Dinner in Downtown Maryville TN

Recently Laurie and I accompanied our friends Linda and Norm for ‘dinner out’. (Two of Laurie’s favorite words!) Norm and Linda chose a restaurant that Laurie and I had last visited in December 2017.  That dining experience was also in the company of Norm and Linda.  Dawn Marie was in town at that time and she was with us…

On this occasion there were just the four of us.  The first thing we did was to take photos of each other in front of a big Christmas tree in Maryville Tennessee’s downtown area.  I snapped this photo of Linda and Norm from a distance just to show the size and scope of the tree and its decorations…

FYI, Maryville was first settled in 1785 and it was incorporated in 1795.  Today it is the county seat for Blount County Tennessee and it has a population of over 29,000.  It is considered to be part of the Knoxville Metropolitan Area.

…then Laurie took a close-up photo for posterity’s sake!

Linda got even with us, taking this photo of yours truly and Laurie with Laurie's phone.  It’s a bit depressing though to see just how much I’ve shrunk via aging! (Height only)  That cane is a recent ‘safety device’ designed to keep me upright just in case my bum right knee decides to give way.  I may have to change my pen name to ‘short and gimpy Dave’…

Sullivan’s Downtown in Maryville is located right across from that Christmas tree.  Their sign is different than most and really stands out at night.  This family owned restaurant has a second location in Knoxville.

Given the attractive front of the restaurant and the warm ambiance of the dining room area and bar, one just wants to love this place.  The brick walls, the lighting and the wide use of wood with a touch of that industrial look…all add up to a very calming and attractive venue. (Sorry for that one fuzzy photo)

From our last visit almost 2 years ago, we all remembered one thing that we’d really raved about… Consequently, Laurie, Linda and myself all ordered a bowl of the Almond Chicken Soup ($6.50) and Norm asked for it if they’d run out of their ‘daily special’ cabbage soup.

We all agreed that it was still very tasty but it needed to be hotter when served.  It was only lukewarm and, looking back I’d noted the same problem in 2017.  In my opinion, I didn’t think that it was as creamy as it was the last time either. 

Another issue was that our waitress never came back to let Norm know that the ‘special soup’ for the day had run out so he ended up without any soup… The final related problem was that I’d asked for Tabasco (which I wanted for my soup) and the waitress finally remembered it when I’d finished and was served my entrée.  One other negative, Laurie ordered a vodka and tonic tall with two limes, as she always does and our server brought a small instead. Not paying attention to an order is a negative in our book.

Norm and Linda really like Sullivan’s Downtown and they have eaten there long enough that they know what they like, so they order it again.  Norm really likes the Shrimp Tacos. ($12.00) Two shrimp tacos are served with crispy shrimp, chimi churri, pico de gallo and hot lime aioli.  For a side he ordered the steamed carrots and broccoli.  As expected he was happy with his meal.

One of Linda’s favorite items on Sullivan’s menu is the Homemade Meatloaf. ($13.00) Given the angle of the photo, the slice of meatloaf vs. the Boursin mashed potatoes doesn’t look very large…but let me assure you it was huge!  Linda was happy.  With her leftovers she took home a nice lunch for Norm as well.

Laurie ordered the Farm Raised Catfish dinner accompanied by Boursin mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy and southern style green beans. ($14.00) The catfish was good and plentiful…with Laurie bringing home a filet for one of my breakfast specials.  The green beans were OK and the potatoes were very good but the latter came without the requested gravy. Yet another negative.

For my dinner, I ordered the Pot Roast…slow roasted choice top sirloin with natural gravy, accompanied by steamed carrots and broccoli and Baked Creamed Spinach. ($15.00) Everything was fairly tasty with the meat being tender as expected.  The Baked Creamed Spinach was very good!  We asked for and were served some extra beef gravy and I ate part of Laurie’s Boursin mashed potatoes.  They were good if not exceptional.

There were just too many gaffes and misses at Sullivan’s Downtown. Most if not all of the food should have been served warmer.  The Tabasco arrived after it wasn’t needed.  Short instead of tall drink.  Norm never got a chance for any soup.  Laurie didn’t have the gravy requested when her order was delivered and it arrived too late for her use.  In addition, we thought that the entrees came to the table much too quickly.  We were still finishing our soup and had to scramble to make space…

Despite our experience, the restaurant is obviously popular and has a regular following.  They were quite busy during our visit.  Maybe we’ll try Sullivan’s again in another couple of years… Sullivan’s Downtown is located at 121 West Broadway in Maryville Tennessee.  Phone: 865-681-3334.  Their website is at https://www.sullivansfinefood.com/index.php.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit! 

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave