Dinner in the “Mountains”

Don’t you just love that mountain lodge woodsy feeling…logs walls, all comfy and cozy with lumberjacks (or lumberjills), mounted critters, chairs that look like the bark has been left on them, racks of deer horns and antler chandeliers? 

Well so do we!  It had been at least 2 years since we’d eaten in this particular Knoxville establishment and we were in the neighborhood, so we decided give it another try…

This is Twin Peaks, a chain of sports bars and restaurants that’s based in Dallas Texas.  Twin Peaks restaurants are meant to project the theme of a wilderness lodge.  They serve American, Southwest and Southern foods plus of course, alcohol.  There are more than 85 Twin Peaks locations in the USA.  Their slogan is “Eats. Drinks. Scenic Views”.

These are a couple of the scenic views that Twin Peaks is known for. (Photo taken from the Company website) There is no doubt that this is a guy’s sports bar.  The company uses the following phrase to promote the business: “Experience the Mantality!” In our opinion, this is Hooters with a broader and more creative menu, larger and more upscale surroundings, TVs, and the servers wear stylistically different yet moderately skimpy outfits…

This is a look back at the entry area of the restaurant.  As the company states, “When someone steps inside a Twin Peaks, they’re immediately transported to an environment reminiscent of a comfortable cabin in the mountains.  Even a first time guest will feel the familiar warmth a lumberjack would expect walking into their local lodge.”

I don’t know about that comfortable cabin in the mountains feeling…or if this is what we’d feel like walking into a local lodge, but there isn’t any doubt about Twin Peaks being a full-fledged sports bar.  This is a big restaurant and there are TV’s everywhere!  As you can see from the photos, this is place favored by the male species…

On to the food!

We decided that we ‘had’ to repeat one of the appetizers we’d ordered during our first visit to Twin Peaks…the Billionaire’s Bacon. ($4.99) While it was good, for some reason it just didn’t knock our socks off like it did previously.  The first time it was served in a cone but that change didn’t impact the ‘wow’ factor.  Perhaps a slight change in spices used or a different source for the bacon..?

Laurie wasn’t planning on eating a full-fledged entrée, and she loves Fried Pickle Chips so our next choice was obvious. ($6.79) They were very tasty and they hit the spot.

For her main course after the appetizers, Laurie opted for a Bowl of the Bacon and Potato Soup. ($4.29) She liked the soup but for the price, she thought that it was a pretty skimpy serving.

Our attractive and attentive waitress tried her best to provide quality service but it seemed that she (and the other waitresses) were thwarted by a malfunctioning kitchen.  Orders for the same tables arrived willy-nilly…instead of simultaneously.  The restaurant wasn’t packed but the kitchen was far too slow and uncoordinated.

 

By way of example, our waitress brought my sandwich out without this side of Grilled Asparagus. ($1.00 up charge) She told us that they were still working on the asparagus but she wanted me to have my sandwich while it was still hot.  I did appreciate her thoughtfulness.

FYI…when I did get it, the asparagus was terrible.  I might as well have taken to gnawing on small fibrous branches.

Sorry for the poor photo... For my entrée I ordered the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich. ($10.49) It consisted of a crispy fried chicken breast, Nashville hot sauce, Napa slaw, jalapeno honey vinaigrette, ranch crema and pickles.  It was an excellent creation!

Question: What happened to the Buttermilk Chicken Sliders that used to be on the menu?  They were fabulous!

Looking at our overall Twin Peaks dining experience, at best it was pretty much average…down a notch from our previous visit.  The chicken sandwich offset the asparagus but the kitchen’s missteps came close to dropping our opinion by two notches.

The Twin Peaks Restaurant (Sports Bar) in Knoxville is located at 135 North Northshore Drive.  Phone: 865-622-5730.  The company’s website and the menu can be found at https://twinpeaksrestaurant.com/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave