Revisiting Z Fish House in Loudon Tennessee

It had been a while since we’d dined at Z Fish House in Loudon Tennessee.  However in recent weeks we noted a number of positive reports pertaining to this restaurant… The feedback was upbeat as related to the food, an expanded menu and the décor.

So, off we went!

Both the sign over the door and the colorful chairs out front were additions since the last time we visited Z Fish House.

The interior had been painted and a waiting area with tropical style furniture had been added.  There were a number of daily specials listed on the menu board near the entrance.

While one might not expect fresh seafood in a small town restaurant in East Tennessee that is exactly what Z Fish House offers.  A sampling of the daily specials included: Live Lobster (mkt. price); an Ahi Tuna Appetizer ($14.00); Shrimp and Grits ($16.00), and; Fried Scallops ($16.00) 

The fresh paint and wall décor did significantly freshen up the dining area.  Before the improvements, it tended to be too bright and a little depressing.

One of the specials list on the menu board was Lobster Bisque.  Since Laurie will ‘kill’ for lobster, she had to have a cup of bisque. ($6.00)  A bowl of this luscious soup…yes, she did give me a taste…was only $2.00 more but she wanted to make sure that she could finish her entrée… This was an excellent start.

Z Fish House also has Conch Chowder and New England style clam chowder on the menu. ($4.00 cup/$6.00 bowl) A Mini Crabcake entrée salad was available for $12.00. 

I decided to order Fried Calamari for my starter. ($10.00) Laurie tried it too.  The calamari was tender and tasty but I would have preferred a little more spice in the batter.  The order was quite generous in comparison to other recent orders of calamari that we’ve had…

FYI…Hurricane Irma was bearing down on Key West while we were having dinner.  Z Fish House’s owner/chef had worked down there for many years before his wife dragged him north.  They were worried about their friends back in the Keys as well as their supply of fresh fish following the storm.  His wife told us that their conch supply hadn’t fully recovered from the last storm in the Bahamas.  

There is a land based menu section, but this is a seafood restaurant.  In addition to the daily specials and our entrees shown below, seafood options include Catfish, Clams, Jumbo Shrimp, Mahi Mahi, Grouper, Rainbow Trout and Salmon along with crabcakes.

  

I am not an oyster lover…but Laurie is!  We were both impressed by this heaping Oyster Po’ Boy dinner. ($15.00) There was a huge amount of plump fresh tasting fried oysters heaped on the bun… I was stunned to watch Laurie manage to eat the whole thing…minus about half the bun.  She said that it was excellent!  For her sides, she’d selected the coleslaw and the mini cornmeal muffins and she liked them both.

I deviated from my normal Fried Catfish Dinner, instead opting for a Blackened Tuna Steak with black beans and the mini cornmeal muffins. ($16.00) For the price, this was a huge hunk of fresh tuna…and it was cooked perfectly!  I was very happy with my dinner… FYI, those mini cornmeal muffins are a great addition to the menu, providing diners with an option to the ubiquitous hushpuppies.

We both gave our meals at Z Fish House 2 Thumbs Up!  We recommend this restaurant to anyone who has struggled to find high quality fresh seafood on the menu here in East Tennessee.  Z Fish House is located at 846 Mulberry Street (US Hwy. 11) in Loudon Tennessee.  Phone: 865-67-6200.  They are on Facebook with a complete menu at https://www.facebook.com/ZFishHouse/.   

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by to see what we had for dinner!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave