Chez Fonfon

Located at Five Points South, Chez Fonfon is a casual drop-in place like the familiar corner cafes in Paris, Lyons or Bandol. Offering continental (mainly French) cuisine in a very elegant setting, it is a place where friends can gather from afternoon until late evening for "small" food and good drink that will take them away from the mudane. The decor is decidedly upscale, featuring gaslights, antique furniture and white tablecloths. The menu offers a very impressive array of French appetizers, entrees and desserts, as well as an extensive wine list. Chez Fonfon is one of four restaurants owned by Frank Stitts in Birmingham's Southside neighborhood. Owner of three award-winning Birmingham restaurants — Highlands Bar and Grill, Bottega Restaurant and Café and Chez Fonfon — chef Frank Stitt is credited by many as a leader in Alabama’s rise to national culinary status. A native of Cullman, Ala., Stitt once worked at legendary restaurant Chez Panisse in San Francisco, as well as in kitchens throughout Paris. Stitt was named Best Chef in the Southeast by the James Beard Foundation in 2001, and has since received multiple nominations in the foundation's Outstanding Chef and Outstanding Restaurant categories. In 2007, he earned the Southern Foodways Alliance Lifetime Achievement Award, and Esquire magazine inducted him into its Restaurant Hall of Fame in 2011. The author of two cookbooks, Stitt frequently appears in national, regional and local publications, where he discusses his love of creating classic Southern cuisine with a European sensibility.