Back in
June, we were on the road towards home and it was lunch time. I decided to get off I-24 in Clarksville
Tennessee and take our chances…just winging it!
There
were lots of choices, but they were all chain restaurants or fast food outlets
that we’d seen before. Then we spotted a
new one for us! This is the Tilted Kilt
Pub and Eatery in Clarksville Tennessee…
Factoids:
· The song, “Last Train to Clarksville”, was
written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, a songwriting team who came up with many
songs for the Monkees. They wrote this
as a protest to the Vietnam War. They
had to keep their intention quiet in order to get it recorded, but it is about
a guy who gets drafted and goes to fight in the war. The train is taking him to an army base, and
he knows he may die in Vietnam. At the
end of the song he states, "I don't know if I'm ever coming home."
· The writers “were just looking for a name
that sounded good.” They considered
using Clarksdale but then they decided that Clarksville sounded better. They didn't know it at the time, but there was
an Air Force base near the town of Clarksville, Tennessee, which actually fit their
story line! (Now the Army’s Fort Campbell Military Reservation) But they couldn’t
be too direct with The Monkees. They couldn't
really make an out and out protest song out of it so they “snuck it in”.
The spacious
interior of the Tilted Kilt features a lot of dark wood, a big bar, Celtic related
décor and TV screens… In effect it’s a Celtic themed sports bar. They list 20 different beers and 1 cider on
draft and another dozen plus in bottles.
I
discovered that The Tilted Kilt is actually a franchised chain. They have locations in 29 states as well as
in 2 Canadian provinces! The first
Tilted Kilt Pub and Eatery was opened in the Las Vegas Rio Hotel and Casino
in 2003. Only 1 hour after the concept
meeting, Harrah's contacted the restaurant’s founder and inquired about
immediate development. Currently, the
Tilted Kilt has 103 locations open or opening soon.
Factoid:
· Much to my surprise, Clarksville isn’t just
a ‘little’ town. The city has a population
of almost 150,000 and the Clarksville TN/KY metropolitan area includes roughly
275,000 residents!
We
started out with something new for us…an order of Scotch Eggs! ($8.00)
Basically, soft-boiled eggs are wrapped in sweet and spicy sausage, parmesan
breaded and then fried. They are served
with a horseradish cream sauce. We
really liked them and would definitely order them again!
Sticking
with the theme, Laurie ordered Maggie Mae’s Fish and Chips. ($10.99) Cod filets
are dipped in Samuel Adams Boston Lager batter and fried. They came with coleslaw on the side. This wasn’t the best fish and chips platter
ever but it was a bit better than average.
Note:
· Actual ‘Celtic’ dishes on the menu are few
and far between. Many of the ‘themed’
items consist of American pub cuisine with Celtic names…such as the Scottish
Philly or the Irish Dip Sandwich. There
is a Sheperd’s Pie on the menu and Guinness stout or Guinness BBQ sauce is used
with a few items.
As for
myself, I ordered the Big ‘Arse’ Burger with cheddar cheese. ($10.50) I had the coleslaw as my side dish. It was a very nice burger, cooked medium rare
as ordered and served on a grilled bun.
Grilling the bun adds that little bit of extra flavor!
So…you’re
probably wondering why this restaurant chain is named “The Tilted Kilt”! Good question! It turns out that the Tilted Kilt is another
iteration of a group of restaurants that have one thing in common…
This
was our server, Diana. Now the meaning
of the Tilted Kilt’s name may be coming into focus… I must say that Diana was a
good server, very personable and helpful.
As with many of the other servers at this location, her husband serves in
the US Army at nearby Fort Campbell.
Fort Campbell is the home of the 101st Airborne Division!
These
young ladies’ photos were also posted on the Clarksville Tilted Kilt’s website.
(Incidentally, we didn’t see any male waiters but I understand that males wear
kilts too)
So…The Tilted Kilt is part of the scantily clad restaurant theme
genre, which includes such chains at Hooters and Twin Peaks. We haven’t eaten at Twin Peaks but we both
agree that the food at The Tilted Kilt is much superior to the offerings at
Hooters. The menu has more variety as
well.
The
Tilted Kilt Pub and Eatery in Clarksville Tennessee is located at 2790 B Wilma
Rudolph Boulevard. Phone:
931-645-5458. The company’s website is
at www.tiltedkilt.com.
Just
click on any of the photos to enlarge them…
Thanks
for stopping by for lunch!
Take
Care, Big Daddy Dave
Those eggs look good as well as the rest of the food! The restaurant is in Chicago also. Interesting bit of trivia with the song. Have a good week!
ReplyDeleteNever heard of the chain but the servers look nice.
ReplyDeleteHaven't heard of this one ---but I laughed when seeing the servers ---thinking of Hooters.... The egg dish really sounds interesting --and your burger looked good...
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked at the church in Hendersonville, TN (north of Nashville), we would send Christmas gifts to the big base in Clarksville.... I think that base is what keeps that little city strong.
Hugs,
Betsy