chez fon fon

great restaurant with french country flair. we ate lunch here for the first time. we both had the crab cake special and it was a complete lunch. whatgreatfood. whatgreatservice. what agreatroom with just the right french shade of yellow. the bill came to around $65.00 with tip. i would go here anytime. but do go on thursday for the crab cakes and you will have agreattime.

safety in numbers. with so many reviews of chez fonfon available, i can only add that the reviews are collectively accurate. the categorization of the restaurant as a $$ romantic place is not. at best one can say it is either cheap, or romantic, but not both. while there are menu items for under $10, these are either petit menu items that are small even by appetizer standards, or grande menu items like a burger or a salad. if you wish to enjoy some of the more romantic-dinner-out selections from the grande menu you are looking at $20 for the highly touted trout with beurre braun. the grilled salmon, pork medallions, and two specials were $22-25. and then add sides and you are looking at $30 for an entree plate. it is unfair to welcome folks into your restaurant expecting applebee's prices only to be left with a choice of making a dinner out of 3 shrimp and a few shreds of lettuce, or breaking the bank. fonfon is a $$$-$$$$. the other less-than-romantic feature is the loudness that is addressed in previous reviews.

with that said, the food is superb. i made a meal of the fruits de mer from the petit menu and the fonfon frisee salad, also from the petit menu. the seafood salad was minuscule, but delicious. the shrimp was cooked to perfection, the mussels small, tender and tasty, and the crab preparation was respectful of the subtle taste on the crab. it was three medium shrimp, 5 dime-size mussels, and a tablespoon of crab, over shredded iceberg lettuce, all of which would have fit comfortably in a tea cup. the salad came dressed, which i usually don't like, but in this case it was perfectly dressed with the most delicious gorgonzola dressing i've ever eaten. the walnuts were lightly salted and perfectly roasted. except for the beets (which i hate, so that's on me) this was perhaps the most delicious salad i have ever enjoyed. my date had the shrimp remoulade salad from the grande menu. it too was delicious. it featured 5 good sized shrimp in a subtle (compared to arnaud's version) remoulade sauce, over iceberg lettuce. add two glasses of wine to the three salads and a cup of seafood and you are looking a $60 before the tip.

as for service, it was polite and attentive. was our guy rocking the "hey man this is an impressive french restaurant attitude" just a bit? sure. but i rocked the "i am not particularly impressed by french restaurants" attitude, and we got along just fine.

in the end we had agreattime exploring a new restaurant, enjoying the wonderful tastes, and the lively atmosphere. if you want to bulk up, whisper sweet nothings into your date's ear, or feed a family on a budget, look elsewhere.

terrible service. the good food was over shadowed by the terrible service, which might have been the worst i've ever experienced. our waitress was point blank rude to the point i could feel my heart rate getting higher with every visit she made to our table. by the end of the night when we asked her to describe the desserts, she pointed to the menu we were looking at and said, "they are listed right there", then proceeded to list them verbatim from the menu. out of all of frank stitt's restaurants, this one is my least favorite. there is something off about paying a couple of hundred dollars for dinner alongside paper place mats. the food was good but so many othergreatrestaurants in birmingham, i will make a point not to go back to chez fon fon.

if you're looking for the best burger you'll have in your life, here's the place to get it! frank stitt is one of the best chefs so it's a treat to go to this french inspired restaurant. get there early though as they don't take reservations and the restaurant fills up fast!greatwine selection too and excellent service! hands down one of the best in birmingham!

loved it! chez fon fon has always been a favorite of mine. it is always consistent and always so good. i usually get the crouge madame or the hamburger, but this time i decided to order the omelet. i was wonderful! it was filled with a tomato marmalade that was to die for! it came with a side salad and french fries, which were the perfect match. all in all agreatlunch withgreatservice too!

voila, compliments to the chef. i thought this would be a stuffy french farts place but the place is pretty causal. as a chef i want intriguing food and this fits the bill. ask a waiter to explain what's on the menu or you'll never get the whole experience. everything ordered was well presented and tasty. the hamburger was fantastic with the appropriate condiments. fries were crunchy with a good crisp. the salmon serving size was large, cooked to perfection and served with a delicious vegetable medley. the deserts, carrot cake and caramel cream, were notgreatbut will be back to try more! cia

every time i go to chez i leave happier than when i came. atmosphere is fun, casual, yet elegant enough to accommodate any group. business suits to jeans, this place has agreatcrowd. and the food? i don't feel like typing for the next hour about howgreateverything is so i'll stick to the basic. if you haven't tried the steak tartare special, you're missing out. a decent sized portion of their always delicious steak tartare (best in town) and a glass of pinot noir for $12. it's only between 9-10pm but definitely worth having a late dinner... i'll see you at chez!!

veal shank. they have a few new menu items as of lately. went out on a limb and had the veal shank. excellent dish, literally so tender i cut it with a fork. highly recommend


-----29 sep, 2013-----

delicious! dined here tonight for the first time. everyone was super friendly and welcoming. had the trout almandine. simple, unpretentious yet so elegant. like they weren't trying to jazz up the fish yet handle it just right to let the natural flavor shine through. brent was our server and he was great! really guided us through the menu and helped me make some difficult decisions. food wasgreatas well as the service. will be back soon!

best burger i've had (and i've had too many). it has agreatatmosphere, but i recommend it for lunch instead of dinner because it's so small the evening wait times are pretty long. definitely one of the best restaurants in birmingham.

a memorable lunch at chez fon fon.
our waiter offered delightful descriptions of menu items. the grilled trout and shrimp with avocado salad were both splendid. our service was notable. the lemon torte with meringue torched and the dark chocolate pudding completed agreatmeal. we will come again soon.

quite good. just not as good as usual.. last week i went to one of my top 15-20 restaurants in town, cf. it might possibly rank higher, except i have a hard time getting past the glorious hamburger! besides, it is next door to highlands, you know, and that's one of my top 3, without doubt. anyway, back to cf. for an appetizer we had the steak tartare, which is always delicious. thumbs up on that one. for entrées we chose the "glory burger", and the ham and cheese and egg sandwich for the madame. for the first time ever, the burger was a little overcooked and not perfect. funny thing, i just did not care, as even though it was not altogether right, it was still quite good. besides, the ham and egg and cheese sandwich, with fries, was rocking good! i suppose a $14 sandwich should be delicious, but man, that was one good kids meal... i mean, madame meal. one other imperfection was that the service was not quite as good as usual, and we had to ask for an initial basket of bread, which usually arrives while perusing the menu. if you've never had the cf bread, you should. although it's my understanding it is not made by the restaurant, nonetheless, they serve it, and the sourdough wheat is terrific. so, to summarize, a reallygreatrestaurant serves a pretty good meal, and makes a few imperfections seem not that important, as they have too much good to let a little bit of "pretty good" erase.

perfect dinner for two - split the charcuterie and hamburger fonfon. just do it, with a recommended glass of wine. plenty of food for two people. chez fonfon is one of birmingham's most well-executed restaurants.


-----01 sep, 2012-----

always impressive.... although it is difficult to pass on the hamburger fonfon or steak frites, you will never be disappointed when venturing out and ordering other dishes on the menu. the moules marinieres frites and scamp ratatouille are some other rock-star entrees to try, when they're available. as far as appetizers are concerned, definitely go with the steak tartar, as well as the snails... the escargot is cooked, in garlic butter, to perfection, and topped with a small crouton. the flavor and the texture resembles that of a perfectly cooked, extremely tender, mild, and delicate shrimp or scallop.

the sophisticated staff at chez fonfon is as polished and accommodating as they come, constantly paying close attention to the details of your experience and tweaking every tweak-able nuance, in order guarantee you an enjoyable and satisfying visit. consistency and execution are, obviously, the high-priority goals the staff strives to meet, here, daily.

to other restaurants out there, if you didn't already know, this is how you do it. at the time this review is submitted, 92% of 1038 people "like" this place... that should tell you something.

well done, chez fonfon

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-----06 aug, 2011-----

get the burger, get the steak. my wife and i just ate at fonfon for the first time, after receiving numerous recommendations from people that share our tastes and appreciation forgreatfood. i can't believe we waited so long to try it...

we started out with an appetizer and shared the baked mussels, which were perfectly cooked. i ordered the hamburger and she ordered the hanger steak... wow!!!

the hamburger comes out medium, if you order it to the chef's taste. it's simple, but incredibly delicious, setting the bar for other burgers. the hamburger fonfon is quite possibly the best hamburger i've ever ate.

the hanger steak was an excellent cut of beef and seasoned to perfection... definitely one of the best (if not the best) steaks in birmingham.

pommes frites were served with each dish... they were prepared correctly and were unbelievably tasty. we could have eaten the pom frites, only, and been 100% satisfied.

in summary, chez fonfon is one of our top, go-to restaurants. the price is very reasonable, compared to stitt's other establishments; so reasonable that would we would have happily paid more for our dinner. i feel comfortable recommending this restaurant to anyone. it's phenomenally well done, in my opinion.

hamburger fonfon. i cannot rave enough about this burger. i would say it rivals the burger at ollie irene (one of my absolute favorites).
the thing that makes the fonfon burgergreatis thegreatquality of meat and the sauces used when cooking the meat or preparing it. it has agreatflavor.
the bread served before the meal was sub-par and i expected more variety with such a high-end trio of restaurants fonfon is involved in.
the fries had the perfect amount of salt and seasonings.
for desert i split the chocolate caramel nut tart. this desert wasgreatand had the perfect combination of flavors, although it did not taste as fresh as i would have liked.
all in all the burger is great, the atmosphere reminds me of a french quarter restaurant in new orleans or a french cafe.
well priced, with a decent variety.

chez good!. fonfon has agreatbalance of gormet sensibilities coupled with approachable options. if you're feeling adventurous, they've got escargot on the menu--but if not, their burger (cooked to temp) and frites are to die for.
try the pheasant confit as a starter--ce magnifique!

there are several choices that would appeal to many taste buds. you can find anything from pheasant to crab cakes to a juicy hamburger. the food is not pretentious; it is just solidlygreatusing fresh ingredients in classic ways. there is nothing wrong with that. sometimes doing simple food is harder than preparing something complicated with numerous components on the plate.