Alabama Grill re-opens after 20 years

BY RAY VAN COR AND BRUCE BRANUM

The Greenville Standard

 

What a facelift the old Alabama Grill has undergone. It is truly impressive to see before and after pictures and to know the hard work that occurred to renovate the building.

The floor, ceilings, and kitchen have all been replaced and a comfy deck built out back. Owners’ Resa Bates and Allan Bloodworth, along with others, have spent many hours of blood, sweat and tears, in a labor of love to re-establish the historic restaurant in downtown Greenville.

The original Alabama Grill was opened in 1947 by Mack Liveakos, a Greek immigrant, born in 1890 in Nafplion, Greece.

Liveakos sold the establishment in 1960 to Mr. James Arthur, where it remained in his possession for the next 41 years until its closing in 2001.

The Alabama Grill is a Greenville institution; many are sure to have memories of the Alabama Grill. The new proprietors hope to honor those memories by re-opening the iconic landmark.

Resa is a local girl who learned her restaurant skills from her grandmother, Teresa Bates, the owner of Bates House of Turkey here in Greenville. Allan grew up in Florida with a family in the produce industry and has owned restaurants of his own to include the Olive Room in Montgomery.

As they get established and some of the details worked out, Resa and Allan will be serving a reduced menu for lunch and dinner.

For lunch, the menu will include specialty and traditional pizzas, calzones, salads, burgers, a grilled chicken sandwich, and a grilled cheese sandwich made with sliced brioche bread with cheddar, swiss, and provolone cheeses. One specialty pizza is named after Liveakos and definitely has a Greek flair.

The drink menu consists of your regular fair and includes domestic, import and craft beers, along with house and midscale wines, and even champagne.

The menu also includes hand dipped Cammie’s Old Dutch, from Mobile, ice cream; Domestic Coffees, from Birmingham for specialty coffee drinks and Harmon & Sons Coffee as the regular brew.

The Alabama Grill plans to be open Tuesday – Saturday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. and 5 – 8 p.m. Ice cream, coffee, tea, and light fare will be served from 2 – 5 p.m.

Resa and Allan had a soft opening Friday evening, March 29 to rave reviews from the nearly 100 patrons who attended and they cordially invite you to join them to stir up old memories and to make new ones.

and to make new ones.