A New Restaurant…in Maryville, TN

Laurie and I were out and about quite a bit in the last 3 or 4 weeks before Christmas.  There were presents to buy, a movie or two to attend, errands to run, etc., etc… It was about mid-afternoon and we hadn’t had lunch yet.  We’d noticed a couple of new restaurants on US 411 on the south side/or just south of Maryville. 

We decided to try the restaurant that looked least like just another location in a big chain of restaurants!  This new adventure occupied a building that had formerly been utilized as the “411 Restaurant”. 

Moving right along...  Our immediate objective was an early dinner…and my personal goal, as usual, was to find a local restaurant that actually provided that little something extra…and at a reasonable price…

 

Looks like a local restaurant, doesn’t it!  This is O’Bravos Grill House.  The former “411 Restaurant” at this location was pretty much a breakfast/lunch diner style restaurant.

 

 

The sign outlines what we might expect of the restaurant…lunch and dinner…no breakfast.  The selections on O'Bravos' menu were broken down just as indicated on the sign.  In addition, a selection of appetizers, salads and soups are available.

 

 

As might be expected, there were only 2 other tables that were occupied in O’Bravos during our mid-afternoon meal.  The interior décor is pretty straight-forward and the dining area was clean.  As might be expected, with so few customers, our service was efficient and friendly.

So…what about the food?

 

Our dinners came with this nice salad.  I went with a combo dressing choice…bleu cheese and French.  The salad was large, with a couple types of cheese, bacon bits, a couple different types of lettuce and some tomato.  The salad was a solid start for our meal…

We skipped the appetizers…such as wings, cheese balls, nachos, spinach and artichoke dip and a sampler. ($4.35 - $9.99)  There were also 3 dinner salads on the menu ranging in price from $6.45 to $8.50.

 

Laurie went with the Fish and Chips…a Tilapia Filet marinated in soy and English sauce, in a coconut breading and drizzled with a tamarind dressing. ($10.25) Laurie loved it!  I tasted it and I thought that it was very good indeed.  The drizzled tamarind dressing was the key… 

Other seafood offerings included salmon and shrimp, with nothing more expensive than $11.99.  There were 6 chicken selections on the menu ranging from $8.75 to only $9.99.  

 

I rarely order steak at restaurants.   It’s just too easy for us to pick up really good rib eye steaks at Benton’s down near Madisonville.  However, I decided that the price was very reasonable and steaks were was one of the key menu items offered at O’Bravos. 

The presentation of my T-bone steak was very appetizing… The grilled tomatoes and asparagus were almost perfect.  However…sadly, the steak itself was a non-starter!  I don’t know what spices had been used with the meat…but they didn’t work for me. (Laurie thought that the flavor was alright…) I’d ordered the steak medium rare.  It wasn’t that thick but under the char the meat was deep red…not bloody red like a piece of rare meat…but dark red like a piece of rare meat that had been broiled from a frozen state.  I could have had sent it back to have it cooked a bit more…but, since I didn’t care for the flavor of the steak, I didn’t bother.

 

We shared an order of French fries…and they were OK.

 

 

My side dish was this bowl of steamed vegetables.  I like vegetables but it’s important that they’re cooked properly.  They can’t be hard and they should never be mushy…These veggies were steamed perfectly…just the way I like them!

The other major segment of the menu was pasta… There is Spaghetti at only $5.25; Fettuccine Alfredo at $7.99, (with grilled chicken or shrimp…$9.99 - $11.99); Linguini with shrimp at $10.99 and; a Spaghetti creation with shrimp, black olives, olive oil and white wine at $10.75.

While I haven’t completely written off O’Bravos, my experience with that T-bone steak has negatively biased my view of this establishment.  Laurie’s entrée and my nice veggies left me with a bit of hope… The next visit will probably involve Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken or shrimp…

O’Bravos Grill House is at 2635 US Highway 411 S in Maryville Tennessee.  Phone: 865-233-7091.  I couldn’t locate any reviews or websites for this restaurant.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave