Sunday Lunch with Friends in the Smokies

In February, our friends Larry, (aka. Big Dude), and his wife, Bev, invited us to meet them for Sunday lunch/early dinner over in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area of Tennessee.  They were staying at their time share and they knew that Laurie and I are always up for a drive in the country as well as almost any new dining experience…  

FYI…Larry has a blog site too…you should check it out at: http://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com.

After some discussion and research on the Internet, we settled on the Partridge & Pear Restaurant in Pigeon Forge.  It’s located at the Christmas Place, a themed grouping that includes an extensive, almost overwhelming store, a very nice looking hotel and now, the most recent addition, the Partridge & Pear restaurant.  

The Christmas theme is found in every room of the restaurant.  I will admit that I have an aversion to Christmas ‘out of season’!  However, I found the décor in the restaurant was very tastefully done and the overall effect was sort of calming.  The dining room where we were seated had a toy train circling the room up by the ceiling…

Both couples started out with the Christmas Tomatoes. ($6.99) These were described as “sliced green tomatoes soaked in buttermilk then dredged in seasoned stone ground cornmeal, fried until golden, then topped with Feta cheese and served with their own cranberry-pear sauce for dipping’. 

Laurie and I liked this appetizer quite a bit… The Feta cheese provided a nice contrast to the fried green tomatoes and I was personally surprised how well the cranberry-pear sauce actually complemented the dish.

One other appetizer sounded interesting…certainly different!  This was the Sweet Potato Ribbons. ($6.99) This is described as ‘thin-sliced sweet potatoes quick fried in canola oil, tossed with brown sugar and cinnamon, then topped with buttermilk blue cheese and a tangy balsamic glaze.

Laurie and I both ordered the Turkey Pot Pie as our entrée. ($9.99) The crust on top was both novel and very nice as well.  It crumbled nicely into the creamed vegetables and turkey.  The seasoning, especially the sage in the pot pie, was just right for our taste. Dare I say it…?! ”Winner, Winner, Turkey Dinner!”

Larry ordered the Catfish Dinner. ($9.99) It is described as “locally sourced catfish served your choice of two ways; blackened in a cast iron skillet, or dredged in seasoned cornmeal and fried golden, then served with red onion and caper remoulade, ‘Tis the Season fries and coleslaw”.  Larry didn’t say much but he apparently enjoyed his lunch.

Other lunch entrees include Eggplant Lasagna ($12.99); Blackened Tilapia ($11.99) and a Vegetable Medley ($9.99)

Bev ordered the Traditional Reuben. ($10.99 - not pictured).  She certainly had no complaints…and she took half of it back to their time share for Larry’s dinner… Other sandwiches on the menu include burgers (5 choices from $8.49 - $9.99); Wraps (3 choices, all at $8.99), plus; 7 other sandwiches in addition to Bev’s Reuben. ($8.99 - $10.99). I was tempted to have the Open-Faced Roast Beef on sourdough with mash potatoes, green beans and gravy…

Usually, if Laurie and I have dessert, we split one between us.  However, one of my weaknesses is Bread Pudding… I’m always looking for the ‘perfect’ bread pudding.  This version was just good…not great. ($6.99)  It was a little to mushy for my taste and I thought that it needed a little more of the orange sauce to enhance the flavors…

On the other hand, Laurie ordered the Cake from Christmas Past. ($5.99) Fortunately for me, she couldn’t finish it and I had to help her out… This cake is described as Chef’s favorite and treasured recipe from 1827.  It was rich, moist and just popped with flavor.  I’m not a ‘cake’ devotee, but both Laurie and I agree that this cake was excellent!

Now that we’ve sampled the food at the Partridge and Pear, we’ll have to come back some evening and try out the much more expansive dinner menu.  The only real negative was service.  It appeared that they were short on waitstaff…and our waiter kept apologizing but, he wasn’t very efficient either…only 6 tables going at the most vs. 4 or 5 as a standard…but he seemed a bit panicked or just upset.

The Partridge and Pear Restaurant is located at 2480 Parkway in Pigeon Forge Tennessee.  Phone: 800-917-4263.  Website: www.partridgeandpear.com.  For more on the complete Christmas Place, go to www.christmasplace.com. 

Just click on any photo to enlarge it…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave