OPINION —
If you are my age or older, you probably remember the 1972 commercial which said: “When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen.”
Well, when Chef Jim Sikes talks about great restaurants, Stacey listens. After all, Chef Jim is an expert in the culinary arts. He owned Jimmy’s, a restaurant in Opelika, for 10 years.
Also, he has written about cooking and has taught cooking classes for many years. Therefore, when Chef Jim told me that The Bright Star was a great restaurant, I knew that I had to try it. Boy, as usual, Chef Jim was 100% correct.
Recently, Mike, our good friends Jack and William and I traveled to Bessemer, Bo Jackson’s hometown (as an Auburn grad, I had to say that), for lunch at The Bright Star.
The Bright Star is located at 304 19th St. North in Bessemer. When we entered The Bright Star, it was like stepping back in time. I loved the 20th Century and miss it a lot, so I was delighted.
This beautiful restaurant was so elegant and yet so homey. I felt very comfortable in my khaki long shorts and knee-high compression socks.
And The Bright Star is a jewel from Alabama’s history. It is the oldest restaurant in our great state, first opening in 1907.
The first owner of The Bright Star was Tom Bonduris, a Greek immigrant. In 1907, The Bright Star was a “tiny, 12-seat cafe.” Then in the 1920s, Bill Koikos, Pete Koikos, John Bonduris and Gus Sarris bought the restaurant. In the 1970s, Jimmy Koikos and Nicky Koikos owned The Bright Star until Jimmy’s death in 2019. Today, Andreas Anastassakis and Stacey Cocoris Craig (a niece of one of the original owners) own it.
We were happy to meet Mr. Nicky, who owned the restaurant with his brother, Jimmy. Mr. Nicky was so welcoming and charming, making us feel right at home.
“The Lord’s let us keep going,” Mr. Nicky said.
He’s 100% correct. The Bright Star will celebrate its 120th birthday in 2027, the Good Lord willing. We also met Stacey Craig, one of the restaurant’s present day owners. She was as warm and welcoming as Mr. Nicky. And she gets bonus points for spelling “Stacey” correctly.
According to Stacey, The Bright Star is in its fourth location, moving there in 1915. My maternal grandmother, Vivian Brooks McEachern Adamson, who lived to be 104, was born in 1913, so that blew my mind.
The 300-seat restaurant has the original tile floors and murals from 1915, and they are beautiful.
The Bright Star, not surprisingly, has won many prestigious awards. “In 2010, it was named one of ‘America’s Classics,’ by the James Beard Foundation at a ceremony in New York City. And while The Bright Star has long been famous for outstanding seafood, its equally outstanding steaks were honored with 2012’s ‘Alabama’s Best Steak’ award from the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association. In March 2023, readers of Southern Living magazine voted The Bright Star the best locally-owned restaurant in the state of Alabama.”
Now for my review. Kiara, our server, was an absolute delight; I told Kiara that I would brag about her in my column. She was so welcoming, helpful and patient. Kiara gets an A+ from this retired English teacher.
Jack, William and I each ordered a cup of gumbo, for which the restaurant in known. It was excellent.
For his entrée, Mike chose an open-faced roast beef sandwich with a side of fried zucchini. I selected the fried shrimp with oven-roasted Greek potatoes, cream corn and buttered squash.
Jack ordered the fried shrimp, shredded cabbage with dressing, oven-roasted Greek potatoes and cream corn. William chose the country-fried steak with oven-roasted Greek potatoes, fresh green beans and cream corn.
Everything was really delicious. Before he ordered the fried shrimp, Jack asked Kiara, “Is it Gulf shrimp?” Kiara said, “Yes, it is.” Everyone knows that our shrimp is the best in the world, and it tasted like it.
Again, I hope that Lynn Hudson, my outstanding endocrinologist, isn’t reading this column because Mike and I shared a piece of lemon ice box pie. I wanted to compare it to my Grandma Patton’s, the best I have ever tasted. (Sure, that’s the only reason I ordered it.) Let me just say that Grandma Patton, the queen of lemon ice box piemakers, would have certainly given that piece of pie an A+. Jack tried the coconut pie, and William ordered the peanut butter pie. They said they were outstanding.
“They have used the same recipes for pies since the 1930s,” Kiara said. I believe her.
Trust me, if you haven’t been to The Bright Star, it is not to be missed. The restaurant is truly a treasure in “Sweet Home Alabama.” In fact, Stacey was so kind, giving me a copy of the book “A Centennial Celebration of The Bright Star Restaurant-The Bright Star Family” with Niki Sepsas and with tributes by Richard Shelby and Gene Stallings. That’s right; Alabama’s former U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby and former Alabama head coach Gene Stallings sang the praises of The Bright Star. Now, I’ve never met Shelby, but in January 2011, Mike and I met Stallings when we were flying to Glendale, Arizona, to watch our Auburn Tigers win the National Championship. Stallings was such an amazing Southern gentleman. He talked to us and let us take a picture with him; he was surrounded by Auburn fans. When we passed him on the plane, I said, “Coach, thanks again for talking to us and letting us take a picture with you.”
With that soft Texas drawl, Stallings said, “You’re welcome, Darlin’.”
That did it; after that, this Auburn grad loved coach Stallings.
Besides our delicious gumbo, The Bright Star offers diners a Gulf shrimp cocktail, sautéed crab cakes, shrimp remoulade, fried crab claws and a cold shrimp platter.
Other lunch entrees, depending on the day, may include: Greek snapper, roast beef, a vegetable plate, shrimp remoulade and ham steak, among many others. Sides, which change daily, may include: large lima beans, black-eyed peas, candied yams, turnip greens and creamed potatoes with gravy, just to name a few.
The Bright Star is closed on Monday. Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Dinner is served from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 4:30 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
The Bright Star receives an A+ from this retired English teacher. Remember, “Pooh-sized” people NEVER lie about food. Enjoy!
Stacey Patton Wallace, who retired from teaching language arts for 30 years, is a professional diner. Her column, Making the Grade, will appear in The Observer every other week. Stacey may be reached at retiredlangartsteacher2020@gmail.com.
