That Food Guy
Friday, August 12, 2016
  Smoky Mountain Brewery - Maryville, Tennessee
 


Smoky Mountain Brewery
in Maryville, Tennessee

 
743 Watkins Rd, Maryville, TN 37801
(865) 238-1900 

 
 
There are a lot of restaurants under the Copper Cellar family manner. They include such restaurants as Calhoun’s, Cappuccino’s, Copper cellar and Copper Cellar Catering, Cherokee Grill, Chesapeake’s and of course, Smoky Mountain Brewery. There are four restaurants carrying the smoky Mountain brewery name. They are all located in the greater Knoxville Tennessee area of eastern Tennessee and are located in Turkey Creek, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Maryville. We visited the Maryville location which is closest to our home.

About the 1970s a movement of creating craft beers began. Americans consumers were looking for alternatives to the pale lager beer sold by the major growing companies. If you wanted an old world style beer you had to seek out an important.  In 1978 President Jimmy Carter signed the H.R. 1337 bill and home brewing became legal. With the increasing popularity of home brewing and the emergence of micro-breweries it was only natural that the brewery pair with the restaurant.

Following the trend, in 1996 the first Smoky Mountain Brewery store opened in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. On their website they state, ”… the restaurant and brewery combination has been a fun place to take the family with its fresh mountain micro-brewed beer plus traditional pizza, one-of-a-kind subs and sandwiches.” The Maryville store boasts of over 40 hi-def video screens and that it is a great place especially during sporting events. Our visit was during the Olympics and we did have a great view of many of the Olympic venues. We arrived a bit before the dinner hour and there was immediate seating and it was not at all crowded. By the time we had finished our meal it was well into the dinner hour and the seating was full and there was a waiting line to get in; plan your visit. As with many places these days, the ceiling is unfinished, sporting the semi-industrial look with exposes AC ducting and the like. All of those hard surfaces reflect sound and a full restaurant is a noisy place.

Nonetheless, it was a pleasant interlude, the sharing of a meal with good friends. By prior arrangement we met Mariano and Abbie at the Smoky Mountain Brewery. Although we came from opposite directions we arrived almost simultaneously. We seem to have it down to the seconds…

We were seated almost immediately. Joanna. A most charming and efficient young lady and our server, was there in seconds to greet us and take out preliminary order for beverages.  I must add that during the meal she was usually close at hand but never obtrusive, certainly an asset to the Smoky Mountain Brewery.

The menu has lots of choices including appetizers, deli-style sandwiches, wings, salads, ribs, steak and chicken, pizzas and calzones and some pasta dishes as well as a selection of “Brewery Burgers.” From their menu: “Brewhouse Burgers – Ground fresh daily and served on your choice of sesame or whole-wheat bun. Choice of any side.” Those sides include honey mustard potato salad, fresh broccoli and beer cheese, baked macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, or a basket of fries. Not surprisingly, we all ordered from the Brewhouse Burgers section of the menu.

Abbie and Janis both ordered the Brewery Burger ($5.50), the basic burger that can be outfitted to taste with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles. Both also chose the basket of fries for a side dish. The Brewhouse Burgers are in the middle of the middle range of what could be called “gourmet burgers.” The meat, somewhere between a third and half-pound patties, is cooked to order and the chef has the cook time pretty well nailed; a nice sear on the outside and the red to pink as ordered inside. The ladies seemed to enjoy their selections and stated that they were quite good leaving only minor amounts for a doggie bag.

Mariano ordered the Grilled Mountain Melt (Swiss and American cheese, sautéed onions, grilled rye bread - $6.50), basically a 2 cheese and onion hamburger on rye. Mariano said it was a very tasty burger and that he did enjoy the different taste and texture imparted by the grilled rye bread. He also noted that it was a big sandwich, very tall and very filling.

I ordered the Swiss Mushroom Burger (mushrooms and Swiss cheese, $6.50). I chose French fries as my side and a soft drink ($2.75 – when they glass gets low it is quickly replace usually without asking. They serve Coca Cola products.) When served the fries and burger were piping hot and the first bite was a bit of a surprise. The burger was cooked to order. There was a good portion of mushrooms covered with melted Swiss cheese. Served open face, the opposite but had the lettuce, tomato, red onion slices and pickles. All of the vegetables were fresh and appetizing looking.

When assembled it is a tall, imposing sandwich. First thought is, “How am I going to get a bite of this?” No worries. When you are hungry and there is a good burger in front of you it is certainly manageable. At first there is the tart crispness of the pickles and onion. Then comes the silky smoothness of the cheese, then the earthy goodness of the mushrooms and finally the juicy goodness of the meat. Truly, the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. It was an excellent burger and one that I would definitely order again. As it comes from the kitchen it is just about perfect. You don’t have to add any condiments and what is on the burger already is just about right. I was able to eat to the last one or two bites before the burger fell apart. The French fries are whole potato fries, lightly seasoned and fried to a golden brown, served hot, and a mere dash of salt is all that might be required plus a dip once in a while in the ketchup.

It was a very pleasant meal; good food, good conversation in a congenial atmosphere and amiable service people. The Smoky Mountain Brewery will certainly be on our list of places we would like to return to.

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