A New Dining Opportunity and Home Décor

I decided to take a break from our backroads adventure through Missouri.  We were on our way…slowly…to visit family in Omaha.  Only 2 more Missouri ‘episodes’ to go but first a bit about our local East Tennessee happenings…

We had seen a favorable account…a positive review…by some friends regarding a restaurant in an old house in Dayton Tennessee.  So, on a beautiful day with lots of sunshine we made our way to Dayton to check out the Screen Door Kitchen.

We certainly weren’t drawn in by Screen Door’s sign…shabby at best, or the relatively unkempt grounds either.  But we have learned over and over again, that when it comes to restaurants, you can’t always trust that first impression.

Note: Dayton is famous for the Scopes “Monkey Trial”, in which the teaching of evolution in school was challenged back in 1925.  Tennessee had a law on the books that made teaching evolutionary theory illegal.

I borrowed these 2 photos from TripAdvisor.  For some reason my camera is not downloading into my computer but Laurie’s photos from her ‘smart’ phone are still showing up as is normal…

In any case, you can see that the entrance foyer to the home is now the reception area.  I noted two dining rooms but there may be more, as this is a big home. 

I said ‘home’ because Gabriel and Eva Camp, the team that owns and operates Screen Door Kitchen, and their 2 children also live in this large home and business.  Gabriel and Eva have been in the restaurants business for over 35 years between them.

This is a photo of the menu that we ordered from.  The current on-line version is a bit different.  In either case, the selection is quite varied, ranging from salads to specialties and from snacks/appetizers to plates.  Not shown in the photo is a selection of burgers and sandwiches.

So what to order for our evening meal…?

For our snack/appetizer we ordered the Baked Goat Cheese with crostini/toast points. ($9.00) It was excellent and I would have licked the dish but people were watching!

Our only issue is that we had to wait quite a long time for our opening ‘snack’.  Others who came in after us got their food first.  Still, it was worth the wait!

For her meal, Laurie ordered the Prosciutto and Mushroom Fettuccini with breaded chicken breasts. ($18.00) She did enjoy her entrée with the combination of prosciutto and mushrooms.  I had to help her with one piece of her chicken and it was decent.

OK…the problem here was that our waitress delivered our food just as we were starting on that tardy appetizer.  We had her take the entrees back and keep them warm.  Of course, it was predictable that once we finished our appetizer, we once again had an inordinately long wait before our entrees were delivered.  

For my entrée, I decided on the Shrimp Scampi. ($18.00) This dish is described as ‘domestic shrimp, a lot of Garlic, Butter, Parsley, and Fresh Tomato tossed with Linguini.

First of all, if there was garlic present, it was almost undetectable.  Secondly, the dish lacked moisture…butter…something.  The other problem was that I requested Parmesan cheese after our food came.  Sadly, our waitress disappeared and the cheese never appeared.  I did not enjoy my entrée...

So we have mixed reviews on the food and the service was questionable at best… Others have had more positive experiences and Screen Door Kitchen is well rated on TripAdvisor.  This restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Wednesday through Saturday and serves Sunday brunch from 10 AM until 2 PM.  Screen Door Kitchen is located at 449 Delaware Avenue in Dayton Tennessee.  Phone: 423-428-9493.  Their website is at Screen Door Kitchen - Restaurant, Scratch Cooking.

When it comes to buying more significant purchases, such as furnishings and décor, I might be termed as being ‘somewhat’ resistant.  But every once in a while, my mind ‘short-circuits and Laurie is able to score a decorating victory.  So recently she convinced me/persisted to the degree that I rolled over and she (we) bought a new rug for our living area as well as a matching runner for our front entryway.  I have to admit that both were improvements over the rugs that preceded them.  The purchase was made from the “Magnolia” website…

The recent horrible tragedy in Maui Hawaii and especially in the historic town of Lahaina, spurred a change in décor in our indoor plant room which is between the dining area and the attached garage.  Laurie remembered that we’d purchased a quilted wall hanging when we’d vacationed in Maui ‘way back’ in 2004.  In tribute to the disaster and the loss of lives, it has replaced one of my mother’s large woven wall hangings.  I think that it looks great and its surrounded by other plants!

Quilting was introduced to Hawaii in the early 1800s by American missionary wives.  Hawaiian women then created their own quilting styles and patterns based on their history and their love of nature.  This quilted hanging is of a Lauae fern, which in nature, gives off a sweet and pleasing fragrance.  Laurie and I still remember breakfast at Longhi’s in Lahaina as well as wandering through a craft fair underneath that famous banyan tree.  We certainly hope that it manages to survive and regrow.  It was, and hopefully will continue to be, a magnificent natural creation…

We’ll be returning to our exploration of Missouri’s back roads in my next post… Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave