We recently spent an exquisite evening (and a lot of money) at Jinsei in downtown Homewood. This high-end, sleek, sophisticated, small Japanese restaurant is not like others in town. From the salmon skin sushi rolls to the Kobe beef mini-burgers, from the fatty tuna and salmon nigiri to the Kobe beef carpaccio, every dish was memorable. Read all about it in our review.

Here's a sampling of some of our recent reader reviews of Birmingham restaurants:

• Rock House Restaurant: A lot of mixed reviews, but a recent poster has an explanation.
  
• Cafe Lazio: "Highly recommend..."
• Icon Restaurant & Bar: "...an absolute waste of time and money."
• Ezell's Fish Camp: People seem to either love this place or hate it.
• The J. Clyde: Another place with a lot of mixed reviews. This place may not be right for everyone, but as a recent poster notes, "combining top quality food and beer/wine caters to a more discerning crowd."
• The Red Pearl: "Only asian restaurant my family eats at."
• Lovoy's: "It is what it is..."
• Silver Coin Indian Grill: "if you've never had Indian food... this is the place to have that first experience."
• La Dolce Vita: "I cannot say enough about the service and atmosphere was very nice for a romantic evening. Unfortunately, however, I'd probably rate the food on par with someplace like Macaroni Grill."
  

Hidden away in Cahaba Heights behind the Summit, Satterfield's can hold its own against the best in Birmingham, if our visit is any indication. Owner Becky Satterfield, a talented pastry chef in her own right, has lined up the very talented Haller Magee as executive chef. According to their web site, Magee names among his major influences Thomas Keller (The French Laundry), author Michael Ruhlman (who appeared on two of our favorite episodes of Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations") and Charlie Trotter (who has likened cooking to an improvisational jazz session.) Having someone from outside the Frank Stitt sphere which influences so many local chefs is a delightful change, and Satterfield's is well worth seeking out. Read our review here.

We've gotten some good, thoughtful reader reviews lately. While the one-sentence "best restaurant of its type in town" reviews are helpful, we really enjoy the ones that give us more details about your experience. Check some of them out:

• Primavera Coffee Roasters: "Suddenly, i love drinking black coffee for the same reason a car enthusiast drives a manual transmission." 
• 5 Points Grill: "... we began to question how with tip we had spent $80 on a lunch where my husband didn't eat and what I had eaten I wanted to throw up."
• Amore Ristorante Italiano:  "The mussels ... gave me a bit of entree envy."
• Martini's Fine Food & Club Ultra: "We ate at Martini's with a dinner party from our company and everyone was so impressed!"
• John's City Diner: "This place has really changed since the original John's, certainly more upscale."
• Standard Bistro: "We have never had a bad meal here."

Looking for somewhere to eat this holiday season? If you're like most of us, you probably are, whether it's a quick bite while Christmas shopping or a special get-together with friends. Don't forget you can browse restaurant listings by category through the links in the left-hand column, or you can search the listings (rather than the whole site) on the "Search Listings" page. You can search for a particular area of town, or on words such as "vegetarian" or "brunch."

Making the listings even more valuable are comments from our readers about their experiences at the restaurants listed. Here's a sampling of some of the most recent reader reviews:

• Leonardo's: "The staff is wonderful and the food is even better!"
• Ginza Sushi & Korean BBQ: "... the food and especially the sushi are superb."
• Lucy's Coffee & Tea: "Stop by for the espresso, stay for lunch and, don't forget your brownie!"
• Taj India: "... very disappointed." 
• Silver Coin: "I missed my favorite Indian places so much when we moved here from Atlanta 3 years ago - but Silver Coin is as good or better!"
• Cantina Tortilla Grill: "I have dined all over the country in very fine places, and never been refused a glass of tap water."
• Rock House Restaurant: "We have been able to enjoy the great food in a relaxed atmosphere that reminds me of the French Quarter."
• Golden Palace: "I am so glad that this restaurant remains in business with the large Asian buffets nearby."
• Bonedaddy's: While one writer said of the sauce, "I think I am addicted," another said, "everything brought to us was completely cold."
• Tortuga's Homemade Pizza: A couple of Chicago transplants write: "... as good as Geno's East or Lou Malnottis in Chicago," and "Those of you who complain about the wait have obviously never had Chicago style pizza."
• The Melting Pot: "... a really great date restaurant..."
• La Dolce Vita: "The food was good, but ... I was not impressed with the staff."
• Five Points Grill: "Great food -- BEST pizza in Birmingham (seriously)."
  

I've just posted our review of a new restaurant in the Hoover/Riverchase area, Shonos Japanese Grill. This small restaurant in a strip mall is just the thing for lunch or an affordable dinner. It offers Japanese grill dishes similar to those you get at the teppanyaki places, but without the show -- or the high prices. Check it out while you're doing your Christmas shopping at the Galleria -- it's just a little ways south on Hwy. 31.

Read our review here.

Here's a sampling of recent comments from our visitors:

• Fleming's: "Fleming's 100 wines by the glass has improved dramatically since they first opened."
• Tortuga's: "A wonderful family owned place in Hoover."
• Yehman Restaurant: "This restaurant is a find."
• Surin: "You don't love Thai food, you love Surin thai."
• Bella Cucina: "you can choose between an awesome ... chicken salad sandwich, spicy crab cake salad, and chef-designed crepes for dinner, not to mention their excellent wine selection."
• Lakeview Oyster House: "The blackened grouper was cooked perfectly, flaky and charred."
• Bonedaddy's: "The rib combo plate ... tender, flavorful and with little fat."
• Amore's: "Very odd customer service from a place with great food."
• The Melting Pot: "... had a great time cooking the food, and loved all the delicious sauces."
• Johnny Ray's: "I have definitely noticed a HUGE decline in quality over the past 12 years."
• Ezell's Fish Camp: "I grew up eating at Ezell's Catfish Cabin ... It was that memory that drove me to search out this restaurant of the same name. [Next time] I am going to get 3 fish on my plate ...and just make an absolute pig of myself."
• Grey House Grille: "The experience left a bad taste in my mouth and good food or not, I probably won't return."
  

For years, our favorite downtown hot dog place was Pete's Famous. But Gus' Hot Dogs, just a few blocks away, may be even better. Like Pete's, Gus' has a lot of history behind it, dating back to the late '40s. But they have the best chili-slaw dog I've ever tasted. Read our review here.

Both Pete's and Gus' are part of a downtown area you could call "Hot Dog Alley." Drive south on 19th street and you'll pass within a block or two of Gus' on Fourth Avenue North, Lyric Hot Dogs across from the Alabama Theatre on Third Avenue North, and Pete's on Second Avenue North. And not too far away there's also Tony's Terific Hot Dogs, also on Second Avenue North. And amazingly enough, most of them are actually open on Saturdays, when much of downtown is all but deserted.

Check out some of our most recent reader reviews:

• Hacienda Mexican Grill: "... horrible cheeze wiz food."
• Local Restaurant & Cocktail Bar: Differing viewpoints on New Year's Eve dinner 
• Taj India: "Have always had a good experience..."
• Cantina Tortilla Grill: "A great menu that differs from the typical mexican-american fare."
• The Melting Pot: "I would only go back for the cheese fondue."
• Green Top BBQ: "The sandwich will come wrapped in white paper, and the wrapper will have grease spots, the good kind."
• Pho Que Hong: "A good mix of people with and without vietnamese ancestry frequent the place weekly."
• Jim 'n Nick's: "A consistently good product."
• John's City Diner: "The dinner would have been OK at $6.95 but not at the prevailing price."
  

We've had a lot of reader comments on restaurants recently. Here are some highlights:

• Martini's Fine Food & Club Ultra: "Great atmosphere and pure class."
• Leonardo's: "I can see where people would say that the red sauce is not their favorite, but the Chicken Marsala, rolls, and the house vinegarette are to die for."
• Ming's Cuisine: "The concept of a nice chinese place, I thought, would be hard to pull off, but Mings does it well."
• Amore Ristorante Italiano: "Well worth the trip out 280." 
• Ginza Sushi & Korean BBQ: "A weekly addiction."
• Rock House Restaurant: "Give them a chance, it's worth it." 
• Table: "The food is very reasonably priced for its high quality."
• Little Savannah: "Our Grandchildren and Little Savannah are our two best reasons to return to Birmingham more often."
• Cobb Lane: "The most romantic dinner I think my girlfriend and I have ever had."