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 Favorite Restaurant Re-opens!

It was well over a year ago when we learned that a close by and the most reliable American style restaurant in the area had sold their property to the local hospital and they were closing.  The good news is that they also promised to build a new restaurant to replace the earlier one...

It was open for a few weeks before we decided to try it out.  I personally like letting new restaurants have a little time to 'get their act together' and for the initial rush of customers to slow down a little...before we check them out. 

One of our friends from Maryville Tennessee drove down to Loudon County Tennessee for a visit.  It had been a while since we'd gotten together but we knew that he really liked the Aubrey's Restaurant in Maryville so our first foray to this local chain's new location in Lenoir City Tennessee was a natural.  When we arrived, the parking lot was crowded with vehicles...a good sign for the restaurant as it was almost 1 PM and the early lunch crowd had moved on.

Aubrey's was quite busy but it is a large restaurant and they can serve a large number of diners at any given time.  The 'open' industrial ceiling style that is so popular now is now worn out from my point of view.  It does save cost though.  Like the previous Aubrey's in Lenoir City, there are a lot of windows.  Actually the floor plan and the overall 'look' of this new restaurant is very similar to the one that was sold to the hospital. 

As with the previous location, the bar with additional dining is just to the right after patrons enter the restaurant.  Again the layout of this area hadn't changed much design-wise.  The one notable difference is that there are partial glass partitions separating the bar area from the lobby space.

The kitchen and service area is located to the left of diners as they are led to their seats.  It is more open than it was in the former building.  This transparency gives customers the feeling that the restaurant has nothing to hide...

Now on to the food!

   

All three of us treated our lunch as if it were the evening meal so we ordered substantial items and we all took food home with us for later consumption.  

Laurie ordered the Seafood Pasta, shown above. ($16.00) It consisted of shrimp, Pacific white fish, sugar snap peas, red onion and bowtie pasta with cream sauce.  I was a little surprised as she normally goes for the Haystack Pasta with grilled chicken, sauteed mushrooms, linguine, parmesan and mushrooms in a cream sauce.  However, she was very happy with her choice.  FYI, there are two other pasta options on the menu. 

                              

Our friend Glen ordered his usual, which also seems to be his favorite.  This is Aubrey's Fish + Chips and, as you can see, it is a generous platter of food.  This entree includes plenty of nicely breaded fried fish plus those thin sliced fried potatoes...which are a meal in themselves.  He was very happy with his fish!

The Fish and Chips is a house specialty.  Other specialties include North Carolina Catfish, Boston Scrod, Barbeque Ribs and a Chicken Finger Platter.  All specialties come with one side...and there are 15 different sides to chose from...

There was one more specialty on the menu and it was my choice for lunch.  This is Aubrey's Buttermilk Fried Chicken...a double battered buttermilk marinated chicken breast, which is deep-fried and then smothered with homemade white gravy. ($17.00) I chose the 'smashed Yukon golds' as my side.  I actually took about half of the potatoes and 40% of the chicken home for leftovers.  This entree always was my favorite and it still is...

Aubrey's menu also includes a section entitled "Favorites" with 8 options, plus there are 8 different sandwich offerings plus soup and salads (5 are dinner salads)...and I also skipped over the 7 small plates or appetizers and we managed to avoid the 5 dessert choices.

Aubrey's is a regional chain operating in East Tennessee. They currently have 16 locations stretching from Bristol to Cleveland.  The Aubrey's Restaurant in Lenoir City Tennessee is located at 375 Town Creek Parkway (right off US Hwy 321, very close to US Hwy I-75) Phone:865-412-4178.  Website: https://aubreysrestaurants.com/lenoircity/. 

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

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

A New Dining Experience - Even Better, It is Italian Cuisine!

Laurie and I are always looking for a new dining experience within a reasonable driving distance of our home.  'Reasonable' is of course a relative term, but in our case we define the word as about 30 - 35 minutes, with 40 minutes pushing the envelope.  Of course, if we're out exploring an area or shopping somewhere further from home and its time for a meal, our 'reasonable' definition doesn't apply.

We now have several good to very good 'American' and Mexican restaurants in the area, a nice Thai dining destination and, most recently, a reliable Indian restaurant was added to the mix.  What we've really needed is a good Italian restaurant.  As luck would have it, a new Italian dining destination recently opened in Lenoir City...about 20 minutes from home. 

Fork and Vine took over the space previously occupied by Joe's Italian Cuisine.  Joe's had shown promise but the consistency of both food and service was an issue.  Just how new is Fork and Vine?  There is a sign on US Hwy. 321 but the only Fork and Vine sign on the building at this point is that very temporary one above where Joe's sign was located.   

Outdoor patio dining is available at Fork and Vine.  It's surrounded by trees on 3 sides and its far enough from US Hwy 321, that traffic noise isn't too bothersome.

Fork and Vine is not a huge restaurant.  As you can see, the dining arear is long and narrow.  Seating is a mixture of 2-seat tables, 4-seat tables and bar stools in front of both the bar and the stone pizza oven.  We arrived early for dinner but before we left, Fork and Vine was very busy.  My only negative is that the 2-top tables are a bit too narrow to be really comfortable.  Another 3 or 4 inches in width would make a truly positive difference.  

Do you remember when any semi-upscale or fine dining restaurant automatically offered bread without charging for it?  Well, Fork and Vine does!  The bread was crusty and nice and the oil and herb mix was excellent.  It was so good that we were given a second helping of bread and dipping oil.

Before I get into the food itself, I thought that I'd provide the introduction provided by Fork and Vine as regards their menu and approach to Italian cuisine.  Will the restaurant live up to their introduction?

"Inspired by generations of Italian cooking, our menu features handcrafted dishes prepared with passion and authenticity.  From rustic, wood-fired pizzas to perfectly seasoned seafood and savory pastas, every plate is a celebration of flavor and tradition.

Experience the rich tradition of homemade Italian cuisine, where every dish is crafted from scratch using time-honored recipes and the finest ingredients.  From fresh, hand-rolled pasta to slow-simmered sauces, every bite is a taste of Italy's culinary heritage."

Given all the bread and oil, (another reason restaurants don't offer it gratis any longer), I skipped the appetizers but as this was our 'early' Mother's Day dinner (by two days), Laurie ordered a cup of the Italian Wedding Soup...with meatballs, spinach, pasta pearls and broth. ($5.00 cup/$9.00 bowl) She really enjoyed it!  I tasted it and I thought that it was very nice...

There are 9 'shareables'/appetizers on the menu.  They include: Burratta and Ciabatta with roasted tomato jam; Drunken Mussels with vodka, white wine, basil, garlic, tomatoes, onion, banana peppers herb butter and sliced Ciabatta, and; Clams Casino, baked clams topped with bacon crumble and lemon herb compound butter.  Six different salads are also on the menu with a couple of them being 'dinner salads'.  One of them is The Palermo with mixed greens, fresh mozzarella, banana peppers, black olives, croutons, tomatoes, ham, capicola, pepperoni and salami tossed in Italian vinaigrette.

On to our entrees.  This was Laurie's Vodka Di Gallo with Italian Sausage. ($16.00 without the sausage and $22.00 with it) It is fresh Creste di Gallo pasta with pink vodka cream sauce, onions, basil and mushrooms.  Chicken, meatballs and shrimp are also options with this pasta. Laurie really enjoyed her entree although she thought that the sausage would be cut up and in with the pasta.  Still...winner, winner!

Laurie had a tough time deciding what to order.  One of her other options (perhaps next time) was the 1809 Risotto...creamy parmesan risotto, mushrooms, seared scallops, limon wine cream and herb broccolini.  If Laurie's sister Bonnie and her husband Bill were here, Bill would definitely have ordered the Ciopinno Lenoir...with mussels, clams, shrimp and fish simmered in a robust tomato broth served with grilled Ciabatta.

My entree was the Pistachio Chicken. ($24.00) This included fried chicken cutlets (a whole breast), goat cheese, pistachio crumble, and lemon wine cream sauce, served with risotto and herb broccolini.  The chicken was moist, the breading just right and the lemon wine cream sauce put this dish over the top.  I'm not supposed to eat greens but I did consume 4 pieces of the tasty broccolini.  The one downer for me was that the risotto had mushrooms in it and I just don't like mushrooms.  They should be listed in the description. I'll have to see if any options are available on our next visit.  In any case I was very content.  I actually took half of one of those breasts home for breakfast the next day.  I also scored one of Laurie's sausages!

In total Fork and Vine offers 10 pasta dishes, 8 entrees and both 12" wood fired pizzas and assorted flatbreads.  Plus there are a number of Chef's Features.  The current specials included 2 more options for an appetizer and 3 "Main Courses", one of which was the Warm Langostino Lobster Rolls.  I was surprised that Laurie didn't chose this for her entree...

It was Laurie's Mother's Day treat and she wanted dessert.  She chose the Tiramisu...made with lady fingers, coffee and marscapone. ($10.00) She really liked it.  I tasted it and concurred with her, it was very good.

I was going to skip dessert.  Options included Peanut Butter Explosion, Red Velvet Cheesecake, a Tuxedo Bomb and a Fried Strawberry Cheesecake topped with white chocolate, kiwi lime and raspberry sauces.  The 'explosion' and the 'bomb' were loaded with too much chocolate for my taste and I'm not into cheesecake.  Many of you are probably saying "How can there be too much chocolate?!"  

In any case, as Laurie was waiting for her dessert, the chef stopped by and asked about the food.  When I told him that I was skipping dessert for the reasons stated above, he pointed out that the "Chef's Features" included a dessert.  Shown above, this was my Limoncello Marscapone Cake. ($12.00) It was excellent and my opinion was supported by Laurie too...

Service was competent and pleasant.  The chef stopping by was a plus.  The food was very good, some of the best we've had in the Knoxville area in recent years.  We will return...and we will bring others with us.

Fork and Vine is still waiting for a liquor license but you can bring your own adult beverage for the time being.  The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday (11 AM until 10 PM) and for brunch/dinner on Sunday (10 AM until 4 PM) This restaurant is located close to I-70, right off US Hwy 321 at 131 Kelsey Lane in Lenoir City Tennessee.  Phone: 865-317-1098.  They do not take reservations.  Website: https://fnvlenoir.com/, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/p/Fork-Vine-Lenoir-City-61568667290284/.

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

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

A "New" Local Restaurant and More...

...taking a break from my posts about last fall's road trip, this time its about a local restaurant we hadn't dined at previously as well as a couple of miscellaneous item. 

Although the Victory Bar and Grill opened last fall and it is only about 10 minutes from our home, if it wasn't for long time fellow blogger Larry at https://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com/, we might not have noticed it for several more months.  Our powers of observation have apparently deteriorated.

The interior of the Victory Bar and Grill is in the warm and welcoming industrial sports bar 'look', perfect for a local hangout.  It was a bit early for dinner but the bar was busy.

The appetizer portion of the menu list 11 items diners or sports fans can order with their meals or just to nosh on during a sporting event.  I would have ordered the Buffalo Chicken Dip but it isn't something that Laurie is crazy about.  I also liked the idea of the Brisket Queso... I was fairly sure that she'd want the Fried Cheese Curds, but instead she went for her perennial favorite, the Fried Pickle Chips. ($9.00) They were quite nice, a cut above average. 

For Laurie's entree, she decided to go with a dinner salad.  There are 3 different dinner salads on the menu at Victory Bar and Grill.  She chose the Fried Chicken Tender Salad...Buffalo style. ($13.00) She really enjoyed her dinner...and thanks to all those pickle chips, she took part of the salad home.  She had it for dinner the following night. 

There are plenty of options to chose from at Victory Bar and Grill.  Buffalo Chicken Cheddar Mac 'n Cheese, 3 different steak options, wings with 12 sauces or rubs, flatbread pizza and then of course, there are the Signature Handhelds.  I chose the Fried Chicken Sandwich for my entree.  Basically, it consisted of fried chicken tenders on a nice brioche bun with cheddar cheese, a choice of sauce and the usual lettuce, pickles and tomato slice. ($12.00)  Instead of the usual French fries, I opted for the (healthier?) garlic baby potatoes.

My only issue with this entree was that the 'chicken tenders' were flat (pounded)or just too thin.  When I have a sandwich, I look forward to the protein or heart of the sandwich to kick it up a notch.  On the other hand, the garlic baby potatoes were a great side option and there were plenty of them.  I took some home to have for breakfast with a couple of eggs.

We will return soon.  I'm looking for a good place for wings...and I'll side them with more of those garlic baby potatoes.  Victory Bar and Grill is located at 1265 US Hwy 411 in Vonore Tennessee.  They are open daily for lunch and dinner.  Phone: 423-884-2319.  Website: https://victorybargrillvonore.com/.   

Moving on to spring and a bit of food at our house...

Despite up and down temperatures and the fact that this photo was taken a couple of weeks before spring actually arrive, our flowering quince and its companion forsythia have once again reassured us that warmer weather is coming.  As you can see, the forsythia is actually past it's prime blooming phase.

Even more importantly our favorite spring blooms are now in full force.  While many folks love the dogwood blooms above all else, although we too enjoy them, our favorites are the delicate blooms that the redbud trees produce.  They usually bloom before the dogwoods but we did have one spring a few years back when both bloomed at about the same time.  It was a wonderful sight indeed.

Laurie captured this photo of an eager homebuilder at work.  This male eastern towhee had patiently worked on a small bush to free up this vital ingredient for nest building and he was about to fly off to the site of he and his mate's new home.

Although to my eye, they resemble a robin, the eastern towhee is actually classified as a large New World sparrow.  They prefer breeding in brushy areas, nesting in low bushes or on the ground under shrubs.

Of course, I just 'have to' close this blog post with food photos!  We discovered that we could purchase pre-seasoned salmon on a cedar plank at our smallish local Food Lion grocery store.  There was enough salmon (very nice indeed) that I could reheat the leftovers (in butter of course), place it on a slice of buttered rye toast and then top it with a couple of easy over eggs.  It was a great breakfast!

There is a small local donut chain in our area and one location is in Lenoir City Tennessee.  It's owned/operated by a very nice couple from the Philippines who immigrated to the US many years ago.  This is their latest creation/addition to their great repertoire of sweets that customers have to chose from.  This beauty is a glazed croissant donut and it is now Laurie's favorite and my second most favorite...after their apple fritter.  This donut crossover is lighter than a typical glazed cake donut and it is just excellent!

Reviews on Google give Master Donuts in Lenoir City 4.8 stars out of 5 with 413 reviews.  TripAdvisor lists 80 reviews, with 76 reviews scoring very good or excellent.  Master Donuts is located at 507 East Broadway.  Phone: 865-816-6058.  

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

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

A New Semi-Fast Food Chicken Chain in Town

Recently Laurie and I were out and about as we experienced one of our most common 'social events'...a medically related appointment!  Following that social event, as we drove toward Loudon on Kingston Pike/US Hwy 11/Lee Highway, we decided to try a new chicken restaurant chain that recently came to Farragut Tennessee.  

This is Super Chix.  Originally owned by Yum Foods, this concept was purchased from Yum and the Super Chix company is now headquartered in Plano Texas.  From what I could determine, most if not all Super Chix restaurants are owned by franchisees.  The Farragut location is in the new and large retail/business/apartment development that's located next to a large Kroger shopping area. 

I borrowed this photo from the Farragut Tennessee Super Chix website.  The interior of this restaurant is definitely a full application of the industrial 'style' that has been so popular in recent years (and less expensive to develop).  

Customer order their meals at the register area at the far end of this room.  There is a menu board and handouts are also available. (see below) Customers place their orders and they're giving a number to place on their table.  The food is delivered to your table when it's ready.    

As you can see above, the menu is straightforward and simple.  You can order chicken as a sandwich or 'tenders' (fried or grilled) or a salad (most with fried or grilled chicken).  Sides include French Fries, Fried Pickles or Coleslaw.  As with Chick-fil-a, its all about chicken...keeps the operation simple.

Laurie ordered the Nashville Hot Salad with breaded and fried Chicken. ($10.99) It wasn't too 'hot' and she did enjoy it.  She wants to try something else the next time we visit Super Chix.

I considered ordering a sandwich but instead opted for 3 breaded and fried Chicken Tenders tossed in Nashville hot sauce ($6.99).  I sided the chicken with a regular order of their fresh hand-cut French fries. ($3.99) 

I'm glad that I didn't order the large size as there were plenty of fries...and they were very good indeed.  FYI, customers are asked what seasoning they would like on their fries.  Nice to have options, especially if one is trying to avoid too much salt.  

The chicken tenders were moist and flavorful and the Nashville Hot sauce was about a 5 out of 10 for my palate...just enough heat to be interesting.  There is a 'sauce bar' with 8 different options including a traditional 'buffalo' sauce.  

We stuck with water for our beverages (free).  There were 2 or 3 helpful employees working the dining area, clearing trays when diners were done eating, bringing orders to tables and answering questions.  Nice group of folks...

If you noticed the "Premium Frozen Custard" portion of the menu as shown above, fear not.  Laurie did order a 'to go' scoop of the vanilla custard as we left Super Chix. ($3.49) Laurie gave me a taste and we both agreed that it was excellent frozen custard.  

OK...We did like Super Chix.  Not inexpensive but then again what restaurant these days is?!  It's kind of like Chick-fil-a on steroids (no drive through though) plus Culver's with the frozen custard.  At the moment, there are 34 Super Chix Restaurants in the USA across 15 states...mostly in the west and southeastern states.  

The Super Chix in Farragut Tennessee is located at 116 Brooklawn Street but it backs up to Kingston Pike.  Phone: 865-284-2449.  The restaurant is open from 11 AM until 9 PM 7 days a week.  Website: https://www.superchix.com/. 

NOTE: There will be a pause in my blog posts, starting now, length of time to be determined.  I'm having surgery on my right hand, followed by therapy.  Use of 2 fingers on that hand will be hampered, hopefully just for a short while.  

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

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Local - Mostly a Variety of Dining Choices

...Time for another short break from our road trip last October that took us through 7 different states.  The focus this time is on food...from 3 different restaurants, but also Laurie's new "phone friend" and a new neighbor.

Laurie and I are always looking for quality pizza, something that we have struggled to find here in East Tennessee. (Suggestions are welcome!) For us the best pizza in the area can be found at the Tellico Grains Bakery in Tellico Plains Tennessee. (Lunch Only - website: https://tellico-grains-bakery.com/)

But we've continued to search.  FYI, our definition of quality pizza includes the generous use of toppings, a distinctive red sauce and a firm but thin crust.  Of course, everyone has their favorite types of pizza... It's a personal preference.

So we recently had a pizza at a 'new to us' restaurant, Corner Pizza.  Apparently, it has been in business for a while.  Corner Pizza is located at the intersection of US Hwy 11 and US Hwy 70 at the northern edge of Loudon County.  We ordered out 'touchstone' pizza, the one we use to compare with others.  Italian Sausage and Pepperoni.  Corner Pizza's version was very nice indeed.  Our mistake was that we went with their standard crust, a bit too thick for our taste, but we failed to note that a thin crust pizza was available.  We shall return in the near future for another taste test!  Website: https://www.cornerpizzalenoircity.com/. 

Recently we returned to another restaurant that we've 'discovered', Sol Azteca, a Mexican Restaurant in Madisonville Tennessee that we really like.  We went with another couple and we tried a couple of entrees that we hadn't tried before.  Shown above is their Polo Coyoacan, grilled chicken breast topped with chorizo and shredded cheese.  It was accompanied by Mexican rice, refried beans with more cheese...and tortillas.  Both members our group that ordered this entree were very happy with their meals!

For my entree, I decided to go for the Burrito San Jose.  This large burrito was filled with pieces of pork and steak, then topped with chorizo and cheese.  As you can see, Mexican rice and refried beans were also included.  There was plenty of meat involved but I didn't think that that steak/beef and pork mixture was ideal.  Next time I order a burrito it will be all about the steak or perhaps, chicken.  FYI, I mixed the chorizo in with the beans and cheese...and it was a very tasty side dish!

Sol Azteca is now our 'go to' Mexican restaurant in the area...and we 10 or more choices within 15 miles of our home.  Sol Azteca is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/solaztecamadisonville/. 

Now for a bit of cuisine from India.  I'd previously written about our positive experience at The Spice Hut in Lenoir City.  On this occasion we were accompanied by a couple that hadn't eaten there before, with the male half of the couple planning a photographic excursion to India.  He wanted to sample some Indian food so he would have some idea of what he might be eating on his trip.

One of our starters or appetizers was this order of Chili Cheese Naan.  Fresh bread/naan with fresh chili and cheese topped with butter and roasted in the clay oven. ($5.99) Everyone seemed to really like this version of naan, but I didn't think that it was very distinctive, more like a cheese pizza and I couldn't really detect any chili flavor.

Our second appetizer was an order of Punjabi Aloo Samosas.  Filled with a potato and peas stuffing, these flaky crust creations were served with a tangy tamarind and date sauce. ($4.99) Everyone really enjoyed these treats...with that sauce kicking them up a couple of notches.

I can't recall what this dish was called on the menu.  It is Tandoori Chicken with an assortment of vegetables.  While the diner who ordered this for dinner did enjoy it, she felt that the amount of chicken served was pretty skimpy.  

Looking at the online menu, Tandoori chicken is nowhere to be found.  The menu is one of the shortcomings of this restaurant.  The online menu doesn't provide descriptions of the majority of offerings listed.  The menu provided at the restaurant provides zero descriptions of the dishes, but if you want to take the time and you have a smart phone, you can pull up some information on your phone.  This is definitely not customer friendly...and the servers are not very helpful in this regard.  When ordering, you are sort of on your own.  In the future, I'll just research 2 or 3 Indian dishes on line to determine what I want to order.

Our future traveler to India decided to order the Crispy Honey Chicken. ($16.99) This entree wasn't described on the menu.  However, as per an Indian's input on line, this is basically an Chinese style recipe with a sweet flavor and some mild spices...but the Indian version is spicier and has a bit of moderate heat.  Note the pickled vegetables.  This wouldn't be my choice but Bob has a much broader palate than I do and he did enjoy his meal.

Both Laurie and I went for entrees that we knew and really enjoy.  Her choice was the Butter Chicken, or murgh makhani. ($16.99) This Indian dish originated in Delhi India and it is a style of curry that is made with chicken and a spiced tomato and butter sauce.  As during our previous visits to The Spice Hut, Laurie was very happy with her dinner!

As is my habit in Indian restaurants, I ordered the Lamb Vindaloo. ($19.99) Basically it consists of chunks of lamb and potatoes with a spicy sauce.  It was excellent.  Note: All of these entrees come with a large bowl of what I think is basmati rice, in my case great for soaking up all that sauce with chunks of potato or lamb.   

Diners at The Spice Hut are offered a level of spicy 'heat' with every entree.  The range goes from 1 to 10.  Laurie was happy with a 4 and I chose a 7, perfect for my taste.

Do not be deterred by my comments on the menu.  The Spice Hut does serve good food...but a little research is needed by diners unless they are familiar with Indian cuisine.  Also don't panic when you drive up to the restaurant...which shares a large space with a fireworks store, convenience store and gas station.  The restaurant is nicely separated from the rest of the businesses.  

The Spice Hut is located at 1204 US Hwy 321 in Lenoir City Tennessee.  It's just west of Exit 81 off of I-75.  They are open daily for lunch and dinner.  Website: https://spicehutind.com/.

Moving on from all that food.  This photo shows Laurie with her new friend Zane at the Verizon store in the Turkey Creek Shopping Center.  Zane helped her with a major challenge...moving from her Samsung Smart Phone to an iPhone from Apple.  While she's still learning...and leaning on others to help her with the transition, Zane provided a lot of basic assistance.  For the first couple of days after the change, I just hid out for my own mental well-being.  Great progress has been achieved.

Introducing our new neighbor... This is Terry and she just moved into the new home that is located directly behind us in Loudon County.  She is a 'crafter' and a retired member of the US Military.  A common bond with us is that she's also a collector...of a variety of items she loves.  Much to my liking, she counts philately as one of her hobbies.  Welcome to the neighborhood Terry and thank you for your service to the USA! 

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

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave