Italian food is comfort food. Whether it is pizza, pasta, or a great ossobuco Italian food just makes you feel good. Birmingham, Alabama has several great Italian restaurants that serve the various incarnations of this genre of cuisine.
For an exquisite Italian experience, one of the favorites of Birmingham is Gian Marco's. This is a white table cloth restaurant with an atmosphere that is both quaint and char
ming. It has several mainstream "traditional" Italian pasta dishes like lasagna, spaghetti and fettuccine, as well as several "meat-oriented" dishes like ossobuco, grilled fish and shrimp scampi. If you decide to dine at Gian Marco's on a special occasion (like Valentine's Day) make sure to make a reservation in advance.
Another Italian restaurant that is not to be overlooked in Birmingham is Frank Stitt's Bottega Restaurant. Located on Birmingham's southside, Bottega offers variations on Italian that are both interesting and unique. One of its best known dishes is is Parmesan souffle that is simply out of this world (this would be difficult to make at home, but I believe the recipe is available in the Bottega cookbook!). The risotto dishes here are good as well! Finally note that there are two sides to Bottega: The restaurant and the cafe. The restaurant has a "fine-dining" atmosphere while the cafe serves more casual fare in a casual environment.