Finally…Back to Corner 16!

Given the fact that we’ve had our Covid-19 vaccines plus the reality that restaurants have opened up, we finally have been able to go out and re-visit restaurants here and there in East Tennessee.

This is Corner 16 at Bob Kirby Road next to Middlebrook Pike.  The restaurant offers indoor dining, a full bar and lounge area and curbside pickup.  In addition, this family friendly restaurant has an indoor-outdoor patio with fire pits and live entertainment on weekends. 

The bar and lounge at Corner 16 are separated from the dining room and there is plenty of space between tables.  The décor is a combination sports bar and warm industrial…

We were dining with Laurie’s sister Bonnie and her husband Bill.  Whenever we’re out in a restaurant with Bill, a number of appetizers are always ordered. 

We started out with the Bacon Wrapped Brisket Burnt Ends. ($13.00) They’re served with a Tennessee Whiskey Bar-B-Que Sauce.  In our opinion, the burnt ends weren’t genuine burnt ends but rather just standard cuts or pieces of brisket.  The bacon gave the meat most of the flavor as we thought that the brisket itself was a bit dry and 'chewy'.

Our next appetizer were the Fried Green Tomatoes. ($9.50) The tomato slices are dipped in buttermilk, then dusted with seasoned flour and deep fried.  The finished product is topped with fresh grated Asiago cheese and is served with garlic peppercorn dressing.  We’d ordered this appetizer previously and it was as we remembered it…very nice indeed!

Our third appetizer was the Pretzel Sticks and Beer Cheese. ($10.00) We also asked for a mustard sauce on the side.  We really enjoyed this appetizer but we thought that $2.50 per pretzel stick…even with the beer cheese…was a big over-priced.

After sharing all of the appetizers, the ladies decided to split an entrée.  They chose the Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich with onion rings as their side. ($11.00) The BLT comes with a half-pound of thick sliced special house bacon, lettuce and home grown tomato on grilled Challah bread with Sriracha mayo.  The sisters agreed that it was a very good sandwich…

For his meal, Bill ordered a Corner 16 Burger. ($13.75) As you can see this huge sandwich includes 2 fresh ground beef burgers on a Brioche bun.  It also comes with 1000 Island Dressing, American and pimento cheese, sliced bacon, lettuce, tomato and pickle.

Construction of the Corner 16 Burger doesn’t have to end there.  For an upcharge, there are 12 alternate sauces, sliced jalapenos, caramelized onions, a fried egg, sliced avocado and more that can be added.  There are a number of sides that diners can chose to accompany their burger and Bill ordered the sautéed mushrooms.  He was very happy with his choices!

I ordered the Rocky Top Hot Brown for my meal. ($12.00) Grilled Challah bread was topped with roasted turkey and thick sliced special house bacon, then topped with Mornay sauce, a fried egg and tomato. 

I’ve had several versions of a Hot Brown sandwich over the years, but this one came up a bit short.  There wasn’t enough Mornay sauce on it and the turkey was a bit dry.  It just didn’t measure up to what I’d expected.  For my side dish, I ordered the Smokehouse potatoes.  The waitress told me that they were cheesy…but I didn’t asked enough questions as this side also contained onions, not one of my favorites.  My bad!

Lest you take the negatives listed above and assume it was all negative, I will assure you that we’ve been back to Corner 16 again since this visit.  Laurie and I repeated with the Fried Green Tomatoes, then she ordered the Roasted Turkey and Dressing ($13.50) and I ordered the Grilled Ale Chicken. ($14.50) Her meal was very nice and the dressing was excellent.  My chicken was moist and flavorful…really, really good!

There are 2 Corner 16 Restaurants in the greater Knoxville area.  This particular location is at 1640 Bob Kirby Road in Knoxville.  Phone: 865-801-9101.  Website: Home - Corner16.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave