MetroPulse Stories: Restaurant Reviews and Reports

Restaurant Report: Shuck Raw Bar & Ale

Wed, 09 May 2012 16:09:00 -0000

Anthony Fowler, corporate executive chef at Shuck, the raw bar that recently opened in the 100 Block of Gay Street, says he has tried to “bring a little Charleston raw bar to Knoxville.”

Restaurant Report: Frussie’s Deli and Sandwich Shoppe

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:29:00 -0000

At Frussie’s the legacy of late owner James Dicks, who closed the deli in 2009 and recently died of cancer, is abundantly evident: his menu, his recipes and secret techniques, his trademark printing and misspellings on the chalkboard menu, his favorite Sinatra songs. And that’s what new owner Jay Brandon had in mind when he re-opened the deli in November 2011.

Restaurant Report: Dazzo’s Pizzeria

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:39:00 -0000

Longtime fans of the place will notice few changes. New owner Martha Boggs added a smaller pizza, streamlined some of the entrees, and offers some entrees as specials instead of menu items.

Restaurant Report: Love That BBQ

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 18:28:00 -0000

Grills and smokers—check. Picnic tables—check. Repurposed gas station—check. These three signs of great barbecue are evident as soon as you approach Love That BBQ, Walter and Bonny Love’s barbecue place in South Knoxville.

Restaurant Report: The Plaid Apron Café

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:05:00 -0000

The Plaid Apron Café offers an ever-changing seasonal menu with as many locally and regionally sourced items as possible.

Restaurant Report: Three Rivers Market and Deli

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:55:00 -0000

The new location of Three Rivers Market, the independently-owned natural foods grocery known to locals as “the co-op,” boasts a much-needed large parking lot, more room for grocery items (including organic meats), a dog-friendly patio, and a deli serving hot and cold foods.

Restaurant Report: Boyd's Jig & Reel

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:34:00 -0000

Jenny Boyd, owner of Boyd’s Jig & Reel, swears she wanted the pub to be known for the music, not the food, but she admits the traditional pub fare they’re dishing out has “surpassed expectations. We eat here all the time. We love it. We had food because we had to have food, but it’s been great.”

Restaurant Report: Aegean Mediterranean Grille

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:13:00 -0000

After a Herculean effort, Aegean Mediterranean Grille has opened—again. Let’s hope that unlike Sisyphus, they only have to push the rock up this particular hill once.

Restaurant Report: 31 Bistro

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:53:00 -0000

Fans of La Costa will be glad to see the fish tacos, sweet potato burrito, spicy black bean soup, steak benedict, egg huevos, and smoked duck breast salad remain. Everything else on the menu changes every three-to-five weeks based on what’s in season.

Glowing Boxes from Glowing Bowl

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:15:00 -0000

As a raw-foods only café, Glowing Bowl was a difficult concept to warm up to (so to speak). However, I’d done it, and was certain that others would, too, if only they’d give it a try—once you’ve been exposed to it, such fresh, organic, expertly prepared food quickly makes the transition from nicety to necessity.

Glowing Bowl Café: A Raw Deal

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:32:00 -0000

Here’s what’s keeping me up at night recently: the idea that you really are what you eat. Given my love for quesadillas, pizza, mac and cheese, tacos, French fries, potato chips, and Cheetos, I fear there is a very real chance that I am literally a glob of cheesy carb-a-licious goo—and have been since 1982

Sweet P's Cooks Up Sweet, Sweet Vinegary BBQ

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:44:00 -0000

Sweet P’s Barbeque and Soul House does only one thing, and does it extremely well: It makes delicious, finger-licking, wake-the-neighbors North Carolina-style barbecue.

UT Cafe a Learning Experience

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:03:00 -0000

Standard journalism practice is to build up the underdog and take the leader down a peg or two. A visit to the Ready for the World Café (University Center, 1502 W. Cumberland Ave) might brace us for a dose of the former, since the venue is run entirely by students. On the other hand the café’s buffet lunch (the only meal it serves) costs $11, placing it in one of the higher echelons of the Knoxville buffet spread. Even given the absence of tax and service charge it’s something of a challenge to view this as value for money.

Coffee Coalition

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:23:00 -0000

Our still-shiny president confessed last week to experiencing sleepless nights over the economy. But there’s more insomnia at the bottom than the top, surely. Even Nixon died comfortably enough, after all. It’s the small business owners who could teach a head of state a few things about long dark nights of the soul.

Viva Le Parigo

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:00:00 -0000

When Cedric Coant shut down his Bearden restaurant earlier this year, one of the leading lights of West Knoxville’s gastronomic scene was snuffed out in its prime. Yet a couple of weeks ago this much-mourned doyenne of Knoxvillian Francophiles rose again like a pan-seared Lazarus. Now this resurrected treasure, this happy truffle, can once more delight and inspire in its new upscale, downtown residence (416 W. Clinch Avenue).

A Plate Too Far?

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:00:00 -0000

Back at military school there was a guy who would perpetually challenge us to chess games. So confident was he in his abilities he would insist on wearing a blindfold, while allowing us to play without impediment. He was an exceptionally strong player, but certainly wasn’t good enough to beat anyone in his chosen style. A dozen or so moves in, the game would begin to be peppered with “Sorry, where’s my bishop again?” and similar queries. Had he but removed the cloth, he could have wiped the floor with all of us, but he was a man who preferred to fail as a genius rather than succeed as a primus inter pares.

Curb Service

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 22:00:00 -0000

Pup’s Pit BBQ (112 Walker Springs Road) is a cultural barometer, social weather vane, and microcosmic bellwether for the soul of our nation. It also manages to be one of the best sources of barbecue in Knoxville.

Grand Company

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:00:00 -0000

I generally give myself six out of 10 for looks and a seven for personality. Society at large, however, seems to have awarded me a four average. The latest thrill is, just as I reach an age mature enough to accept the popular vote, my small handful of good features—both physical and mental—begin their decline.

The Joy of Vindaloo

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:00:00 -0000

In my hometown, a curry on a Saturday night was pretty much obligatory. So, too, I blush to tell, was boorish behavior in the curry house. If the restaurant’s flocked fleur-de-lis wallpaper could only talk it would bear witness to some shocking scenes of vandalism, mob rule, and prandial disrespect, including a deeply regrettable incident involving Eric Clapton.

Original Louis' Drive-In: Shaky Reputation

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:00:00 -0000

The Gourmet Nose: Funny things, reputations. Easy to acquire, but the devil’s work to shift. Look at George W. Bush. He’s adopted a pretty admirable moral stance in Beijing this week, but it’s just no good; even he must have realized by now that his name will forever stand as a hideous stain on the fabric of democracy.