Finally…Out for Dinner with Friends!

While we have ‘socialized’ with ‘corona virus cautious’ friends, maintaining social distancing in the process, up until the other day, all these ‘events’ had taken place on roomy screened porches or patios.  But, just a few days ago we jumped out there…actually going out to dinner at a restaurant with another cautious couple, friends Norm and Linda.

We’d chosen Corner 16 for a couple of reasons.  The first one was that the last time we dined here, we did enjoy the experience.  Secondly, and of equal importance in the current Covid-19 environment, is that it is a large space with room to spread out… The patio area is huge with tables scattered far apart.

The same distancing factor is carried through in the inside dining area.  There is plenty of room between tables…good for social distancing!  Staff members, including our waitress, all were wearing face masks…

The exception to social distancing at Corner 16 was the bar area.  Tennessee is pretty much wide open now, so there aren’t any social distancing requirements…and by the time we finished dinner, customers were stacked up shoulder to shoulder at the bar. (The big question is, will another wave of infections follow?  Time will tell!)

Linda and Norm decided that they’d go for an order of Fried Onion Rings as their appetizer. ($3.75) They’d had them before and they knew that they liked Corner 16’s version of this popular side dish.

Laurie and I went ‘big’ for our first dining out experience in the Covid-19 era.  We ordered these Bacon Wrapped Brisket Burnt Ends. ($12.50) They were served with Tennessee Whiskey Barbeque Sauce and they were excellent!

Our dining compatriots went modest on us, both of them ordering a Wedge Salad for their entrée. ($6.00) As one would expect, their salads consisted of iceberg lettuce, blue cheese crumbles, tomato, bacon bits and, in this case, blue cheese dressing.  Of course, this wasn’t their first foray into the ‘new world’ of corona virus dining.

Laurie decided to order the Grilled Salmon. ($17.50) It was topped with Mornay sauce and then served over a brown rice and quinoa blend.  Laurie chose the sautéed burgundy mushrooms as her side.

She thought that the salmon was very nice and her mushrooms were excellent.  I ate a piece of the salmon and it was a bit bland for me…but it was cooked perfectly.

When I saw the Rocky Top Hot Brown on the menu, my entrée was an easy decision. ($11.00) This creation starts with grilled Challah bread that is topped with sliced roasted turkey, thick sliced house bacon, Mornay sauce, a fried egg and tomato.

Well, it sounded great… However, although there was plenty of turkey on the sandwich, it was a bit dry and there wasn’t enough Mornay sauce to help out this open face sandwich.  Even the runny egg yolk didn't provide enough moisture.  This entree needed a bit of help...

We also learned that we’ll need to begin carrying Tabasco sauce with us when we go out...as condiments, including salt and pepper, weren’t on the table.  It was another safety measure, I’m sure.  Our waitress did bring me a little dish of Tabasco but it’s hard to just sprinkle some on your food from a dish. 

 

Our waitress was pleasant and personable, but its set up with other staff members bring the food and drinks.  That led to uneven service as a request to one person can be lost by the others who are taking care of your party.  The restaurant was quite busy by the time we finished and the carry-out orders business was significant.  

Corner 16 is located at 1640 Bob Kirby Road in Knoxville Tennessee.  Phone: 865-801-9191.  Their website is at https://corner16.com/.

Following our dining adventure, we returned to Norm and Linda’s home.  We sat out on the deck and enjoyed an adult beverage followed by ginger cake topped with whipped cream.  Nice! 

Both Norm and his neighbor are into gardening, so Laurie took these photos of a portion of the neighbor's yard as well as some of Norm's handiwork.  He also has a vegetable garden but she couldn’t see it from the deck.  As you can see their home backs up to a nice green fairway on a golf course.

We particularly like this view from the front of their deck.  The hills, homes and trees all highlighted by the evening light…very peaceful!

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Stay Safe and Take Care, Big Daddy Dave