Nothing too exciting going on lately. So we were happy to learn that Laurie’s sister Bonnie and her husband Bill were once again coming to pay us an extended visit! It was a great way to celebrate the beginnings of the Spring Season.
Some of our early spring blooming plants had already showed themselves, and, with the mild late winter weather we were experiencing, life was once again proving resilient despite some truly damaging freezing temperatures back in December. The daffodils and grape hyacinths were among the first blooms to appear. We love spring, don't you?!
Laurie doesn’t get much satisfaction shopping with yours truly…mainly because I don’t like to shop for much…except groceries. So, when her sister visits, she and Laurie are off and running. We needed a new towel set and new bathroom rugs for the primary bathroom and Laurie was also looking for a replacement carpet for our living room area. Homegoods, in Maryville Tennessee, was the first of many stores visited over the next few days… They were ready for Easter business and even I think that this store was well organized and stocked.
Of course we stopped at Homegoods’ carpet display to see if we could find something that had the right colors…and of equal importance…the right dimensions to fill our need. The width and colors of the carpet shown above would fit our needs but it wasn’t quite long enough. We may go back and pick it up and make it work if nothing better comes along.
Note: We did find a towel set that fit our
needs. Time to retire the old ones!
Next, the ladies stopped in at the Rack Room Shoes adjacent to Homegoods…but I (we) escaped without making any purchases.
What to do next? In the depths of my memory, such as it is these days, I recalled reading about a new brew pub in Alcoa Tennessee…which is right next to Maryville. Bill loves a good beer plus Laurie and I are always looking for a new place to bring visitors and/or just to have dinner.
This is
Black Horse Pub and Brewery. Jeff
Robinson was a helicopter pilot for the 101st Airborne Division
during Operation Desert Storm. After
returning from Iraq and Kuwait, in 1992 Jeff and his wife Sherri opened a small
pub in downtown Clarksville Tennessee.
Then in
1995, the couple completed construction of their own brewery. They chose the name “Blackhorse” in honor of
the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment.
Jeff never served in that unit but he admired the Cavalry’s spirit and
energy. The “Blackhorse” Regiment has
served in the Philippine-American War, the Pancho Villa Expedition, World War
II, the Vietnam War, Gulf War and the Iraq War.
This is a big restaurant and pub with a very large bar and a variety of seating…the latter ranging from low tables to booths to high stools and tables and, of course, stools at the bar. The ambiance is industrial but the ‘look’ is tempered by the wooden beams, wood covered ceiling and those big circular lighting fixtures. Thanks to the server for her big smile!
At my
stage and age, I opt for a standard table if one is available. Booths are too hard to slide in and out of
and if I sit on one of those high stools for very long, my legs tend to go to
sleep…awkward!
It wasn’t time for dinner so we just ordered this large Charcuterie Board with crusty bread, some unleavened crackers, cheeses, fruit, nuts, pepperoni and salami…all drizzled with honey. ($17.50) It was a very good charcuterie board with lots to nibble on for the money. Everything was nice and fresh. We proclaimed the Blackhorse Pub and Brewery as a “winner” and vowed to return soon!
I stuck
to a nice Lemonade ($3.25), Laurie had the Vanilla Cream Ale ($6.00) which she
loved, Bonnie had McGee’s Pale Ale ($6.00) and Bill had the Beer Sampler.
($7.50) He really liked their ‘Warhorse’ brew!
The
Blackhorse Pub and Brewery in Alcoa Tennessee is located at 441 North Hall
Road. Phone: 865-448-5900. The Blackhorse Pub and Brewery’s website is
at Blackhorse - Blackhorse (blackhorsebrews.com).
Just
click on any of the photos to enlarge them…
Thanks
for stopping by for a visit!
Take
Care, Big Daddy Dave
These days I don't shop any more..just order from amazon if we need something :-) Grocery shopping is another story though. I wish you a wonderful weekend, David.
ReplyDeleteCindy has eaten at the Blackhorse several times and has always had a positive experience but we have yet to make it. Don't know if Bev is aware of Home Goods but I won't be telling her.
ReplyDeleteOh now I'm thinking how shabby my towels are! Good looking treats. These microbreweries have become great places to enjoy food and drinks. I visited one first in probably the 90s. It's a good trend.
ReplyDeleteThose stores were well stocked for the spring and Easter season. Glad that Laurie had a shopping companion and that new towels were found as well. The eatery looked very big and the food delicious. And, I agree that standard table seating is preferred instead of benches or high top tables.
ReplyDelete