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

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

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

Sunday Afternoon in Marietta Ohio and Dinner in West Virginia

Once we finished our tour of "The Castle" in Marietta Ohio, we still had some time that allowed us to drive around town and take in the sights.  We focused on historic homes and churches...before we decided that it was time to find somewhere to have a Sunday dinner.

This is the First Presbyterian Church of Marietta.  It was first organized in 1865 as the Fourth Street Presbyterian Church...with a total of 53 members.  The congregation's first church home was a one-room brick building that was completed in just 3 months in 1866.  A 23 foot extension with 3 more rooms and a tower was added in 1886.  

As the church continued to grow, the congregation purchased an adjoining lot.  Construction of the current sanctuary began in 1896 and it was completed in 1897.  At that point the church was renamed as the First Presbyterian.  Addition construction over the years have continued to expand the church.

This is the Rufus R. Dawes house.  It was built in 1869 by former Civil War Brigadier General Rufus Dawes and his wife Mary (Gates) Dawes.  Rufus had led the 6th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, a regiment in the famed "Iron Brigade" in more that 20 major battles in the War.  These battles included Second Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Courthouse, Petersburg and others.  Later in his life Rufus served as a member of Congress from Ohio.

One of Rufus and Mary's sons, Bemen Gates Dawes served as a Member of Congress in the early 1900s.  This was also the boyhood home of another son, Charles G. Dawes.  Charles was a Trustee of Marietta College, an Ambassador to England, the author of the WWI German reparations plan, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and served as Vice President of the United States under President Calvin Coolidge.

This Greek Revival brick home on Fifth Street in Marietta was built by Dr. Josiah Dexter Cotton in 1853.  It was built with gallery porches on each side to give it a palatial southern feeling and in my opinion it is a warm and eye-catching structure.  A graduate of Marietta College in 1842, Cotton studied medicine with his father and he practiced medicine in the city for many years.  Dr. Josiah Cotton also served 3 years as a surgeon with the 92nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry in the American Civil War.  His brother John Jr. had married into a family that was sympathetic with the Confederate cause...bringing familial conflict to the fore.

Dr. Josiah Cotton and his wife had 8 children.  The family supported abolition and equal education for women.  Family life in the household was reported to be very happy indeed.  Dr. Cotton is reputed to continue to have a difficult time leaving the house.  When new owners moved in and began renovations, a man knocked on the door and asked to see the place.  They offered to escort him through the house...but he declined, stating "No thank you, I am very familiar with this house".  He then is alleged to have disappeared.

This is St. Paul's Evangelical Church in Marietta. It began as the German Religious Society in 1838, with its purpose being to serve new German Protestant immigrants that has that were arriving in the area in increasing numbers. In 1839 - 1840, the congregation was organized and it was chartered as the First German Evangelical Church. The group built this sanctuary at the corner of Fifth and Scammel Streets in 1849.
This German Evangelical "Kirche" is Marietta's second oldest church. It was renamed St. Paul's Evangelical Church in 1872. Sermons...and the official church language...was changed to English in 1909.

Now the home of Marietta College's Alpha Xi Delta sorority, this home was built for W.P. Skinner in 1855. Despite having been built by Skinner, today it is known at the George White House. White, an 'oilman', was apparently successful with his oil related investments and he purchased this home in 1908. He was a graduate of Princeton University and he'd mined for gold in the Yukon before coming to Marietta to drill for oil.
White served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1905 to 1908, then the United States House of Representatives from 1911 to 1915, then again from 1917 to 1919. He served as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee for 2 years beginning in 1920. In 1931 he was elected as the 52nd Governor of Ohio, serving until 1935.
You may have noted that Marietta Ohio is laden with much history and many historical personages. Its partially due to the fact that back in the early days, rivers were the highways, the best way to get from one area to another. Secondly, due to its location the city was founded in 1788. It was the first permanent American settlement in the USA's newly established Northwest Territory...which was created in 1787.
Time for dinner!!!

As I searched for a likely venue for our evening repast, I noted that one of the most popular and well rated restaurants in the area was just across the Ohio River bridge in downtown Williamstown West Virginia.

As luck would have it, the restaurant was located almost right next to an railway depot.  It was built in 1889 by the old Ohio River Company Railway, which became part of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad system.  An active rail line is still in operation right down 2nd Street behind the depot...

In 1906 the railroad moved the entire depot to its current location right at the Williamstown end of the bridge over the river to Marietta.  As of 1957, the depot saw the last of its passenger service but it was still used for freight.  Eventually even the freight activity stopped and the depot sat unused for a time.  The Williamstown Area Development Corporation bought the depot in 1990 and spent $362,000 in renovations.  Since then the structure has served as a visitors center and an ice cream parlor. (Hence that pink paint?) Other than the one end of the building apparently being occupied by the Williamstown Area Historical Society, the building appeared to be vacant.

This was what the railyard at Williamstown looked like back in the days of steam locomotives and when coal was king in this area of the USA.  To view a video of a modern day coal train passing down Williamstown's Second Street behind the depot, you can go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FphchOti3tc.  Also shown in the video...that old depot, sporting much a more appealing maroon/burgundy and yellow coat of paint.

This is da Vinci's...for Fine Italian Dining...and it is next to the old depot.  In 1978, Jim and Marilyn Pettit bought an old gas station and turned it into a pizza shop.  They opened for business in 1980, with 13 tables, serving pizza and subs.  Today this restaurant has grown to the point where it can seat 650 guests and it includes a covered patio.  

From the outside appearance of de Vinci's, we would have never expected the old-time decor exhibited throughout the interior of the restaurant!  We waited for our table in the room shown in the second photo.  There was plenty of eye candy for us to check out...

This dining area is one of many at da Vinci's and it's similar to the one we ate our dinner in.  The Pettit's had started out with one small dining room and a salad bar and in 2024 there are many dining rooms or dining areas in this restaurant.

I will admit that we didn't thoroughly sample da Vinci's menu.  If it were an hour from our home I'd have many more food items to tell you about because we would have been back for seconds and thirds by now.  This was Laurie's 'entree', a big bowl of French Onion Soup. ($8.00) I'm not into onions or onion soup but Laurie is and she raved about just how good her soup was!

I did note a couple of rather unusual and imaginative appetizers on the menu...items that I'd never seen before.  The first one was the Spinach Artichoke Wontons...wontons with a creamy filling of spinach, served with homemade ranch dressing for dipping.  The second unusual option almost blew my mind.  It was the Mini German Pizza...fresh baked pizza crust topped with da Vinci's signature horseradish sauce, tender corned beef, sauerkraut and mozzarella cheese.

This was my entree...although I did share a slice with Laurie.  Is this a great looking Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza or not... It was only excellent!  The best pizza I've had in a long time...

If one were to fully explore da Vinci's menu, it would take quite a few visits.  They offer 6 different salads, subs and sandwiches, steaks, 16 pasta dishes, the pizza plus calzones and a number of sides or 'add-ons' plus no less than 12 dessert options!

The current owner of da Vinci's Restaurant, Chris Bender, had been with the restaurant almost from its beginning.  She started as a server, rose to manager...and then she eventually purchased the restaurant from the Pettit family.  Chris had initially taken the job as server just to help pay her way through college...a nice story with a happy ending indeed.

da Vinci's Restaurant is located at 215 Highland Avenue in Williamstown West Virginia.  The restaurant is closed Monday and Tuesday but its open for lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday.  Phone: 304-375-3633.  Website: https://www.villadavinci.com/.

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

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!  

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave