Dinner in Tellico Plains Tennessee…Plus

It was the Labor Day Holiday weekend and I told Laurie that we were going to go out for dinner.  When I discovered that my restaurant of choice was closed for the long weekend, I had to refocus and find another dining destination that wasn’t too far from home… 

We’d heard from a couple of friends that the food at Tellicafe in Tellico Plains Tennessee was both good and reasonable.  This restaurant is about 30 minutes from our home but, given the recommendations and the fact that we’d driven by it so many times before, I decided that this was the time to finally give it a try!

Tellicafe’s lobby/waiting area is large and pleasant.  However, since we were very early for dinner, there weren’t many customers around.

There are 2 separate dining rooms at Tellicafe, each one off one end of the lobby.   Décor is simple but pleasant and the dining area was very clean.  Laurie was patiently waiting for me at our table… FYI, I’m not a fan of booths and find chairs much more comfortable, at least from my perspective. 

We started out with an order of Fried Green Tomatoes, a southern staple food item. ($6.25) I felt that they were about average…just not great.  The dipping sauce definitely improved them.

Other appetizers on the menu include such items as Trout Cakes, Loaded Potato Skins, Onion Tobacco Straws, Fried Pickles, (This is what Laurie really wanted instead of the Fried Green Tomatoes!), and a quesadilla.  They also have a Green Tomato and Country Ham Soup on the menu.

For her dinner, Laurie ordered the Catfish Dinner. ($9.99) She really liked the catfish…and for that matter, her entire meal.  She especially enjoyed those little hush puppies and, to my surprise also gave a thumbs up for her green beans!  I tasted a piece of catfish and a hush puppy and I concurred that they were better than average…

The menu was fairly broad and varied.  Other dinner items include Stuffed River Trout, Coconut Chicken, Steaks, Roast Turkey and Dressing, Beef Tips, Cherahala Chicken Cordon Bleu with Benton’s Bacon, 4 pasta dishes, 4 vegetarian offerings plus sandwiches and hamburgers.

You’re right…this isn’t exactly health food!  This is Tellicafe’s Country Fried Chicken Dinner. ($9.99) I’m not sure that I’ve ever had boneless chicken breasts before but they weren’t “tenders” per se, and they were shaped like complete chicken breasts.

The fried chicken was very nice indeed and the white pepper gravy was a great added touch.  The French fries were OK but I thought that the meat enhanced turnip greens were a very nice variation on the norm.  Another plus was that they had Tabasco on hand! 

The food and bang for your buck at Tellicafe was definitely a cut above average.  Our waitress was efficient, friendly and helpful.  We will return to try other items on the menu.  Tellicafe is located at 128 Bank Street in Tellico Plains Tennessee.  Phone: 423-253-2880.  Their website is at http://tellicafe.com/.   

As we drove around Tellico Plains after dinner, I spotted this old International Harvester/Oren Fire Apparatus Company fire truck…a pumper…for sale and parked behind a local building.  It had served with the Avoca Volunteer Fire Department near Bluff City Tennessee.

This fire truck is probably at least 35 years old.  Oren was founded in Virginia in 1917 and the company was purchased by Grumman in 1976.  They phased out the Oren name by the early to mid-1980s. 

Moving on down country roads as we made our way back home, we came across these 2 young cows by the fence.  Since Laurie has a soft spot for most animals…and especially horses, dogs, cats, mules and cows, we had to stop so she could talk to them and take their picture.

That’s about it for now.  Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave