Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria – Maryville Tennessee

We are always searching for that ‘new dining experience’ here in East Tennessee.  We’re continuously hopeful that we’ll find a new restaurant that we can add to our list of ‘regular’ places.  I will admit that ‘regular’ to us means that we might eat at a restaurant from between 2 to 8 times a year, hardly enough to really support any particular establishment.

This is Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria in Maryville Tennessee.  There are 2 Barley’s locations with the second one being in downtown Knoxville.

 

Burleson Brands owns Barley’s as well as a number of other restaurants in the Knoxville area.  Aubrey’s, Sunspot, Bistro By The Tracks, Stefano’s Pizza, drink., Fieldhouse Social as well at The Crown and Goose are all Burleson operations…

Barley’s Maryville is an expansive and cavernous building with an outdoor seating and second floor as well.  The bar is large and the draft beer options are almost endless with about 70 on tap!  Then there are the bottled beers, wine and mixed drinks too… For those from the greater Knoxville area, Barley’s occupies the former Roy’s Records Building in downtown Maryville.  

For those who are from Canada or who are familiar with Canadian cuisine, this is Barley’s version of ‘Poutine’.  On the menu this ‘Small Bites’ offering is listed as “Gravy Fries”. ($6.00) In reality, this is not a small bite but rather a meal in itself!  Crispy French fries are topped with gravy, pulled pork and more gravy. 

This meal is a bargain even if it is an artery stopper!  Laurie isn’t into this kind of thing so other than a bite for her to taste it I ended up consuming the Gravy Fries all by myself!  It was very nice and very filling…

Note:

·         As I mentioned above, Poutine is a Canadian dish that originated in the province of Quebec.  The original is made with French fries and cheese curds topped with light brown gravy.

·         There are many variations of poutine.  Some restaurants offer poutine with such toppings as sausage, chicken, bacon, or Montreal-style smoked meat.  Some ‘poutineries’ even boast dozens of variations of poutine.  More upscale poutine with three-pepper sauce, merguez sausage, foie gras or even caviar and truffles can be found.

As another appetizer, one that Laurie would eat, we also order Chips and Salsa. ($4.00) The salsa was excellent but Barley’s needs to upgrade the quality of their corn chips.  They were fairly tasteless and couldn’t even be called ‘average’.

We were going to order the Beer Cheese and Chips for our second appetizer but our waitress told us that we should skip that one.  She told us that no one likes Barley’s version of beer cheese dip.  We appreciated her honesty! 

Well, as it turned out, I’d ordered my entrée before I saw that platter of Gravy Fries.  This is my small Big Daddy Pizza with pepperoni, Italian sausage, ham and beef. ($13.00) While East Tennessee isn’t exactly a Mecca for pizza, this offering was quite good with top quality ingredients.  For any one worried about my health, I did take half of this pizza home and Laurie had it for lunch the next two days. 

Laurie ordered Barley’s version of Spanakopita for dinner. ($12.00) This offering consisted of spinach and cheese filled phyllo dough that are served over fettuccini Alfredo with portabella mushrooms and roasted tomato.  She really enjoyed her dinner! 

Barley’s menu is fairly imaginative!  How about an Eggplant Sandwich, Chicken Raj (an Indian offering), or a Coffee Braised Lamb?  Entrees include Salmon Grit Cakes and Three Cheese Ravioli.  A Kale and Brussel Salad is another unusual offering. 

We enjoyed Barley’s and we will return!  Drinks were priced reasonably and our server was very helpful.  Live entertainment is frequently offered in the evening.  Barley’s Maryville is located downtown at 128 West Broadway.  Phone: 865-983-0808.  Website: http://barleysmaryville.com/. 

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for dinner!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave