One more item to my blog site before I start a series of posts about a trip we took in July…complete with scenery, sights, history, family, food and more. For this iteration however, it’s all about a couple of casual meals we partook in prior the trip…
Our favorite Chinese Restaurant closed during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Consequently, we’ve been looking around for a replacement in the Knoxville area. We’d passed the Dragon Den Chinese Restaurant on Kingston Pike in Knoxville Tennessee many times over the past few years…so now we decided to give it a try.
The interior of the restaurant was pleasant and nicely decorated. The décor was a bit upscale too. Everything was clean and inviting. Laurie obligingly smiled for the second photo!
As usual, Laurie ordered her favorite Chinese appetizer…Crab Rangoon. She was disappointed with this version. It just didn’t measure up to our closed Chinese favorite or our Thai/Chinese alternative.
I ordered a Pork Egg Roll. It was quite tasty…no complaints!
Next both Laurie and I both ordered a cup of our favorite Chinese soup…Sweet and Sour. It was way too bland for either of us. Not much going on in the flavor category.
For my entrée, I ordered the Chicken with Cashews…asking for extra spicy. It was accompanied with a bowl of rice. They must not have believed me when I said spicy…as it was way too bland for my taste buds. There was nothing wrong with it if you like fairly bland Chinese food, but that’s not my style.
Laurie tried to order something that I’d eat if she couldn’t finish it so she went with the Szechuan Chicken and Shrimp. She didn’t like it at all, eating some of the shrimp and a little chicken with a couple of vegetables. I picked over the rest of the chicken and had a few bites of the vegetables. Nothing we ate at Dragon’s Den was distinctive or justified another visit…not bad per se…but just not to our taste.
Yelp
reviewers give Dragon’s Den 4 stars as does TripAdvisor. Foursquare has just a few ratings but their
6.3 out of 10 points seemed right on for us.
Give it a try and see what you think…
Dragon’s
Den Chinese Restaurant (with Thai, Sushi and more) is located at 10205 Kingston
Pike/US Hwy. 11, in Knoxville Tennessee.
Dine-In, Take-Out or Delivery.
Phone: 865-691-4529. I couldn't find a website for this restaurant.
We hadn’t been back to Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken in a long, long time. First of all, it is quite a trek for us…about 45 – 50 minutes. Then of course…there was (and is) that little problem of Covid-19! We had been at a relatively nearby auto dealership and we decided to have dinner at Gus’s and bring some extra chicken home for sandwiches, etc.
Gus’s décor is definitely a cross between country and industrial. We were early so they weren’t very busy. The menu is simple. There is chicken, chicken, more chicken and even more chicken. Add in a number of side dishes and desserts with beverages and that’s about it…
Our meal
was made a little less pleasant but the guy who came in with his wife and then
who immediately left the restaurant after seeing a large Asian family eating
their dinners. The staff confirmed that
he is a regular but that he is a complete pain to deal with…
Anyway, back to the food. Laurie had 2 thighs and 2 legs…as she prefers the dark meat for its flavor and juiciness. She sided her meal with baked beans and coleslaw. I ordered the Greens and coleslaw with my stack of chicken breasts!
It was
all as good as we remembered…and we took even more home with us. Gus’s chicken is a nice change from the more
heavily breaded versions…which we also enjoy.
Gus’s version is just a little spicy, not too much for the squeamish but
just enough to add a bit of interest to the crunchy skin and the meat itself.
Gus’s
World Famous Fried Chicken is located at 3101 Sutherland Avenue in Knoxville
Tennessee. We wish they had a location
closer to us! Phone: 865-200-5468. Website: https://gusfriedchicken.com/knoxville-tennessee-location/.
Just
click on any of the photos to enlarge them…
Thanks
for stopping by for a visit!
Take
Care, Big Daddy Dave
Sorry that the food in the Dragon’s Den wasn't as good as expected. The fried chicken looks super crisp and yummy.
ReplyDeleteToo bad about the Chinese but glad you got some good fried chicken, which I have been craving.
ReplyDeleteSounds like the Chinese restaurant was a disappointment that was corrected when you dined at a tried and true favorite the next time, Dave. We always like to try an eatery at least 2X before making a decision, but sometimes just a first visit is enough as in your case.
ReplyDelete