Michael's Restaurant - Etowah Tennessee



This was our second visit to Michael’s.  Our first experience at Michael’s resulted in feedback regarding the food ranging from “OK” to “Good”.  See my blog entitled “Dining Out in Etowah TN” dated 6/27/11.

The big difference this time is that we were accompanied by Laurie’s sister Bonnie and her husband Bill.  This was a great opportunity to try four different entrees and to pick up some feedback from people who had no bias for or against the restaurant.  My thought process was skewed slightly when both Laurie and her sister ordered the same thing for dinner…

As we’d experienced on our last visit, the salad was fine, with the lettuce chilled, fresh ingredients and enough salad dressing to ensure that there is some with every bite.

OK…so Laurie and Bonnie both ordered the BLT Club sandwich and onion rings.  Both of them commented that there wasn’t enough bacon on the sandwich and Laurie thought that the bread, (Texas Toast), was just too thick.

Bill ordered the smoked prime rib.  First of all, he ordered it medium rare and when delivered to the table, it was definitely ‘rare’! (Still, that’s better than being overdone…) It took awhile to get the waitresses attention… After several attempts, she finally saw us waving and she came over to the table.  Bill told her what the problem was and, without saying a word, she picked up the entrée and headed off to the kitchen. 

When he got his prime rib back, it was actually medium rare as requested.  The problem was that, in Bill’s opinion, it just wasn’t a very tasty piece of prime rib.  In addition, his side was a bowl or pot of baked beans. (We failed to take a photo) He described the beans as tasting like they’d just come out of a can.

I ordered the Tilapia dinner…blackened Tilapia filet’s, with a baked potato as the side dish.  Tilapia is a mild fish but even blackened, it lacked much flavor.  The potato with butter, sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese was just fine.  All in all, my meal was OK.

While we wouldn’t go out of the way to eat at Michael’s, it’s an OK local restaurant.  The food was passable…even with Bill’s complaints about the smoked prime rib.  Service improved following the return of his entrée from the kitchen.  It was like a light switch had been turned on for our waitress.  The restaurant is clean and it has a fairly warm and pleasant atmosphere.  Prices are fair and reasonable. 

Michael’s of Etowah is at 862 Highway 411 North in Etowah Tennessee.  There is no website.  For more information, call 423-263-2603.