Hixson Archives - Chattavore

El Maguey (Middle Valley)

June 21, 2017

El Maguey Mexican restaurant opened in 2016 and is located in the Middle Valley area of Hixson, Tennessee. They serve local Mexican restaurant standards.

Have you ever had a restaurant that you drove by all the time but you, for whatever reason, never even really thought about stopping? I don’t know why, but for some reason that’s been my experience with El Maguey. It’s been open for several months now and I’ve heard only good things about it. I drive by there several times a week, whether for work or just to try to avoid Hixson Pike…but for some reason we just haven’t made it there.

I finally decided that we needed to make the effort to stop in after seeing several friends post about it. We stopped in at around 6 p.m. on a Wednesday night, and while there was a pretty good crowd we were seated immediately. It’s a very nice space, located near the Save-A-Lot on Middle Valley Road (I can’t remember for the life of me what was located there before) and decorated tastefully. Our server grabbed our waters and we ordered a queso fundido ($4.99). Unfortunately, there was some sort of mix-up and we did not get our queso fundido. Since it would have taken a while to make once the mix-up was realized, our server brought us an order of regular cheese dip on the house. It was good cheese dip, pretty much par for the course as far as cheese dip goes. The chips and salsa were good as well. They bring out separate bowls for everyone at the table, which you probably appreciate if you like to double dip.

I decided to order the flautas ($7.50) with shredded beef. For those of you who are not familiar with flautas, they are tortillas rolled around some sort of meat and fried. The flautas at El Maguey are served with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and rice. The meat was well-seasoned and tender, like a very slow-cooked roast, shredded very finely. The tortillas as well as the ends of the meat were crispy and delicious. I enjoyed the rice as well – it was just rice with flavorings, no additional vegetables, and it was very flavorful and well-cooked.

Philip was going to go with his standard Mexican restaurant order (chimichanga with ground beef) but at our server’s urging decided to go instead with alambre ($10.99), a choice of chicken or steak (Philip got both) cooked with onions and bacon and topped with cheese. The alambre was served with rice, beans, flour tortillas, and salsa verde. The meat was delicious – Philip compared it to a Philly cheesesteak with chicken and bacon added. He also enjoyed the rice and the beans, and said that the salsa verde did not have much flavor to him. I tasted some on a chip and thought it was mostly tart and just a little spicy – not a lot of tomatillo or chile flavor. The portion of this meal was huge and Philip brought half of it home to eat for lunch the next day.

So…was El Maguey a standout among local Mexican restaurants? Well, I didn’t think it was better than Delia’s, but it was as good as El Metate. It’s a little bit closer to our house than either one, so I am sure that we’ll go back when a taco craving strikes (as they often do). If you live in the Hixson/Middle Valley area, you should definitely give El Maguey a try!

El Maguey is located at 7001 Middle Valley Road, Hixson, TN 37343. They are open Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can call them at 423-475-5763. For more information, you can check out El Maguey’s website or like El Maguey on Facebook.

Ricko’s Pizzeria and Italian Cuisine (Lakesite, TN)

June 14, 2017

Ricko’s Pizzeria is a pizza restaurant in Lakesite, Tennessee (Soddy-Daisy/Hixson) that serves pizza, pasta, & sandwiches & has quickly made a name for itself!

Usually, when I write about a restaurant, it’s the first time I’ve been in. That’s not the case with Ricko’s Pizzeria and Italian Cuisine, though. Ricko’s Pizzeria opened back in March and, since it’s just a couple of miles from my house, we’ve eaten there several times since they opened. I’ve mentioned plenty of times that I like to give new restaurants some time to get their flow before I write about them, though, so we decided to wait.

Ricko’s is in a spot that has been a handful of other restaurants in the 15 years that we’ve lived in this part of town, most recently occupied by Ron’s Pig Out, a barbecue restaurant. The interior is pretty basic. You order at the counter and they call your number out when it’s ready. If you’ve ever dined at a Rafael’s in the area, the menu will be familiar to you – it’s very similar to the menu at Rafael’s, right down to the buy-one-get-one-free pizzas (excluding the personal pan pizzas). It is my understanding that the family that owns it was previously connected to a Rafael’s restaurant…not sure how.

Anyway, we placed our order immediately when we walked in and our food was out in about ten minutes. Philip wanted to try the garlic knots, so we got an order of those. The garlic knots were a little crusty on the outside, soft on the inside. I prefer them just a little bit softer on the outside than these were, and would have liked for them to have a little more garlic. Still pretty good, though. They were served with a basic marinara sauce for dipping.

On this visit I decided to have the Italian cheese steak with mushrooms for $6.45. Sandwiches are served with fries and a pickle spear. The Italian cheese steak is tender sliced steak with melted provolone on a crusty Italian roll. You can order it with peppers and onions or with mushrooms (I am sure they would do both, but I haven’t asked). I am pretty sure there is a little mayonnaise under the steak. I really like this sandwich. It’s flipping huge (I ate half that night and the other half for lunch a couple of days later) and very flavorful. The only complaint that I have is that I am fairly certain the mushrooms are canned, and I am just not down with canned mushrooms. They are not a deal-breaker, though. The fries are basic frozen fries – pretty good but not anything that sets them apart.

Philip was in the mood for a pizza so he went with the personal pan pizza with pepperoni and mushrooms ($5.25 for a two-topping pizza). The pizza here has always been good when we’ve ordered it. The crust is not too thick or too thin and they don’t over-sauce it (something that drives me crazy). Again, canned mushrooms…but not a deal-breaker. We definitely choose Ricko’s over the national chain that’s just a little further down the street. It’s very convenient to call it in and have Philip stop on his way home from work.

Ricko’s Pizzeria is a welcome addition to the Lakesite/Middle Valley area. They serve sandwiches, salads, pasta, and other entrees in addition to pizza, and the staff is always very friendly. We’ve never had a long wait here, even on days that they are busy (which they often are). It’s nothing fancy, but it’s good. Judging by the number of cars we usually see in the parking lot at dinner time and after church on Sundays, I think that Ricko’s Pizzeria will be around for a while.

Ricko’s Pizzeria and Italian Cuisine is located at 8615 Hixson Pike, Hixson, Tennessee, 37343. They are open Sunday – Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday – Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. You can call Ricko’s at (423) 682-8050. Ricko’s does not have a website, but you can find more information on their Facebook page.

Fiesta Mexicana (Hixson, Tennessee)

January 11, 2017

Fiesta Mexicana is a Mexican restaurant located in Hixson, Tennessee. They offer standard Mexican fare in a nice, spacious environment.

So, Chattanooga had a mini snowpocalypse last weekend. Okay, not really. Did we even get an inch? I’m not sure…pretty sure not. What I do know is that by the time I got out of the house to meet my friend Becky for coffee that the roads were completely fine. You won’t hear me complain about the snow day I got on Friday, though. I❤️snow days.

It was brutally cold in Chattanooga, though. The temps were in the twenties during the day, and the wind chill even lower. Us southerners are not build for cold weather, so we decided to avoid any restaurants that required much walking. Instead, we headed to Hixson for Mexican food at Fiesta Mexicana.

I am not certain, but I think that Fiesta Mexicana may be related in some way to El Sol, which was formerly located in a building near where Fiesta Mexicana (which used to be a bar/tavern type restaurant) is currently located. Fiesta Mexicana is in a much bigger space – it’s quite a large space with two separate dining areas and a bar. We arrived around 4:00 on Saturday afternoon and were seated quickly. There were several tables occupied but it was not crowded. The chips and salsa were quickly delivered to our table, with a bowl of salsa for each of us.

Unfortunately, I did not get our server’s name. Usually, it’s printed on the receipt, so if I forget to ask, I have a fallback, but in this case it was not. Sorry about that. She was very nice, though, and quickly stopped by our table to get our drink order. When she returned with our waters, we asked for some cheese dip. Apparently, she felt that she took too long to get the cheese dip to us, because she apologized for not bringing it sooner and comped it on our bill. We didn’t think anything about it, but we were certainly appreciative.

The chips and salsa were pretty standard Mexican restaurant chips and salsa – thin and crispy chips and just slightly spicy red salsa. The salsa was a little bit less chunky than what I typically expect in a Mexican restaurant, but I like my salsa pretty chunk-less so I was okay with that! I didn’t take a picture of the cheese dip, but it was also pretty standard – thin, white cheese dip with jalapeños. It satisfied my cheese dip craving.

Lunch specials are available until 3:00, so we were not able to get any of those. I was torn between the taquitos dinner special and the flautas dinner special. Taquitos and flautas are very similar, but taquitos are made with corn tortillas and flautas are made with flour tortillas. I decided on the flautas luxe, since (1) I was getting crispy corn tortillas in the chips; and (2) the flautas luxe provided a variety of fillings: ground beef, steak, and chicken. They were served with lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole. The tortillas were fried until lightly crispy (more so around the edges, which are my favorite part) and stuffed with seasoned meat. The steak was my favorite, though the chicken and ground beef were good as well. The steak and ground beef tasted like they had similar seasoning. I would order this again.

Philip went for his standard Mexican order: a ground beef chimichanga. His chimichanga was topped with cheese sauce and served with beans and rice, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo. He said that the beans and rice were good but not his favorite (I would still say that Delia’s has the best Mexican rice and refried beans are our favorite). The chimichanga was very large. He said it was well-cooked and he liked the ground beef seasoning. He stopped about 2/3 of the way though so that he wouldn’t get overstuffed.

If our server had not taken off the cheese dip, our meal would have been around $24 pre-tip. Not a bad price for such a large meal. The atmosphere at Fiesta Mexicana is nice – everything is nicely decorated in a pretty traditional Mexican restaurant type decor. The food was good as well, pretty much standard Americanized Mexican fare. I’m not complaining about that – it tastes good and I would go back.

Fiesta Mexicana is located at 4021 Hixson Pike, Chattanooga, Tennessee, 37415. They are open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday – Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. You can call them at (423) 877-2879. They do not have a website, but you can find more information on the Fiesta Mexicana Hixson Facebook page. You can find photos that a Yelp user shared of the Fiesta Mexicana menu here.

Dominica’s Caribbean Kitchen

December 14, 2016

Dominica’s Caribbean Kitchen is a restaurant in Hixson, Tennessee, serving fresh and delicious Caribbean cuisine in a friendly environment.

A few months ago, I met my friend Becky (who writes A Calculated Whisk) at Noodle & Pho for dinner. As I climbed out of the car, I noticed something new a few doors down: Dominica’s Caribbean Kitchen. My interest was piqued, but a little Facebook research revealed that it wasn’t open just yet. A couple of weeks later, it was open, and people have been mentioning to me that I need to go and write a review ever since.

I like to give new restaurants a couple of months to get their bearings before I check them out, so I just now got around to going. Actually, I was going to go a few weeks ago…and found out that they are not open on Monday. Oops. That’s okay. We went for dinner on a Wednesday, and since we arrived at 5:30, there was only one other table occupied (several others filled while we were dining). We were quickly seated by Dominica (pronounced Dominique-a) herself and our server, Cassara, quickly got us our waters.

We perused the menu for a few minutes considering appetizers. I knew that the jerk items would be too spicy for me, so we considered getting the shrimp fritters. Philip then mentioned that he wished that they had the Jamaican patty on the dinner menu, as he had the Jamaican patty meal when he ate lunch there with a friend and really liked it. Well, the Jamaican patty is on the appetizer menu, so I suggested that we order that for $3.99. Now, a Jamaican patty is not just a patty of meat…it’s spicy ground beef wrapped in a flaky pastry. Dominica’s serves theirs with a slightly spicy chicken au jus. It was quite good, just a little bit spicy but definitely not overly so.

I decided on the coconut shrimp ($13.99) with rice and peas and fried plantains (you choose your own two sides) for my entree. The coconut shrimp was coated with slightly sweet shredded coconut and fried to a perfect golden brown crisp, and it was absolutely delicious. The mango sauce that it was served with was sweet and spicy – the perfect complement to the shrimp. The “peas” in the rice and peas were actually kidney beans. The rice was well cooked and could have used maybe just a touch more salt, but was still good. I was expecting crispier plantains – these were more sautéed than fried. They were tasty, but definitely had a more banana-like texture, so if you don’t care for that, order a different side.

Philip decided to get the West Indies Style Curried Chicken – Tender chicken simmered in a light curry sauce with diced potatoes and fresh bell peppers, served on a bed of steamed rice with grilled island flat bread ($12.99). It was not very spicy, but Dominica mentioned to us that they have toned down the spice a little bit for the Hixson crowd. They do have a spicy bottled sauce (Calypso sauce) on the table for those who would prefer a spicier version, but Philip thought that it took away from the flavors of the curry itself. He really loved the flavors of the curry, which he ate on the flatbread, which was simple but tasty and flaky. He did not care for the plantains (see my note about the texture above).

Our server, Cassara, and Dominica were both friendly and attentive. The restaurant decor is simple but the place is clean and well-kept. The service was very quick and the food was tasty and seemed fresh. The price was a little bit more than I expected but I did not think it was exorbitant, and I love that there’s another option for something a little unusual in Hixson.

If you’re looking for something different, try Dominica’s Caribbean Kitchen!

Dominica’s Caribbean Kitchen is located at 5450 Highway 153 Suite 164, Hixson, TN 37343. They are open Tuesday – Saturday, 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. and Sunday 11:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. You can call them at 423-475-6916. For more information, you can check out Dominica’s Caribbean Kitchen’s website or find Dominica’s Caribbean Kitchen on Facebook. You can also follow @dominicas.caribbean.kitchen on Instagram and @dscaribbean on Twitter.

BiBa’s Italian Restaurant

November 30, 2016

BiBa’s Italian Restaurant in Hixson, Tennessee offers a variety of tasty Italian favorites at fair prices – including $10 off your meal on your birthday.

I have a little obsession with Italian food going on right now. Has anyone noticed? Starting with Boccaccia this summer, then Hummingbird Pastaria a few weeks ago, and now BiBa’s. BiBa’s was an early Chattavore stop, so you can read my first post about them if you keep scrolling, but I thought I’d update with some fresh pictures.

Philip and I went to BiBa’s for dinner last Monday night. There wasn’t much of a wait when we arrived at about 5:30, though the restaurant was filling up by the time we left a little under an hour later. Our server, Brooke, was quick to get our drinks to us and take our order, because it didn’t take us long to decide what to order. She quickly brought our rolls, then our salads. BiBa’s rolls are definitely the stuff of legend…fluffy knots coated with garlicky oil and parmesan cheese. These seemed a little smaller than usual, but they were as tasty as ever. Carry breath mints when you plan to eat these rolls. I love the Caesar salad at BiBa’s. The lettuce is always fresh and cut nicely, and the creamy housemade Caesar dressing is so tasty. They put plenty of cheese in it, too (though this one could have used a few more croutons).

I’ll go ahead and apologize for the fact that I ordered the exact same thing on this visit as I did on my last visit. I am basically incapable of ordering anything else when I go to BiBa’s. I mean, I’ve had other things, and I’ve liked them all…but tortellini Gabrielle just lures me in almost every time. What’s not to love about cheese tortellini coated in a thick layer of cream sauce and mozzarella, with just a touch of tomato sauce? I am sure that there is nothing authentic about it, and certainly nothing healthy about it, but when you need some comfort food, this provides all the fat and carbs that you need. I realize that the picture leaves a lot to be desired…I do think that they should work on their plating skills.

Philip decided to go for the chicken Francesca, which has emerged as his favorite meal on the BiBa’s menu. Lightly breaded chicken breast, sautéed then tossed in a lemony sauce and served over angel hair (or spaghetti or fettuccine, your choice) is hard to beat. It’s a generous portion, as I’ve found with pretty much all I’ve ever ordered here. We both had our leftovers for lunch the next day (and Brooke even brought us a second basket of rolls, which we packed right on up in our to-go boxes). Like mine, Philip’s could have used a little “flair”, like a sprinkle of parsley, to make the picture pop, and maybe a vegetable side. It was tasty and well-cooked, though.

Brooke was a great server. She was extremely attentive, keeping our drinks filled and clearing our dishes quickly. The prices are pretty average – $32.67 pre-tip (there’s a bit of an upcharge for Caesar salad versus house salad) – especially considering that we got two meals out of this. Would I call it the best Italian food I’ve ever eaten? No, nor the most authentic. However, it tastes good and it’s close to my house. It’s definitely a good dinner option when you’re eating in Hixson.

BiBa’s is located at 5918 Hixson Pike, Hixson, TN 37343. They are open Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. You can call BiBa’s at (423) 843-0001. You can find more information on BiBa’s Facebook page or on their website.

Original Post

Did you know that BiBa’s in Hixson offers $10.00 off on your birthday dinner? Well, technically, it’s a “free dinner” up to $10….so let’s just say it’s $10 off.

Anyway, that’s how we ended up there. It was the birthday of one of our friends, and she decided that she preferred to go to BiBa’s rather than the, um, other Italian restaurant in Chattanooga that offers a free birthday dinner. We were invited to go along, and since a BiBa’s blog post had been planned anyway and we had a coupon, we took the offer.

We arrived at 4:45 p.m., and let me tell you, that’s the time to go! If you go on a Friday or Saturday night or Sunday after church, be prepared to wait. Weeknights aren’t so bad….but when we arrived there was only one other table with guests seated. Our server, Callen (who also happens to go to our church), quickly brought out our drinks. We arrived a few minutes before our friends, and that gave me time to talk myself out of the specials-chicken ponza (chicken with mushrooms, garlic, and artichokes served with pasta with lemon butter sauce) or spinach ravioli (with broccoli and carrots and alfredo sauce) and decide instead on my favorite menu item, tortellini Gabrielle (cheese tortellini with alfredo sauce and a touch of marinara). Philip decided on shrimp scampi. Meals at BiBa’s come with a house salad, but we each added a Caesar for $1.50 extra. Our friends decided on chicken parmesan and fettucine alfredo.

The best, and I do mean the best thing about BiBa’s is the rolls. I mean, the other stuff is good….but the rolls-wow. Housemade knots brushed with garlic butter and sprinkled with parmesan. Very delicious. And they are very forthcoming with the rolls, which is always a plus. At some restaurants you have to fight over who is going to get the last roll in the basket. Philip and I usually end up cutting it in half (bread is ~~our~~ my weakness) but at BiBa’s they always bring out two for every person at the table and happily refresh your basket when you are “getting low.”

I do believe these rolls will be in Heaven!

The Caesar salad at BiBa’s is also fantastic. The dressing is housemade. It’s very different from the Caesar dressing that I make at home, mainly because it is creamy, but you can definitely taste the different components that make up a good Caesar dressing…the garlic, the salty brininess from the anchovy (no, it doesn’t taste fishy) or the Worchestershire sauce (which is what I use at home-much easier to keep around). Their croutons are not soggy but not so hard that you need to get dental work after eating them. I don’t know about the parmesan that they use, and that’s my only issue. I should have asked the server but didn’t think to. Of course, you know that I am a parm snob and buy blocks of Parmigiano-Reggiano at the grocery store that I then grate over everything. The parm served here is definitely the powdery kind….but mixed into everything I can’t tell if it is the fresh powdery kind or if it’s the bulk jarred kind that I remember so well scooping into shakers when I worked at Chuck E. Cheese’s. It’s fine, though. Everything tastes really good, so I’m not too worried about it.

Yummy Caesar salad!

Another advantage of arriving at your dinner destination at 4:45 p.m. is that your food comes out very quickly. Philip and I were starving, so we pretty much Hoovered our salads, and as we set the bowls over to the edge of the table, Callen arrived with the entrees. Now, I love, love, love cheese tortellini, and I also love alfredo sauce. Marinara sauce=not my favorite, but I really love how the small amount that they use to top the tortellini Gabrielle mixes with the alfredo, which is made on the premises. It’s one of the best alfredos I’ve ever had…nice and thick and not too salty. They don’t say this on the menu, but there is also mozzarella on top of the pasta. Yum! Unfortunately, the tortellini isn’t made on site (I asked on a previous visit). I guess you can’t have everything.

Tortellini Gabrielle: Cheese tortellini with alfredo sauce and a touch of marinara (and mozzarella!). That’s the marinara in the middle-not oil (which is what it looks like)!

Shrimp scampi is a dish that I love to make at home-shrimp sauteed in a garlic butter and white wine sauce served over linguini. Philip’s pasta was very fresh with a good balance of garlic and white wine flavor. I tried to get more out of him, but he doesn’t write this blog and I guess he’s not as much with the words about the food as I am. Ha. Anyway, he said it was extremely tasty and he would definitely order again. I didn’t want to grill our friends about their meal, but I did take pictures for you to see. By the way, the portions are huge, so you will probably take some home with you-like we did. You should know, though, that when you reheat your leftovers….you will see all the oil from the sauce. If you are like me, you will drain it off. Tasty, but not lowfat. Fine by me.

Shrimp Scampi: shrimp sauteed in a garlic butter and wine sauce over a bed of linguini

Fettucine Alfredo

Chicken Parmesan

BiBa’s also serves pizza, which I have never had….but they look very good. And they are served on a lovely silver cake pedestal, so the presentation is very nice. The ambiance is very nice in the restaurant, with dark colors, nice paint and pictures, a wood bar (separated by a wall from the dining room) and bottles of wine on the table to gently “suggest” that customers buy a bottle. In my opinion, BiBa’s is much better than the national pasta chains around Chattanooga. We don’t go there often, but then we don’t go to many restaurants (Chick-fil-A aside) very often. Give BiBa’s a try!

BiBa’s is located at 5918 Hixson Pike, Hixson, TN 37343, in front of Publix. They can be reached at 423-843-0001. Check out their website or their Facebook page.