Lunch Along the Tellico River

Yes, this post is a continuation about the recent visit to our home in East Tennessee by Laurie's sister and her husband from the St. Louis Missouri metropolitan area.  We may not experience much variety at this stage and age, but we do get around, shop and browse a lot... Beyond a bit of exploring, there is that other critical piece of the exploratory puzzle...food!  

So lets get right to it...food that is!

My photo of the Iron Works Grille near Tellico Plains Tennessee didn't come out well...so I 'borrowed' this early evening photo of this popular restaurant from the Internet.

Iron Works Grille is located right on the banks of the Tellico River just outside the town of Tellico Plains...and right at the start of the Cherohala Skyway.  As you can see from this photo, outdoor dining is an option.  However, it was too dang hot out so we sat inside at a window on the upper level of the restaurant.

This is one of the pleasant views diners have when eating at Iron Works Grille.  This view looks up the Tellico River toward the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee.  It is 52.8 miles long and it flows into the Little Tennessee River at the Tellico Reservoir/Lake.  From about this part of the river on into the mountains, the Tellico River is a prime trout stream and it's also used for rafting and kayaking.

FYI, the name Tellico is derived from the Cherokee word "Tahlequah", which according to the Cherokee people who historically have inhabited the region, means "rare-peace".

As I mentioned in my previous post, the Cherohala Skyway is connected to the Tail of the Dragon US Hwy 129.  Both are part of a mountainous loop of sorts that challenges drivers looking for some excitement.  Auto and motorcycle rallies are common in the area.  You can pass a dozen Harley-Davidson Motorcycles or a dozen corvettes, etc. as you traverse these roads.  All of these thrill seekers are good business for Iron Works Grille and other businesses along these favored routes.  

Due to the popularity of these curvy and cliff hugging roads, rentals are available from a variety of sources.  The first 2 vehicles shown above are different Polaris Slingshot models...3-wheel vehicles.  The third photo includes a random group of motorcyclists as well as a separate gathering of sports cars.  

I found motorcycle rentals that offered Cam Am Spyders, Road Grade MCs, Harley-Davidsons, Kawasaki's, Honda's, BMW's, Yamaha's and KTN's...whatever they are.  As far as auto rentals go, I even found one site that sets up 3-day group sports car tours.  If you don't have your own 'hot' sports car, you can rent a Porsche 911/992 GT2, a Ferrari 488 Spider or a Lamborghini Huracan EVO Spyder.  Not for me...but different strokes for different folks!

This is a view of the inside dining area at Iron Works Grille.  It isn't fancy but it is appropriate for the flocks of tour groups that frequent this restaurant.  It was an early afternoon weekday after school had started so other than the folks that came with those motorcycles and sports cars, the restaurant wasn't very busy.

Our group ordered a couple of appetizers.  This was what was left of the Green Fried Tomatoes, served with Iron Works Grille's signature Sriracha Aioli by the time I remembered to take a picture. ($9.99) They were good...a solid grade of "B" in our opinion.  

Alas, the same photographic failure also applied to the 1/2 pound of Boneless 'Wings' with garlic parmesan sauce...not much left for the photo. ($9.99) The difference here is that we all agreed that these 'wings' were among the best we've had lately.  It may have been all about the sauce, but this appetizer earned an A+ from our group.  FYI, five other sauce options were available.

It should be noted that a total of 21 different appetizers are on the menu at Iron Works Grille.  Other choices range from Pork Rinds and a Hummus Plate to Trout Dip, a Pimento Cheese Plate and on to Crab Cakes.  Should be something for everybody to chose from!

I ordered the Shrimp Po' Boy with corkscrew fried shrimp on a toasted bun with shredded lettuce and a side of French fries. The sandwich was accompanied by a cup of spicy boom boom sauce. ($13.99) This creation was impossible to pick up and eat so it was knife and fork time for yours truly.  I've had plenty of shrimp Po' Boys over the years and this one just didn't 'make it'.  The shrimp themselves were decent.

The menu includes other sandwiches, including a fried chicken creation, a number of salads and a few entrees.  The latter included Fried Trout, Shrimp and Grits, a Cajun Pasta and Mahi Mahi.

Bill ordered the 8 oz. Iron Works Signature Burger with a side Caesar Salad. ($17.99 with the salad) This burger creation was topped with bacon jam, melted cheddar jack cheese and a slice of fried green tomato.  It was a pretty decent burger... FYI, the menu features 18 different burgers.

I was pretty surprised when Laurie ordered the 8 oz. Cannonball burger.  It was topped with beer battered mushroom slices, Swiss cheese and a house-made garlic aioli. ($15.99) Since she doesn't get mushrooms at home (I can't stand them), this was her opportunity.  She couldn't finish this big burger but she did finish off the mushrooms.  Note: the burger was accompanied by that optional cup of potato salad instead of the usual French fries.

Bonnie surprised us too when she ordered the French Dip Sandwich with onion rings. ($15.99) She did like the onion rings and there was plenty of sliced roast beef on the sandwich.  However, she felt...and Bill concurred...that the beef didn't have much flavor and the au jus was really tasteless.

When we first came across Iron Works Grille a few years back, my first inclination was that it was named for all the "Iron" aka motorcycles in the parking lot.  Supporting that theory is the fact that a Harley Davidson Store is located right across the street.  In actuality, the Tellico Iron Company had been located very near this location.  That company had been established in 1824 amid rich deposits of brown hematite.  That ore produced what was touted as the 'finest grade of iron ore in the world".  When the Civil War began the high quality of the iron being produced led to the Confederacy's seizure of the company...continuing production on behalf of the South.  However in 1863 Sherman's Union forces captured the iron works...and they demolished it to prevent further use by rebel forces.

As an aside, I'm also pretty sure that The Babcock Lumber and Land Company's rail line ran right through this location as it headed up into the mountains.  Trainloads of lumber had to have passed by here until the late 1930s.

Iron Works Grille is located at 1641 Cherohala Skyway (TN Hwy 165), just outside of the town of Tellico Plains Tennessee.  Phone: 423-253-2773.  Website: https://ironworksgrille.godaddysites.com/.