Tellico Grill – A Second Helping!

Our first visit to Tellico Grill in Loudon Tennessee was promising…and so we thought that after 3 weeks or so, we should return for a ‘second helping’ from this new restaurant.   

The photo above was taken in early April… The challenge for any restaurant in this location is that it’s not visible from nearby Loudon County Road 444.  This restaurant and 2 others are just 1 to 3 blocks off of 444.  For all 3 restaurants, it’s all about attracting the adjacent residents from Tellico Village and following that, relying on a positive buzz or word of mouth from their patrons.

The menu has changed quite a bit from our first visit… Gone are the Filet Mignon, the Black and Blue Chicken Melt, the Mother Earth Meats Charcuterie and the Maryland Eastern Shore Crab Cakes.   So are the Minestrone Soup and the Seafood Chowder as sides.

New entrée items include the Ribeye Steak, the Chicken Salad Melt, the Chicken Quesadilla, the Pan Seared Gulf Coast Shrimp with Pasta and the Crab Beignets.  This time we were on the lookout for what one of my readers had referred to as ‘kitchen chicanery’.  He felt that his Crab Bisque lacked crab and that pink tinted Pollack (imitation crab) had been used in the soup. (The waitress insisted that it was indeed Blue Crab in the bisque but I suspect that this patron had a bit more experience eating crab than the waitress does). This reader also thought that the tobacco onions on his ribeye steak might have come from a can…

We had both loved the side Caesar Salad during our first dining experience at Tellico Grill.  It was almost perfect, especially at $3.00 each!  This time, our Caesar Salad was good…and worth the money…but ‘Caesar’ (i.e., any distinctive anchovy flavor) was completely missing.  When I paid the bill at the counter I mentioned our observation…and she told us that she’d follow-up with the chef. 

Laurie tried one of the new items on the menu…the Crab Beignets. ($7.00) She really liked them and would definitely order them again!

As a side note, we really like the concept of being able to mix the entrée or main with a side or sides of our own choosing.  We observed that a bargain lunch at Tellico Grill could consist of two sides…the Caesar or Spring Salad with a cup of soup for $6.00.

This time, I ordered the Pan Seared Pork Chop but without the mashed potatoes.  Instead I substituted with a cup of the broccoli-cheese soup. ($12.00 total) The soup was rich and cheesy…and the fried pork chop had great flavor and managed to stay juicy.  For a pork chop, timing on the grill is everything!

We decided to try a dessert item… This is the Key Lime Pie. ($3.00) It was really more of a tort, but the crust was great and the dessert as a whole was quite satisfactory.

We didn’t detect any kitchen trickery…but it’s worth watching to see if other reports along that line pop up.  We do know, that for us at least, we’re happy to see Tellico Grill up and operating and providing a decent alternative dining option for the residents of Loudon County and Tellico Village. 

Laurie and I will return to Tellico Grill in the near future.  We understand that the restaurant will begin serving breakfast in the next couple of weeks.  We love a good breakfast out and we’re very hopeful indeed! 

Tellico Grill is located at 222 Ritchie Road in Loudon Tennessee.  So far, there is no website.  Phone: 865-458-2210.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave