Restaurants Archives - Page 25 of 49

Main Street Chattanooga: Main Street Meats/The Hot Chocolatier

January 5, 2014

A day spent on Main Street Chattanooga must include a burger at Main Street Meats and some hot chocolate at the Hot Chocolatier!

If you read any of my farmers market posts (I wrote them weekly for several months in 2012), you probably remember my weekly bacon from Link 41 (here’s a sampling of posts where I have mentioned Link 41). Man, I was obsessed with that bacon. Unfortunately, the only downside of my job change is that I am too far away from Main Street Chattanooga to get to the farmers market every Wednesday, which severely limits my access to that wonderful bacon.

When Main Street Meats opened, it took me a minute to figure out that it was basically an expansion of Link 41, from a place from which to procure fantastic charcuterie to a full-blown butcher shop, complete with daily lunch offerings. Including a burger. As soon as I read the description of the burger on the Main Street Meats blog, I knew I had to have it.

It was an awfully cold day to be walking around on Main Street Chattanooga but I was willing to brave the cold for that burger (I’m a wuss, I know, but I’m from the American South. I can’t help it. Bring the heat!). The lunch menu for the day was the House Burger and beef stew, and we both decided to have the burger, with bacon (of course). The meat was taken out of the case after we ordered, cooked to a perfect crispness on the outside in cast iron, and served simply on a Niedlov’s bun with mayo and a smear of brown mustard, some gruyere (which is one of our favorite cheeses), caramelized onions, and some perfectly cooked bacon. There is nothing not to love about this burger. It was perfect. PERFECT. Drippy but not messy, if that’s possible, with an indescribable flavor. The lack of toppings (or options for toppings) may be off-putting for some but really….it needs nothing. This is a burger Ron Swanson would approve of (meat. on a bun. with nothing. Who knows what I’m talking about?).

Talking to Dan Key (an owner? I forgot to ask!), I learned that the meat is dry-aged for a minimum of 14 days. All the beef at Main Street Meats is local and grassfed, and you have your pick of beautiful meat in the case to take home. They offer beef, pork, lamb, and chicken (all local) and of course the charcuteries that made Link 41 famous…but also some take home items like pre-made heat and eat meat pies and deli containers of chicken salad. We paid $9 per burger, plus chips and drinks…worth every penny, and that money pretty much goes right back into the local economy and supporting local, humanely raised meat.

Main Street Meats is located at 217 East Main Street, Chattanooga, TN 37408. You can call them at 423-602-9568. Check out their website, mainstreetmeatschatt.com. You can also find Main Street Meats on Facebook and follow @MainStreetMeats on Twitter.

After our lunch, we stopped off at Enzo’s Market to pick up some Velo Coffee and some Alchemy Spice Wake & Bake Sweet Spice Blend before heading on to The Hot Chocolatier to have some, well, hot chocolate. How have I not been here before? A reader tipped me off (after reading about my affinity for all things lavender in my Milk and Honey post) that they have a lavender-vanilla hot chocolate, so I didn’t even have to think about my order (thanks, Kat!). Philip ordered a hazelnut hot chocolate, and since their marshmallows are house made, we of course had to top our mugs off with one (you can also have whipped cream). I managed to show a little restraint and resist the beautiful handmade chocolates and amazing pastries in the cases, but I did pick up some photographic evidence for you.

Can I just say that if you are a chain coffee shop addict (you know which one I’m talking about) it would do your soul good to check out a place like this? Yes, it’s out of the way (since there isn’t one every five miles) but this is just the kind of hot drink that makes you stop and thank God for chocolate (and I’m sure that their coffee and tea beverages make you feel the same way about coffee and tea). There was no Swiss Miss involved here….just deep, rich, sweet chocolate and milk. Definitely “European-style”….this is the kind of hot chocolate that is so rich you have to take your time…but you also have to drink every. last. drop. The marshmallow on top makes you question every Jet-Puffed marshmallow you ever consumed (though in my opinion those things have one use and one use only). And it’s difficult to walk out without making some, ahem…additional purchases.

The Hot Chocolatier is committed to making the best and the freshest products possible:

The Hot Chocolatier is located at 201 West Main Street, Chattanooga, TN 37408. You can call them at 423-266-3066. Check out their website, thehotchocolatier.com. “Like” The Hot Chocolatier on Facebook and follow @ahotchocolatier on Twitter.

More on Main Street Chattanooga: Taqueria Jalisco, Conga Latin Food, Enzo’s Market Café

Community Pie: New York Style Pizza

December 15, 2013

Community Pie has fantastic pizza, both Neapolitan style and their new New York style pizza. Is it authentic? No clue. Do I care? Nope. It’s delicious!

I first wrote about the Monen’s pizza restaurant, Community Pie, in February. I’ve written about all of their other establishments-Taco Mamacita, Urban Stack Burger Lounge, and Milk & Honey-as well. In October I received an email letting me know that they were now serving New York style pizza at Community Pie, followed by a Facebook message offering me a gift certificate to come in and check it out (and as a thank you for all the free plugs for their many great restaurants). So there you go…now you all know that I ate (mostly) for free on this visit. However, if I didn’t like it….you know I wouldn’t write about it. That’s just my style.

We needed to head downtown to pick up some coffee at Velo anyway, so Philip and I decided to go to Community Pie for a late(ish) lunch. There weren’t a ton of people in the restaurant when we got there at about 1:30, but it definitely wasn’t dead for an after-lunch crowd on a cold, rainy, and dreary Saturday. We were quickly seated and our server took our drink orders and talked to us about the newly introduced New York style pies, which come in 14 and 19-inch whole pies as well as slices. You can order a specialty pie or top your own, and the slices come in cheese, pepperoni, supreme, and “home slice” which is the special of the day (the special when we visited was the aphro, short for Aphrodite, with lemon roasted chicken, tomato, feta, kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, red onion and pepperoncini peppers.

The last time that we were here we split an arugula salad, but I had really wanted to try the raw kale salad, of which I’d heard so many good things, so I ordered one. Philip ordered a Caesar salad, and we decided to get an order of garlic knots as well. The garlic knots came first, hot, crispy, and covered with parmesan cheese and julienned fresh basil. They were quite tasty, and the marinara was very interesting, with a smoky flavor that reminded me of chipotles (but it wasn’t really spicy). Our server told us that there was bacon in the sauce, which is probably where the smokiness came from. The sauce also contains San Marzano tomatoes and a little bit of chocolate. Amen and amen.

I loved the kale salad. Let me say that again: I loved the kale salad. I really, really enjoyed the arugula salad before, but the kale salad was over the top delicious. If you are someone who is convinced that kale is gross….well, stop it. Just stop. Kale is fantastic….you just have to know how to treat it. Massage (literally!) and a little acid will break down the fibers of the kale and make it yield to chewing much more easily. This kale was wonderfully tender, well-dressed with a tart-but-not-overly-so champagne vinaigrette, with dried cranberries, slivered almonds, and grated parmesan. It was amazing, and I want to eat it every day (I should really make this kale salad again soon!). Philip liked his Caesar as well. The romaine leaves were well-coated in a very lemony Caesar dressing (too little Caesar dressing is a travesty) and topped with grated parmesan and plenty of house made croutons. I hate getting a Caesar that has approximately 2.5 croutons and a sad little sprinkling of cheese. This was not that salad.

Now, before I start talking about the pizza, I need to say something. I have never been to New York and therefore I’ve never had “real” New York style pizza. I have heard from many that the pizza at New York Pizza Department is pretty authentic, but I have no experience to draw on there. I was scolded by a friend after that review for getting toppings that no New Yorker would ever order on their pizza (I got BLT and Philip got Buffalo chicken) but we ordered what sounded good to us because our reviews are based on what sounds and tastes good to us. So, I have no idea if Community Pie’s New York style pizza is “authentic” (by the way…this is why I’ve never written about sushi).

Philip thought the Demarco pizza, with fresh and shredded mozzarella, hand torn basil, extra virgin olive oil and pecorino romano, sounded good. And it did, but I kind of wanted to try a more signature Community Pie…pie. He was also into the Spicy Bianca, with olive oil, fresh mozzarella, ricotta, garlic, basil, pecorino romano and calabrian chiles (no tomato sauce), but I was scared that one might be a little spicy for my wimpy palate. The Drunk Pig sounded great, with vodka sauce, Community Pie ricotta, homemade fennel sausage, fresh mozzarella, parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper (you know my love for vodka sauce) but ultimately, we decided on the Bianca Supreme (olive oil, fresh mozzarella, spinach, mushrooms, bacon and gorgonzola-no tomato sauce). The 14-inch, which our server described to us as “good for two people” was pretty gigantic. It was cut into six slices, of which I ate one and Philip had two (we brought the other three home).

This pie was sturdier than the Neopolitan pies that we sampled on our first visit, which I preferred to eat with a fork. The crust was very thin until we got to the edge, when the border was wonderfully chewy and crunchy at the same time. The amount of cheese was perfect and the pizza was topped with just the right ratio of each ingredient, including a liberal amount of bacon. Philip did comment that he would have liked a little more gorgonzola, but overall, this pizza was perfect that way it was.

More pizza in Chattanooga: Crust, Lupi’s Pizza Pies, New York Pizza Department, The Pizza Place, Hill City Pizza

Now, I cannot leave an establishment serving gelato-especially Milk & Honey gelat0-without having some, so we ordered some salted caramel and pistachio (two separate flavors, but you can get up to three flavors in your cup) to split. Other flavors available were the signature flavor, Milk & Honey, chocolate Oreo, and vanilla latte. As always, the gelato was perfect. I was a little surprised to find that I preferred the salted caramel to the pistachio, but I would order either (or both) again.

Our total for this visit was $39 and some change pre-tip. As I’ve said before, it’s not a place to go for a cheap pizza dinner, but for a creative and delicious pizza I think it’s worth it as an occasional treat. Is it authentic? I have no clue. Do I care? Nope.

So, I think you should try New York style pizza at Community Pie.

For another review, check out my bloggie friend Emily’s recent review.

Community Pie is located at 850 Market Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402. 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 them at 423-486-1PIE. Check out their website, CommunityPie.com. You can also like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Slick’s Burgers

December 8, 2013

Slick’s Burgers is a popular burger spot, formerly located in St. Elmo and now on Main Street in Downtown Chattanooga, serving house-ground beef burgers.

A few weeks (maybe a month?) ago I was driving back to my school after a meeting on West 40th Street in St. Elmo when I saw a sign at the old Sugar’s Ribs location (across from the Incline and adjacent to 1885 Grill) for Slick’s Burgers. I filed it in the back of my head and kept moving…I was starving and needed to get back to work in time to eat lunch before time to get the kids up from their nap.

Last weekend I was dying for a burger, but Philip was sick so we ended up staying in all weekend. I have a list of several places that I’m planning to go in the next few weeks, but there was one reason or another not to go to any of the places that I had ticked off in my own head before we left the house. Philip had noticed a post on Facebook about Slick’s Burgers and suggested that we head out there since I had been wanting a burger. Sure! Why not?

We were greeted when we walked in by a man whose name I didn’t catch but who I think may have been the owner or manager. He quickly explained the menu to us and told us that all of the meats are ground in-house (they get their beef from Buckhead Beef in Atlanta) and they hand-cut their own fries as well. They have a very small regular menu-burgers in various sizes, a chicken sandwich, grilled cheese, and hot dogs, fries and a handful of other sides, a soup of the day, and a specials menu. I love restaurants with small menus because that often means that they are focused on quality, not variety.

Philip and I both decided to get the 7-ounce “Slick” burger (I briefly debated getting the 4-ounce “Sissy” burger but then I decided that I am probably never going to be satisfied with a 4-ounce burger). The burgers come with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and pickles on a Niedlov’s bun. I added cheddar cheese to mine and Philip added pepper jack (pictured below). They also offer American, Swiss, and blue cheese. Ketchup and mustard are on the table and they bring mayo to you when they deliver your food. We split an order of fries (they offer truffle fries and chili-cheese fries but we decided to just have regular). We just drank water, but they also offer fountain drinks, Pure Sodaworks bottled drinks, and a decent selection of beers. Our total was $19 and some change.

The food came out pretty quickly, about ten minutes after we ordered. The fries had been split between the two baskets-I love when restaurants do that! The burgers were open so that we could put on the toppings as we wished (except for the pickles, which were on the bottom bun). The cheese was melted on top of the burgers, which you would think would be a given but…isn’t. The burger was huge, and when I moved the bottom bun to put some mayo on it there were tons of juices soaked into it. Yum. And the verdict was….wow. This was a great burger, pink on the inside and so juicy. I know some of you are queasy about pink on the inside of a burger, but I am not and this was glorious. If you don’t like pink…be sure to tell them to make it well-done. It was delicious, simply seasoned with just salt and pepper and simply topped. I had considered getting the BBQ burger but I’m glad I decided to go with the Slick so that I could taste how good this burger was in its simplest form. The fries were also fantastic….skin-on, perfectly crispy, and wonderfully seasoned.

So…I officially loved this place….in fact, if I see fit to revise Chattavore’s Top Five Burgers, they may garner a spot (there may be an opening depending on whether or not the rumor I heard about Merv’s closing permanently is true or not. Update 2/14: not true! Not true! Merv’s is reopened!). Philip grumbled a little bit about the music (they were playing The Doors and he hates The Doors) but I was find with the music. The atmosphere is great for a little burger joint and the guy we talked with when we came in as well as the cashier were very friendly. The service was quickly but not suspiciously so, and the food was great. And, a big plus for a St. Elmo place, they have their own fairly large parking lot (as odd and jumbled as it may be-not sure who designed that lot!).

I strongly recommend that you check out Slick’s Burgers!

Slick’s Burgers is located at 7950 Tennessee Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37409. You can call them at 423-385-8392. They don’t currently have a website but you can find them on Facebook.

Also in St. Elmo: 1885 Grill, The Purple Daisy, Pasha Coffee & Tea

Other great burgers in Chattanooga: Main Street Meats, Tremont Tavern, The Terminal, Merv’s, Southern Burger, The Honest Pint, Tubby’s

El Kyoto Mexican and Japanese Restaurant

November 24, 2013

El Kyoto, now closed, was a restaurant in Hixson, Tennessee (Lakesite) that served both Hibachi-style Japanese and Mexican food.

So, when I wrote some time back about Kyoto (then spelled Kioto) Japanese restaurant just down the street from my Lakesite-area home, I told you guys how I had to laugh just a little when I first saw it. I was apprehensive, needlessly so since it turned out to be quite good. So, I’ll admit that I laughed again when Philip and I were driving down Hixson Pike and saw the new sign hanging on the side of the building for El Kyoto Mexican and Japanese Restaurant. I’m really not sure why; the owners of the restaurant are of Mexican descent, and in my opinion-and many others of which I’m aware-our other nearby Mexican option is lacking these days (I won’t name names but if you are familiar with this area you know what I’m talking about….I haven’t written about them).

Philip and I decided to go over there Tuesday night of this past week when I wasn’t really in the mood to cook and we knew that we had to squeeze in a restaurant review at some point. It’s been a month, you guys! I’ll be playing catch-up in my time off from work for the upcoming holidays; I have some reviews planned. We have tended to avoid the restaurant because of the less than desirable parking right on Hixson Pike, but then we realized that they have spaces on the side of the building as well, so problem solved. There were several other people in the restaurant but it wasn’t crowded per se so we were seated immediately.

Our server, who was very friendly (but unfortunately, I didn’t catch his name) quickly took our drink order and brought us chips and salsa, which are complimentary upon request. The chips were good (not as good as Delia’s, though), fresh (not stale, which, unfortunately, seems to be a problem at some other establishments of late) and warm, and the salsa was fresh-tasting, not overly chunky, and a little spicier than what you typically get. We also ordered queso dip, which was a little thicker than that served at a lot of other Mexican restaurants, with just a tiny bit of spice.

The menu of Mexican items is a lot smaller than most other local Mexican restaurants, but that is fine with me. I got my standard-traditional Mexican tacos (known in some other restaurants as Mexico City tacos or street tacos), served on corn tortillas (doubled up!) with meat, chopped onions, and chopped cilantro. I got one tilapia (grilled, not fried), one steak, and one al pastor (pork)-they come in an order of three. All three were very good, though the al pastor was my favorite, just a little bit crispy, very well seasoned. The steak was a little bit tough compared to what I’ve had at Delia’s, but the flavor was good. The fish was nice with a light seasoning on it and cooked just right-not dried out as overcooked fish would be.

We got a laugh out of the “100% American Chimichanga” listed on the menu, which is what Philip decided to order since that is pretty much his standard Mexican restaurant order. He ordered it with chorizo (Mexican sausage) which he always orders it if it is available (at some restaurants it is not). There were two chimichangas that were a little bit smaller than the usual Mexican restaurant chimichanga, with grilled peppers and onions stuffed into the tortilla with the meat (this is not the standard) and queso sauce on top. There were refried beans on the side as well as lettuce, tomato, and sour cream. He was disappointed that there was no guacamole on the side, though I’m sure that they would have brought him some if he had asked. He liked the chimichanga a lot and thought that the chorizo was very good, though not the best he’d had, and not overly greasy. He was not, however, able to eat both of the chimichangas. It was definitely a very large portion!

So, I guess you have probably figured out my position on El Kyoto. Just like comparing it to Ichiban for Japanese….it’s not the best Mexican food around (in this area, Delia’s still takes that honor, and if I’m willing to drive downtown, of course, Taqueria Jalisco reigns supreme) but for a weeknight dinner when I just can’t even bring myself to think about leaving the Lakesite area, it’s definitely a worthy dinner option. The food was not fantastic, but it was good and the prices were decent (especially since we had a buy one get one free coupon!).

El Kyoto was located at 8719 Hixson Pike, Hixson, TN 37343 (in the Lakesite/Dallas Bay area). You can call them at (423) 521-8444. They do not have a website or Facebook page.

More Mexican Food: Delia’s in Soddy-Daisy or Dayton, El Metate, Taqueria Jalisco, Taco Roc

Lupi’s Pizza Hixson

October 27, 2013

Lupi’s Pizza in Hixson, Tennessee uses as many local ingredients as possible in their delicious, fresh pizzas, salads, pastas, and breads.

I’ve written about the Lupi’s Pizza in Hixson location once before, at the very end of my 2012 summer break when I just couldn’t find the will to cook. Okay, so that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but after many years as a teacher I have learned a couple of things: (1) I don’t want to cook the night before I have to go back to work, even though there are no kids on that first day back; and (b) I don’t want to cook on the first day of school, though this year I sucked it up and did just that. Actually, I think I did both of those things. But anyway.

I decided that because I just wrote about a take-out pizza that I wasn’t really doing a review of Lupi’s justice. For some reason (maybe because I am so comfortable and happy making pizza in my own kitchen, so that’s where the majority of the pizza that I eat comes from), I rarely think of Lupi’s when trying to decide on a place to eat, even though it is easily the most local (in terms of the sources of their ingredients) restaurant in the Hixson area and I’ve always enjoyed their food. After a recent visit with a friend where I topped a couple of slices with weirdo combinations of ingredients (which are definitely my forté), I decided it was time for a return review.

Because Lupi’s Pizza definitely fills up on weekend evenings (really, every evening but especially weekends) we decided to go early, arriving about 5:30. There were only a handful of people in the dining room at the time and lots of empty spaces in the parking lot. By the time we left, the dining room was definitely filling up and parking was scarce. There was a lady ordering when we walked in, but we needed a minute to peruse the menu so it worked out pretty much perfectly. We quickly decided on our order and were helped by a friendly cashier. She gave us a table number (well, actually, it was a table word-Lupi’s) and sent us on our way. Drinks are self-service, so we filled up our water cups and moved along.

Our food took about ten minutes or so, so I took the opportunity to snap a few pictures of the whimsical clouds hanging from the ceiling and the strange trees that for some reason make me think of the Wizard of Oz. If you sit in just the right spot (we didn’t, because we wanted to sit near the window) you can watch the kitchen staff tossing and working the pizza dough behind the counter, which is one of my favorite things in a pizza restaurant.

We decided to each order one slice. I got mine with the classic combo of spinach and artichoke hearts, and Philip decided on pepperoni and roasted garlic. The slices are large but if you are just having pizza you should definitely plan on at least two slices (the cashier has a handy wooden pizza slice that they can show you so that you can see the size of the slices). Slices can be topped however you’d like, but you cannot order special sauces (like white sauce) on the slices. The first time that I reviewed them and the last time I visited, I had the honey-wheat crust, so this time I got the regular (white) crust. I decided that, while the honey-wheat crust was perfectly tasty, I definitely prefer the regular crust, which is perfectly crispy, thin, and charred just a little, just the way I like my pizza. The toppings are fresh and evenly distributed (though I did cut my artichoke hearts into smaller pieces and sprinkle them over a greater area of the pizza), and the ratios of topping/cheese/sauce/crust are excellent (I despise an overtopped pizza). By the way, Philip’s pizza had whole cloves of well-roasted garlic (so they weren’t biting or overwhelming but just had a sweet garlic pungency).

Since a friend had told me that the lasagna was excellent, I really wanted to try it as well, so Philip and I decided to split an order of the vegetable lasagna in addition to our pizza. One thing that Philip observed was that there was a lot of liquid in the dish, but I have to say from experience that it is nearly impossible to heat up a pre made vegetable lasagna without some liquid leaching from it, and making lasagna is a lengthy process that would be next to impossible (if not entirely impossible) to do from scratch to order. The proof would definitely have to be in the pudding (or the pasta)…and it was. The vegetables-spinach, mushrooms, and zucchini-were nice and fresh, with no ingredient overwhelming the others. The sauce was a very fresh-tasting tomato sauce with a good hint of basil, and it was nice and cheesy without being too cheesy. There was no burnt lasagna noodle crust, which I consider to be quite an impressive feat. The house made roll served on the side was tasty, chewy (in a good way) instead of crusty, and hot but not “fresh out of the microwave” hot. I would love to eat this lasagna again.

The thing I love the most about Lupi’s Pizza is their commitment to serving local products as much as possible. I also appreciate their simple menu. While they have a great selection of pizza and calzone toppings/fillings, they don’t overwhelm you with a million separate menu items. When restaurants only make a few things, they are more likely to do them very well, and Lupi’s definitely does pizza very, very well. I would also love to try their salad sometime….maybe next time. I don’t remember the total for our meal, but it was around $20.

Lupi’s Pizza located at 5506 Hixson Pike, Hixson, TN. You can call Lupi’s in Hixson at 423-847-3700. You can read more about them (including their other locations) on their website, http://www.lupi.com. You can like Lupi’s Pizza on Facebook

More pizza in Chattanooga: New York Pizza Department, Crust Pizza, The Pizza Place, Community Pie, Hill City Pizza

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