Restaurants Archives - Page 49 of 49

I had today planned as a personal day off from work, but due to the severe weather on Wednesday, school was cancelled. Either way, I had planned to take the opportunity to choose another local restaurant off of my list of “to-reviews.” Philip and I consulted the (very long) list and nothing really jumped out at us at first. Because of continued power outages and other traffic obstacles, we decided to stay in the Hixson area, and as I named off all of our options, Philip jumped at the mention of Rib and Loin.

According to their website, Rib and Loin has existed in Chattanooga for more than 20 years, since 1989, in their Brainerd Road location. Honestly, because I grew up on the other side of town, I can’t remember if I ever ate there before they opened their Hixson location while I was in college. Philip and I don’t eat out a whole lot, but Rib and Loin is one of our favorites. It is (a) quick (unless you go after church on a Sunday-then you should be prepared to wait!); (b) relatively inexpensive; and (c) tasty.

Now, let me say this…..as in many places in the U.S., barbecue is a big deal around here. Now, let me tell you what barbecue is not. Often you will hear people from other areas of the country refer to “having a barbecue” at which they will serve hamburgers and hot dogs. That, my friends, is a cookout. Barbecue means low and slow….it may be sauced or rubbed but it’s not grilled. And now that I’ve made that point clear, I will also say that I do know people that don’t like Rib and Loin….but I don’t really think that’s because they think their food is bad. I know a lot of people who have pretty much devoted their lives to finding Chattanooga’s “best” barbecue. They tend to find one restaurant they consider the best and no other will do. I am not one of those people. I’ve had bad barbecue but I love barbecue and am not necessarily loyal to just one restaurant…but Rib and Loin is definitely the one I visit most often. I would also like to point out that a few years ago, a chain barbecue restaurant that shall remain unnamed moved in next to Rib and Loin in what I can only assume was an attempt to steal some of their business. I was worried at first but that worry was unnecessary. That particular location of the chain is now closed….but I digress.

So, onto today’s meal. Philip always orders the pork shoulder dinner-shredded pork shoulder and two sides (he always gets slaw and fried okra).

I have a few different things that I order, depending on my mood, but today I opted for the stuffed potato with beef topping.

Like the burger last week at Blue Ribbon Cafe, this potato was gigantic. I took about half of the meat off before saucing the potato. Underneath all of that meat were butter, sour cream, cheese, and chives, not too much, just enough to taste. I put just a little sauce on. I really like their sauce because it’s just simple-not too spicy, vinegary, or tomato-ey. I don’t really care for the bread on the side. Nothing against it, it’s just plain old bread, but it doesn’t add anything to the meal for me. To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t know what cut of meat Rib and Loin uses for their beef topping-but it’s good. A little smoky but not overly so; not fatty but not dry either; nicely shredded. I ate about half of the potato before I declared myself stuffed (I am sure that the gallon-sized cup of water had nothing to do with that). I was very happy with my lunch, but maybe not as happy as my husband was…

As I said last week, hamburgers are like a religion for me. If hamburgers come close to a religious experience for me, then I think it’s safe to say that pork shoulder does the same for Philip. That man LOOOOVVVVVES pork shoulder. And bacon and brisket and filet mignon….but anyway, pork shoulder (aka Boston Butt-that makes me laugh!) makes him very happy. So, needless to say, he was extremely thrilled with today’s lunch. Rib and Loin’s pork shoulder is very moist, and like the beef, smoky but not overly so. Their fried okra is different from what I grew up with. It has a little “jacket” of breading on it as opposed to the cornmeal dredging my mom does (for some reason I don’t make okra very often-maybe the slime, which is probably why Philip always orders it every time we go to R & L) but it’s really good and I always steal a few pieces off of his plate. Today he was threatening to stab me with his fork, but then I reminded him that I was making homemade brioche so he could have the French toast he requested for breakfast tomorrow, and he backed the fork off. Rib and Loin’s slaw, in my opinion, is really something to write home about. I am apparently not a good Southern girl and I have never cared much for plain old slaw (although I do like a good Asian slaw or just a vinegary slaw) but for some reason I really, really like Rib and Loin’s slaw. I think it’s because it’s not super-sweet (to me sweet cabbage is just weird) and because the cabbage and carrots is chopped up superfine. It’s great, great, great.

Rib and Loin has desserts, usually some cobblers and I am not sure what else (I’m thinking maybe sometimes banana pudding is on the menu). When someone says cobbler, Philip doesn’t generally let them get to the next option. The man loves cobbler. However, we did not have dessert today. The grand total was $16-something, which is interesting because that’s what the tab was at Blue Ribbon Cafe last week!

Now, don’t argue with me if you are a diehard fan of another barbecue restaurant. But if you are not loyal to anyone, definitely try Rib and Loin. It’s worth it!

Rib and Loin is located at 5946 Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, TN (423-499-OINK) and 5435 Highway 153, Hixson, TN (423-877-PORK). You can also visit their website or their Facebook page.

Okay, so technically Blue Ribbon Cafe isn’t in Chattanooga….but it’s in Soddy-Daisy, which, in my opinion, is close enough. Besides, I’m from Soddy-Daisy, so it’s only fitting that I start my Chattavore adventure there.’Blue Ribbon Cafe is one of my most favorite restaurants in the world. I am so happy that such a fantastic restaurant is located right here in good ole S-D. The food is fresh and homemade….which makes me ecstatic. I’ve never had anything I didn’t like there, and I’ve had several things on their menu. Chicken fingers (handbreaded) and fries (skin-on) are a no-fail option…..so is The Hippie (shaved rib-eye on a pita with cheese, grilled onions, and grilled peppers) and Whatta Pig (BLT on grilled sourdough with cheese). Of course, the daily specials are a huge hit, ranging from hamburger steak to chicken and dumplings, plus soups and an ever-changing range of desserts written on the chalkboard (I just LOVE restaurants who write their specials on a chalkboard!).

So anyway, BRC often posts their daily specials on their Facebook page. Friday’s special is always cheeseburgers and fish tacos-two of my favorite things. I’ve been dying to go on a Friday specifically for this purpose…..but that darned job thing is always getting in the way (we don’t go out to eat on Friday nights very often because of crowds…..and fatigue)! Good Friday provided the perfect excuse….so off we went.

Something you should know about me is that cheeseburgers are like a religion to me. I don’t just go anywhere and order a cheeseburger. I have to eat at a restaurant a few times before I take that step….but if you can win me over with your burger, well, you’ve won me over. Clearly, I had to get the cheeseburger. Secretly, I hoped that Philip would order the fish tacos so we could share, but he decided on the burger too. Oh well. Summer is coming up, so maybe another Friday trip is in the stars.

Let me tell you about this burger. It was gigantic. The buns are homemade, and they were the size of our heads! There was nothing fancy about this burger….no aioli or parmesan cheese crisp or onion jam. No need. Meat on a bun with nothing (Parks and Recreation, anyone?)…well, with a melted slice of cheese. The owner, who took our order, brought out a bottle of mustard and a bottle of mayo before our food came, and there were a few pieces of onion and some lettuce, tomato, and pickles on the plate (I skipped the onion, as is my usual practice). The burger, when all was said and done, probably weighed at least 3/4 of a pound, maybe more. And I ate almost all of it. I could have finished it, but I have a weird thing about cleaning my plate in a restaurant. Somehow I think the meal will not make me gain weight if I leave a few bites on the plate….so I left about 3 bites of the burger and maybe 10 (amazing) fries. Philip finished his burger….but he ate fewer fries than me, so I think we’re even.

The total cost for the two enormous burgers was $16 and some change. The service was great, and if I had any more space I would have loved to have shoveled in some Coca-cola cake….but that will have to wait till next time. And there will definitely be a next time!

Some other popular menu items at BRC include hand-battered chicken tenders, served with coleslaw and fresh-cut fries; Curly Joe, a pasta salad with sliced almonds, grilled chicken, and parmesan cheese; the Jimmy Buffet, a mixed green salad with mango-pineapple vinaigrette; the Hippie, shaved ribeye with melted cheese, grilled onions and peppers, and tzatziki sauce served on a pita; and the Wednesday special, chicken and dumplings served with a roll. The dessert menu is reason alone to visit, however. It features ever changing and always fabulous treats like Coca-Cola cake, Mountain Dew cake (To. Die. For.), banana pudding, Rocky Road cake, Caramelicious Brownies…..I could go on for a while.

Update: On July 22, a friend came over for an informal breadmaking class. As “payment” for the class, she treated me to lunch at Blue Ribbon (she lives in Murfreesboro and was excited about trying the restaurant, especially since it was cheeseburger Friday). You know what that means-cheeseburger Friday is also Fish Taco Friday! So, I finally got to try my fish tacos. I should have asked what type of fish they use, but I forgot. It was very mild, so I am guessing it was tilapia or cod or something of that sort. These fish tacos were somewhat different from my fish tacos. There were a few strips of fried fish and some lettuce on each flour tortilla (I make mine with cabbage and corn tortillas). There was a pink sauce that was very mildly spicy. It was actually pretty similar to my mayo & sour cream based sauce. It was served with a side of pineapple salsa, black bean and corn salad (black beans, fresh white corn, red onions, and tomatoes), and rice. Everything tasted great. I am sure that purists would argue that they were “not authentic”, but I wonder what is really considered authentic. I really enjoyed the black bean and corn salad. I snapped a picture with my phone…I wish I had thought to take a picture of my friend’s cheeseburger! She was extremely excited about it, especially since she’s a bread snob like I am and the buns are homemade. However, I was almost certain she was going to go into a food coma when we got back to my house!

I had already eaten half the taco when I thought to snap a picture!

Blue Ribbon Cafe is located at 9705 Dayton Pike, Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee. They are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday. You can reach them at 423-332-5005. Oh, and they do special orders for their baked goods-hooray!

For a more recent review of Blue Ribbon Cafe, click here!

April 29, 2011-Rib and Loin

Blue Ribbon Cafe-April 22, 2011