Yacht Club Dining

This is an aerial photo of the Tellico Village Yacht Club in Loudon County Tennessee. Tellico Village is an open development that stretches along Tellico Lake for several miles and which is home to over 7,400 people... Many but not all of the "Villagers" are retired or semi-retired. Tellico Village has 3 golf courses, a wellness center, a recreation center and several marina's/dockage sites. A key element of the "Village" is the Yacht Club. Recently, the management/operator of the food and beverage service had changed, with the new operation now being under the auspices of The Compass Group LLC. From all accounts, the Compass Group got off to a bad start...poor food, poor service and a management team that didn't understand that they needed to cater to a group of mostly northerners from big cities who were used to and expected quality food and service. Our visit during this early period was a dismal failure... The initial management team was dispatched in short order and a new team stepped into the breach. Laurie and I began hearing more positive reports, so we decided to pay a visit to the Yacht Club and give it a try... We made a reservation for ourselves and some friends, Harold and Lorraine. After being seated, Laurie ordered the clam chowder. It was hot and quite tasty, certainly not New England great but it was good...creamy and thick but not too thick. I tasted it as well...nice. Appetizers on the menu included Fried Eggplant, Fried Calamari, a Quesadilla, Wings and the Tellico Village Signature Crabcake. Next time we'll try the Calamari...

I ordered the Tellico Village Signature Salad. This was a wedge of crisp iceberg lettuce and sliced tomato topped with crumbled Bleu-Cheese and Applewood Smoked Bacon Bits. It was very good!

Other salads on the menu include a Spinach Salad, a Ceasar Salad and a House Salad. We noted that chicken or shrimp could be added to any salad, (making them a complete meal), for an additional $3.00. This is a nice touch in a community where many of the residents tend to eat lighter meals... Laurie ordered the Ceasar Salad and she reported that it was tasty...just fine. The menu at The Yacht Club was fairly broad... There are 4 entrees listed as 'Lighter Side' fare, there were 4 or 5 pasta dishes, (half orders available), plus there were 4 seafood entrees and a total of 7 chicken, beef or pork entrees.

I ordered the Baked Half Chicken with Rosemary Roast Red Potatoes and Coleslaw. The chicken was seasoned with fresh rosemary and garlic. The food was flavorful...liked the slaw quite a bit, with the only letdown being that the chicken was just a bit dry.

Laurie's entree was the Farfalle Portabella. Her 'bow tie' pasta was simmered in sun-dried tomato and portabella cream sauce. She enjoyed it very much. Mushrooms are like a treat for her... Because I'm not into mushrooms, she takes the opportunity to enjoy them when we're eating out. Next time, we'll have to try the Tellico Village Rib Eye Steak, the Fish Fry, the Chicken Cordon Bleu or the Fettuccini Alfredo...

Both couples had dessert coupons... One free dessert per couple. Laurie and I had the Breadpudding. It was quite good.

Lorraine and Harold tried the chocolate cake or torte with raspberry sauce. They gave it a thumbs up! Service was much improved over our visit under previous mangement. No complaints at all... The food has greatly improved as well. Of course, given the lakeside setting, a well run restaurant and bar should do rather well here... We still hear some questionable accounts regarding the Thursday night buffet...but that will be the subject of another visit. The Tellico Village Yacht Club is located at 100 Sequoyah Road in Loudon Tennessee. Currently, the restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 pm to 9 pm. It's also open for Sunday Brunch from 9 am to 1 pm. They will reopen for lunch after Easter Sunday. Phone: 865-458-4363.