Dining Out times Two…

I keep a list of Knoxville area restaurants that we want to try out… Some of them are new to the area and others have been recommended to us or have received a positive review in the local press… We are always looking for something new...and good!

Laurie and I were in Knoxville shopping at Costco… In order to have enough energy to shop, we decided to try out Knoxville’s new Egg and I Restaurant. It had opened in a small strip center on the property adjacent to Costco.

The interior of the Egg and I was ‘homey’, pleasant and clean. 

The Egg and I restaurant chain is a franchised operation that was founded in Fort Collins Colorado back in 1987.  They currently have roughly 100 locations in 21 states… Ten new Egg and I restaurants are scheduled to open before the end of this year.

This view was from our table looking out at the patio/curbside dining and across the parking lot toward Costco.

The Egg and I has its largest presence in Colorado, (25 locations with another one later this year), and in Texas. (30 locations with 2 more coming this year) If you’d like to learn more about this company…perhaps buy a franchise…just go to the company’s website at http://www.theeggandirestaurants.com/.

Laurie ordered a variation of one of her favorites…Eggs Benedict.  In this case, it was named “Parisian Benedict”. ($9.29) This version has a buttery croissant half layered with smoked ham, sautéed portabella mushrooms and melted Swiss cheese…which is then topped with 2 poached eggs, hollandaise sauce and green onions.  She chose ranch potatoes as her side.

Laurie gave her breakfast two thumbs up…although we both prefer crispy shredded hash browns vs. ranch potatoes.

I was trying to eat a relatively healthy breakfast.  Also, I’m not that fond of ranch potatoes and I’m not crazy about grits.  I created my own omelette. ($8.99) I added bacon, sausage and pepper jack cheese to my 3-egg creation.  I opted for a fruit cup instead of the ‘bad’ carbs.  I have to say that the best part of my breakfast was the fruit cup… The edges of my English muffin were burnt and my omelette was just OK.  I would have preferred the pepper jack cheese on the inside just to keep the eggs more moist.

One win out of two… To be fair, Laurie and I will have to return to The Egg and I for lunch in order to provide a better appraisal of this restaurant’s offerings.  Reviews on Urban Spoon, Yelp and Trip Advisor have been mixed as well.  Time will tell.  This Egg and I restaurant is located at 111 Lovell Road in Farragut Tennessee.  Phone: 865-671-3447.  This location’s website and the menu is found at:  http://www.theeggandirestaurants.com/locations/lovellroad.html.

When Laurie’s sister Bonnie and her husband Bill visited us recently, one of our casual dining choices was Wild Wings Café. (Not to be confused with that ‘other’ chain…’Buffalo Wild Wings’.) I ‘grabbed’ this photo of the exterior of Wild Wings Café from the Internet…

This is the only Wild Wings Café we’ve ever been in and it is a big place!  There are 35 Wild Wings Café location scattered across 7 southeastern states.  This is a combination sport bar, family dining experience and entertainment venue…

The décor is sports bar plus…with a lot going on!  There always seem to be specials for drinks and food…plus in the evenings these restaurants feature live music several times each week.

We stopped by for lunch… Bill and I ate so much food that dinner was not necessary!  The special for the day was All the Wings You Can Eat plus a Grilled Cheese Sandwich, a Cup of Soup and French Fries.  Cost?  How about $10.00 each!

We both skipped the grilled cheese sandwich but we did have a cup of chicken rice soup… It was nothing special but just OK.

 

Bonnie and Laurie were more controlled than their husbands… They shared an order of Mile High Ultimate Nachos…with spicy taco beef, queso, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, black beans, corn and poblano peppers. ($10.49) They were very happy and content with their choice…and their accompanying beers.

Bill and I each started out with a 10-wing order accompanied with French fries, celery and blue cheese dipping sauce.  The wings at Wild Wings Café are very good indeed!  A total of 34 sauces are available.  The sauces range from gentle, (1 ‘pepper’), to killer hot… The hottest sauces are named Fireball, China Syndrome, (both with 4 ‘peppers’), Habanero Hots, (5 ‘peppers’) and Braveheart. (6 ‘peppers’) Braveheart is described as being “So hot you can lose your head over it!”

Bill and I both like a bit of heat but we weren’t in a suicidal mood.  My favorite sauce was “The Slayer - This hot garlic wing helps Buffy kick some demon butt!”  All the wings were very good…and we managed to eat another 6 wings each before we gave up!

The Knoxville Wild Wings Café is located at the west end of the Turkey Creek Shopping area at I-40 and Campbell Station Road.  Prices are very reasonable.  The restaurant is actually in Farragut Tennessee at 11335 Campbell Lakes Drive.  Phone: 865-777-9464.  The specific website for the Farragut location is: http://www.wildwingcafe.com/locations/knoxville-tn. The corporate website is at http://www.wildwingcafe.com/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave