Birmingham’s dining scene has spent the last several years shedding old assumptions about what a Southern city wants on its plate. At Current Charcoal Grill in downtown Birmingham, that shift is on full display in a dish guests now have to plan ahead for: Executive Chef-Partner Luke Joseph’s Peking duck experience.
Designed to be shared, the dish turns dinner into an occasion rather than just another course on the menu. Guests can watch the process unfold before the dish even reaches the table—ducks hang throughout Current’s open kitchen, offering a preview of what’s to come before the meal is plated with grilled roti, seasonal vegetables, and classic condiments.
For Joseph, the dish reflects his early years. “I grew up visiting Chinese barbecue houses throughout my childhood, where I remember sipping Jasmine tea and looking at the ducks hanging in the window,” he says. “It’s a memory that has stuck with me throughout my life.”
(Caleb Chancey/Contributed)…