Dining Out with the Family…

When our son and his family came down from Omaha to visit us, we went to a movie, the space movie “Passengers” and after that we had dinner out. 

(FYI…The adults did enjoy the movie…the grandsons not so much)

Laurie and I had visited the Chili’s in Lenoir City Tennessee about 10 weeks earlier and we had enjoyed our experience.  As it turned out, our grandsons David III and Emmett Lee both like Chili’s.  Even better, it was on the way home from the movie theater…

Laurie and l love Chili’s version of fried asparagus.  Their “Crispy Asparagus” is lightly battered and quick-fried.  Then it’s topped with crumbled queso fresco, chopped cilantro and a drizzle of chimichurri sauce.  It’s served with roasted garlic aioli on the side.  Fortunately for Laurie and me, no one else particularly likes asparagus so it was all ours! 

I will say that it’s all about the roasted garlic aioli.  That dipping sauce puts the fried asparagus over the top.  The only problem is that we always have to ask for more aioli…which I like on just about everything!

David II ordered a couple of helpings of the Crispy Cheddar Bites.  These lightly battered and fried white and yellow Wisconsin cheese curds are topped with a sprinkle of Cajun spice and chopped cilantro.  They are served with house-made ancho-chile ranch for dipping.

Laurie and I have eaten a lot of Wisconsin cheese curds, fried or otherwise.  This version didn’t have much flavor and we certainly couldn’t taste any Cajun spice.  The dipping sauce helped them a little… 

For a second appetizer David II ordered the basic Chips and Salsa.  These extra-thin corn tostada chips are made daily at Chili’s and they’re served with their fresh salsa.  They were good if not particularly remarkable.

David II ordered the Smokehouse Combo for his entrée!  He had a choice of 2 meats…smoked bone-In BBQ chicken breast, jalapeño-cheddar smoked sausage, hand-battered chicken ‘crispers’ or a half rack of house-smoked baby back ribs (for an additional $2.00).

He chose the sausage and the chicken ‘crispers’.  As you can see, this combo platter was served with roasted street corn, home-style fries, chile-garlic toast and house-made garlic dill pickles.  There was plenty of food and he seemed to enjoy his dinner.

Emmett Lee blew everyone’s mind!  His 13 year old palate is currently limited to fresh fruit, hamburgers, French fries, plain buttered pasta, macaroni and cheese and hot dogs.

He faked us out, ordering the Cajun Chicken Pasta minus the normal extra topping of chopped green onions.  He had the Alfredo sauce on the side "just in case" but he ended up bathing the penne pasta with it.  The pasta was already topped with grated parmesan and diced tomatoes and its served with a piece of garlic toast.  Then he added the Cajun grilled chicken breast!

He ate about half of it…excellent for him.  It smelled so good that I wished that I’d ordered it!

Amy limited herself to a bowl of the Chicken Enchilada Soup.  This hearty soup contains marinated shredded chicken and it’s topped with crispy tortilla strips and cheese.   This wasn’t the first time she’d ordered this soup so she obviously likes it…

Laurie loves quesadillas!  So she decided to order the Beef Bacon Ranch Quesadillas.  These flour tortillas are filled with beef or chicken, (she chose chicken), as well as a 3-cheese blend, chile spices and Applewood smoked bacon.  They are served with house-made pico de gallo, sour cream and ancho-chile ranch dressing.

She enjoyed her quesadillas and she gave a couple of them to me and one to Amy as well.  I liked them too, especially after dipping them in the ancho-chile ranch dressing.

David III stuck with a basic Classic Bacon Burger and French fries.  The burger was topped with Applewood smoked bacon, melted sharp cheddar cheese, house-made garlic dill pickles, fresh leaf lettuce, tomato, sliced red onions and Chili's Signature sauce.  He loves burgers and at 16 years of age, he devoured his dinner in a hurry…

The photo of my dinner was of too poor a quality to publish and perhaps that is appropriate!  I like a good burrito so I ordered the Smothered Prime Rib Burrito.  The prime rib was mixed with citrus-chile rice wrapped in a warm flour tortilla then smothered with ancho-chile sauce, sour cream sauce and melted cheese.  It was then topped with corn and black bean salsa and chopped cilantro.

 

Sorry, but I didn’t like the Smothered Prime Rib Burrito creation at all!  Three of our local Mexican restaurants serve better beef burritos with a lot more flavor.  I wouldn’t recommend this entrée to anyone…

The best part about this meal was that David II paid for it!!  Yea!!  Chili’s in Lenoir City is located just off US Hwy. 321 at 320 Fort Loudon Medical Center Drive.  Phone: 865-988-4061.  Website: https://www.chilis.com/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave