Construction “Progress” Plus a Local Diner

…continuing with updates on the progress of local home construction and issues.  Currently there are 247 homes under construction in the Village with 87 more approved in the first 4 months of 2023.  This latter number is significantly lower than it was through April of 2022, when we had 131 approved.  Although we hate losing the trees we will be happier when we can drive up and down our streets without dodging construction vehicles.

This is the view of the new house construction from our front yard.  Work is being done sporadically so we don’t really expect the home to be completed until September or later.

…and the beat goes on!  This is a view of the corner lot on our side of the street and almost all the trees were being leveled.  With construction on this lot, we will only have one wooded lot between our home and this new house. 

This is now the view from the edge of the lot across the street looking of the remaining foundation rubble.  You can see that newly cleared corner lot.  Visitors and family that have been here before won’t recognize the area.

The company clearing and preparing the lot across the street not only killed off a small bush that Laurie was nurturing next to our mail box, but they were also cited for damaging an underground internet cable.  All cables here in the village are buried.  Our cable service seems to have an issue whenever construction starts on a new home or when a drainage culvert is put in place. 

Now…let’s talk about food!

We have eaten at TC’s Grill before…but it has been over 4 years since we last visited this Diner/Grill.  As you can see, it is located in an old gas station/convenience store.  The outside gas pump canopy is part of this diner’s ambiance.  The canopy does need a little repair/upkeep but it actually provides a little sheltered parking for a few customers.

Inside TC’s Grill, the dining area is very spacious, especially for a diner.  We were having an early dinner so the restaurant wasn’t very busy.  As you can see, the décor lends itself to an automotive theme.  In typical old-time diner fashion, the tables are covered with advertising for local businesses.  I’m sure that those ads helped pay for the furniture.

We started out with a half order of TC’s Deep Fried Pickle Chips. (Half - $5.49/Full - $8.99) We had this appetizer when we’d first visited TC’s.  We liked it then and we certainly enjoyed it this time too… As you'll see, its a good thing that we didn't get a full order of the pickle chips!

For her dinner, Laurie ordered the 8 oz. Patty Melt. ($11.99) This grilled creation on sourdough bread was delivered as ordered…medium rare.  It was topped with grilled onions and Swiss cheese.  For her side, Laurie ordered the cottage cheese.  This sandwich was huge and she rated it as “excellent”!  Laurie finished half of it plus her cottage cheese.  The other half of her Patty Melt came home with us and served as her dinner on another night…

Other basic side choices at TC’s Grill include: French fries, hash brown potatoes coleslaw, green beans, home fries, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato, okra, hush puppies and a baked potato. (The baked potato can come ‘loaded’ for 99 cents more)

OK…I agree!  The amount of food I was served was indeed obscene!  My choice was the dinner portion of TC’s Country Fried Steak offering. ($16.99 dinner portion/$10.99 lunch portion)  It was described at cube steak hand breaded in a special spice blended flour then deep fried to a golden brown and topped with creamy white gravy.  It came with 2 sides.  

There were a couple of issues… First of all, as you can see my hash brown potatoes were a bit ‘overdone’, partially burnt.  The grill cook should have never put them on my plate.  The second issue is that my ‘fried cube steak’ wasn’t cubed nor was it steak.  Instead the meat portion of my meal really consisted of two 8 oz. burger patties that were breaded and then deep fried.

Don’t get me wrong.  No, they weren’t cube steaks but they still were very nice and like Laurie, there was just too much food for me to eat at one sitting.  So I also ended up taking home one of those breaded and deep fried hamburgers for another meal…

It was a good thing that we didn’t try to finish our meals and took our leftovers home.  It gave us a bit of room for some homemade pie!  Laurie ordered a slice of Coconut Cream and I had a slice of Banana Cream pie.  I don’t remember the price.  We took them home with us and had them for dessert later that night.  They were excellent!

TC’s Grill is located at 2514 Old Niles Ferry Road in Maryville Tennessee.  Phone: 865-980-1905.  This restaurant is open 7 days a week from 7 AM until 8 PM.  By current standards, diners do get a lot for their money!  You can learn more at https://www.facebook.com/tcsmaryville/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave