Our Anniversary Dinner!

Laurie and I recently celebrated our 33^rd wedding anniversary…exactly 34 years from the day we first met on a blind date! (Our many thanks to Debbie Alex/Fiddleman, wherever she is!)

We don’t usually do too much on our anniversary… We exchange cards and then we go out for a nice dinner somewhere.

We had a ‘Buy One – Get One’ dining certificate for Sequoyah Grille in our Lifestyle Coupon book.  Combining that with the fact that this restaurant is quite well thought of in the Knoxville market, it was an easy decision. 

This restaurant is owned by Chef Deron Little, who also co-founded the well regarded Seasons Restaurant in the Renaissance Center in Farragut Tennessee.  To view my feedback on a lunch that Laurie and I had at Seasons, just go to http://bigdaddydavesbitsandpieces.blogspot.com/2012/04/seasons-cafe-casual-but-upscale.html.

We usually go for an early dinner, and this was no exception.  The interior of the Sequoyah Grille is warm and a bit upscale without putting on any ‘airs’. 

The menu isn’t huge but it offers a decent variety of items to choose from.  There are 8 “Starters” ranging from $6.50 to $10.50.  In additon, you can order the Yucatan Tortilla Soup or the Soup of the Day. ($5.50 bowl)

Before you order, the wait staff delivers a plate with leaf lettuce, cream cheese with …and a few pieces of thin pita bread.  It was a tasty little surprise that was  just right...starting us off in the right frame of mind.

For an appetizer, Laurie and I shared the Ahi Tuna Tower. ($9.50) This consisted of Ahi tuna, mango and pear habanera salsa plus crisp wontons and pineapple-mustard glaze.  This was excellent indeed!  The next time I’m not sharing and I’ll order my own Tuna Tower…

We both ordered a Side Salad to accompany our entrees. ($3.00) The ingredients were fresh and the salad dressing was very nice.

There are 6 Dinner Salads listed on the menu.  They range in price from $9.50 to $13.50.  One unusual salad entrée is the Blue Gecko Chicken Salad.  This is described as honey scented chicken salad with mixed baby greens, vine ripened tomato, cucumbers and toasted almonds served with Benton’s bacon ranch dressing. ($9.50)

I ordered the Cholula Fried Chicken for my entrée. ($16.00) This Cholula marinated chicken breast came with mashed potatoes and a bit of asparagus.  The cholula marinaide gave the chicken a nice pop of flavor without adding very much heat.  It was cooked just right…still moist as fried chicken should be.  The potatoes were OK…but the corn pudding was very nice indeed! 

I will say that this was very good fried chicken…as a matter of fact it was the second best fried chicken I’ve had in the last few years!  Sequoyah Grille’s fried chicken is second only to that from the Cotillion Southern Café in Wildwood Florida.  To check out that version of fried chicken, just go to http://bigdaddydavesbitsandpieces.blogspot.com/2012/03/great-southern-dining-wildwood-florida.html.

Guests at Sequoyah Grille don’t have to order a salad or a big dinner.  If they would prefer something on the lighter side, there are 9 items listed as Lighter Fare on the menu.  These dishes vary from a Fire Grilled Chicken Quesadilla, ($9.50) to a Gecko Burger…with provolone cheese, guacamole, roasted yellow pepper, carmelized onion and tomato on a ciabatta roll. ($10.50)

Laurie’s entrée was the Pan Seared Salmon. ($18.50) It was prepared with a honey and red chili glaze in a black bean sauce and it came with yellow corn pancakes and a bit of corn pudding and some asparagus.  Laurie was extremely happy with her dinner!!  I tried a bite of the pancake as well, really just another form of corn bread…but very nice!

There were 10 items, plus the nightly special to select from ‘the after 5 PM Heartier Entrees’ as listed on the menu.  Prices ranged from $14.00 for the Smoked Chicken Enchilada on up to $21.50 for the Grilled Black Angus Ribeye.  Among the items listed, there was a Portabello Meatloaf, (ground beef and garlic portabella mushrooms), at $14.50, and Grilled Mahi with pineapple mustard glaze, a cilantro-mint chimichurri sauce and cheddar cheese grits. ($19.00)

We decided to split an order of the Bread Pudding topped Ice Cream and a bit of whipped cream. (I didn’t note the price and desserts aren’t listed on the menu) In any case, it was the perfect ending to a very nice anniversary dinner!

We were very pleased with our anniversary dinner and we will return to Sequoyah Grille.  The waitress was attentive and helpful but she seemed a bit new or perhaps she just needed a little more training as regards interfacing with customers.  One thing that always bugs me…but in this case, not an experience killer…is when the entrée is delivered while we’re still eating our salads.  Another 5 to 7 minutes delay would have been perfect…

Sequoyah Grille is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday and for brunch on Sunday from 10 AM to 3 PM.  The restaurant is located at 4429 Kingston Pike in Knoxville Tennessee.  Phone: 865-766-5331.  The Website is at http://www.sequoyahgrille.com/Home.aspx.

Just click on any photo to enlarge it…especially the entrees! 

Thanks for stopping by and sharing our dinner with us…

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave (and Laurie)