Dinner in Maryville Tennessee

Just before Christmas, with Dawn Marie in town, our friends Linda and Norm asked us if we’d like to go out for dinner.  We readily agreed and they asked us where we wanted to dine…

We chose Sullivan’s in downtown Maryville Tennessee.  It had been several years since we’d eaten there and my memories about this restaurant were fuzzy at best.  I think that I had the impression that the portions were a little small but I wasn’t even sure about that.  Time to try it again!

The interior of Sullivan’s has a warm and upscale feeling…with lots of wood and brick.  The dining areas are on different levels, including a balcony, and/or they are separated a bit from each other.

 

The full name of Sullivan’s is Sullivan’s Fine Food.  They have another location in Knoxville.  Both restaurants are open for lunch and dinner daily.

Laurie decided to start out with this bowl of Almond Chicken soup. ($5.50) She really liked it.  The almond slivers added a bit of contrasting crunch to this creamy soup.  The only negative was that she would have liked it even better if it had been hotter.  I ‘helped’ her finish it…adding my usual Tabasco after first tasting this luscious bowl of soup.  I could eat this for lunch once a week.  It’s one of Linda’s favorites! 

Norm went for the Shrimp Tacos. ($10.00) He’d had this dish before and he liked it.  The crispy shrimp are served on soft flour tortillas with chimi churri, pico de gallo and hot lime aioli.  His side, another of his favorites, was the baked creamed spinach.

Dawn Marie ordered the Lemon Chicken. ($13.00) The marinated chicken breast was grilled and served over lime cilantro rice.  For her side dish, she ordered the Jalapeno Cheese Grits.  She said that the chicken and rice were OK.  However, she travels extensively for work and she loves grits.  She’s eaten them all over the USA.  This version was not creamy and it wasn’t very flavorful either.  She gave the grits 2 thumbs down and after I tasted them, I concurred with her opinion…

Both Laurie and Linda ordered the 8 oz. Center Cut Certified Angus Sirloin Steak. ($18.00) It was served over Boursin mashed potatoes with a reduction and topped with onions.  For her side, Laurie went for the Jalapeno Cheese Grits.

The steak was tender and had good flavor.  However, while both Laurie and Linda had ordered their steaks medium rare, Linda’s was cooked correctly but Laurie’s was actually rare. (Dawn, who loves her beef rare…still kicking…confirmed this fact) I had a couple of bites of her steak and it was too rare for me too. (We could have sent it back for a little more time on the grill but opted not to) Laurie didn’t care for the grits at all.

I ordered the Randazzo Pasta. ($17.00) This dish consisted of penne pasta in a garlic parmesan Alfredo sauce with sun dried tomato pesto.  I had a choice of fried or Cajun chicken and I chose the Cajun version.  For my side I ordered steamed broccoli and carrots.

Unless I’m missing something, I didn’t see any sign of the sun dried tomato pesto... Also, I thought that the portion of Cajun chicken was a bit skimpy.  The garlic parmesan Alfredo sauce was very nice although I personally would prefer more emphasis on the garlic.  The pasta was properly cooked and I did enjoy my entrée.  I eat a lot of steamed broccoli and this was more bland and tasteless than any I’ve had in recent years. 

Sullivan’s Fine Food in Maryville offers a nice atmosphere.  Service was alright but in my opinion so was the food…OK…but with the exception of the soup, it was nothing to write home about.  In fairness, Linda and Norm like Sullivan’s and they have dined there several times in the last couple of years.

Sullivan’s Fine Food in Maryville Tennessee is located at 121 West Broadway.  Phone: 865-681-3334.  Their website can be found at: http://sullivansfinefood.com/index.php.  

After dinner we drove back to Linda and Norm’s home for adult beverages or coffee and tres leches cake.  It was time to admire their tree, visit and tell stories, pet their cats Morris and Molly and enjoy the Christmas Season together.  It was a very nice evening!

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by to see what we’ve been up to!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave