners, on the other hand, can opt for a medium 12-inch pizza for $9.45 and add their own toppings for an additional $1.25 each. Howie's also serves up tasty wings (10 for $6.99), salads (try a small Greek for $5.99), calzone-style subs ($7.35), and Howie bread, which comes in buttered garlic ($3.99/large) and three cheese ($5.29/large).

Catina Tortilla Grill imports south-of-the-border spice to three locations where sandwiches, platters, and tacos run rampant on an authentic menu of Mexican fare. Patrons cluster like teens with magnetically charged headgear around rough-hewn wooden tables, which are dispersed amid exposed brick and colorful paintings drenched in natural light. Classics include signature garlic home fries and molletes, which combine melted chihuahua cheese and pico de gallo with refried beans. Creative twists also pervade globally-inspired starters, including a house-made guacamole accompanied by one intimidatingly giant but herbivorous tortilla chip.

Gail’s Down the Street Cafe triggers palate nostalgia six days a week with an ever-changing line up of four distinct, piping-hot lunch specials served with a multitude of Southern-style sides. Meaty entrees include such down-home staples as a juicy fried pork chop and a succulent hamburger steak smothered in a small lake of gravy and onions. Diners can pair their choice of entree with three fresh and filling vegetable sides ($8). A rotating smorgasbord of vegetables includes homemade coleslaw, cream-style corn, squash casserole, and thickly sliced tomatoes—all of which can be matched up in a plated quadrangle ($7). Seafaring mouths can set hook the grilled salmon or fried catfish fillet and reel in the navy beans before heading out to a scheduled debate with a wall-mounted bass. Bathe in the battered glory of specialty fried green tomatoes, or indulge sweet teeth with strawberry shortcake, banana pudding, and other decadent desserts ($2.50 each).

Five Insider Pagers give Flip's Atlanta Highway location an average of four stars, and 77% of Urbanspooners like it. Three more Insider Pagers give the restaurant's Vaughn Road location a perfect five-star average, and 79% of Urbanspooners like it as well.