Fifty Years of Music – The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

First of all, I will admit that I’ve never been a concert goer…in the modern sense of the word.  I want to stay seated most of the time and I actually want to hear the music rather than the people singing along all around me.  Whereas Laurie actually went to a Beatles concert & a few others when she was young, I didn’t attend any similar events.

However when I learned that the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was scheduled to perform at the Clayton Center in Maryville Tennessee, I jumped all over the opportunity to see them in action.

The Clayton Center at Maryville College is a great venue for entertainment.  It’s a beautiful building and we’ve attended several performances by a variety of entertainers during our 7 plus years of living her in East Tennessee.  Last year we even attended The Nutcracker Ballet by the Appalachian Ballet Company.

This is a view of the main stage at the Clayton Center.  It’s hard to get a really bad seat in this theatre and for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s performance our seats were perfect!  We were in the second row in the center section, in the 3rd and 4th seats from the aisle. (FYI, the cost per ticket was $50.00) If I can’t get great seats for a performance, I usually skip the show…

This is the front cover of the fall 2016 Brochure for the Clayton Center for the Arts.  The current members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band are pictured in the lower left.  From the left they are: Bob Carpenter, Jeff Hanna, Jimmie Fadden and John McEuen.

Other featured shows illustrated on the cover are: The Havana Cuba All-Stars; the musical “Once” and; The Hot Sardines, a jazz group.  Upcoming shows the first part of 2017 include: “Cheers Live on Stage”; Koresh Dance; The Five Irish Tenors; “Last of the Red Hot Lovers”; The Flying Karamazov Brothers…and more.  

To learn about Maryville College’s first class Clayton Center for the Arts and upcoming concerts and shows, go to http://www.claytonartscenter.com/.

I borrowed this early photo of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band from the Internet. This American country-folk-rock band has continued to perform with a mix of different members since it was founded in Long Beach California back in 1966.

Constant members of the band since the early days are singer-guitarist Jeff Hanna and drummer Jimmie Fadden.  Multi-instrumentalist John McEuen, (He plays just about anything with strings!), was with the band from 1966 to 1986 and then he returned in 2001.  Keyboardist Bob Carpenter was a real ‘latecomer’ joining the band in 1977.

Laurie took this photo of the stage just before the band came out.  No photos were allowed during the performance.  Much credit is due to that guy who was prepping for the band.  He was on the run with instruments and equipment throughout the show. 

Over the years the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band produced 25 Studio Albums, 1 Live Album, 4 Compilation Albums, 41 Singles and 3 #1 Singles.  To view the band’s discography, you can go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitty_Gritty_Dirt_Band_discography.

  

The first photo shows the audience in the theatre about 25 minutes before the performance.  The second picture demonstrates just how popular the band is after all of these years!  We had a full house by the time the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band took the stage… Keen observers may note that most of the audience is of a ‘certain age’, much like the band members.  John McEuen was actually celebrating his 70^th birthday…

Another crowd photo… This is the theatre lobby following the performance.

…and the crowd went wild!  The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band gave a great performance.  After all of these years on stage, they really do know how to put on a show!  The crowd went wild when the band performed an energetic version of “Rocky Top”.  After all, this is University of Tennessee Vols country and that’s their song!  When the band came back for an encore, the crowd was actually on its feet…and there were even some hands waving in the air!   

There was a booth or souvenir table set up in the lobby of the theatre.  We skipped the t-shirts and picked up this copy of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Greatest Hits. ($20.00)

The band is on the Big Screen in the documentary “Free to Rock”.  That movie is about how American music brought down the Iron Curtain.  The NGDB was the first American band to tour the USSR.  After 28 sold out performances in 1977, the Russian government apparently decided that the tour had gone too well!  American bands were not permitted to tour in the USSR for another 7 years…  There was also a PBS special on the band earlier this year.

We had a great time!  If you have a chance to see the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band perform, don’t pass it up… To learn more about the band’s history, you can go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitty_Gritty_Dirt_Band.  To learn about the band’s upcoming schedule, go to their official web site at http://www.nittygritty.com/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Historic Downtown Harriman Tennessee

After cruising through Harriman Tennessee’s expansive and interesting Cornstalk Heights Historic District, my next goal was to locate and photograph 4 historic buildings in the downtown area.  Actually, Laurie took most of the photos…  

Harriman’s Carnegie Library is included in the town’s Roane Street Commercial Historic District…which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. (NRHP) The library was built in 1909 using a grant of $10,000 from Andrew Carnegie of Carnegie/US Steel.  Carnegie was worth about $310 Billion (2007 dollars) and for a time he was the richest man in the world.  He contributed to the building of 1,689 libraries in the USA!  When this facility opened in 1909, over 2,000 people attended the ceremony.  The town’s population was only about 3,000 at the time.

This commercial historic district is centered along Roane Street (US Hwy. 27/TN Hwy 29) in the center of town.  This historic district encompasses 31 historic or ‘contributing’ buildings.  One-third of these buildings were constructed between 1890 and 1895, which includes the period in which Harriman was founded and when the town experienced its fastest growth.  The second period of development for this Historic District took place during a slower period of growth ranging from 1895 to 1939.

This isn’t an attempt to photograph the Harriman Fire Department’s building…although I do love that old “Fire Hall” sign over the garage entrance!   I was trying to capture a photo of the back of that big brick 2 and a half story structure on the other side of the Fire Department.  It’s Harriman’s former City Hall…

The city of Harriman was founded as a Temperance Town in 1889 by temperance movement activists.  Frederick Gates, a New York-born minister and plant manager sought out a land venture that could attract industrial and economic development while avoiding the vice-driven pitfalls of late 19th century company towns.  He and his fellow prohibitionists chartered the East Tennessee Land Company in May 1889.

In subsequent months, the company acquired several hundred thousand acres of land around what is now Harriman, including the plantation of Union Army colonel and state senator, Robert K. Byrd.  The company's early investors included 1888 Prohibition Party presidential candidate General Clinton B. Fisk, who served as the company's first president, Quaker Oats co-founder Ferdinand Schumacher, and publishers Isaac K. Funk and A. W. Wagnalls.

FYI…The temperance heritage was slow to fade away.  There were no liquor stores in Harriman until 1992.

This Richardsonian Romanesque structure with ornamental brickwork, turrets and stonework was built in 1890.  The city hall was originally built as the East Tennessee Land Company's headquarters.  When the Land Company failed the American Temperance University took over the building as its base of operations.  Eventually the city took over the building, finally moving out in 2009.  This imposing structure is now operated as the Harriman Heritage Museum.  Although I found references for this museum as a local attraction, I couldn’t find a link to it…

The initial land auction by the East Tennessee Land Company for Harriman was held in late February 1890.  It was attended by over 4,000 prospective buyers from across the nation.  Several hundred lots were sold netting over $600,000.  The most expensive lots were along Roane Street and in what is now Cornstalk Heights, most of which sold for over $2,000 apiece.  The lots closer to the Emory River typically sold for less than $500 apiece.

The Princess Theatre is also part of the commercial historic district.  This 3-story brick and stucco Art Moderne theatre was built in 1939.  I do have fond memories of going to movies in downtown theaters like this one…standing in line for Davy Crockett for example.  My hometown of Jackson Michigan had at least 2 movie theaters in the 1950s. 

Back in the day, the Princess Theatre was downtown Harriman’s crown jewel, a 900-seat showplace that provided entertainment to movie-goers from Harriman and surrounding areas.  The original Princess Theatre opened in September 1926.  In January 1939, a fire destroyed the building.  That led to the construction of the current Theatre.  The first movie shown in this new theatre was “Fifth Avenue Girl” starring Ginger Rogers.

With varying management the theatre stayed open until 1999.   The Princess Theatre Foundation formed in 2004 to raise money for a rehabilitation project.  Two neighboring buildings have been connected to the theatre for restrooms, dressing rooms, green room, storage and an elevator.  The City of Harriman owns the theatre.  Roane State Community College, with the support of the Princess Theatre Foundation, operates the facility. 

The Princess doesn’t show just movies anymore.  It’s a performing arts and education center that includes the Channel 15 television station.  The stage was more than doubled in size, and the theatre was restored back to its 1930s art deco grandeur.  Today, the theatre and it’s used for concerts, movies, dance performances, community events and education. 

This large structure is Harriman’s United States Post Office.  This Beaux Arts brick building with its 4 Ionic columns on its façade was built between 1910 and 1914.  Apparently, former large windows or perhaps additional doors flank the current insignificant entrance from Roane Street to the building.

Harriman is named for Walter Harriman, a governor of New Hampshire.  His son was managing director of the East Tennessee Land Company.  As a Colonel (later General) in the Union Army Walter Harriman had traveled on foot through the area with his 11th New Hampshire Regiment and he’d camped for several days on the Emory River near the future site of the city.  An elderly local resident later told the directors that Harriman had said that the site would be the perfect place for a town.  Based on this conversation the directors chose the name of "Harriman" for their town.

That’s all for now… Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a short historical tour!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Historic Downtown Harriman Tennessee

After cruising through Harriman Tennessee’s expansive and interesting Cornstalk Heights Historic District, my next goal was to locate and photograph 4 historic buildings in the downtown area.  Actually, Laurie took most of the photos…  

Harriman’s Carnegie Library is included in the town’s Roane Street Commercial Historic District…which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. (NRHP) The library was built in 1909 using a grant of $10,000 from Andrew Carnegie of Carnegie/US Steel.  Carnegie was worth about $310 Billion (2007 dollars) and for a time he was the richest man in the world.  He contributed to the building of 1,689 libraries in the USA!  When this facility opened in 1909, over 2,000 people attended the ceremony.  The town’s population was only about 3,000 at the time.

This commercial historic district is centered along Roane Street (US Hwy. 27/TN Hwy 29) in the center of town.  This historic district encompasses 31 historic or ‘contributing’ buildings.  One-third of these buildings were constructed between 1890 and 1895, which includes the period in which Harriman was founded and when the town experienced its fastest growth.  The second period of development for this Historic District took place during a slower period of growth ranging from 1895 to 1939.

This isn’t an attempt to photograph the Harriman Fire Department’s building…although I do love that old “Fire Hall” sign over the garage entrance!   I was trying to capture a photo of the back of that big brick 2 and a half story structure on the other side of the Fire Department.  It’s Harriman’s former City Hall…

The city of Harriman was founded as a Temperance Town in 1889 by temperance movement activists.  Frederick Gates, a New York-born minister and plant manager sought out a land venture that could attract industrial and economic development while avoiding the vice-driven pitfalls of late 19th century company towns.  He and his fellow prohibitionists chartered the East Tennessee Land Company in May 1889.

In subsequent months, the company acquired several hundred thousand acres of land around what is now Harriman, including the plantation of Union Army colonel and state senator, Robert K. Byrd.  The company's early investors included 1888 Prohibition Party presidential candidate General Clinton B. Fisk, who served as the company's first president, Quaker Oats co-founder Ferdinand Schumacher, and publishers Isaac K. Funk and A. W. Wagnalls.

FYI…The temperance heritage was slow to fade away.  There were no liquor stores in Harriman until 1992.

This Richardsonian Romanesque structure with ornamental brickwork, turrets and stonework was built in 1890.  The city hall was originally built as the East Tennessee Land Company's headquarters.  When the Land Company failed the American Temperance University took over the building as its base of operations.  Eventually the city took over the building, finally moving out in 2009.  This imposing structure is now operated as the Harriman Heritage Museum.  Although I found references for this museum as a local attraction, I couldn’t find a link to it…

The initial land auction by the East Tennessee Land Company for Harriman was held in late February 1890.  It was attended by over 4,000 prospective buyers from across the nation.  Several hundred lots were sold netting over $600,000.  The most expensive lots were along Roane Street and in what is now Cornstalk Heights, most of which sold for over $2,000 apiece.  The lots closer to the Emory River typically sold for less than $500 apiece.

The Princess Theatre is also part of the commercial historic district.  This 3-story brick and stucco Art Moderne theatre was built in 1939.  I do have fond memories of going to movies in downtown theaters like this one…standing in line for Davy Crockett for example.  My hometown of Jackson Michigan had at least 2 movie theaters in the 1950s. 

Back in the day, the Princess Theatre was downtown Harriman’s crown jewel, a 900-seat showplace that provided entertainment to movie-goers from Harriman and surrounding areas.  The original Princess Theatre opened in September 1926.  In January 1939, a fire destroyed the building.  That led to the construction of the current Theatre.  The first movie shown in this new theatre was “Fifth Avenue Girl” starring Ginger Rogers.

With varying management the theatre stayed open until 1999.   The Princess Theatre Foundation formed in 2004 to raise money for a rehabilitation project.  Two neighboring buildings have been connected to the theatre for restrooms, dressing rooms, green room, storage and an elevator.  The City of Harriman owns the theatre.  Roane State Community College, with the support of the Princess Theatre Foundation, operates the facility. 

The Princess doesn’t show just movies anymore.  It’s a performing arts and education center that includes the Channel 15 television station.  The stage was more than doubled in size, and the theatre was restored back to its 1930s art deco grandeur.  Today, the theatre and it’s used for concerts, movies, dance performances, community events and education. 

This large structure is Harriman’s United States Post Office.  This Beaux Arts brick building with its 4 Ionic columns on its façade was built between 1910 and 1914.  Apparently, former large windows or perhaps additional doors flank the current insignificant entrance from Roane Street to the building.

Harriman is named for Walter Harriman, a governor of New Hampshire.  His son was managing director of the East Tennessee Land Company.  As a Colonel (later General) in the Union Army Walter Harriman had traveled on foot through the area with his 11th New Hampshire Regiment and he’d camped for several days on the Emory River near the future site of the city.  An elderly local resident later told the directors that Harriman had said that the site would be the perfect place for a town.  Based on this conversation the directors chose the name of "Harriman" for their town.

That’s all for now… Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a short historical tour!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Another Search for Great Pizza in East Tennessee!

Our inability to find really good pizza here in East Tennessee has been one of our few frustrations about living here in ‘paradise’, with its beautiful mountains, lakes, rivers, rocks and trees that define this area. 

Recently, a chain of pizza parlors opened a location in the Knoxville area and despite its distance from our home we went out of our way to give it a try!

If you’re from the Chicago market, you are well aware of Rosati’s and their pizzas.  The Rosati family has been in the restaurant business and specifically the pizza business for many years…5 generations in fact! 

The family has franchised their restaurants and they are expanding across the country.  Currently there are 58 Rosati’s locations in 11 states, with 28 of them being in Illinois.  In addition to Illinois and Tennessee, Rosati’s restaurants can be found in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Nevada, North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin.

Note: If you look closely at the cars that are lined up for delivery service, you may spot the only BMW pizza delivery car that I’ve ever seen! (Back left)

Much to our disappointment, Rosati’s is really a take-out and delivery operation.  There are 4 or 5 small tables inside with an equal number outside if the weather allows.  Other than the sauce for sale, it’s pretty much a bare bones operation…

We ordered separately as we wanted to try a couple of different items on the menu… Laurie went for the 14” thin crust pizza with Italian Sausage and Pepperoni. ($19.00) She knew that it would be big enough for me to try a piece or two and that she’d still be able to take some home for lunch the following day.

The pizza was very, very good!  The crust was crisp but not burnt, the tomato sauce wasn’t too sweet and there wasn’t too much of it.  The cheese, sausage and pepperoni were all top notch and distinctive, i.e. you could taste them separately.  Another plus was that Laurie grew up with square cut pizza…easier to eat…and this pizza fit her image of what a pizza should look like.

Now for the downside… Even though we were ‘dining in’, the pizza was delivered to us in a closed pizza box.  On the tiny table, just opening the box and trying to remove pieces of pizza to eat was a major challenge!  Without some type of serving tool, we struggled to serve ourselves with plastic ‘silverware’ and flimsy paper plates.

Sorry for the mess!  I’d started working over my Crosstown Classic Combo ($8.00) before I remembered to take a photo.  This Chicago standard offering comes with an Italian sausage link and Italian beef on French bread.  I should have ordered hot peppers (50 cents) to go with it but it didn’t occur to me until after I started eating.

To say that this was messy to eat is an understatement…but I expected that as it is standard with this sandwich.  The sausage was very good but the Italian beef lacked any real flavor and it was a bit drier than I was used to in Chicago.  It was huge sandwich!

The menu at Rosati’s also includes appetizers, wings, salads, calzone, and a number of pasta dishes, several other sandwiches and dessert.  In addition to thin crust pizza, they also offer Double Dough, Gluten Free Crust, Stuffed and Chicago Deep Dish Pizzas.  Despite the difficulty of ‘eating in’ at Rosati’s, their thin crust pizza is now our mutually agreed on “best pizza” in the Knoxville metropolitan area!  Of course, everyone has their own opinion about pizza...

Rosati’s in Knoxville Tennessee is located at 234 Brookview Centre Way, #109.  Phone: 865-602-2211.  Now if they just had a location in Farragut we’d be close enough to take one to go so we could eat in the comfort of our home.  Website: http://www.rosatispizza.com/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by and participating in our continuing search for great pizza!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Harrison TN – Residential Historic District

Our exploration of Roane County Tennessee’s historic sites led us to Harriman and its Cornstalk Heights Historic District.  This is a huge historic site, encompassing several streets and 134 ‘contributing’ or historic structures!  Needless to say, we only photographed a handful for this posting...

This expansive residential district was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in December of 1990.

I can’t identify this handsome home in my notes or on the listing at the National Register of Historic Places. (NRHP) The sign in front of the home doesn’t show a house number but it does state Davis-LeDuc 1908.

Historically, this Queen Anne style home is named Bushrod Hall.  It was built in 1892 by a lumber mill owner.  Then in 1895, the American Temperance University bought it for its school of Domestic Sciences for Young Ladies.

The American Temperance University opened in 1893 in Harriman.  In its second year of operation the institution enrolled 345 students from 20 states. However, it closed in 1908.  Bushrod Hall was named for Bushrod Washington James, A.M., M.D. (1836–1903) He was an American surgeon, homeopathist, writer and philanthropist who lived in Philadelphia PA.  He donated this house to the University.

Too bad that they had to cut down this big tree in front of this historic home at 514 Cumberland Street.  It did make the home easier to photograph.  The Cassell-D'Alessandro House (aka. Monte Vista) is a 2 and 1 half story Colonial Revival home that was built ca. 1890. 

From Dawn Marie’s notes, I surmise that this is the Edwards-Foster House at 509 Cumberland Street.  This Queen Anne style home was built ca. 1890 and the property also lists a one-story shiplap frame building that served as servant’s quarters.   

This is the W.H. Russell House at 525 Cumberland Street.  Laurie didn’t want me to take this photo… not all old homes are attractive after years of ‘improvements’ or remodeling.  This Eastlake style house was built in 1890.  It was the first house built on Cumberland Street and its original owner was the President of the East Tennessee Land Company.

This terrific looking Colonial Revival style home is located at 621 Cumberland Street.  The Haven House, aka. W.H. Julian House in the NRHP listing was built ca. 1890 or 1892, depending on whether the sign in front is correct or the listing is correct.  Many signs in the area differ from the original listings.  The property also features a carriage house that was built in 1895.

This large and lovely home is on a big lot at 629 Cumberland Street.  The Williamson-Jones House (aka. Lane House) is a Folk Victorian home that was built in 1893.    

Go Vols!  Obviously, the Hopkins-Sutton-Coleman House at 725 Cumberland Street is currently occupied by some University of Tennessee Volunteers fans.  This Folk Victorian home was built ca. 1890 as a Presbyterian Manse.  Among other more encompassing definitions, a 'manse' is defined as a 'house occupied by a minister of a Presbyterian church'.

Although this home has a sign out front that reads Nottingham-Webb House with a date of 1890, I couldn’t find it listed as part of the historic district… As matter of fact, there weren’t any homes in the listing that have an address that begins with 412.

With the glare from the sun, this isn’t the best photo but the history of this home dictates that I include it in this posting… The Winslow House at 802 Clinton Street is a Queen Anne style home that was built in 1895 by Henry Winslow, the Harriman Land Company Manager.  Henry’s son, John lived in the house until the 1970’s…but he lived in just one room!  He left the rest of the house as it was on the day his mother died and numerous ghost stories are attached to this property.  BOO!

The size of this district and the quality of most of the homes was a bit overwhelming.  To learn more about the Cornstalk Heights Historic District you can go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornstalk_Heights.  The other source is the NRHP where every property should be listed and described.  Go to http://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp/GetAsset?assetID=0021400f-c0e3-4af2-a812-e50bfe0d4d9b.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a tour!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Chili’s Grill and Bar – Lenoir City Tennessee

We’d been out and about running errands and it was time for lunch.  We were in Lenoir City and we’ve been around here long enough that there just aren’t very many places…other than fast food…where we hadn’t eaten.  We were driving along US Hwy. 321 toward I-75 when I decided on our destination.

This is the Chili’s in Lenoir City.  Now some might ask, if you’ve lived around these parts for a number of years, why haven’t you visited Chili’s before?  It is a fair question… After all, it’s been there longer than we’ve lived in the area.

The problem was my memory of a couple of previous Chili’s experiences from many years ago.  In general, ‘southwestern’ cuisine isn’t my favorite and I had an image frozen in my mind of everything being cooked with bell peppers!  I don’t like the smell, much less the flavor, of cooked sweet or bell peppers. (No problem with jalapenos though!) Since so many years had passed, I decided that the menu had to have changed and I should be able to find something I’d like to eat.   

The inside of Chili’s was clean, bright and shiny…with a big bar and lots of television screens. 

Chili's Grill and Bar is a casual dining restaurant chain that features Tex-Mex-style cuisine.  The company was founded in Texas in 1975.  Chili’s is currently owned and operated by Brinker International.  The brand and the company have been pretty successful.  They have company owned and franchised restaurant operations in at least 34 different countries… As of 2015, there were 1,580 Chili’s locations worldwide!

As it turned out, this photo illustrates one of my 2 gripes with our dining experience.  I asked for coffee never suspecting in a sit-down waiter service style restaurant that my coffee would come in a Styrofoam cup…

With visions of sizzling green peppers in my mind and my nose on the alert for this odor, I took a look at the menu.

The first pleasant surprise was the depth and variety just on the Appetizer menu.  From wings to southwestern ‘egg rolls’ to varieties of flatbread and fried pickles, there was a wide variety of items that sounded good even with my limited palate.

We decided to order and share an order of Fried Asparagus. ($6.49) The asparagus was lightly battered and quick-fried.  Then it’s topped with crumbled queso fresco, chopped cilantro and a drizzle of chimichurri sauce.  It was served with roasted garlic aioli on the side.

The asparagus was cooked perfectly with even the thicker ends being firm but tender.  Laurie and I agreed that this was the best fried asparagus that we’ve ever eaten!

Laurie decided to order what she thought was a lighter lunch so she ordered the Loaded Baked Potato Soup as an accompaniment.  The soup was topped with Applewood smoked bacon, fresh chopped green onions and a 3-cheese blend.  She really liked her soup!

For the other part of her “Lunch Combo”, she ordered the Smoked Chicken Quesadillas. (Combo Lunch cost = $7.00) Her quesadillas/flour tortillas were stuffed with smoked chicken, Monterey Jack cheese, sautéed red and green bell peppers, caramelized onions and jalapeño aioli sauce.  This was another winner…and she said that she’d order this meal again!

For my lunch I ordered the Prime Rib Tacos. ($10.99) The 3 tacos were filled with pieces of prime rib over Jack cheese, then topped with chimichurri sauce, house-made pico de gallo, sliced avocado, chopped cilantro and queso fresco. (I don’t care for avocado either so I had that left out of my tacos) For my sides, I had the citrus-chile rice and black beans. 

There was nothing about my lunch that I didn’t like!  The beef was tasty and tender with everything else in my tacos working together in harmony.  I liked both the beans and rice too…and mixed them together.

An order of seasoned French Fries either came with Laurie’s lunch or the kitchen made a mistake.  This nice container of fresh and flavorful fries was delivered to our table…a bit late in the meal. We still managed to eat about half of them and they were good!

Our waiter, Gage, was very helpful and personable… Laurie said something to him about trying out for a role in a ‘Magic Mike’ movie and he happily posed for this photo.

My only other complaint is more of a warning… Do not touch one of those little machines on your table!  They are not for ordering…they are for playing games.  Once I figured that out, I put it down asap.  However, a second caution, always examine your bill.  As I wrote this posting I finally took a close look at my bill and noted a $1.99 charge for ‘table entertainment’.  Heck, I just touched the dang thing and played with a couple of the buttons... 

My minor gripes aside, we really liked our dining experience at Chili’s and this very large restaurant chain is back on my ‘positive’ list!  The Chili’s Grill and Bar in Lenoir City Tennessee is at 320 Fort Loudon Medical Center.  Phone: 865-988-4061.  Company website: www.chilis.com.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for lunch!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave