Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Follow the Sign…to Lunch

For the past several months, whenever Laurie and I head east on TN Rte. 72 toward Vonore, we’ve noted a big sign along the highway advertising Henry’s Casual Café in Madisonville Tennessee.  Well, since it was a bit past lunchtime, we were hungry and we’re always looking for new restaurants to check out, off we went…


Henry’s Casual Café is located in the Sloan Center along US Hwy. 411 N in Madisonville.  The Sloan family operates this hardware store, gas station, convenience store and car wash and the Henry family operates the attached restaurant. As you can see at the left of the photo, patio dining is available at Henry’s…
The Sloan family also operates 2 other stores in East Tennessee.  One is a hardware store with fishing gear and nursery products and a sandwich shop in Loudon.  The other location is in Vonore and it features a full line grocery, a hardware store with fishing equipment, a gas station/convenience store with deli offerings and a car wash.

This is the interior of Henry’s Casual Café in Madisonville… It’s a bit ‘cave like’ but it’s brightened up with strings of lights, signs, trophies and local memorabilia.

When you enter Henry’s, the kitchen is to the left behind the counter.  At least for lunch, this is where you place your order.  We didn’t ask but it’s possible that there is waitress service at dinner time.   

I ordered the 7 inch Roast Beef Sub. (7 inch was $5.49/14 inch was $8.99) The meat didn’t have much flavor and the bread was nothing special…  All the beef was in the middle of the sandwich.
Henry’s offers a plethora of toppings with your sandwiches… These include lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, oil, vinegar, mustard, spicy mustard, salt, pepper, oregano, dill pickle, sweet pickle, banana pepper, green pepper, black olives, jalapenos, hot pepper relish, cucumbers, grilled onions and grilled peppers.

Laurie ordered the 7 inch Italian Sub with ham, prosciutto, capicola, salami and cheese. (7 inch - $5.49/14 inch - $8.99) She got some French fries with her sandwich and we shared them.  The sandwich was OK and so were the fries…
Henry’s Casual Café has a fairly extensive menu and I don’t want to judge it just based on a couple of mediocre “just fuel” sub sandwiches.  The expanded menu includes burgers and other sandwiches, 12 inch thin crust pizzas, a number of pasta dishes as well as a turkey dinner, steaks, ribs, shrimp and chicken entrees.  There are also a number of desserts and Henry’s serves beer…
To view a number of positive reviews pertaining to Henry’s Casual Café on Trip Advisor, you can go to http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g55180-d1186033-Reviews-Henry_s_Casual_Cafe-Madisonville_Tennessee.html. 
Henry’s Casual Café is located in the Sloan Center at 4500 US Hwy. 411 N in Madisonville TN.  Phone: 423-442-2981.  Website: http://henryscasualcafe.wix.com/menu.
Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…
Thanks for stopping by for a visit!
Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

3 comments:

  1. I love small town stories like that...family owned businesses and a homy little diner tucked between it all...too bad though the food didn't turn out. I have to admit though, that's a bit of a pet peeve of mine when everything is stuffed in the middle of the bread. It just makes for one messy dining experience. Oh well. I look forward to your next foodie adventure, Dave!

    Take care and have a wonderful day!

    Toodles,
    Tammy<3

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's been years since I've been to Madisonville I went to college in Athens (Tenn. Wesleyan College) MANY years ago (1960-64)--and one of my roommates was from Madisonville... Isn't Hiwassee College there too????

    One day after going across the Cherohala, we stopped at Bradley's BBQ on Highway 64 near Sweetwater I think.. There are always tons of cars there --so we tried it. We got the pulled pork and it was very good.

    Hugs,
    Betsy

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Dave, I have to agree with Tammy, the food stuffed in the middle makes it difficult to eat without it being messy.
    I suppose you are being a bit generous in thought and that is kind of you, but I think all of the food should be quality; otherwise, why return?
    I suppose food is something I insist on being good and a pleasant experience.
    Blessings to you and Laurie. Catherine

    ReplyDelete