Had three awesome appetizers over the weekend.

Friday, we took our 6-year-old to Silver Coin in Hoover and had Gobi Manchurian for the first time. This is an Indo-Chinese dish, as you might guess from the name. These are battered and deep-fried cauliflower florets, served with a flavorful red sauce. (Proving that Southerners aren't the only ones who can take a perfectly  healthy vegetable and turn it into artery-clogging temptation.) Even Evan, who is not wild about cauliflower, and our 6-year-old, who is not the biggest veggie eater, loved it. From what I can tell from looking at several online recipes, the sauce features garlic, ginger, ketchup, soy sauce and chiles.

Saturday, we started out at Daniel George for a glass of wine (a wonderful Sancerre) and some fried oysters. These are perfectly seasoned, hot and tender and juicy in the middle, crispy on the outside, served with mardi gras slaw and cayenne remoulade. They are frequently on the menu and are one of our favorites.

Then we went to Highlands for dinner, intending to sample some seasonal goodness. We started out with the most amazing appetizer -- fresh figs, cut in half and wrapped in bacon along with walnuts, and grilled. Absolutely heavenly with a glass of bubbly. Another fantastic seasonal appetizer, which I actually had for my dinner, was an eggplant gratin, layered with tomatoes and Alabama goat cheese and basil, served room temperature with some lightly dressed arugula.