Off to a Play and Dinner!

 It was a beautiful Thursday afternoon in early September when we picked up our neighbors, Sue and Steve, and then headed west to Crossville Tennessee.  The drive is just a bit over an hour and we'd allowed plenty of time to reach our destination.  We were all looking forward to the day's activities...

Our initial goal for the afternoon was the Cumberland Country Playhouse.  I'm glad that I'd left plenty of time to get to the Theatre, park in an advantageous spot and pick up our tickets.  The timing was tighter than I'd expected as the most direct route to the Playhouse was closed for road repairs.  After trying to find our way with little success, kudos to the young lady in the ticket office who literally stayed on the phone with us and guided us through back streets to the theatre!  Upon arrival, we all relaxed...and Sue and Steve were more than ready to see the play.

As it turned out, Steve reciprocated photo-wise, capturing this picture of Laurie and yours truly...and I was almost smiling too!  By the way, my normal retirement daily attire includes shorts and a t-shirt, preferably a Carhartt.  However, in this case I dressed up!  I wore a collared golf shirt...but it too is a Carhartt.  

By now I'm sure that you have figured out what play we going to see at Cumberland Playhouse... Laurie and I are partial to musicals and we've seen several at this theatre over the last 12 - 15 years.  "Grease" was scheduled for 19 shows and it was so popular that the management added 2 extra shows in order to meet demand.

About half of the performances of "Grease" are matinees.  Afternoon performances attract more groups (churches, clubs, retirement communities, etc.) and the crowds tend to be older.  The main theatre has 500 seats, and as expected, all of them had been sold out.  This indicates that roughly 10,000 patrons attended performances of "Grease".  Photos aren't allowed inside the theater itself...

We all agreed that the music was fine but the flow of the show seemed somehow contrived...didn't really work all that well.  Still, the play was quite enjoyable and the actors were very professional... Cumberland Playhouse featured or will feature 6 other plays on their mainstage in 2024.  They include "Finding Nemo Jr.", Dial M for Murder", "Live...in Living Color", "Anastasia", "Beautiful" (Carole King musical), and "White Christmas".  Other plays are offered in Cumberland Playhouse's Adventure Theater.  In addition several live music concerts are presented every year.  

The Cumberland County Playhouse has been in operation since 1965 and over 5 million people have attended its many plays and shows.  To learn more, go to https://ccplayhouse.com/.

Crossville Tennessee is in the Central Time Zone and we live on the east side of the Cumberland Plateau in the Eastern Time Zone.  It was time for dinner when the play was over and, rather than wait and eat after 7:30 PM or so when we arrived back in our area, we decided to find a place to eat in Crossville.  

Two restaurants were well rated on-line and both expected large parties after the play was over.  The Pour House Bistro said that they would be able to seat our group of 4 if we arrived promptly  after the play.  We had a great parking place at the theater and we made it to the restaurant with time to spare!  I will admit that the shabby front entrance to the restaurant did give me a moment of pause...

The Pour House Bistro was already fairly busy when we arrived...but the big group of 19 that they expected hadn't arrived yet.  I would describe the interior of the restaurant...the bar and the dining area...as country casual, which was just fine with us.  

For an appetizer, Steve chose the Fried Pickle Fries served with a house-made ranch dressing. ($14.00) While Laurie and I have had plenty of fried pickles, they always been in chip form.  Laurie and agreed that this 'French fry' form was very good and it was easier to dip and eat.  

Appetizer options at The Pour House Bistro were somewhat limited in comparison to other restaurants. The others listed are Fried Green Beans, Crispy Brussels Sprouts + Pork Belly and a Creamy Spinach Artichoke Dip.

For his dinner, Steve ordered the Carolina Smash Burger. ($15.00) The burger was topped with candied jalapenos, Carolina Gold BBQ sauce, bacon, cheddar cheese and fried onions.  Steve really enjoyed his burger and those crispy fried onions were a great topping.  He really liked the seasoned French fries too...

Sue went for a burger as well.  Hers was the Southern Scarlett Burger. ($15.50) Her burger was topped with a bourbon BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese, bacon and fried onions.  Instead of French fries, Sue's side was the house potato chips.

Other hand held creations available at The Pour House Bistro include a Vegetarian 'burger', pork sliders, a Cubano, a shrimp po' boy, a chicken caesar wrap and a seasonal wrap.

Laurie went in a different direction, ordering an item that we hadn't seen on another menu.  This was the Spicy Korean BBQ Steak Tacos. ($13.50) These tacos included steak, the spicy Korean BBQ sauce, Asian style coleslaw, cold pickled cucumbers and carrots.  Other proteins she could have chosen for her tacos were fish, pork, shrimp and mahi mahi.  Depending on the protein chosen, prices ranged from $12.50 to $17.50.

Laurie did enjoy her tacos...especially with all the textures and flavors that enhanced the dish.  The house-made chips were disappointing though.  I tried them myself and they lacked any real flavor and adding salt didn't help.

For me, the burgers were off the menu.  The Pour House only serves burgers medium well or well done.  If it isn't medium rare, its not on my personal menu.  So I wandered over to the restaurant's list of Signature dishes.  I ended up choosing Alexander's Chicken Gnocchi with gnocchi pasta, grilled chicken, sundried tomatoes, rep pepper flakes, and parmesan cream sauce, all topped with goat cheese. ($20.00) I really liked this dish and there was so much food that I ended up taking the leftovers home with me to serve as a breakfast entree...

The list of Signature entrees includes some creative options in addition to the sirloin steak, pork sliders, a Cubano, a chicken tender platter and other usual items.  These more creative items, (here in Tennessee), include Low Country Shrimp and Grits, Cajun Pasta, a Spicy Korean Rice Bowl with protein, white rice and a fried egg.  In addition, there is the Judah Buddha Sushi Bowl and a Coconut Shrimp Bowl.

The Pour House Bistro/Restaurant is located at 42 North Street in Crossville Tennessee.  Phone: 931-456-0066.  This restaurant is open for lunch and dinner from Tuesday through Saturday.  Website: https://www.thepourhousebistro.com/.  

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by to see what we've been up to!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave