Off The Menu

About Town talks to Bottega and Highlands owner Pardis Stitt

What are some of your favorite foods?

Olives, figs, pistachios, cucumbers, porcini mushrooms, chilaquiles from La 
Superica, Highlands old-fashioned summer vegetable plate, my mother’s 
Persian food, Bottega capellini

How would you compare Birmingham cuisine to the other cities in the Southeast and in other US cities?

This is a difficult question for me to answer objectively since I spend the 
majority of my time in our restaurants but I feel that we have something for
 everyone with the French-Southern food at Highlands, Italian at Bottega and 
bistro fare at Chez Fonfon.

From bar-b-q to turnip greens to jambalaya, how does the South, with traditionally far fewer people than other parts of the country, seem to have such a distinct flare to its cuisine?

Our rich cultural diversity has thankfully allowed us great food traditions 
and with organizations like the Southern Foodways Alliance, working to research and preserve these traditions, I look forward to learning more 
about the Southern BBQ trail, tamales in the Mississippi Delta, and the 
influence of Greek food culture here in Alabama.

For those of us with only an elementary knowledge of wine, what advice would you recommend in picking out a great bottle?

I don’t think most people realize how much time and effort we put into our
 wine programs–so the research has already been done for you! We have
 several good quality wine shops in town where the staff is 
knowledgeable–strike up a conversation with them and let them guide you. I
 also think you should make note of importers…to name a few we like
 Vineyard Brands, Kermit Lynch Wine Imports, Neal Rosenthal and Michael
 Skurnik Wines.

Do you have any simple culinary tips for anyone planning a dinner party?

Plan ahead and don’t make things too difficult so you can actually enjoy the 
process. My husband does most of the cooking so if it is up to me to cook, a
 salad and simple pasta suit just fine.

You over see 4 restaurants that are consistently busy, how do you control food quality and service?

By constantly observing, tasting, tweaking and demanding the best. I’m a 
bit obsessive with the restaurants and try to teach our staff the importance 
of communication and doing things the right way, every time. No shortcuts.

There always seems to be some trendy diet fad, how does a high-end restaurant handle these concerns?

We’re able to adjust many of our dishes to address dietary concerns.
 Obviously we would like our guests to eat from our menu as it is written but 
if there is a food issue, we are happy to accommodate.

Any plans on opening a 5th restaurant in the Highlands group?

No plans but we are always tossing ideas about so if the right opportunity
 arises at the right time, who knows?

Pardis and Frank Stitt own and operate Bottega, Bottega Café, Chez Fon Fon and Highlands Bar & Grill which was named #5 in the list of ‘The 50 Best American Restaurants by Gourmet Magazine.