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
Having sea food at least 2x/ week, friend David ... mostly freshly caught ... Excellent post and pics, thank you ... smiles and meouws ... Love, cat.
ReplyDeleteThe ambiance looks warms and friendly, dear friend, and the Lobster bisque...I have never tried it, but it looks fabulous!
ReplyDeleteSounds like we need to get back down there - I enjoyed our first visit.
ReplyDelete