Farmacy #2 – Return Visit

When Laurie’s sister Bonnie and her husband Bill paid a visit to us, there was one restaurant that we really wanted to take them to…and that was the “Farmacy” on South Northshore Drive in Knoxville.  Laurie and I had recently enjoyed a meal here and since her sister and husband like to try different and innovative combinations and presentations.  

Farmacy would be easy to miss just driving by… Its entrance and presence in the middle of a strip shopping center is understated to say the least. 

Once inside, Bonnie and Bill were surprised to see that patrons have to order at the counter and pay in advance.  The restaurant’s staff brings the food out to you when it’s ready.

The restaurant is quite small…long and narrow with seating side by side along the wall all the way to the back. (Not my favorite type of seating) It is a little dark as you move toward the rear of the dining area but some live plants and little lights brighten up the area a bit.

Despite the seating, in the end it’s all about the food isn’t it!?

Once again Laurie and I ‘had’ to order “The Stack” as an appetizer.  The first photo shows the full order…four fried green tomato slices stacked with artichoke pesto, marinara, goat cheese and fresh basil. ($7.95) Laurie also took a picture of her individual serving.  Bonnie thought she would have liked it better without the tomato sauce…but the rest of us were very happy!

I should have known better as French Fries aren’t a positive for my health…but what the heck!  This humongous ‘Starter’ is the Farmacy’s “Black and Blue Fries”. ($7.95) Hand cut fries are drenched in Nashville hot chicken sauce, homemade buttermilk and then blue cheese crumbles, chives and candied bacon are mixed in.

We couldn’t believe the portion!  It was huge and a little too spicy for Bonnie.  They were very nice but very rich as well as spicy to the taste.  They managed to combine sweet and savory in this offering… The candied bacon was a special plus!

For my entrée, I ordered the Pepper Crusted Beef Brisket… It was slow cooked and fork tender and served over some nice smashed red potatoes and accompanied by a side of tomato jam. ($15.95)

The brisket was very good and I also liked the tomato jam.  As for the smashed red potatoes, I took some of the spicy goodness from those Black and Blue Fries and mixed the two together.  Yum!

To my surprise, Bill ordered the “Farmacy Burger” for his main dish. ($16.95) Locally raised beef was grilled and blackened and served on a grilled ciabatta roll.  It was layered with smoky pimento cheese, bacon, arugula and tobacco onion straws.  It was accompanied by a side of Fried Green Tomatoes with Buttermilk Dressing and a huge order of nice hand cut fries.

He really liked his burger and the layers of flavor worked very well together.  The sides were very nice too…but Farmacy could increase its margin a touch by serving about 75% of this side of French fries.

Bill also ordered a special side…fried Okra.  I didn’t get the price… In any case, he didn’t think that the okra had much flavor and would skip it the next time.

My wife Laurie decided to forgo the amazing “Good Ole Boy” French dip sandwich she had on our last visit, and instead opted for the “Maple-Pecan Salmon”. ($15.50) You can get the salmon ‘naked’ if you want but Laurie loved it with that maple-pecan glaze.  Her side were some tasty browned butter green beans.  She gave me a taste of her salmon and I concurred with her high praise of this entrée…

Bonnie looked over the ‘Tacos’ portion of the menu.  She thought about shrimp, brisket, salmon and chicken versions…but settled on the Pork Tacos.  I didn’t get the price, but it was buy one get one free!  Normally it is $10.50 for 2 of these tacos.

 

The Pork Tacos are made with cumin rubbed local pork, BBQ sauce, arugula, corn, black beans, sour cream, jalapeno, local white cheddar cheese and cured red onions.  Bonnie repeatedly said that they were the best tacos she ever had anywhere!  She was unable to finish one of them and despite the fact that it got soggy sitting in our refrigerator for 2 days (and I took the onions off), it had a great combination of flavors…popping my taste buds…

So…everyone was quite happy with their dinners!  Tyler, a member of the staff who waited on us the last time, remembered us and once again proved very helpful.  Despite the seating, this restaurant is a hidden gem in our opinion!

We’ll have to return again on a Saturday or Sunday just for brunch.  It begins at 10 AM and the menu is extremely appealing.  Farmacy is located at 9430 South Northshore Drive in Knoxville Tennessee.  Rumor has it that another area location is in the works… Phone: 865-247-4678.  Website: https://knoxfarmacy.com/about/.

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