Checking In Once Again - Mostly Food

It's been a while since I've posted anything on my blogsite although I do check in on other bloggers that I've followed in the past.  Nothing earth shattering here but I put together a couple of food related items with an appropriate beginning and ending. 

We've (especially Laurie) have been getting up earlier than has been our habit over the past several years.  As a consequence, Laurie captured this glorious sunrise coming up over Tellico Lake and the nearby hills.

Very recently we had enjoyed a late afternoon/early evening meal at our friends Larry and Bev's home.  Larry is also a blogger and food is a specialty. (https://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com/) We enjoyed the company and a great meal, including Royal Red Shrimp in brown butter, Salmon Cakes and Fresh Tomato Focaccia Pizza. (shown above) In this case my focus is on the Focaccia Pizza.  It was delicious and I think that I ate at least 5 slabs of it... To see the recipe, just go to Larry's  (Big Dude's) blog post as follows.  You'll get to see the family dogs as well!  (https://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com/2025/08/fresh-tomato-focaccia-pizza-pups-new-cut.html)

Larry 'twisted my arm' and I ended up taking home a big chunk of the remaining Fresh Tomato Focaccia Pizza.  So what came next?  I sliced the top off a slab of the focaccia and dropped in a frying pan with plentiful butter, and then I heated both sides of the above 'slice'.

After it was browned a bit, I sprinkled a bit of parmesan on the tomato side of the focaccia pizza.  Loved the color...before I took that final step prior to consumption.

I topped my slightly modified fresh tomato focaccia pizza with a couple of over-easy fried eggs. This was a very satisfying breakfast indeed!  Thanks Larry and Bev...for having us over for dinner and for sending a classy leftover home with me.

One of our friends had referred us to the Abridged Beer Company in Knoxville.  He told us that they served the best hamburger he's ever had in Knoxville!  Since we both love a good burger and we were going to be in Knoxville anyway, we decided to stop in for an early dinner.

We started out with an appetizer, in this case it was the Fried Cornbread with House Jam and Honey Butter. ($11.00) This offering was quite tasty with crusty fried outside of these cornbread 'cakes' adding interesting texture and a nice bite of flavor.  The honey butter and house jam worked too but I think I would have preferred a little more tang or pop with the jam.

Laurie ordered the Old Smokey Burger. ($17.00) It was comprised of a 7 oz. all-beef ground brisket blend, house aioli, tobacco onions, applewood smoked bacon, smoked provolone cheese, bourbon BBQ, and brioche jalapeno jam on a brioche roll.  For her side dish she opted for the potato salad.  She has repeatedly told me...and others...that this was the best burger she ever had.

My burger (no photo as it looked about the same) was simply the Abridged Burger. ($17.00) It was made up with the same brisket blend ground beef and house aioli plus fried brussels sprouts petals, white American cheese and applewood smoked bacon on the brioche bun.  I skipped the caramelized onions as I don't care for onions.

I've decided that I'm more of a purist when it comes to hamburgers.  My favorite burgers are comprised of a nice firm bun, quality beef and a slice of sharp cheddar cheese...with perhaps a smear of mayonnaise.  Laurie likes more layers of flavor.  Basically, I could barely taste the ground beef as it was overshadowed by the other ingredients.  This was a decent burger or sandwich and the bun was top notch.  The fries were too limp for my taste and $17.00 for a burger seems a bit high...perhaps justified by the layers applied to the sandwich.

Everybody has different likes and dislikes and, based on the crowd, Abridged Beer Co. is very popular.  Abridged Beer Company is located at 320 North Peters Road in Knoxville Tennessee.  Phone: 865-281-5449.  You can check out their menu on their website which is found at https://www.abridgedbeer.com/.

And I'll sign off for now with this photo of our sunset last night.  We've been having great weather this month.

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

Thanks for stopping by!  

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Eating Our Way toward Galveston!

Following our short visit to Eutaw Alabama, we got back on I-20/I-59 and continued southwest across the state line into Mississippi.  Just past Meridian Mississippi, we once again diverted onto the slower but more interesting US Hwy 11, which parallels I-59 south toward Laurel and Hattiesburg Mississippi.  Our overnight destination was the Hampton Inn in Hattiesburg.

After we'd checked in at our hotel, we headed out for dinner.  I'd done some research and Mug Shots Grill and Bar ended up as the winner for dinner...  As you can see, the interior of Mug Shots is expansive, loaded with booths, tables and chairs, a full bar and a plethora of televisions.  Industrial look on steroids!  

Well, Mug Shots does have a full bar...and after a day of driving Laurie was ready for an adult libation.  I don't believe that she was expecting her bloody Mary to come with its own appetizer! ($9.00) Note the celery, olive, onion ring and bacon...

We did order an actual appetizer, the Pow Pow Shrimp. ($12.99) Mug Shots version of this spicy shrimp appetizer was OK...no complaints, but not the best ever either.

For my entree, I ordered Caitlin's Cajun Sandwich. ($12.79) The sandwich consisted of a blackened chicken breast topped with hickory smoked bacon and melted pepper jack cheese and mayonnaise and it came with lettuce and a slice of tomato.  I asked for the lettuce and tomato to be on the side.  The sandwich was accompanied by beer batter French Fries.  This was a very nice sandwich indeed!

Despite the fact that I did enjoy my sandwich, Laurie's evening meal looked even better than mine.  She had the Buffalo Bleu Salad. ($13.49) The mixed greens were topped with crispy fried chicken tossed in Mug Shots' (** second level) mild Wang sauce.  The salad was topped with bleu cheese crumbles, hickory smoked bacon, diced tomatoes, red onion and house-made ranch salad dressing.  Laurie really liked her salad.  I was allowed a bite as well and I concurred with her assessment.

Mug Shots Grill  and Bar is a franchised operation with at least 22 locations in a 5 state area.  The Hattiesburg location is at 204 North 40th Street.  Phone: 601-271-2299.  Website: https://www.mugshotsgrillandbar.com/location/mugshots-hattiesburg/.

                             

The next morning we departed from Hattiesburg and rolled on down I-59 toward New Orleans, picking up I-12 westbound just east of Slidell Louisiana.  We hadn't had breakfast at this point so I got off I-12 after a couple of miles and followed US Hwy 190 and then LA Hwy 22 west looking for a place to eat.  Laurie got on her phone and found a likely breakfast spot in Mandeville Louisiana, right off Hwy 22 west.  Shortly after her discovery, we pulled in the parking lot at the Crazy Pig Southern Kitchen... We did notice that the housing in this area was a bit up-scale.

The interior of the Crazy Pig Southern Kitchen was warm and friendly...not the industrial look that we're so tired of.  There is a diner style counter, high tables and chairs and plenty of well-spaced tables with standard seating.  The staff was very friendly and talkative...

The menu at Crazy Pig was both mind boggling and daunting.  The daunting part was trying to figure out what to order!  This isn't your typical breakfast menu, that's for sure!  I ordered the Schnitzel with a hand hammered chicken fried pork cutlet, topped with two over-medium fried eggs, a side of sausage gravy and a grilled biscuit, all accompanied by a choice of grits or breakfast potatoes. ($17.99) It was a great breakfast although I will say that our home-made sausage gravy at home is superior to the Crazy Pig's. 

Among the other house specials one can find the Booya Biscuit, a fried egg with cheddar cheese, praline bacon and a fried green tomato on a grilled biscuit.  Another option is the Sticky Chicken, fried chicken with cane syrup and whipped butter on a grilled biscuit.  The south sure does like sweet!

After Laurie perused the menu, she decided to go for a 'benedict', not just any old 'usual' benedict but in this case Crazy Pig's Pontchartrain Benedict.  This version involved two poached eggs over crab cakes, resting on slices of tomato all on an English muffin with Hollandaise sauce. ($17.99) Laurie likes crab but she has had several experiences with crab cakes that are more 'stuff' than they are crab.  These crab cakes were mostly tasty crab meat.  She sided her breakfast with grits and she thought that the entire meal was excellent...

How southern can a benedict be?  How about the Whole Hog Benny, with the poached eggs, pulled pork and a sausage patty, all topped with Hollandaise sauce and bacon!  Another option would be the Voodoo Crawfish Benny, with the poached eggs, fried green tomato, crawfish tails and Voodoo sauce on a grilled English muffin.

While the Crazy Pig Southern Kitchen isn't inexpensive, it is special compared to most breakfast venues we've visited in recent years.  Interesting menu and fine breakfast fare!  This restaurant is located at 4700 LA Hwy 22 in Mandeville Louisiana.  Phone: 985-264-6655.  Closed on Mondays.  Website: https://www.crazypigkitchen.com/.

On to Galveston!

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

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

A Bit of Italian Food Plus

...continuing with Bill and Bonnie's visit.  Another meal out, this time it was Italian.  Back in May I'd written a post for the blogsite about a new Italian Restaurant in close proximity to our home.  It was promising and, since both Bonnie and Bill really like Italian food, we got dressed up before we headed out the door!

Laurie's sister Bonnie and her husband Bill, ready to head out for dinner...

Yours truly and Laurie (my better half), also ready to head out for dinner.  And yes, I did dress up for dinner.  The man in black with a collared shirt... I generally avoid restaurants where I have to wear long pants.  If its over 50 F, I wear shorts!  It's one of the 'privileges' of retirement...

                          

This is the Fork and Vine in Lenoir City Tennessee.  They now have a permanent sign that replaced that white temporary signage shown in this earlier photograph.  To see my earlier post regarding this restaurant, you can go to https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/5617317794624015781/711400631634636564.  As you will note on the faded signage below that temporary sign, this location was previously called Joe's Italian Cuisine.

My bad!  A couple of posts earlier I'd negatively credited the first charcuterie board to the wrong restaurant, "Water into Wine".  In reality, the first board shown above (termed a Salumi Board) was enjoyed at "Fork and Vine" prior to the arrival of our salads and entrees.  At $15.00 it was indeed a good deal and the quality was there as well.  The second charcuterie board is the one that should have been 'credited' to our experience at "Water into Wine".

FYI, Fork and Vines Salumi Board contained an assortment of meats and cheeses plus roasted red pepper hummus, sliced ciabatta bread and tangerine chili olives.  For the record, I'm not a real fan of charcuterie boards but many people are including Laurie, Bonnie and Bill.  I don't dislike them but I'd prefer focusing on the main courses or more singular appetizers...

Another Fork and Vine appetizer was their Drunken Mussels. ($15.00) The mussels were swimming in an amazing vodka and white wine sauce, with basil, garlic, tomatoes, and banana peppers.  They were also accompanied by sliced ciabatta toast points with herb butter.  Bread and herbed olive oil came with the meals and seconds were provided at no cost.  The bread was invaluable for soaking up the mussels delectable sauce...

The only negative was that too many mussels hadn't opened up during the cooking process.  It should have been caught in the kitchen.

Laurie ordered a side 'Julius Caesar' salad with her entree.  Salads with an entree are $5.00 vs $12.00 for a dinner sized Caesar salad.  Laurie really enjoyed her salad.

For her entree, Laurie ordered the Vodka Di Gallo.  The fresh Creste di Gallo pasta came with a pink vodka cream sauce, onions, basil and mushrooms.  Laurie added blackened 'colossal' shrimp to her main course. ($8.00) With the shrimp, her meal cost $24.00.  Other add-on options included chicken, meatballs or Italian sausage. ($6.00) Laurie completely enjoyed her entree...and would order it again.

Bonnie also ordered a side salad with her entree. ($5.00) It came with mixed greens, tomato, red onion, carrots, cheese and croutons.

FYI, a total of 9 starters or appetizers are on the menu at Fork and Vine as are other salads...including dinner salads.

Bonnie ordered the 1809 Risotto...with creamy parmesan risotto, mushrooms, seared scallops and herb broccolini. ($28.00) The base of the cream sauce is a lemon wine cream.  Bonnie enjoyed her entree and Laurie gave a big 'thumbs up' on the risotto.

As for Bill's entree, somehow we missed taking a photo of his 'seafood entree'.  It was the Ciopinno Lenoir with mussels, clams, shrimp and fish simmered in at robust tomato based broth. ($24.00) It was served with grilled Ciabatta bread and Bill also added a Caesar salad to accompany his meal.  He was happy with his choice for dinner and he completely cleaned his plate!

As for yours truly, I started my meal with a bowl of Italian Wedding Soup. No photo yet again. ($9.00/cup $5.00) It was very nice broth and it was loaded with little meatballs, spinach and pasta pearls. 

I had a hankering for pizza so I ordered Fork and Vine's Wood Fired Pepperoni Pie. ($16.00) As per the menu it was made with fresh house made pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and 'loaded with pepperoni'.  Since my favorite pizza is a combination of Italian sausage and pepperoni, I asked that sausage be added to the toppings.  No problem...same price too.  It sure looked good!

As you may remember, Laurie and I have been searching for great pizza ever since we moved to East Tennessee.  Sadly, we're still searching.  My pizza's crust was soggy, the pizza sauce was bland...to me it lacked any Italian seasonings...and 'bland' carried on to the sausage and even the pepperoni.  I took about half of my pizza home and 'dressed it up' a couple of days later.  I added more pepperoni (spicier than than the original), extra mozzarella cheese to help re-moisturize the pie and Laurie sprinkled on some basic Italian seasoning.  It was a much improved pizza with the changes we made...

Fork and Vine shows a lot of promise in a market basically devoid of quality Italian cuisine.  Other than the pizza...and the unopened mussels...we were quite happy with our experience.  We will return in the near future and try some other menu options.  Fork and Vine Restaurant is located at 131 Kelsey Lane (visible from US Hwy 321) in Lenoir City.  This restaurant is open from 11 AM until 10 PM Monday - Saturday and from 10 AM until 4 PM on Sunday.  Phone: 865-317-1098.  Fork and Vine's website is at https://fnvlenoir.com/.  They are also on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/p/Fork-Vine-Lenoir-City-61568667290284/.

We did not eat out for every meal or even every day during Bonnie and Bill's visit.  Laurie took the above photo of myself, Bonnie and Bill enjoying a meal of ribeye steaks (medium rare), corn, sauteed squash, sweet and sour cucumbers and fresh bakery bread...plus a bottle of wine.

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

Thanks for stopping by for a visit and for those in and from the USA, have a HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SAFE JULY 4th!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

A Popular Local Diner for Breakfast...

Bonnie and Bill's visit continues... They expressed interest in eating breakfast out one morning and since that is our favorite meal and we love breakfast out too, off we went.

We love diners!  Unlike the eastern and northeastern part of the country, there aren't too many diner style restaurants in the Knoxville area.  Laurie and I chose Nick and J's Cafe for our breakfast.  It is one of the most popular restaurants in the area.

How popular is it and how favorably do customers rate Nick and J's Cafe?  On TripAdvisor it is ranked #6 among all of Knoxville's restaurants.  On Yelp, customers have recorded a 4.6 out of 5.0 rating.  With over 2,100 reviews, Nick and J's scores 4.8 out of 5.0!

Like many diners, the walls are covered with memorabilia, as well as photos of customers and local celebrities.  Both counter service and booths are available for diners.  The atmosphere is bustling and friendly.  The wait staff is efficient and friendly...and most of them seem to have been working at Nick and J's Cafe for some time.

Laurie ordered a breakfast that was a break from her norm, which usually involves eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast.  She did order a side of bacon with her 3 pieces of cinnamon maple French toast with powdered sugar and strawberries. (Total = $18.99) Laurie gave high praise for the quality of the bacon and she really enjoyed her French toast with its topping.

I followed Laurie's example, ordering a breakfast item that I rarely chose...  These 3 plate-size buttermilk pancake behemoths came with butter and maple syrup. ($10.50) They were thick and had a little crust or flat top griddle 'edge' to them.  I really liked them...but this was just too much food for even me.  I managed to finish about 75% of my plate.

Laurie's sister Bonnie ordered the Deluxe Pancakes. ($11.99) They came with your choice of blueberries, strawberries or chocolate chips with whipped cream.  Her choice is obvious based on the photo...unless you're color blind.  She was a little worried that a blueberry compote would just be layered on top of the pancakes and she was pleased that actual blueberries were actually mixed in the batter.  She skipped the whipped cream.  She could only finish about half of her pancakes, but her husband Bill had a few bites too.

Bill went 'southern' for his breakfast.  This was the Clifty Farm's Country Breakfast. ($13.99) It included a slab of country ham, 2 eggs your way, toast or a biscuit and gravy and seasoned or 'dusted' home fries.  Bill ordered his eggs 'basted' but Nick and J's doesn't do 'basted' so he had to settle for scrambled.  We warned him that the ham would be pretty salty...and it was...but he seemed to like it.  His toast was on the side.  

In our opinion, the only negative is that Nick and J's doesn't offer hash brown potatoes as an option instead of 'home' fries.  In retrospect, it is one of the reasons why we didn't order our usual breakfast items.  I will note that a lack of hash browns hasn't hurt Nick and J's business...

Nick and J's Cafe is located at 1526 Lovell Road right at the interchange/exit with the Pellissippi Parkway aka TN Hwy 162 just north of I-40/I-75.  It's open for breakfast and lunch Monday - Saturday.  Phone: 865-766-5453.  The restaurant was named after the owner/operator's children, Nickolas and Jordan.  Learn more and check out the menu at https://knoxvillerestaurantstn.com/.  

I just had to include a photo of the Laurie 'original' charcuterie board that we recently put together for a neighborhood gathering.  It featured 6 types of cheese, salami, sweet ham, pepperoni, grapes and Bear Jam. (The jam includes blueberries, elderberries, apples and raspberries) Not shown...a basket of crackers and toast rounds, a bowl of olives and another bowl featuring pickled mushrooms.

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

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Family Visit - It's All About Food!

Laurie's sister Bonnie and her husband Bill flew into visit us a little over a week ago.  This time of the year Allegiant Airlines offers low cost flights from the Mid-America Airport near Bellevue Illinois to the tourist destination that is Knoxville Tennessee.  With the Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Dollywood and more, tourists flock to East Tennessee from May through October.  In any case, Bill hates the 8 hour drive from St. Louis so we all welcome the tourist season flights...

So, what did we do during their visit.  Laurie and Bonnie planned some remodeling complete with decor when the work is done, we watched some golf and TV in general, did a little sightseeing, shopped and browsed and of course, we enjoyed a lot of food!

As we shopped and browsed our way from the Bearden area in Knoxville to the Turkey Creek shopping complex in Farragut, we passed "Jim 'N Nick's Community Bar-B-Q" and the group decided that this was where we should eat as we headed back toward Loudon.  

This relatively new addition to the Knoxville dining scene had been on my list for a few weeks.  We've passed it a few times and we both love BBQ.  Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q is a fast growing regional chain that was founded in Birmingham Alabama and is now headquartered in Atlanta Georgia.  The company has 56 locations with restaurants in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

I would describe the interior of Jim 'N Nick's as industrial but featuring decor that softens the look somewhat.  Why the gal at the table at the right gave the "V" for Victory sign to Laurie as she took the second photo, we'll never know.

Yes!  This is yet another restaurant that expects the customers to place their orders from order boards or menus.  Jim 'N Nick's did provide us with hard copy menus and the service staff was both friendly and helpful.  The need for minimal floor help/waitstaff, does cut costs.

Since we weren't done eating for the day, we skipped the Sharables as shown above.  Also, while having BBQ ribs was tempting, that volume of food will require 2 hungry diners who want the same thing for dinner.  A full rack of Baby Back Ribs with 2 sides/aka 'trimmings', cost $34.99.

We all noticed the cheesy biscuits listed on that menu board and we were ready to order them...when the order taker/cashier at the counter told us that they would bring some to the table and we didn't need to order any.  Six biscuits to go cost $3.99 with a dozen for $6.99.

We all liked the warm biscuits.  They come with honey butter and they were sweet.  I could see the cheese but really couldn't taste it...but I still liked them. 

Bonnie and Laurie decided that they weren't very hungry so they split a Pulled Pork Sandwich with a side ($11.49) and then ordered a second side.  Bonnie had the baked beans...two thumbs up...and Laurie had the potato salad ($3.99), also a winner.  They enjoyed the pulled pork too.  Sandwiches are advertised as being served on famous "Martin's Potato Bun's".

Bill likes anything that ever lived and thrived in water... Hence, he ordered Karl's Fried Catfish Plate with 2 fillets. ($19.99 with 2/$13.99 with 1 fillet) This entree comes with 2 sides so Bill ordered the coleslaw and the Bar-B-Que Corn on the Cob.  He thought the slaw was good, the fillets were done right and he seemed to really like that corn on the cob...

I'm kind of burnt out on pulled pork and I've never really cared for smoked poultry.  My favorite BBQ items are pork and beef ribs as well as beef brisket.  So I ordered the 'handheld' Beef Brisket sandwich. ($13.49) I had a choice of either lean or marbled brisket so I went for the more flavorful and juicy marbled slices. (They will chop the brisket for you on request...a sin in my mind) For a side, I just went for the French fries.

The brisket was very nice, moist and flavorful, and there was plenty of it.  The potato bun held up fairly well.  My only negatives were related to the French fries and the available BBQ sauces.  The French fries were soft...and I like a little firmness when I have fries.  I like hot spicy BBQ sauces.  The house BBQ sauce lacked any authority and the only hot spicy sauce available was a Honey Habanero.  It was spicy but the honey element didn't tickle my taste buds.  Other available sauces include Morgan County White, Carolina Vinegar and Carolina Mustard.  

All in all, we did enjoy the BBQ at Jim 'N Nick's Community Bar-B-Q and we will return to try those ribs.  But I might sneak in a small container of spicy sauce!

Jim 'N Nick's Community Bar-B-Q is located at 7727 Kingston Pike (US Hwy 11), right across the street from Knoxville's West Town Mall.  This restaurant is open for lunch and dinner daily.  Phone: 865-224-3760.  If you want to pick up BBQ to go, Jim 'N Nick's has a drive-thru window to provide that service.  Website: 

https://www.jimnnicks.com/locations/tn/knoxville/7727-kingston-pike/.

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

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!  

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave