Flora, Food and Fauna

Time for a break from our late summer Michigan road trip.  This time it’s all about our neighborhood and a couple of local restaurants.

But first, we want to thank all of those who have served in our military services in defense of our freedom and way of life.  God Bless our veterans and all those who currently serve in our Armed Forces.  God Bless America!

This is our late fall, winter and early spring time view of Tellico Lake from our deck…hence the homes original real estate listing when we bought it. “Seasonal lake view”.  No complaints from us, that’s for sure.

Laurie took this photo from the hill about a block or block and a half from our house.  The reflections on the lake, that house on the point, those trees sporting the bright yellow leaves…definitely hard to beat with the Smokey Mountains framing the photo!

Now for a bit of food…

I’d been seeing and hearing ads for Craven Wings for a few months before we finally decided to try this newer dining spot.  I suspect that Craven Wings is planning to expand…perhaps through franchisees but time will tell.  Currently, this casual dining operation has 3 locations in the area around Knoxville Tennessee.  This location is on Northshore Drive in the city itself.

Casual is what we’re almost always looking for.  In my case, when the temperature is 50F or higher, it’s all about shorts and a t-shirt.  In cold weather, its blue jeans and a t-shirt. 

After checking over the appetizers and agonizing over such choices as Jalapeno Poppers, Buffalo Cauliflower, Spicy Cheese Curds and Craven Rib Tips, we settled on one of Laurie’s favorites…the Fried Pickle Chips. ($6.99)

While we liked our appetizer, some might view the breading as being a bit heavy handed.  We personally liked it.  For those that like these things, Fried Onion Rings, Fried Mushrooms and Fried Cheese Curds are all on the menu.  Given the cost of groceries and restaurant food these days, we thought the size of our serving of fried pickle chips was very fair…

Down to the core item on the menu…the wings!  Both boneless and traditional bone in wings are offered in quantities of 6, 10, 14, 20 and 40.  Being traditionalists, we went for the ‘bone in’ version.  We ordered 20 wings with blue cheese and ranch dressing on the side.  FYI, the price per wing with 20 traditional wings is   while with 20 boneless wings, the price per wing is

There are 16 choices for the sauces on your wings…or on the side.  They range from ‘BBQ’ and ‘Moonshine BBQ’ on up the spicy heat scale to ‘Holy Moses’ and ‘The Grim Reaper’.  Dividing our order of 20 wings, we opted for 10 ‘Hot’, one step below ‘Holy Moses’ and 10 with a milder sauce called ‘Sweet Chili’.  We liked the wings a lot and the sauces measured up well.  Next time I might try ‘Holy Moses’.  They certainly didn’t scrimp on the sauces!

Fellow blogger, Larry, who can be found at https://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com/, was curious as to why boneless wings were cheaper than the traditional ones… After all, creating boneless wings should take some extra effort.  Our traditional wings cost $1.30 each while the boneless version were only $1.05 apiece.  He discovered that boneless wings are not really wings nor do they contain wing meat.  As per the internet, boneless wings are formed from breast meat…basically an elongated spin-off of a chicken nugget.  They are easier for restaurants to cook…

All in all, we liked Craven Wings and we’ll return to sample more wings and other items on the menu, primarily burgers, sandwiches and salads.  FYI, by the time we finished our meal, the restaurant had almost filled up!  Note...They did 'nick us' pretty well for Laurie's adult beverage, $9.00 for a 'Tennessee Mule'.  This particular Craven Wings location is found at 12350 South Northshore Road in Knoxville Tennessee.  Website: https://cravenwings.com/.

Our next exposure to local dining was at Countryside Restaurant in Vonore Tennessee.  Our friends Linda and Norm had eaten there a few times and they asked us if we’d like to join them for dinner.  Laurie and I had been talking about eating there but we hadn’t gotten around to it…so we jumped on this opportunity.

Laurie and I have eaten here before and I did post it on my blog site.  It wasn’t a positive experience.  However, a known restaurateur with a good reputation had taken over the operation… While it’s still a casual neighborhood restaurant with many of the usual menu items, the word on the street was that it had greatly improved.   

While not too much has changed in the dining area, one difference this time was that it was very busy.  We arrived before 5:30 PM.  The staff seemed happy and upbeat…and they weren’t short staffed like so many restaurants and businesses are these days.  As for the menu, it had been upgraded with more variety offered than were under the previous owners.  However, given the high prices encountered in so many restaurants in this day and age, the prices at Countryside seem quite reasonable.

Laurie and Linda both ordered the Country Fried Steak with pepper gravy and 2 sides. ($11.00) For her sides, Laurie ordered the mashed potatoes and green beans.  Linda’s meal was identical except she ordered the buttered corn instead of green beans.  Laurie did let me have one small bite of the country fried steak and it was quite tasty.  She liked her meal…finishing off her plate without passing some if over to me!

We didn’t order any appetizers but that portion of the menu included such items as Chili Bean Nachos, Pork Potato Skins and Boom Boom Shrimp in addition to a number of other standard items.

For his meal, Norm ordered 2 Grilled Boneless Pork Chops with cinnamon apples, tater tots and pinto beans. (Not shown in the on-line menu) He seem to enjoy his meal too. 

One of Norm’s favorite menu items at Countryside Restaurant is the Grilled Beef Liver with onions, an offering that we don’t see very often any more.  Other menu items include Mahi Tacos, Beef Tips, Grouper, Salmon and a 12 oz. Hamburger Steak (smothered)

Since Laurie ordered the Country Fried Steak, I shifted my attention to the Fried Catfish with hushpuppies, French fries and buttered corn. ($12.00)   The moderate breading on the catfish was nice but while the catfish had a nice taste, it was a bit too mushy for my liking.  Perhaps the filets were still damp when they were breaded.  I liked the hushpuppies and the seasoned French fries were very tasty.

Beyond some of the menu items I’ve already mentioned, Countryside Restaurant offers a series of sandwiches, meatloaf, a brisket hoagie and dinner salads.  Sadly, at least from my point of view, the only fried chicken on the menu are chicken ‘tenders’.  Of note for many, Countryside does serve beer...

All in all, our meals Countryside Restaurant provided a very positive experience.  Laurie and I will return!  Countryside Restaurant is located at 2021 US Hwy 11 in Vonore Tennessee.  Phone: 423-884-6673. Their website can be found at https://www.countrysiderestaurant.com/.

As suggested in the title of this post, I’m ending with fauna.  In this case it’s a couple of the deer who keep visiting our yard despite the fact that at least 8 – 10 houses are in various stages of construction within about 3 blocks of our home.    We still have a wooded lot on one side of the house and a fringe of woods behind us…and its safer here than out in the wide world of deer season!  I especially like that doe looking at Laurie through the posts on our deck...

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave