That Food Guy
Saturday, July 01, 2017
Sullivan's - Maryville, Tennessee
Sullivan’s – Maryville TN
To be, in any small way, a part of an event that brings
mirthful glee to a friend is very rewarding to the soul. What brings this to
mind is that the wife and I were invited to a surprise birthday party for a
dear friend that was hosted by her adoring husband and family. The party was
attended by about 25 friends and associates and it did come as a complete
surprise to her; the secret had been well kept. The venue was The Alcove, a banquet room in
Sullivan’s. It was a festive and enjoyable evening; old acquaintances renewed
and new friendships formed. It was indeed a happy birthday for Rosana!
This was our first ever visit to Sullivan’s located in the
historic downtown section of Maryville, Tennessee. One of two local area stores,
it is conveniently located across the street from a free public parking lot but
that is problematical if other events are taking place in adjoining venues. The
Sullivan’s building is also conveniently located alongside a picturesque set of
brick “Spanish Steps” that lead to the lower street and another parking
structure below. It was but a short walk in the rain that brought us to the
front door of Sullivan’s.
A dinner roll was provided and butter available from any of
the serving dishes on the table. The house salad is a nice large salad plate of
mixed greens with some pickled cucumber slices, some plum tomatoes and seasoned
with fresh cooked bacon crumbles, shredded cheese and croutons. The salad
dressing is served on the side. It was a nice salad with a variety of tasty
things to eat.
The salad was good, crisp fresh greens and a variety of
tastes and textures; something I consider an important asset for a salad. Soon
after the salad plate had been cleared away my entrée, the Garden Fresh Pasta, arrived.
It was a substantial serving and I knew I wouldn’t go away hungry after the meal
was completed. The penne was cooked al dente; not always easy with the thicker
pastas. It was well covered with an agreeable Alfredo sauce. There was a good
portion of tender Italian-style vegetables; broccoli, carrots and Italian
beans. All was liberally decorated with shredded Parmigiano cheese and fresh
chopped parsley. It was an attractive presentation, an adequate portion and tasted
very good, a selection I would certainly enjoy again in any future visits to
Sullivan’s. See our home version of this dish.
And what birthday, you may ask, is complete without a
birthday cake? After the dinner dishes had been cleared away the wait staff brought
in a candle-lit cake to a resounding chorus of, “Happy Birthday dear Rosana…”
It was a layered white cake, white frosting and a very nice strawberry filling.
Birthday cakes are special anyway but this was a very tasty cake; a delicious
compliment to an enjoyable meal. It was an enjoyable meal certainly because the
food was good (and free for the guests I might add).But even more it was enjoyable
because it was friends celebrating the guest of honor’s special day. It was a
fairly large group of friends celebrating in a safe and sane matter and each
going home safely at the end. What more could one ask for?
I would make one additional comment… The party group was
about twenty five persons. With the exception of the entrée and birthday cake
serving, the one lone waitress took care of all of us. She was more than
adequate and up to the task, kept the orders straight and kept the glasses
filled with the proper beverage. Credit
for much of the success of the night’s festivities belongs to her.
**From Wikipedia: Boursin is a brand of Gournay cheese. It is a soft creamy cheese available in a variety of flavors, with a flavor and texture somewhat similar to cream cheese. The first Boursin flavor Garlic and Fine Herbs, was created in 1957 by François Boursin, a cheese maker from Normandy. Boursin's product was derived from a traditional party dish, fromage frais (French for "fresh cheese"); guests would take their cheese and add herbs for flavor. His recipe would be the first flavored cheese product to be sold nationally in France.
Sullivan’s – Maryville TN
Downtown
Maryville - 121 W. Broadway Maryville, TN - 37804 - 865.681.3334
aLSO
Rocky Hill - 7545
Northshore Dr - Knoxville, TN 37919 - 865.694.9696
This was our first ever visit to Sullivan’s located in the
historic downtown section of Maryville, Tennessee. One of two local area stores,
it is conveniently located across the street from a free public parking lot but
that is problematical if other events are taking place in adjoining venues. The
Sullivan’s building is also conveniently located alongside a picturesque set of
brick “Spanish Steps” that lead to the lower street and another parking
structure below. It was but a short walk in the rain that brought us to the
front door of Sullivan’s.
As is normal with banquets, a pared down menu was offered
that included selections of fish, meat, pasta and chicken. All were served with the house salad and a
selection from the sides offered; an
interesting assortment that included baked creamed spinach, Southern-style
green beans, sweet potato casserole, Boursin mashed potatoes ( I had to look that
one up) and jalapeño cheese grits. Beverages included iced tea, Coca Cola
products and Vienna coffee.
A dinner roll was provided and butter available from any of
the serving dishes on the table. The house salad is a nice large salad plate of
mixed greens with some pickled cucumber slices, some plum tomatoes and seasoned
with fresh cooked bacon crumbles, shredded cheese and croutons. The salad
dressing is served on the side. It was a nice salad with a variety of tasty
things to eat.
The wife chose the sirloin and decided on the Boursin mashed
potatoes; potatoes made with a garlic and herb flavored Boursin cheese.(** See Wikipedia note below) The
sirloin was a nice-sized, about an eight-ounce filet, that was cooked
medium-rare to order. The mashed potatoes were served in a ramekin; the plate
decorated with what I believe was a Balsamic reduction. She said the steak was
tender, cooked to order and had very good flavor. She quite enjoyed the flavor of
the Boursin mashed potatoes. Let it be noted that there was no doggie bag this
time. I do believe she thoroughly enjoyed her steak and potatoes.
The salad was good, crisp fresh greens and a variety of
tastes and textures; something I consider an important asset for a salad. Soon
after the salad plate had been cleared away my entrée, the Garden Fresh Pasta, arrived.
It was a substantial serving and I knew I wouldn’t go away hungry after the meal
was completed. The penne was cooked al dente; not always easy with the thicker
pastas. It was well covered with an agreeable Alfredo sauce. There was a good
portion of tender Italian-style vegetables; broccoli, carrots and Italian
beans. All was liberally decorated with shredded Parmigiano cheese and fresh
chopped parsley. It was an attractive presentation, an adequate portion and tasted
very good, a selection I would certainly enjoy again in any future visits to
Sullivan’s. See our home version of this dish.
And what birthday, you may ask, is complete without a
birthday cake? After the dinner dishes had been cleared away the wait staff brought
in a candle-lit cake to a resounding chorus of, “Happy Birthday dear Rosana…”
It was a layered white cake, white frosting and a very nice strawberry filling.
Birthday cakes are special anyway but this was a very tasty cake; a delicious
compliment to an enjoyable meal. It was an enjoyable meal certainly because the
food was good (and free for the guests I might add).But even more it was enjoyable
because it was friends celebrating the guest of honor’s special day. It was a
fairly large group of friends celebrating in a safe and sane matter and each
going home safely at the end. What more could one ask for?
I would make one additional comment… The party group was
about twenty five persons. With the exception of the entrée and birthday cake
serving, the one lone waitress took care of all of us. She was more than
adequate and up to the task, kept the orders straight and kept the glasses
filled with the proper beverage. Credit
for much of the success of the night’s festivities belongs to her. **From Wikipedia: Boursin is a brand of Gournay cheese. It is a soft creamy cheese available in a variety of flavors, with a flavor and texture somewhat similar to cream cheese. The first Boursin flavor Garlic and Fine Herbs, was created in 1957 by François Boursin, a cheese maker from Normandy. Boursin's product was derived from a traditional party dish, fromage frais (French for "fresh cheese"); guests would take their cheese and add herbs for flavor. His recipe would be the first flavored cheese product to be sold nationally in France.
Labels: Fine Foods, fish, Maryville, pasta, salmon. sirloin, steak, Sullivan's, surf and turf
¶ 7:00 PM 0 Comments
Friday, August 26, 2016
Oriental Cuisine - Maryville, Tennessee
Oriental
Cuisine
622 Condry
Lane
Maryville,
TN 37803
I would have never known the Oriental Cuisine Restaurant was
there except for one thing. Several times a week my wife and I would go to the
local gym. When leaving, while waiting for traffic, we would be looking across
the street down a very small alley like street that has a name. In fact its
name denotes its diminutive stature, Condry Lane. A lane; it is so much less
that a boulevard, an avenue or even a street. It serves as the back entrance to
a muffler shop and a bank parking lot as well as access for some industrial
metal buildings on the left. Way down at the end of the street where it appears
to dead end is one small sign; Oriental Cuisine shares sign space with a rug
and tile company. From our vantage point we cannot see that building because it
is set back to allow for customer parking in front. I was intrigued by this
almost hidden restaurant and I thought that it must have something going for it
as it would not garner any drive-by traffic.
Many months went by before I finally decided to see what it was all about. I did some internet research and found their website which is basically their menu. They offer a mix of Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese foods. I was on my own for lunch one day and stopped by for a takeout meal of sweet and sour chicken ($9.00 Breaded white chicken chunks deep fried to a golden brown and served with diced tomato, green pepper and pineapple in our sweet and sour sauce. Served with fried or steamed rice). At $9.00 dollars it seemed a bit on the expensive side but this was an exploratory visit to see what they offered and on that day I did have a “hankering” for some Chinese food. I also asked for a spring roll to compliment the meal ($1.75 A delicious mixture of jicama, carrots, onions, rice thread and pork wrapped in a crunchy spring roll wrapper) .
My order soon arrived. It was a large brown paper bag,
neatly folded and stapled. I was quite surprised when I picked it up. Thinking
back to my thoughts about the rather high cost I now, at least, considered it a
very good deal on a price per pound basis. There was a lot of food inside that
bag. I could hardly wait to get it home and check out the contents. The fact
that it smelled so good made me even more eager.
(I just have to add
this in as a parenthetical comment: Over the years I have noticed that sweet
and sour chicken or pork have become cheapened and degraded under the
banner of “New York style” and the pineapple, sweet peppers and other
vegetables that helped to define the dish in Chinatown settings have been
eliminated and all you get is breaded chicken and sauce usually served separate.
That rendition of sweet and sour chicken is travesty and defames the sweet and
savory combination that is also beautiful to the eye. A pox on New York style.)
Taking myself at my word, I divided the food into two portions
and cut the spring roll in half. I would have half now and the remainder at a later
time. I plated the food for a photo before eating; nothing fancy, just so it
wasn’t a picture looking down into the bottom of a box. It was only half of my
order but the food literally filled the plate. The sweet and sour chicken was
delicious. The breading was fried crispy and the chicken inside was moist and
juicy. It occurred to me while I was eating it that the extra effort in separate packaging made for a crisp
chicken in the sauce whereas if it had been all packaged together the chicken
in all likelihood would have been soggy and unpalatable. The sweet and sour
sauce was very good with a bit of tang from perhaps vinegar and sweetness but
not just from sugar. I enjoyed the snap and flavor of the slightly crispy
pepper and loved the fruity sweetness of the pineapple. An excellent sweet and
sour dish I will definitely try again.
My drink was delivered with a bowl of fried wontons, I sat back
to await my meal. As I mentioned, it was a miserably hot day outside and the
cool interior of the restaurant was a relief. The shades were drawn and the lighting
subdued but you could still see images of the out-of-doors through the slats in
the shade. I looked around. It was as I described before. It was oriental in
motif, black lacquer chairs, a mural but not much else to give it that Asian
look, certainly not gaudy. A quick count found about 50 seats. There were two
tradesmen at the table next to me and a solo elderly gentleman across the aisle.
There was a party of about 6 or 8 in the alcove. About 8 people came in to pick
up their take-out orders; all must have called in and each order was ready on
their arrival. Towards the end of my meal several people arrive and must have
been regulars from the greetings. Apparently Sabrina, the server, saw one of
them parking his car and had his preferred beverage ready for him when he
entered the store. My observations answered the fundamental question I had
harbored. How does this almost hidden restaurant manage to survive? It requires
returning customers and word of mouth advertising. It certainly has returning
customers and I will be providing some word of mouth. It is not an ornate place
nor does it have an elegant ambiance but it is comfortable and it does have the
feeling like in the old Cheers theme song,
“…where everybody knows your name.”
The rice was the standard carbohydrate filler, seasoned with
just the right amount of soy sauce. It was a soup-bowl full of rice, upended on
the plate to make the rounded pile of rice. A line of three large florets of
steamed broccoli divided he plate. The remainder of the plate was filled with
chunks of breaded and fried chicken, coated with sauce and liberally sprinkled with
toasted sesame seeds. Great aroma and a very nice presentation; it looked very
appetizing.
Oriental
Cuisine
622 Condry
Lane
Maryville,
TN 37803
865-984-0810
First Visit – A Take-Out
Order
I would have never known the Oriental Cuisine Restaurant was
there except for one thing. Several times a week my wife and I would go to the
local gym. When leaving, while waiting for traffic, we would be looking across
the street down a very small alley like street that has a name. In fact its
name denotes its diminutive stature, Condry Lane. A lane; it is so much less
that a boulevard, an avenue or even a street. It serves as the back entrance to
a muffler shop and a bank parking lot as well as access for some industrial
metal buildings on the left. Way down at the end of the street where it appears
to dead end is one small sign; Oriental Cuisine shares sign space with a rug
and tile company. From our vantage point we cannot see that building because it
is set back to allow for customer parking in front. I was intrigued by this
almost hidden restaurant and I thought that it must have something going for it
as it would not garner any drive-by traffic.Many months went by before I finally decided to see what it was all about. I did some internet research and found their website which is basically their menu. They offer a mix of Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese foods. I was on my own for lunch one day and stopped by for a takeout meal of sweet and sour chicken ($9.00 Breaded white chicken chunks deep fried to a golden brown and served with diced tomato, green pepper and pineapple in our sweet and sour sauce. Served with fried or steamed rice). At $9.00 dollars it seemed a bit on the expensive side but this was an exploratory visit to see what they offered and on that day I did have a “hankering” for some Chinese food. I also asked for a spring roll to compliment the meal ($1.75 A delicious mixture of jicama, carrots, onions, rice thread and pork wrapped in a crunchy spring roll wrapper) .
I was offered a seat at the nearest table and while I was
waiting for my order I read over my take-home menu copy. I had ordered from the
inside, the a la carte portion. On the back was the lunch menu of lower-priced
combinations meals. Part of the combination is a bowl of soup. That would have
made for an inconvenient take-home but I planned one day, if my pending order
was good, return to try something their luncheon menu.
My order soon arrived. It was a large brown paper bag,
neatly folded and stapled. I was quite surprised when I picked it up. Thinking
back to my thoughts about the rather high cost I now, at least, considered it a
very good deal on a price per pound basis. There was a lot of food inside that
bag. I could hardly wait to get it home and check out the contents. The fact
that it smelled so good made me even more eager.
Opening the bag, I found a large (26-ounce?) traditional
Chinese take-out container of breaded fried chicken that was overflowing. I
suspect that was a fluke and I got the benefit of the chef’s “Oops, I cooked a
bit too much.” It was a large-sized container and if the chicken all fit inside
it would still be a large portion. There was a portion of sweet and sour sauce
and a portion of fruit and vegetables.
(I just have to add
this in as a parenthetical comment: Over the years I have noticed that sweet
and sour chicken or pork have become cheapened and degraded under the
banner of “New York style” and the pineapple, sweet peppers and other
vegetables that helped to define the dish in Chinatown settings have been
eliminated and all you get is breaded chicken and sauce usually served separate.
That rendition of sweet and sour chicken is travesty and defames the sweet and
savory combination that is also beautiful to the eye. A pox on New York style.)
There was a 16-ounce container of fried rice, the spring
roll, some packages of soy sauce, some plastic utensils and a fortune cookie.
Looking over my stash of Chinese food I realized that if I had bought another
spring roll I would have satisfying and filling meals for two; on a per serving
basis, $4.50 per person plus the spring roll. The economics of my Oriental Cuisine
purchase were looking much better. Now how does it taste?
Taking myself at my word, I divided the food into two portions
and cut the spring roll in half. I would have half now and the remainder at a later
time. I plated the food for a photo before eating; nothing fancy, just so it
wasn’t a picture looking down into the bottom of a box. It was only half of my
order but the food literally filled the plate. The sweet and sour chicken was
delicious. The breading was fried crispy and the chicken inside was moist and
juicy. It occurred to me while I was eating it that the extra effort in separate packaging made for a crisp
chicken in the sauce whereas if it had been all packaged together the chicken
in all likelihood would have been soggy and unpalatable. The sweet and sour
sauce was very good with a bit of tang from perhaps vinegar and sweetness but
not just from sugar. I enjoyed the snap and flavor of the slightly crispy
pepper and loved the fruity sweetness of the pineapple. An excellent sweet and
sour dish I will definitely try again.
You can order fried rice as an entrée and it will be more
elaborate that the pedestrian fried rice that usually serves as the
carbohydrate filler in combination plates. This rice was no exception to that
rule of thumb. There are bits and pieces here and there but for the most part
it is rice, fried and seasoned with soy sauce. Certainly more flavorful than
steamed rice but it was not too salty or overly seasoned with soy sauce. It was good as filler rice goes but at the
same time it was not exceptional.
The spring roll was crispy fried and the filling was tasty.
A bit of hot Chinese mustard would have been beneficial but not necessary.
Although I prefer the thicker, less crispy egg roll skins, I did enjoy the spring
roll. It seems that egg or spring rolls are always an appetizer on Chinese food
menus. I like them well enough that they should be a main course item. I will
certainly add these spring rolls to my next order.
As a side note, take-out orders don’t always go home to be
eaten. They may go to the office or on a climate day, to a picnic table in the
park. The inclusion of the plastic cutlery was a nice thought.
Second Visit A Month Or So Later – Eat In
Luncheon Special
It was a very hot and sultry day, one usually better spent
indoors. I had errands to run and as luck would have it, I was on my own for
meals that day. I decided to treat myself to lunch out. It wouldn’t be a
drive-thru burger this time. It would be the long awaited sit down meal at the
Oriental Cuisine Restaurant for lunch. On the previous visit I had ordered an entrée
from the main or dinner menu. While
waiting, I noticed that they also serve from a lunch menu with lower prices
from 11:00Am to 3:30PM. It is a long list of choices and the entrée is served with
soup (your choice of hot and sour, wonton or egg drop), a spring roll and rice
(your choice of steamed or fried). My expectation was that It would be smaller
portions and perhaps less elaborate in presentation. The lunch menu includes
sweet and sour chicken and it would have been a good comparison but I also
wanted to try a broader range of their offering so I chose the Sesame Chicken
at $6.00 instead. For my soup I ordered
the wonton. For beverage I went with Coca Cola. My server, Sabrina, was very
attentive, very personable. She checked on me at intervals and kept my soda
glass full. I need to thank her for making my dining experience pleasurable.
My drink was delivered with a bowl of fried wontons, I sat back
to await my meal. As I mentioned, it was a miserably hot day outside and the
cool interior of the restaurant was a relief. The shades were drawn and the lighting
subdued but you could still see images of the out-of-doors through the slats in
the shade. I looked around. It was as I described before. It was oriental in
motif, black lacquer chairs, a mural but not much else to give it that Asian
look, certainly not gaudy. A quick count found about 50 seats. There were two
tradesmen at the table next to me and a solo elderly gentleman across the aisle.
There was a party of about 6 or 8 in the alcove. About 8 people came in to pick
up their take-out orders; all must have called in and each order was ready on
their arrival. Towards the end of my meal several people arrive and must have
been regulars from the greetings. Apparently Sabrina, the server, saw one of
them parking his car and had his preferred beverage ready for him when he
entered the store. My observations answered the fundamental question I had
harbored. How does this almost hidden restaurant manage to survive? It requires
returning customers and word of mouth advertising. It certainly has returning
customers and I will be providing some word of mouth. It is not an ornate place
nor does it have an elegant ambiance but it is comfortable and it does have the
feeling like in the old Cheers theme song,
“…where everybody knows your name.”
The wonton soup arrived quickly. There were two wontons in a
clear broth. It is served hot. A couple
of the small ice pellet from my soda cooled it enough to sip. It is a mild
broth with hints of many flavors, chicken and vegetables but not highly
seasoned; nice flavor but mild, very subtle. The wontons are large and the wrappers are thick
that made for a slightly doughy texture. A seasoned pork mixture in the middle was
tasty. It was a flavorful way to await the entrée.
My entrée soon arrived. Oh, my God! The expected meager
portions were huge. I must admit that I ate the whole thing with relish but I
would have been much better of eating half and taking the rest home for later
(something I saw others in the restaurant do). Two people could have shared the
meal and felt satisfied. 
The rice was the standard carbohydrate filler, seasoned with
just the right amount of soy sauce. It was a soup-bowl full of rice, upended on
the plate to make the rounded pile of rice. A line of three large florets of
steamed broccoli divided he plate. The remainder of the plate was filled with
chunks of breaded and fried chicken, coated with sauce and liberally sprinkled with
toasted sesame seeds. Great aroma and a very nice presentation; it looked very
appetizing.
In conclusion: Will I go back to Oriental Cuisine? Most assuredly!
The food is good, the portions are large, the staff members are friendly and
the restaurant just seems to be a comfortable palace to be. They have a lot
more dishes that I would like to try but I will remember in the future to
divide my plate; eat that part there and take the other part home for later.
They are
open 6 day a week, closed on Mondays
Hours are
Sunday – Thursday 10:00AM to 9:30PM
Friday 11:00AM to 10:00PM
Labels: broccoli, chicken, Chinese, cuisine, fried rice, Maryville, oriental, pork, sesame, soup, steamed, sweet and sour, Tennessee, Thai, Vietnamese, won ton, wonton
¶ 12:51 PM 0 Comments
Friday, August 12, 2016
Smoky Mountain Brewery - Maryville, Tennessee
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.
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.
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.
Labels: American, brew, brewery, Brewhopuse, burger, cheese, craft beer, French fries, hamburger, Maryville, mushrooms, pickle, Smoky Mountain, Swiss, Tennessee
¶ 12:00 PM 0 Comments
Saturday, May 28, 2016
TC's Grill - Maryville, Tennessee
I may be
wrong but it appears that pattern has influenced the advent of TC’s Grill.
There is a church, a few outbuildings, and what was once a busy gasoline
service station. Restauranteurs Shirley and Tom Clark
and Jeff Hodge moved to
present location in 2012 repurposing the old service station (which accounts
for the motif and much of the interior décor). They established a reputation
for good wholesome food at reasonable prices. In 2015 they a placed the
restaurant up for sale. Steve and Audrey Nelson purchased the Grill in December
2015 with plans to continue TC’s Grill much as it has been only seeking to
tweak the menu bit and perhaps add-on to the kitchen to make more workspace. See
the link at the bottom of this article for more information on the evolution of
TC’s Grill.
Abbie and
Mariano ate breakfast there one day. They wanted to tell us about the biscuits;
big beautiful freshly baked biscuits! Apparently a lot of people were impressed
with TC’s biscuits because they were frequently mentioned in food blog
websites. It was only natural that one day Abby and Arturo along with Janis and
I went to TC’s for breakfast to see for ourselves what it was all about..
Their menu
has many selections for breakfast (served 7 AM until 10:30 AM), lunch and
dinner. One of their combos, the Fairview, caught my eye. It consists of two
eggs, bacon or sausage and served with biscuits and gravy for $4.49. I chose
that one; the egg over and sausage. I also like my breakfast potatoes so I
ordered a side order of home fries for an additional $2.50. Coffee was an
additional $1.35. Our server made sure the coffee cup stayed full.
Janis chose
the Shirley’s special; two eggs, bacon or sausage, with a short stack of
pancakes for $7.00. She chose eggs over and bacon. By the time I got the camera
out she was already remaking her plate into an egg and pancakes sandwich. The
eggs were cooked order, the bacon crisp and not soggy. The pancakes well cooked
and with that the ethereal “golden brown and delicious.” She did enjoy her
breakfast very much; all very tasty. Coffee was an additional $1.35.
TC’s Grill
2514 Old Niles Ferry Rd,
Maryville, TN 37801
(865) 980-1905
Open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday
through Thursday, and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed on Sunday
Our good friends, Abbie and Mariano,
told us about a new restaurant they discovered. Discovered is the operative
word. To find it you either had to be going there on purpose or were helplessly
lost. It all has to do with how the local area has grown over the years. From
way back when, in the horse and buggy days, at small crossroads businesses
would spring up. Perhaps a general or feed store, perhaps a smith or even a
grain mill; quite often there was a church as well. It was easier for the local
farmers to go a mile or so to the local crossroads rather than spend the day in
travel to the big town many more miles away over rough and unimproved roads. With
the advents of the motor vehicle and improved highways, farmers can now
travel to the main town often bypassing the local crossroad businesses they
used to frequent. If you should visit TC’s, look around and ask yourself how you
would attract customers, what would you do to draw them to this seemingly
remote location (albeit just a few blocks from a Walmart Super Store)
surrounded by bucolic acres of working farmland.
Abbie and
Mariano ate breakfast there one day. They wanted to tell us about the biscuits;
big beautiful freshly baked biscuits! Apparently a lot of people were impressed
with TC’s biscuits because they were frequently mentioned in food blog
websites. It was only natural that one day Abby and Arturo along with Janis and
I went to TC’s for breakfast to see for ourselves what it was all about..
The original
renovation from service station to restaurant was well done. But inside of the
restaurant seems more like a purpose built restaurant made to resemble the old
service station rather than an old service station made into a restaurant. The
starkly contrasting black and green tile floors, the shop-green color of the
walls, the murals and pictures tell the story of the servicenbays where we
were now dining.
Their menu
has many selections for breakfast (served 7 AM until 10:30 AM), lunch and
dinner. One of their combos, the Fairview, caught my eye. It consists of two
eggs, bacon or sausage and served with biscuits and gravy for $4.49. I chose
that one; the egg over and sausage. I also like my breakfast potatoes so I
ordered a side order of home fries for an additional $2.50. Coffee was an
additional $1.35. Our server made sure the coffee cup stayed full.
It is a
diner and it was a busy morning. Certainly an acid test of what comes out of
the kitchen. My eggs were cooked to order, over medium, although they were a
bit rough looking somewhat like Army mess hall eggs cooked on a griddle. I will
say they were cooked to order, were not greasy and tasted good. I can’t hold their
rough exterior against them. The sausage patties were well cooked, nicely
seasons, cooked done but not overcooked to crisp. When I ordered the home fries
I took the option of adding onions. The home fries are diced potatoes that are
fried to a nice golden brown. The onions were perhaps added a little late as I
would have preferred them cooked a bit more. All in all it was a satisfying
serving of potatoes with onions. The biscuit gravy was served on its own plate.
True to their reputation, the biscuits were big, lite and tender; easily as big
as two biscuits elsewhere. It cut easily with a fork. The gravy was just the
right thickness, had good flavor and was an excellent pairing with the biscuit.
It was a good breakfast, adequate portions to fill a hungry appetite and tasted
good. It was good enough that I will be coming back to TC’s Grill to try other
things on their menu.
Janis chose
the Shirley’s special; two eggs, bacon or sausage, with a short stack of
pancakes for $7.00. She chose eggs over and bacon. By the time I got the camera
out she was already remaking her plate into an egg and pancakes sandwich. The
eggs were cooked order, the bacon crisp and not soggy. The pancakes well cooked
and with that the ethereal “golden brown and delicious.” She did enjoy her
breakfast very much; all very tasty. Coffee was an additional $1.35.
Abbie and
Mariano’s choices for breakfast with similar to ours. When I asked how their food was they replied that
it was very good, as good as remembered, and they would be back for more. To
return for another meal in the future is perhaps the best accolade you can
bestow on the restaurant.
TC Grill is
just a few moments automobile drive from downtown Maryville. For a nice place
the, serving good food, and a friendly atmosphere, it is not far away from
anyone in Maryville or Alcoa.
There menu is posted below.
For more information about TC's Grill...There menu is posted below.
Labels: bacon, biscuits, eggs, Fairview, gravy, grill, Maryville, pancakes, sausage, Shirley's, TC's, Tennessee
¶ 8:30 AM 0 Comments
