Something Special! Foothills Milling Cafe...

Recently we learned about a 'spin off' appendage from perhaps the best restaurant and dining experience in East Tennessee.  Foothills Milling Company in Maryville Tennessee is our favorite food extravaganza...excellent food and service!  However, such quality does come at a price.

So, when we heard that the parent, Foothills Milling Company, had spun off a separate casual operation that is called Foothills Milling Cafe, we had to give it a try.

Located behind Foothills Milling Company, the Cafe is located on a dead end street.  It isn't visible from any major street in the area.  You have to know its there or someone has to tell you about it.

Yes, the Cafe is very casual.  Customers order their meals at the counter after checking out the menu as well as any specials on a chalk board.  The display counter is full of baked goods...cookies, torts, muffins, bars and even some of Foothills Milling Company's sourdough bread.

When your meal is ready, you pick up your food at this counter.  Napkins, silverware, water, ice, cups and boxes for leftovers are on the counter to fulfill diner's needs.

This is the dining area, plain and simple...concrete block construction.  As you can see, there is a patio dining area off the end of this room.

We've dined at Foothills Milling Cafe twice now.  It is only open for lunch, from 11 AM until 2 PM Tuesday through Saturday.  The menu offers a selection of 4 or 5 soups, as many as 9 salads, 28 different sandwiches along with 5 'specialty sandwiches'.

One our first visit, I ordered the White Cheddar Roast Beef Panini.  Sandwiches come with a pickle spear plus a choice of Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad, Loaded Potato Salad, Sweet Dijon Slaw or Thai Chili Chickpea Salad.  My sandwich with the Sweet Dijon Slaw side was $15.50.  Laurie took the half sandwich photo to show that the beef was medium rare, shaved and plentiful.  It was an excellent sandwich!  

Laurie went 'off menu', instead selecting one of the Cafe's "Signature Specials".  This was her Heirloom Caprese Chicken Salad. ($16.00) Homemade chicken salad on a bed of fresh greens along with sliced Grainger County heirloom tomatoes and sliced Mozzarella cheese...topped with olive oil and a rich balsamic glaze.  It was almost too beautiful to eat, but consume it she did...and it was excellent!

Onto our second visit, this time on the occasion of my 'old-timer's birthday.  What better way to celebrate than to enjoy good food!  We arrived at Foothills Milling Cafe just after they opened for business for the day.  I wanted to eat early enough that I could enjoy dinner much later in the day. 

On this occasion Laurie ordered the Pesto Grilled Cheese Panini. ($12.50) This panini features Sharp White Cheddar, Mozzarella, Provolone, Roasted Divina Tomatoes and Basil Pesto on a pressed Sourdough Roll.  For her side, she ordered the Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad.  She loved her luncheon and she ended up bringing home half of her sandwich for another meal.

OK...it was my birthday so I looked for something special...and the "HBC" Sandwich covered all the food groups. ($14.50) This creation included Shaved Black Forest Ham, a plentiful amount of Benton's Bacon, White Cheddar Cheese, Arugula, a Farm Egg Over Easy (breakfast), Poblano Cream Sauce and Mayonnaise on a Grilled Kaiser Bun...plus the pickle spear.  For a side, I just opted for salt and vinegar potato chips.   

There was no way I could pick up this creation and devour it in sandwich form.  First of all, it was too big.  Secondly, if I had tried I would have had to go straight home and change into a new shirt.  I ended up not eating the top of the bun and using a knife and fork to consume the rest of this luscious luncheon treat.  The mix of flavors and textures made this a memorable meal.  I was a very happy camper indeed.

On this second 'special' dining occasion, we did order desserts to take home for after dinner treats.  Laurie ordered the Mini Key Lime Pie ($4.00) which she loved.  I ordered a Chess Bar. ($5.00) It was very nice but too large and I spread it over a 2 day period.

FYI, two other sides are available.  They included Truffle Mac & Cheese ($6.00) and Pimento Mac & Cheese. ($4.00) Foothills Milling Cafe is located at 612 Sevierville Road in Maryville Tennessee.  Online ordering is at www.FoothillsMillingCafe.com.  Phone: 865-315-3402.

Laurie and I would highly recommend Foothills Milling Cafe and this special dining experience.  Their regular menu can be perused at https://foothillsmillingcafe.com/food-menu.

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave & Laurie

Checking In Once Again - Mostly Food

It's been a while since I've posted anything on my blogsite although I do check in on other bloggers that I've followed in the past.  Nothing earth shattering here but I put together a couple of food related items with an appropriate beginning and ending. 

We've (especially Laurie) have been getting up earlier than has been our habit over the past several years.  As a consequence, Laurie captured this glorious sunrise coming up over Tellico Lake and the nearby hills.

Very recently we had enjoyed a late afternoon/early evening meal at our friends Larry and Bev's home.  Larry is also a blogger and food is a specialty. (https://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com/) We enjoyed the company and a great meal, including Royal Red Shrimp in brown butter, Salmon Cakes and Fresh Tomato Focaccia Pizza. (shown above) In this case my focus is on the Focaccia Pizza.  It was delicious and I think that I ate at least 5 slabs of it... To see the recipe, just go to Larry's  (Big Dude's) blog post as follows.  You'll get to see the family dogs as well!  (https://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com/2025/08/fresh-tomato-focaccia-pizza-pups-new-cut.html)

Larry 'twisted my arm' and I ended up taking home a big chunk of the remaining Fresh Tomato Focaccia Pizza.  So what came next?  I sliced the top off a slab of the focaccia and dropped in a frying pan with plentiful butter, and then I heated both sides of the above 'slice'.

After it was browned a bit, I sprinkled a bit of parmesan on the tomato side of the focaccia pizza.  Loved the color...before I took that final step prior to consumption.

I topped my slightly modified fresh tomato focaccia pizza with a couple of over-easy fried eggs. This was a very satisfying breakfast indeed!  Thanks Larry and Bev...for having us over for dinner and for sending a classy leftover home with me.

One of our friends had referred us to the Abridged Beer Company in Knoxville.  He told us that they served the best hamburger he's ever had in Knoxville!  Since we both love a good burger and we were going to be in Knoxville anyway, we decided to stop in for an early dinner.

We started out with an appetizer, in this case it was the Fried Cornbread with House Jam and Honey Butter. ($11.00) This offering was quite tasty with crusty fried outside of these cornbread 'cakes' adding interesting texture and a nice bite of flavor.  The honey butter and house jam worked too but I think I would have preferred a little more tang or pop with the jam.

Laurie ordered the Old Smokey Burger. ($17.00) It was comprised of a 7 oz. all-beef ground brisket blend, house aioli, tobacco onions, applewood smoked bacon, smoked provolone cheese, bourbon BBQ, and brioche jalapeno jam on a brioche roll.  For her side dish she opted for the potato salad.  She has repeatedly told me...and others...that this was the best burger she ever had.

My burger (no photo as it looked about the same) was simply the Abridged Burger. ($17.00) It was made up with the same brisket blend ground beef and house aioli plus fried brussels sprouts petals, white American cheese and applewood smoked bacon on the brioche bun.  I skipped the caramelized onions as I don't care for onions.

I've decided that I'm more of a purist when it comes to hamburgers.  My favorite burgers are comprised of a nice firm bun, quality beef and a slice of sharp cheddar cheese...with perhaps a smear of mayonnaise.  Laurie likes more layers of flavor.  Basically, I could barely taste the ground beef as it was overshadowed by the other ingredients.  This was a decent burger or sandwich and the bun was top notch.  The fries were too limp for my taste and $17.00 for a burger seems a bit high...perhaps justified by the layers applied to the sandwich.

Everybody has different likes and dislikes and, based on the crowd, Abridged Beer Co. is very popular.  Abridged Beer Company is located at 320 North Peters Road in Knoxville Tennessee.  Phone: 865-281-5449.  You can check out their menu on their website which is found at https://www.abridgedbeer.com/.

And I'll sign off for now with this photo of our sunset last night.  We've been having great weather this month.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by!  

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Eating Our Way toward Galveston!

Following our short visit to Eutaw Alabama, we got back on I-20/I-59 and continued southwest across the state line into Mississippi.  Just past Meridian Mississippi, we once again diverted onto the slower but more interesting US Hwy 11, which parallels I-59 south toward Laurel and Hattiesburg Mississippi.  Our overnight destination was the Hampton Inn in Hattiesburg.

After we'd checked in at our hotel, we headed out for dinner.  I'd done some research and Mug Shots Grill and Bar ended up as the winner for dinner...  As you can see, the interior of Mug Shots is expansive, loaded with booths, tables and chairs, a full bar and a plethora of televisions.  Industrial look on steroids!  

Well, Mug Shots does have a full bar...and after a day of driving Laurie was ready for an adult libation.  I don't believe that she was expecting her bloody Mary to come with its own appetizer! ($9.00) Note the celery, olive, onion ring and bacon...

We did order an actual appetizer, the Pow Pow Shrimp. ($12.99) Mug Shots version of this spicy shrimp appetizer was OK...no complaints, but not the best ever either.

For my entree, I ordered Caitlin's Cajun Sandwich. ($12.79) The sandwich consisted of a blackened chicken breast topped with hickory smoked bacon and melted pepper jack cheese and mayonnaise and it came with lettuce and a slice of tomato.  I asked for the lettuce and tomato to be on the side.  The sandwich was accompanied by beer batter French Fries.  This was a very nice sandwich indeed!

Despite the fact that I did enjoy my sandwich, Laurie's evening meal looked even better than mine.  She had the Buffalo Bleu Salad. ($13.49) The mixed greens were topped with crispy fried chicken tossed in Mug Shots' (** second level) mild Wang sauce.  The salad was topped with bleu cheese crumbles, hickory smoked bacon, diced tomatoes, red onion and house-made ranch salad dressing.  Laurie really liked her salad.  I was allowed a bite as well and I concurred with her assessment.

Mug Shots Grill  and Bar is a franchised operation with at least 22 locations in a 5 state area.  The Hattiesburg location is at 204 North 40th Street.  Phone: 601-271-2299.  Website: https://www.mugshotsgrillandbar.com/location/mugshots-hattiesburg/.

                             

The next morning we departed from Hattiesburg and rolled on down I-59 toward New Orleans, picking up I-12 westbound just east of Slidell Louisiana.  We hadn't had breakfast at this point so I got off I-12 after a couple of miles and followed US Hwy 190 and then LA Hwy 22 west looking for a place to eat.  Laurie got on her phone and found a likely breakfast spot in Mandeville Louisiana, right off Hwy 22 west.  Shortly after her discovery, we pulled in the parking lot at the Crazy Pig Southern Kitchen... We did notice that the housing in this area was a bit up-scale.

The interior of the Crazy Pig Southern Kitchen was warm and friendly...not the industrial look that we're so tired of.  There is a diner style counter, high tables and chairs and plenty of well-spaced tables with standard seating.  The staff was very friendly and talkative...

The menu at Crazy Pig was both mind boggling and daunting.  The daunting part was trying to figure out what to order!  This isn't your typical breakfast menu, that's for sure!  I ordered the Schnitzel with a hand hammered chicken fried pork cutlet, topped with two over-medium fried eggs, a side of sausage gravy and a grilled biscuit, all accompanied by a choice of grits or breakfast potatoes. ($17.99) It was a great breakfast although I will say that our home-made sausage gravy at home is superior to the Crazy Pig's. 

Among the other house specials one can find the Booya Biscuit, a fried egg with cheddar cheese, praline bacon and a fried green tomato on a grilled biscuit.  Another option is the Sticky Chicken, fried chicken with cane syrup and whipped butter on a grilled biscuit.  The south sure does like sweet!

After Laurie perused the menu, she decided to go for a 'benedict', not just any old 'usual' benedict but in this case Crazy Pig's Pontchartrain Benedict.  This version involved two poached eggs over crab cakes, resting on slices of tomato all on an English muffin with Hollandaise sauce. ($17.99) Laurie likes crab but she has had several experiences with crab cakes that are more 'stuff' than they are crab.  These crab cakes were mostly tasty crab meat.  She sided her breakfast with grits and she thought that the entire meal was excellent...

How southern can a benedict be?  How about the Whole Hog Benny, with the poached eggs, pulled pork and a sausage patty, all topped with Hollandaise sauce and bacon!  Another option would be the Voodoo Crawfish Benny, with the poached eggs, fried green tomato, crawfish tails and Voodoo sauce on a grilled English muffin.

While the Crazy Pig Southern Kitchen isn't inexpensive, it is special compared to most breakfast venues we've visited in recent years.  Interesting menu and fine breakfast fare!  This restaurant is located at 4700 LA Hwy 22 in Mandeville Louisiana.  Phone: 985-264-6655.  Closed on Mondays.  Website: https://www.crazypigkitchen.com/.

On to Galveston!

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

On The Road Toward Galveston

Back in March of this year, Laurie and I had decided to take a road trip, with Galveston Texas and Natchitoches Louisiana as our primary destinations.  Galveston because of its history and the HGTV show, "Restoring Galveston" and Natchitoches because of its history and the varied attractions in the area near the city.  So off we went!

When it was time for lunch, Laurie pulled up the nearby dining possibilities on her phone...and we stopped at Sadie's Diner in Vance Alabama.  Vance has a population of a bit over 2,000 residents but it is best known for the only Mercedes Benz plant/assembly line in North America.  It should be no surprise that Sadie's Diner is located at 10565 Daimler Benz Boulevard in Vance adjacent to the big Mercedes facility... 

FYI, the plant itself is located on 1,000 acres of land that was donated by the state of Alabama.  The land was part of the deal that helped win the contract with Mercedes.  The property features multiple test tracks...both road and off-road options.  The Mercedes-Benz Visitor Center includes a free museum that features cars produced throughout the company's history.  Plant tours are also available for a modest fee.

Based purely on it's size, Sadie's is not a true diner.  Expansive would be the best description of its interior dining areas.  The counter itself is basically a huge "S" with squared corners and my best guess is that it would seat about 40 customers at one time.  Tables...they have tables!  The second photo shows only about 60% of the tables at Sadie's.   Not unexpectedly, the walls were decorated with Mercedes-Benz signs, photos and even hubcaps.   

We don't eat breakfast before leaving on a road trip.  We take coffee and we hit the road.  breakfast on days.  Fortunately for us, Sadie's serves breakfast all day!  Since it is our favorite meal, our decision making was easy.  We both ordered "Trim 1", 2 eggs over medium, hash brown potatoes, a biscuit and meat... Laurie went for the bacon and I chose sausage. ($10.99 each) Our meals were OK, not famous but decent.  The problem was the service... We got very little attention from our waitress, coffee must have been in short supply, and the kitchen either decided to go on break or the waitress forgot to turn in our order.  It took 'forever' for us to get our food.  As you might have noticed from the photos of the dining areas, it isn't like the restaurant was overwhelmed with customers!  

Sadie's Diner is apparently owned and operated by Sprint Mart, a service station, convenience store corporation that features fresh food for traveling clientele.  This was the line waiting in the store segment next to Sadie's, waiting to pick up to go items.  To learn more about Sprint Mart and Sadie's Diner, you can go to https://www.sprintmart.com/sadies-diner/.

Once we passed Tuscaloosa Alabama on I-59/I-20, we were tired of driving on the 'super slab', (aka 'expressway', 'freeway' or Interstate highway), so we jumped off and followed part of US 11 south and west toward Mississippi.  It runs parallel to the Interstate.  Along the way, we came to the town of Eutaw Alabama.  Eutaw is the county seat for Greene County Alabama.  The county was named after Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene of Rhode Island.  The town was named for the Battle of Eutaw Springs, the last engagement of the American Revolutionary War in the Carolinas.  Greene County's population as of the 2020 census recorded 7,730 residents, and it has the lowest population of any county in Alabama.  In 2023, the population was estimated at 7,341, a 5% decline in only 3 years. 

There are 3 buildings on the courthouse side of Courthouse Square, not including the courthouse itself.  Unfortunately, the first photo above is of the newest building located next to the courthouse.  Built in 1931, this was the County Library and it was replaced with a new facility in the 1990s.  Other buildings literally in the square are the Grand Jury Building (1842) and the Probate Office (1856 with a second story added in 1938)

The second photo above is the actual Old Greene County Courthouse.  This two-story Greek Revival style building was the county's seat of government from 1869 until 1993.  The prior courthouse was burned to the ground in 1868.  Most historians feel that it was a deliberate act of arson by the KKK.  The fire destroyed paperwork pertaining to about 1,800 suits by freedmen against the planters and the fire took place just prior to the suits being acted on.

This historic plantation house is located at Mesopotamia Street and Kirkwood Drive in Eutaw.  Named "Kirkwood" or the Foster Mark Kirksey House, construction on this Greek Revival style home with Italianate influences, began in 1858.  The original owner/builder was Foster M. Kirksey, a planter, elected official, an agent for the Confederate government, a cotton factor and a commission merchant. (1817 - 1906) Construction was halted by the start of the American Civil War...leaving several features of the house incomplete.  Kirksey, who served as Sheriff from 1845 - 1848, was a significant part of Greene County history for more than 50 years.  As for the house itself, the balcony railings, cupola, and a few other minor features were completed by a couple in the 1970s who wanted to restore the home.

That's all for now... Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

A Bit of Italian Food Plus

...continuing with Bill and Bonnie's visit.  Another meal out, this time it was Italian.  Back in May I'd written a post for the blogsite about a new Italian Restaurant in close proximity to our home.  It was promising and, since both Bonnie and Bill really like Italian food, we got dressed up before we headed out the door!

Laurie's sister Bonnie and her husband Bill, ready to head out for dinner...

Yours truly and Laurie (my better half), also ready to head out for dinner.  And yes, I did dress up for dinner.  The man in black with a collared shirt... I generally avoid restaurants where I have to wear long pants.  If its over 50 F, I wear shorts!  It's one of the 'privileges' of retirement...

                          

This is the Fork and Vine in Lenoir City Tennessee.  They now have a permanent sign that replaced that white temporary signage shown in this earlier photograph.  To see my earlier post regarding this restaurant, you can go to https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/5617317794624015781/711400631634636564.  As you will note on the faded signage below that temporary sign, this location was previously called Joe's Italian Cuisine.

My bad!  A couple of posts earlier I'd negatively credited the first charcuterie board to the wrong restaurant, "Water into Wine".  In reality, the first board shown above (termed a Salumi Board) was enjoyed at "Fork and Vine" prior to the arrival of our salads and entrees.  At $15.00 it was indeed a good deal and the quality was there as well.  The second charcuterie board is the one that should have been 'credited' to our experience at "Water into Wine".

FYI, Fork and Vines Salumi Board contained an assortment of meats and cheeses plus roasted red pepper hummus, sliced ciabatta bread and tangerine chili olives.  For the record, I'm not a real fan of charcuterie boards but many people are including Laurie, Bonnie and Bill.  I don't dislike them but I'd prefer focusing on the main courses or more singular appetizers...

Another Fork and Vine appetizer was their Drunken Mussels. ($15.00) The mussels were swimming in an amazing vodka and white wine sauce, with basil, garlic, tomatoes, and banana peppers.  They were also accompanied by sliced ciabatta toast points with herb butter.  Bread and herbed olive oil came with the meals and seconds were provided at no cost.  The bread was invaluable for soaking up the mussels delectable sauce...

The only negative was that too many mussels hadn't opened up during the cooking process.  It should have been caught in the kitchen.

Laurie ordered a side 'Julius Caesar' salad with her entree.  Salads with an entree are $5.00 vs $12.00 for a dinner sized Caesar salad.  Laurie really enjoyed her salad.

For her entree, Laurie ordered the Vodka Di Gallo.  The fresh Creste di Gallo pasta came with a pink vodka cream sauce, onions, basil and mushrooms.  Laurie added blackened 'colossal' shrimp to her main course. ($8.00) With the shrimp, her meal cost $24.00.  Other add-on options included chicken, meatballs or Italian sausage. ($6.00) Laurie completely enjoyed her entree...and would order it again.

Bonnie also ordered a side salad with her entree. ($5.00) It came with mixed greens, tomato, red onion, carrots, cheese and croutons.

FYI, a total of 9 starters or appetizers are on the menu at Fork and Vine as are other salads...including dinner salads.

Bonnie ordered the 1809 Risotto...with creamy parmesan risotto, mushrooms, seared scallops and herb broccolini. ($28.00) The base of the cream sauce is a lemon wine cream.  Bonnie enjoyed her entree and Laurie gave a big 'thumbs up' on the risotto.

As for Bill's entree, somehow we missed taking a photo of his 'seafood entree'.  It was the Ciopinno Lenoir with mussels, clams, shrimp and fish simmered in at robust tomato based broth. ($24.00) It was served with grilled Ciabatta bread and Bill also added a Caesar salad to accompany his meal.  He was happy with his choice for dinner and he completely cleaned his plate!

As for yours truly, I started my meal with a bowl of Italian Wedding Soup. No photo yet again. ($9.00/cup $5.00) It was very nice broth and it was loaded with little meatballs, spinach and pasta pearls. 

I had a hankering for pizza so I ordered Fork and Vine's Wood Fired Pepperoni Pie. ($16.00) As per the menu it was made with fresh house made pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and 'loaded with pepperoni'.  Since my favorite pizza is a combination of Italian sausage and pepperoni, I asked that sausage be added to the toppings.  No problem...same price too.  It sure looked good!

As you may remember, Laurie and I have been searching for great pizza ever since we moved to East Tennessee.  Sadly, we're still searching.  My pizza's crust was soggy, the pizza sauce was bland...to me it lacked any Italian seasonings...and 'bland' carried on to the sausage and even the pepperoni.  I took about half of my pizza home and 'dressed it up' a couple of days later.  I added more pepperoni (spicier than than the original), extra mozzarella cheese to help re-moisturize the pie and Laurie sprinkled on some basic Italian seasoning.  It was a much improved pizza with the changes we made...

Fork and Vine shows a lot of promise in a market basically devoid of quality Italian cuisine.  Other than the pizza...and the unopened mussels...we were quite happy with our experience.  We will return in the near future and try some other menu options.  Fork and Vine Restaurant is located at 131 Kelsey Lane (visible from US Hwy 321) in Lenoir City.  This restaurant is open from 11 AM until 10 PM Monday - Saturday and from 10 AM until 4 PM on Sunday.  Phone: 865-317-1098.  Fork and Vine's website is at https://fnvlenoir.com/.  They are also on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/p/Fork-Vine-Lenoir-City-61568667290284/.

We did not eat out for every meal or even every day during Bonnie and Bill's visit.  Laurie took the above photo of myself, Bonnie and Bill enjoying a meal of ribeye steaks (medium rare), corn, sauteed squash, sweet and sour cucumbers and fresh bakery bread...plus a bottle of wine.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit and for those in and from the USA, have a HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SAFE JULY 4th!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave