A Son’s Review #1 – East Tennessee Restaurants

When my son David and his family visited recently, one of his goals was to dine at a couple of the local restaurants that Laurie and I have enjoyed and that he’s read about via my blog site.

This is our ‘little boy’, David II and his wife Amy.  It’s a little weird but whenever David and I spend some time together, it’s like were in an eating competition!  The first night at our house witnessed the destruction of 2 racks of Larry’s ribs and a bunch of side dishes… (Larry = http://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com/)

The next challenge was David’s test of East Tennessee Asian cuisine.  Both he and Amy love Asian food and they just haven’t found a spot close to their home in northern Ohio that they like.

So, it was off to WokStar Asian Cuisine in Lenoir City Tennessee.  This is another restaurant that I have written about and commented on several times over the past year or so…

Our oldest grandson, David II, ordered the Egg Rolls. ($4.25) We’ll have to assume that he liked them as he didn’t share them with anyone else!

David II ordered Crab Wontons, ($6.75), for the table to share.  I thought that they were good but they definitely weren’t my favorite appetizer.

I ordered the Thai Chicken Wings, ($6.25), for everyone to share.  I ended up eating most of them because, even though they were very tasty, they were messy to eat.  What a ‘burden’ for me…sacrificing myself to ensure that these spicy and flavorful wings were not wasted! 

David II also order the Dynamite Shrimp, ($6.50), for the table to share…enough food already!  These were the Big Hit among the appetizers.  Everyone loved them! 

Note: I would advise that diners shouldn’t order the Dynamite Shrimp and Thai Chicken Wings at the same meal.  Both are excellent…but the flavor of the shrimp overrides the taste of the wings.

Amy ordered the Candied WokStar Chicken and reported that it was very tasty. ($8.25) Nothing remained on her plate when we left the restaurant…

Both Laurie and David II ordered the Peppered WokStar Beef. ($8.25) Again, there was a lot of positive feedback…  Both David and Amy told us that they would love to have a casual, family friendly, yet stylish Asian restaurant like WokStar close to where they live in northern Ohio.  They’d be regular customers!

I ordered one of my favorite WokStar entrees…Orange Dynasty Chicken ($8.25).  As usual, it tasted great and they raised the ‘heat’ to that perfect low burn that I do enjoy with Asian cooking!

So…in conclusion, with WokStar, I managed to pass my son’s first critical review of one of Laurie and my favorite restaurants in East Tennessee. 

WokStar Asian Cuisine is located at 149 Kelsey Lane, Suite 108 in Lenoir City Tennessee.  Phone: 865-986-0996.  Website:  http://www.wokstarcuisine.com/franchise.html.  

Just click on any photo to enlarge it…

Thanks for visiting!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Dock Party at Larry and Bev’s!

David II, his wife Amy and our two grandsons, David III and Emmett Lee, stopped by recently for a visit.  Laurie and I are lucky to have friends like Larry and Beverly because with a 7 year old and a 10 year old, finding fun things for them to do can be challenging.  As it turned out, Larry and Beverly invited our whole gang over for an informal little dock party.

 This was a big first for our whole family!  For most of us, this was our first time on a Jet Ski!  Larry asked who wanted to ride and Emmett jumped to the occasion!  But even before Emmett could climb aboard, Sweetie jumped on with her ‘Dad’!  Where ever Larry goes, Sweetie goes! 

Larry has a blog site as well… Check it out at http://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com/

It was a first for David III as well!  All he could say was…“ Awesome”!

Larry taught Amy how to operate the Jet Ski and she was on it off and on until nightfall, taking anyone who would volunteer for a ride on the lake!  Here she is with Emmett.  He’s having a good time with his mom!

Then the boys got on a tow raft and with Larry and Nana, (Laurie), they were off on another adventure!  They absolutely loved it!!  David II went back for a second ride by himself and on one occasion, he found himself airborne…Wow!

Amy interrupted David II’s fishing efforts and coaxed him into a ride as well… David had a relaxing time just dropping a line in the water…a real break from law school!

David II just chilling on a floating chair…he’s a real water critter…first in and last out of the lake!

Emmett Lee does it one better…chilling with a cold one!  Emmett normally hasn’t been comfortable when the water is this deep, but he spent hours floating and splashing around off Larry and Bev’s dock…

We had a great dock picnic once we temporarily dragged the boys out of the lake!

 We had a variety of snacks to munch on…plus a big vegetable tray, including dip, with all kinds of good things to sample!  Yummy!

For dinner, Larry grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for us with all the sides.  Love his ‘fresh from the garden’ onions!  We also had a mixed fruit salad and an open beverage bar!  Bev made some of her delicious fruit sangria!  For dessert, we had hot apple pie with Tic-Toc Ice Cream!

Above, Larry is making sure his furry children don’t go hungry.  They got the leftover hot dogs!  Lucky them, but not too much was left over…From left to right are Sweetie Pie, Coco, Willie, (Pat’s dog), and Cody, with our grandson Emmett looking on.

Here’s Larry’s better half, Bev relaxing with her best buddy, Coco.  We enjoyed ourselves late into the evening.  Doesn’t Bev look relaxed and lovely too!?

This is Bev’s sister Pat with her furry companion, Willie. 

We all had a great time!  Thanks to Larry and Bev for helping us all make some wonderful memories!  Our grandsons told us the next time they come for a visit, we have to bring them back to visit our friends!

Click on any photo to enlarge it… Thanks to Laurie for her co-authoring this blog and for completing the final edit!

Thanks for visiting!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Brazeiros Churrascaria (Brazilian Steakhouse)

About a week ago, Laurie and I had the opportunity to join a group going to Brazeiros Churrascaria in Knoxville.  While I had eaten at this type of restaurant a couple of times before when traveling for business, Laurie had never had the opportunity.

We thought that the exterior of this large restaurant was quite impressive…attractive too!  Brazeiros is described as an authentic steakhouse from Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil.

For those that have never visited a Brazilian Steakhouse (Churrascaria), the dining experience unfolds as follows.  Once you are seated, the waiter or waitress will tell you about the large salad bar, (the first course), then the sides that will be available at your table are described…and then you learn about the green and red coasters…the ‘go’ ‘no go’ meat signals.  Green side up…Bring on the Meat!  Red side up…Give me a Break!

This interior photo gives you an idea what the interior of Brazeiros looks like.  The restaurant is big but it has a warm and stylish feel to it.

There is no menu per se… This is a fixed price restaurant and the cost of dinner for the salad bar, sides and the meat is $33.50 per person.  This is quite reasonable, especially for someone who loves meat as the meat and sides keep coming as long as you want.  Of course, the salad bar is available for repeat visits as well.  Beverages and dessert are extra.

This is a view of the salad bar.  This 4-sided bar was nicely stocked with all types of fresh and tasty items designed to wet your appetite.  I’m a total carnivore so I didn’t spend too much time grazing… I limited myself to a couple of hearts of palm, two artichoke hearts and 6 or 7 fresh asparagus spears.  Laurie tried a wider variety of the available items…with positive feedback.

In addition to the 3 items I chose, some of the other available options included 3 or so different green salads, an apple salad, Italian salami, Manchego cheese, tomatoes, potato salad, tabbouleh, olives, beets and fresh Mozzarella.

Now this is the core of the operation.  These Gaucho Chefs roast the various meats on these skewers in a specially designed cooking unit. 

So, what meats are available at Brazeiros?  How about Picanha (prime portion of sirloin); bacon wrapped Filet Mignon; Alcatra (top sirloin); Fraldinha (bottom sirloin; Cordeiro (leg of lamb): Costela de Porco (pork ribs); Frango (marinated chicken legs or bacon wrapped chicken breasts; Linguica (pork sausages) or; Costela be Boi (beef short ribs)

Note: the sirloin cuts and the leg of lamb are served thinly sliced from the skewer…maximizing the flavors for the diner.

This is Claudia, our waitress for the evening.  She was very nice, efficient and patient too.  She kept us well supplied with drinks and sides.  

The sides that came with the meal were: caramelized bananas, garlic mashed potatoes, warm cheese bread (little muffins) and crispy polenta.  Both the bananas and the polenta served as palate refreshing tools between the various cuts of meat.

This is one of the Chef Gauchos…presenting a skewer of Picanha, (prime sirloin), to our table.  This is Brazeiros most popular cut of meat.  We could see why…it was very flavorful!  So, all we had to do is leave our ‘stop and go’ coaster or marker green side up and the gauchos with their skewers full of meat would just keep coming…

We tried most of the 12 meats/cuts of meat that were offered.  I didn’t try the Beef Rib…must have just missed it.  After the Picanha, my second choice was the Fraldinha (bottom sirloin) with the Filet Mignon coming in a strong 3^rd.  Laurie agreed with me for her first choice, (the Picanha), but the Cordeiro (leg of lamb) came in second for her.  I wasn’t crazy about the pork ribs, the sausage was a bit bland for my taste…and I skipped the Frango (chicken), although we were told by others that it was delicious!

The good news is that no matter what your taste is, if you like meat, you will find at least a couple of items on the skewers that you will really like!

Laurie and I decided that since we were at Brazeiros, we should go all the way and try dessert.  This is the Brazilian Flan…very nice indeed!

One of our friends went with the Key Lime Pie.  It was very tasty and the presentation was classy too!  Other available desserts included Papaya Cream, Cheesecake, Crème Brule and Chocolate Eruption Cake.

This is Renata and Zenzen… They’re from Brazil and they own Brazeiros.  They are eager to please their customers and they do work hard to ensure that the food and service is upscale without being too formal.

Brazeiros Churrascaria is open for lunch Tuesday through Friday and also on Sunday.  Dinner is served daily.  The restaurant is located at 6901 Kingston Pike in Knoxville Tennessee.  Phone: 865-247-0295.  Website: www.brazeiros.com.

Just click on any photo to enlarge it…

Thanks for visiting! 

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Antiquing in Clinton Tennessee…

Clinton Tennessee is the ‘mecca’ for antiquing hobbyists and/or incurable shoppers in East Tennessee.  This city of a bit over 9,000 has been able to keep much of the old downtown shopping area together with the conversion of many of the former retail locations into a wide variety of small and large antique stores…with a few antique ‘malls’ thrown in for good measure. 

For the uninitiated, an antique mall is a large antique store where individuals rent booth space…usually sharing in the day to day operational oversight as well.  I believe that the Clinton Antique Mall is the largest such operation in town…

This view is looking down Market Street from the old railway station in Clinton.  This photo was taken on a quiet and very hot Sunday.  Some of the antique stores are closed on Sundays but there are still more than enough open to satisfy the avid antique buff.   

Although some fairly old buildings are evident, many of the earlier central city structures were lost in a 1908 fire that destroyed 17 businesses and 14 homes. 

The town was founded in 1801 and it was named Burrville in honor of Thomas Jefferson’s 1^st Vice President…Aaron Burr.  After Burr was disgraced following his killing of Alexander Hamilton in a duel in 1909, the town was renamed Clinton.  The new name honored one of our founding fathers, Jefferson’s second Vice President and the former Governor of New York, George Clinton.

This is the Market Street Antique Store… Fox Channel 43 viewers voted that this business is the best antique store in the Knoxville area.  The red brick building to the right is also part of the expanded store.  For more information, go to www.marketstantiques.net or call 865-269-4031.

Clinton is located on the Clinch River/Melton Hill Lake or reservoir and it’s the county seat for Anderson County Tennessee.  The town is roughly centered on the intersection of TN Highway 61 and US 25W.  It’s important to note that in 2011, Business Week picked Clinton as the best place to raise kids in Tennessee…

This is The Staffordshire Spaniel… They have a nice selection of quality items.  This store is located at the bottom, (or top), of Market Street’s antique row.  They don’t have a website listed, but the phone number is 865-269-4338.  They can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Staffordshire-Spaniel-Antique-Shop-in-Clinton-TN/149223685114847.

From 1895 until the mid-1930’s, Clinton was known as one of the 3 Tennessee centers of the freshwater pearl industry.  Saturdays were pearl trading days on Market Street.  Clinch River pearls were featured at the Paris Exposition in 1900.

Burrville Antiques is another of the antique shops on Market Street… Information regarding this shop can be found at www.burrvilleantiques.com.  Phone: 865-269-4522.  For more on Clinton’s many quality Antique Shops, go to http://www.historicclintonsantiques.com/.

There are antique stores stretching from the old railroad station where I shot my first photo…all the way down to end of Market Street.  Then there are 3 additional shops across the street…to the right of Allee’s Antiques above.  Allee’s Antiques is on line at www.alleesantiques.com.  Phone: 865-463-7954.

Clinton also stages two major antiquing events every year.  In the spring, they hold the Clinch River Spring Antique Fair.  In the fall, there is the Clinch River Antique Festival.  Both events feature between 70 and 100 dealers and vendors along Market Street with live music, food and many special family related events.  This year the fall festival is planned for October 7^th and 8^th.

This is the Olde Tymes shop.  It’s a dual operation with RLF Antiques occupying the front of the store and Marshall Vintage Timepieces located in the back.  They really have some great old clocks for sale…and they do repairs as well.  RLF Antiques Phone: 513-324-9273.  Marshall Vintage Timepieces has a website: www.timepast.com.  Phone: 865-566-3669.

There was a dark chapter in Clinton’s history… The town was the site of the first African-American desegregation of a state supported school in the southeastern USA.  The ‘Clinton Twelve’ successfully integrated the all white Clinton High School on 8/27/56.  But, within a couple of days, outside agitators stirred up local emotions and riots broke out in early September.  The National Guard was brought in for awhile and there was sporadic violence for about 2 years.  The school was actually bombed in 1958.  An estimated 75 to 100 sticks of dynamite were used and the school was destroyed. 

A bronze statue of the “Clinton Twelve” is now displayed outside the front entrance to the former Green McAdoo School where all of these pioneers of school integration had attended elementary school.  The Green McAdoo School was the community’s segregated elementary school for African-American Children until 1965.  The school was completed in 1935 and it is now a museum and it’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Clinton has come a long way…from ugly controversy to it’s status today as the ‘best place to raise kids in Tennessee’!  It is a nice town to visit.  To see another blog that I published related to Clinton, go to http://bigdaddydavesbitsandpieces.blogspot.com/2010/09/remember-when.html.

Just click on any photo to enlarge it…

Thanks for coming by and take care, Big Daddy Dave

Modified BLT – A Sum of Its Parts

The other day Laurie and I got a hankering for a good old fashioned Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich.  We had the English Muffin Bread from VG’s Bakery, we had a package of that scrumptious Benton’s Bacon and we had a big and freshly picked Yellow Tomato from Larry and Bev’s garden. 

We knew that we had mayonnaise…but what we forgot was the lettuce!  It was dinner time…prep time when we realized that we were missing the “L” from BLT…

So, what were we to do!?  The decision was made to follow Larry’s lead…fry up an egg to add to the sandwich…a ‘BET’… So it was a mayonnaise, easy over egg, bacon and tomato sandwich on English muffin bread.  We agreed…it was only excellent!

Larry, aka., Big Dude can be found at http://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com/. For Benton’s Bacon, go to http://bentonscountryhams2.com/.  For VG’s Bakery, go to http://www.vgsbakery.com/. 

Click on the photo to enlarge…

Thanks for checking in!  Have a great day…

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Going, Going, Gone!!

As an old retailer who spent almost 40 years working directly for retailers or for a company that provided services and equipment for retailers, it boggles the mind when I consider the many, many retailers who've gone on to retail oblivion!  Border's Books is in the process of liquidating as I write this...

Do you remember any of these retailers?

These are just a few of the many, many American retailers that have gone bankrupt and liquidated, were been bought out or have simply been folded into a larger retail operation.  Some of these companies, such as Montgomery Ward and Circuit City continue as on-line retailers only...after the rights to the company names, logos, etc. were purchased by unrelated investment groups. 

The following list consists of about 270 retailers that have gone extinct in recent years... How many of these retailers do you remember?!  I wonder how many former retail company's aren't even on this list...

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5-7-9 Stores; 10,000 Auto Parts; A&S; A.J. August Fashion Wear; Afterthoughts (Woolworth); Al Baskin Co.; Allied City Stores; Almacs Supermarkets; Almy’s Department Stores; Al’s Auto Parts; American Union Furniture; Ames Department Stores; Anchor Blue Retail Group; Anderson-Little Clothing; Angelo's Supermarkets; Associated Dry Goods; Auto Palace Auto Part Stores; Auto Works.

B. Moss Clothing Co.; Bernie's Audio Video TV/Appliance; Best Products; Big 10 Tire Stores; Big A Auto Parts; Big B Drugs; Big D Supermarkets; Big Wheel/Rossi Auto Parts; Bill's Dollar Stores; Bi-Lo LLC; Blue Tulip Corp.; Bonwit Teller Department Stores; Border’s Bookstores; Bradlees Department Stores; Bread and Circus Grocery; Britches of Georgetown; Brooks Fashions; Brooks Pharmacy; Bruno's Supermarkets; Bugle Boy; Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts; Butler Brothers.

Caldors Department Stores; Carl Durfees; Charles A. Stevens; Carson's Casual Corner; Champion Auto; Chandlers; Channel and Rickel Home Centers/Cherry & Webb; Chess King; Chief Auto Parts; Child World; Circuit City; Clemens Supermarkets; Coast-to-Coast Hardware; Colby's; Computer City; County Seat; Crazy Eddie's Electronics; Crown Book Stores; Cunningham’s Drug Stores; Dayton’s Department Stores; d.e.m.o.; De Pinna; De-Jaiz Mens Clothing; Desmonds Formal Wear; Domain; Drug Fair Group.

E.J. Korvettes; Eckerd Drug Stores; Eli Moore, Inc.; Endicott Shoes; Erlebacher's; Everything But Water; EZ Lube; F.W. Woolworth Company; Famous Barr & Co.; Fashion Cents; Father & Son; Fayva Shoe Stores; Finlay Enterprises; First National Supermarkets/Edwards Super Foods; Flagg Bros. Shoes; Flanagans Supermarkets; Foot Quarters (Kinney/Woolworth); Foreman & Clark; Forth & Towne; Fortunoff Holdings; Foxmoor; Frank and Seder; Franklin Simon; Frank’s Nursery & Crafts; Friedman's Inc.

Gallenkamp; Gantos; Gaylan's Trading Company; Gems TV; Gennovese Drug Stores; G. Fox & Co.; Gold Circle; Goody's Family Clothing (Slowly Reopening Stores!); Gottschalks; Grand Union Supermarkets; Great Clothes; Grandpa Pidgeon’s; Grodins; Grossman's Lumber; Hanover Shoe; Happy Harry's; Harold's Stores; Harvey Electronics; Hechingers; Heicht’s Department Stores; Henry's; Herbergers; Heslop's; Hills Department Stores; Hit or Miss; HMV Record Stores; Hollywood Video; Home Quarters (HQ); Hook's/SupeRx; Hudson's Mens Wear; Huffman-Koos; Hughes & Hatcher; I. Magnin; id Boutiques.  

J. Brannam; J. Riggins; J. L. Hudson; J.M. Field; Jack Lang; Jacob Reed and Sons; Jacobson’s; Janeville; JasmineSola; Jay Jacobs; Jeans Unlimited; Joe's Sports & Outdoor; Jordan Marsh Department Stores; Joseph Magnin; Judy's; Just For Feet; Karl's Shoes; KB Toys; Joseph Magnin; Judy's; Just For Feet; Karl's Shoes; Kaufmann’s; KB Toys; Kent's; King's; Kinney Shoes; Kitchens Etc.; Kleinhans; Klopfenstein's; K's Merchandise; L.L. Berger; Laura Ashley; Laura Ashley Mother & Child; Lechmere; Levitz Furniture; Lil Peach Convenience Stores; Linens & Things; Little Folk Shops/Kids Mart; Littler's; Longs Drug Stores.

Man Alive; Mansmann's Department Stores; Marianne's; MARS Music; Marty Shoes Holding; Mattress Discounters; Maurice The Pants Man; May D&F; May Company – Cleveland; May Company of California; May Company; McNeils – Akron; McRaes Dept Stores; Medi Mart Drug Stores; Meier & Frank; Merry Go Round; Mervyns; Miller & Rhoads; Mode O'Day; Montgomery Ward; Morville; Movie Gallery; Nan Duskin; National Auto Parts; National Shirt Shop; National Wholesale Liquidators; Nature's Heartland Grocery; NHD Home Centers; Nobil; Northern Reflections; Oklahoma Tire & Supply Company (OTASCO); One Price.

PACE Membership Warehouse; Parade of Shoes; Parisian; Parklane Hosiery; Parts America; Patterson-Fletcher; Paul Harris; Pay N Save Drug Stores; PayLess Northwest/Thrifty PayLess; Penn Traffic Co.; Peoples Drug Stores; Perry Drug Stores; Piccolo Mondo; Planet Organic; Pomeroy's; Poore Simon's; Proffitt's; Purity Supreme Supermarkets; Raleigh's/Raleigh Haberrdasher; Ransohoffs; Record Town; Revco; Richman Brothers; Richs Department Stores; Ritz Camera Centers; Robert Hall; Robinsons-May; Rogers Peet.

S&K Famous Brands; Sagebrush; Sanger-Harris; Scott Ties; Service Merchandise; Shoe Kicks; Shoe Pavilion; Shoe Town; Silverwoods; Smiths; Software, Etc.; Somerville Lumber/Payless Cashway; Southern Gold Partners; Sportsman's Warehouse; Steinbach Department Stores; Steve & Barry's; STM Auto Parts; Store 24 Convenience Stores; Strasburg-Jarvis; Strawberries Record Stores; Super Shops; Supermarkets; General Corporation; Susie's Casuals; Swoozie's, Inc.

Tee Town; TG&Y Stores; Thalhimers; The Bon Marche; The Hang Up Shoppes; The Parent Co.; The Sample; The Warner Brother Stores; The Wiz Electronic Stores; TheBottomHalf; Thom McAnn Shoe Stores; Thrift Auto Parts; Thrift Drug, Inc.; Today’s Man; Tower Records; Trak Auto; Turn Style Stores; Tweeter Newco LLC; Two Guys; Ukrops Supermarkets; Ultra Stores; Value City Department Stores; Value Plus Stores; Venture Stores; Victory Supermarkets; Virgin Megastores.

W.T. Grant; Waldenbooks; Weathervane; Western Auto Stores; Wheels; Whitehall Jewelers Holdings; Whitlocks Auto Supply; Wickes Furniture; Wild Oats Grocery; William Wanamaker & Sons; Woolf Brothers; Younkers; Zayres Department Stores; Zody's.

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The list is an interesting short history of retailing...the good, the bad and the ugly!  Is progress always a good thing?  You be the judge... Of the companies listed that I worked for, poor management...a lack of focus...and increased competition from the super retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target, Lowe's, Home Depot and Kohl's, provided the impetus for failure or absorbtion into a larger, more successful company.  

 

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave 

Jacque’s Whistle Stop!

Running errands always gives us an excuse to look for somewhere different to grab some lunch…or early dinner.  So, here we were, running around Farragut and Lenoir City Tennessee…and it was time to eat.  Where to go??  Then I remembered a restaurant review by The Grub Scout in the Knoxville News Sentinel that Laurie had pointed out to me…and it was one of those small town half-hidden kinds of local joints that we love to visit.

This is Jacque’s Whistle Stop Restaurant in Friendsville Tennessee.  It has great ‘diners, dives and drive-ins’ appeal, don’t you think?!  As you can see from the big truck to the right side of the building, Jacque’s also does a bit of catering.

As for the interior of Jacque’s Whistle Stop Café, it was just what you’d expect based on the exterior view…ecclectic and cluttered with old antiques and collectables… There is just a warm and interesting feel to the place!

Speaking of antiques, Laurie, (my chief photographer), insisted that I include this photo in the blog. Other than myself, the antiques and collectables in Jacque’s are indeed for sale.

Here’s another view of the front dining room.  We even like the idea that the tables and chairs don’t match.  It adds to the whimsical nature of the place.  There are 2 dining rooms with a handful of tables in each, but the front room was cooler and more comfortable, temperature wise…

OK…so how about the food?!  I mean, that’s really what’s important.  You will note that the food is served on styrofoam…and the ‘silverware’ was plastic.  We would always prefer plates and metal silverware, and some folks we know would shoot Jacque’s down on accoutrements alone, but hey, it’s really about the food, isn’t it?

Laurie and I both ordered virtually the same ‘early’ dinner.  Mine, (shown above) consisted of Jacque’s ½ Chargrilled Chicken, a side of Cole Slaw plus Dirty Rice with Beans. ($7.00) 

The only difference is that Laurie had the Baked Beans instead of the Dirty Rice… We both thought that the chargrilled chicken had a really nice flavor…great seasonings!  Laurie thought that her’s was a little dry, (perhaps the result of a mid-afternoon meal), but mine was perfect. Oh Yes…did you note that little tub of sauce next to the chicken.  It was a very tasty amalgamation of spices and good stuff…and it went great with the chicken!

Laurie liked her baked beans and I tried them too.  I thought that they were OK.  She tried my dirty rice…but it just isn’t her thing.  Despite the bell peppers, (a personal dislike), I thought the dirty rice was pretty good.  As for the cole slaw, Laurie liked it but it had a bit too much onion in it for my taste.

Now…the chicken was good…very good… But, the Fried Green Tomatoes that we ordered as an extra side…they were KILLER GOOD!  Damn Good!  Yahoo!  The sauce in that back container was also terrific... I like ketchup but not on fried green tomatoes! ($4.50)

What the heck…as long as we were at it, why not try a bit of dessert.  Laurie had this peach cobbler…very nice…and I had a piece of strawberry-rubarb pie...started to eat it before I thought to take a photo... (I thought that it was just so so…but we were told that it’s really a big seller)

This is a photo of the available desserts…pies, cakes and cobblers…very tempting and right in front of you when you place your order.  You do order at the front counter, (Photo #1), and then they bring you your food.  Service is very casual…very country…just a local kid at the counter with a cook in the back.

Other ‘dinners’, (with 2 sides), include 3 Jumbo Wings ($7.00), Hamburger ($6.50), BBQ Chicken Sandwich ($6.50) and a Quarter Pound Hot Dog ($6.25).  Other sides include Curly Fries ($4.00 large/$2.25 small) and Roasted Corn ($3.50).  Ice cream, sundaes and a banana split round out the dessert menu…

Jacque’s Whistle Stop Café is a funky, neat, little out-of-the-way place.  Between it’s chicken, fried green tomatoes and dessert options, it’s definitely worth the stop!  We will return so we can try the roasted corn and some of the other baked dessert options… We are wondering if there is a different menu at night or on the weekends…maybe specials some evenings?  In his review, Grub Scout mentioned a London Broil Sandwich, a Fried Bologna Sandwich, a BBQ Rib Sandwich and a half rack of BBQ/Smoked Ribs.  They weren’t on our menu.

Jacque’s Whistle Stop Café is at 110 West College Street in Friendsville Tennessee.  Strategically placed small signs throughout the town will point you to the Café.  Phone: 865-995-0823. (No website available although there is quite a bit of chatter about Jacque’s on Facebook)