Classico Restaurant in Tellico Village – A Split Personality!

Laurie and I love breakfast and we love good Italian food too.  Both are rather hard to come by here in East Tennessee although we have recently found a couple of good places for a nice breakfast.

The other dining out ‘factor’ is convenience… We don’t live in a city so any restaurant within a few miles of our home that serves reasonably priced food that offer decent quality food is always welcome!

Why would I refer to a restaurant as having a split personality?  The answer is that Classico Italian Restaurant in Loudon Tennessee (Tellico Village) is called Mama’s Grits at Breakfast and it comes complete with a Mama’s Grits menu.  Starting at 11 AM, Mama’s Grits reverts to the name over the door of the restaurant…Classico Italian Pizza and Pasta aka Classico Restaurant in Tellico Village.

As I reported in my blog posting on 11/25/16, Mama’s Grits has turned out to be one of those highly sought after breakfast experiences.  Check it out at http://bigdaddydavesbitsandpieces.blogspot.com/2016/11/mamas-grits-for-breakfast.html.

So a short time after experiencing a quality breakfast at a very reasonable price, we decided to try the other side of this restaurant…aka. the “Classico Italian” portion of the business.  The owners operate both ends of this business.

First we were there for dinner.  Our pleasant and helpful waitress started us out with a basket of parmesan garlic bread sticks.  On the menu they’re referred to as bread knots but in any case, they were warm and quite tasty.

We had ordered some garlic cheese bread before the bread sticks were brought to our table.  This appetizer was OK although we both thought that the application of mozzarella cheese was a bit skimpy.  Also, perhaps due to the retirement community in Tellico Village, the use of garlic was far too light for our taste.

Both of our meals came with side salads.  While they were nothing special, they were fresh and fit our needs…

Laurie ordered the Pasta Carbonara.  It was a nice portion and she took some home.  She would have liked a creamier sauce.  I tasted it and liked it just fine but I did note that the ham in the dish appeared to be deli slices.  No harm no foul as it didn’t negatively impact the entrée.  

For my entrée I also went for an Alfredo based pasta offering.  This was my Chicken Alfredo…basically thin slices of breaded fried chicken breast with the pasta and sauce.  I thought it was just fine, certainly not a gourmet dish but plentiful and very satisfying.

A few days later, we went back to Classico with 2 other couples for lunch.  One member of the group had the Baked Spaghetti.  It was accompanied by garlic bread. ($7.00) She had it previously and it was a ‘go to’ dish for her as well as another member of our group. 

Another diner in our group ordered this Strawberry, Spinach and Chicken Salad with chunks of blue cheese and served with a sweet vinaigrette dressing. ($10.00) Apparently this is one of her favorite meals at Classico. 

Laurie ordered the Chicken Caesar Wrap. ($8.00) This tomato basil wrap is stuffed with creamy garlic chicken with Caesar salad and dressing along with a side of French fries.  She enjoyed her lunch but a little more garlic would have improved the wrap. 

I decided to go really basic and check out the Spaghetti and Meatballs. ($7.00) The marinara sauce wasn’t too sweet and the meatballs were just fine.  It was a nice dish but for my taste, it was a bit mild as it lacked that real pop of Italian spices.  Again, I suspect that they are cooking for their core customers.  With the exception of Laurie and I, everyone at the table said that they can’t handle or don’t like spicy food.

In summary, the owners and staff for Classico at Tellico Village are cheerful and helpful.  Service has been very good each time we’ve visited this restaurant.  The Italian food is competent, reasonably priced and as good as it gets in Loudon County Tennessee.  With about 8,000 residents living in Tellico Village alone and given the convenience of this restaurant, it should be in operation for many years to come.

Classico Restaurant in Tellico Village, aka Mama’s Grits is located at 206B Village Square across from the Chota Center at the stoplight at the corner of TN Hwy. 444 and Chota Road.  Phone: 865-657-6300.  It appears that this restaurant’s website is still under development and it’s easy to get confused as regards which website is which due to the previous Classico Pizza and Pasta Restaurant that was located nearby for a few years.  Nevertheless, the current website can be found at http://mamasgrits.homeip.net/Classico/.  

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave