bars/pubs Archives - Page 3 of 6

Monkey Town Brewing Company

January 13, 2016

Monkey Town Brewing Company is Dayton, Tennessee’s first brewpub. They serve lots of great food and great beer!

I’ve done a couple of posts about restaurants in Cleveland recently and this past weekend we decided to head to another neglected area area-Dayton, Tennessee-to check out a spot that several readers and friends have told me that we need to try. Monkey Town Brewing Company opened just seven months ago in June 2015 as Dayton’s first brewery and brewpub. Started by father and son team Alan and Kirby Garrison, Monkey Town started off serving high-quality food and great craft beer from other breweries while they got their own brewing operation off the ground. It took a little bit to get all the permits and licenses straight but after a few months they were able to start selling their own brews as well.

Monkey Town Brewing Company is located in downtown Dayton. They don’t have a parking lot but there is free parking on the street and in a public parking lot across the street (there is also another parking lot down the street beside the public library. When we arrived on Saturday afternoon around 2:00 p.m. the place was not crowded but there were quite a few tables occupied. We were honestly a little concerned because there was only one server, Jory, working (with a little help from the bartender), but she is pretty good at her job because she juggled all those tables pretty stealthily. The bartender brought us our menus and grabbed our waters while we perused them.

The menu is divided into appetizers/shared plates, salads/soups, sandwiches, and entrees. They also have an extensive draft beer list and wines/cocktails. There are also daily specials, which, on this day, included Cajun chicken pasta (which I saw a lot of people eating), salmon Oscar, a steak dish, and one other item (I should have taken photos of the specials, apparently, since I can’t remember them now). Philip decided to get a flight (4 5-ounce samples) with Monkey Town’s “Do You Even IPA, Bro?”, Lagunitas Nighttime American Black Ale, Founders Porter, and Black Horse Vanilla Cream Ale. I obviously can’t go into any details about his beers, but he did say that the Monkey Town IPA was very good (and he is not a big IPA fan these days). The flight was $11 (usually $7, but there is an uncharge for high-gravity beers).

We also decided to order an appetizer, beer cheese. The beer cheese is served with your choice of grilled pita, French fries, or tortilla chips. Since we were planning to try the fries with our entrees, we decided to get tortilla chips with our beer cheese. The beer cheese was thick but “dippable” with some herbs mixed in. It tasted fairly hoppy so Philip thought it might have been made with the Monkey Town IPA, but Jory told us that right now their supply just isn’t big enough. I would have liked to have had more chips, but since we didn’t we had some beer cheese left over to dip our fries into. If you go with a group, ask for extra chips or get two orders of beer cheese.

I got stuck between the Philly cheesesteak with sliced New York strip steak, cheese sauce, peppers, and onions on a flour-dusted hoagie roll, or the fish & chips, battered cod served with fries, coleslaw, and tartar sauce. I asked Jory for her opinion and she told me that she would go for the fish & chips, mainly because she’s just never been a fan of Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. I usually go with my server’s recommendation, so I did just that. You can get a full order (two 5-ounce cod fillets) or a half order (one 5-ounce cod fillet) so I went with the half, which I think was more than generous. The batter on the fish was perfectly brown, crispy, and delicious and clung to the fish perfectly, which can be a rarity. The tartar sauce was very good, very “pickle-y”, which I consider a plus, and they had malt vinegar, which is essential if you are eating fish & chips. The fries are very unique-they are cut in a twisty shape and have a crust that makes them seem battered, so they are very crispy; they are also very well-seasoned. The coleslaw consisted of shredded cabbage, grated carrots, a light and slightly sweet mayo dressing, and celery seeds. It was quite good.

Philip decided on the burger, which was served on a bakery bun with lettuce, tomato, and onion. He also added American cheese ($0.50) and bacon crumbles ($0.75). The bun was nice and soft and the meat was cooked to have a nice crust on the outside while still being nice and juicy on the inside. The condiments (mayo, mustard, and ketchup) are served on the side so that you can add your own to get the right ratio. Unfortunately, after we ate, I heard Jory telling the couple next to us that though it isn’t on the menu, you can order the burger with beer cheese…next time we’ll have to try that. Definitely a great burger.

While we were finishing up our lunch, a couple around the corner from us was served a big, delectable-looking hunk of bread pudding topped with whipped cream. We were quite tempted to order some as well (the other desserts available were chocolate lava cake and cheesecake) but we would have needed to be rolled out. Everything that we ate was amazing so we would have loved to have checked out the dessert menu. The prices weren’t terrible either-including beer cheese ($6), fish & chips ($7), a bacon cheeseburger ($9), and Philip’s beer flight (the most expensive part of our tab at $11), our pre-tip total was $35.42.

The atmosphere at Monkey Town Brewing Company has a great vibe, with dark wood and metal paneling and large chalkboards with specials and the beers on tap listed. You can see the brewing space through large windows and Kirby (who is the brewer) gave Philip a “tour” of the brewing space (it’s a very small space and they only brew one type of beer at a time). He also took some time to talk to us about why they chose Dayton as opposed to Chattanooga: they knew that they could have more of an impact in an area that doesn’t have a restaurant/brewery on every corner. I would say that’s a fair assessment. Dayton has some good restaurants but nothing quite like this. If you are looking for a great restaurant with fantastic, fresh food and great beer (and live music or trivia from time to time!), check out Monkey Town Brewing Company!

Monkey Town Brewing Company is located at 287 1st Avenue, Dayton, Tennessee, 37321. They are open Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. You can call them at (423) 775-1800. Check out Monkey Town Brewing Company’s website, monkeytownbrewing.com. You can like Monkey Town Brewing Company on Facebook, follow @MonkeyTownBeer on Twitter, and follow @MonkeyTownBrewingCo on Instagram.

FEED Co. Table & Tavern

August 31, 2015

The FEED Co. Table and Tavern is a fabulous restaurant on Main Street in Downtown Chattanooga serving great Southern food and other classics created by Chef Charlie Loomis.
When it was announced a while back that Dustin Choate of Tremont Tavern fame, Miguel Morales, own er of 1885, and Charlie Loomis, 1885’s chef, would be joining forces to open a new restaurant, FEED Co. Table & Tavern, in the Craftworks building on Main Street, I got awfully excited. I was a fan of Chef Loomis’s cooking at the now long-since defunct Elemental, which Loomis left to take the helm at 1885 Grill. I adore 1885’s dressed-up Southern food and the amazing atmosphere and service there. And, of course, Tremont has won me over with their amazing burgers.

I was decidedly against the idea of having a burger today. There are several places that people have suggested that we needed to go to try burgers but y’all, Ima have to pace myself. I’ve eaten a lot of burgers over the last few months. They’re one of my faves, but I didn’t want to go to any of those suggested places. Not just yet.

I made a short list of places to check out and let Philip pick. He chose Feed Co. since we went to Clyde’s a couple of weeks ago (so I could get a picture of their burger) and saw people going in. We had actually kind of forgotten until then that they were open. We parked on the street (which is free if you can find a space). If you can’t find a spot on the street, there’s a Republic lot behind Clyde’s. For lunch, you enter on the Tavern side (the Table side doesn’t open until dinnertime).

The hosts told us that the wait would be 15-20 minutes and took our phone number to text us. We had barely walked down the sidewalk to get a few shots of the outside before they texted us, though. We were seated at a bar in front of the arcade games (really!) and our server, Brian, immediately greeted us and took our drink order. They have an extensive beer list and Philip ordered a Yazoo Sly Rye Porter. They also have lots of specialty cocktails…I entertained the idea of ordering a 50 Shades of Pimm’s martini (Pimm’s No. 1, muddled strawberries, orange mint, and cucumber, fresh lemon juice, and Pure Sodaworks strawberry jalapeño soda) but ultimately decided against it.

Brian suggested the Brussels sprouts & artichoke dip, served with fresh farm bread, which did indeed sound delicious. However, I of course noticed the fried pickled green beans. So did Philip. Fried pickles are fried pickles, you guys, regardless of whether the pickles are cucumbers or green beans. So of course we ordered them. All I can say is oh.em.gee. They were fantastic, briny and tart with a light tempura-like batter, served with ranch dressing for dipping.

My eye went straight to the fish & chips as I was deciding on what I would order for my meal. I briefly entertained the idea of ordering the sloppy Joe (grass-fed sloppy joe, yellow mustard, Niedlov’s bun) because how many restaurants serve sloppy Joes?!?!?!?! In the end, though, I went with my gut instinct: CBC beer-battered cod, house cut fries, house pickles, cole slaw, and malt vinegar tartar sauce. The batter on the fish was thick and just slightly bitter with the flavor of the beer, the fish just cooked through. The fries were ultra-skinny, skin-on, and perfectly seasoned. The slaw was a little creamy, a little vinegar-y, with cabbage, carrots, red onion, and Brussels sprouts, and the tartar sauce had the unmistakeable tang of malt vinegar with chopped pickles and a little whole grain mustard. Those house pickles were pretty on point too.

Philip decided to step out of his comfort zone and go with the hempnut burger with a quinoa & hempseed patty, pickled okra, basil mayo, lettuce, tomato, and onion. He ordered tater tots as his side (other options include the fries, buttermilk whipped potatoes, french green beans, cole slaw, and vegetable succotash). The burger had an unmistakeable grilled flavor and the texture was much more “burger-like” than you might have imagined. We weren’t really sure whether the pickled okra made it into the burger somehow…Philip said he didn’t taste or notice it. Not that it mattered…he really loved the burger. The only complaint that he had was that it was a tad crumbly, but the flavor made up for it. The tater tots were pretty standard.

The atmosphere at FEED Co. Table & Tavern is fantastic. The tavern side is completely laid-back and casual with a huge patio for outdoor dining and, as I mentioned, arcade games for killing a little time (or if you just need a Dr. Mario fix. I am not kidding. Angie, we gotta go!!!). The “table” side is a little more dressed up but still completely cozy. The menu is great-inventive but not off the deep end. I would expect no less of Chef Loomis. Our service was wonderful-Brian was very friendly, attentive, and professional. The FEED Co. Table & Tavern has definitely won our seal of approval.

The FEED Co. Table & Tavern is located at 201 W. Main Street, Chattanooga, TN 37408. The food service hours are 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Monday-Saturday, and the “tavern” hours are 11 a.m.-12 a.m., Monday-Thursday, and 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Friday-Saturday. You can call FEED Co. at (423) 708-8500. You can check out The FEED Co. Table & Tavern’s website. You can like The FEED Co. on Facebook and follow them on Twitter and Instagram.

The Bitter Alibi: Brunch Edition

July 27, 2015

The Bitter Alibi opened just over a year ago and a lot has happened in a year! They’ve grown like a weed, expanding their space and adding brunch to their food offerings. I’ve got the lowdown for you!

First of all, let me say happy (belated) birthday to The Bitter Alibi. I’m sorry to be tardy to the party…I saw the post on Facebook and just forgot to say anything. You’ll forgive me, won’t you Bitter Alibi? On July 3, this hip downtown Chattanooga (former) hole in the wall turned one. They had a whole lot more than a year of serving up pints to celebrate, though.

When we visited The Bitter Alibi last July, shortly after their opening, they were located in the basement of their building and who knew what would be joining them in the upstairs space, formerly Joe Friday’s (a coffee shop that closed before I got the chance to visit). Turns out that they would be taking over that space as well, expanding from a nighttime-only bar with a little food operation (when we visited there was a guy making sandwiches in a small spot behind the bar) with a number of employees that you could count on one hand and have some fingers left over to a brunch and dinner spot complete with a full kitchen, a coffee bar and fifteen employees. Not bad for a place that a couple of guys (Matt Skudlarek, who formerly owned Pasha Coffee and Tea, and Jason Bowers) that just thought, “What if” they opened a bar in a spot they used to visit (Philip suggested getting a picture of me with Matt under the sign).

Anyway, they’ve been posting an awful lot of tempting photos of their brunch offerings on their Facebook and Instagram pages and I knew I had to get there ASAP. We decided to head over on Friday in the early afternoon. We found a metered spot on Houston Street (and discovered the meter was out of order only after we’d fed it two quarters) and headed in. The brunch operation takes place on the first floor. There were quite a few people in there but still several tables open. Matt, who knows my husband and me by-proxy, greeted us and directed us to a table , brought us waters, then took our drink orders.

Philip decided to order a Hutton & Smith vanilla stout (Hutton & Smith is a new local brewery…they opened just weeks ago and are located right down the street from The Bitter Alibi on East MLK). He thoroughly enjoyed the beer but found it a little difficult to try to take notes for writing a review while also eating lunch, so you’ll have to go and try it for yourself. I would normally just stick with water, but they were serving up Velo Coffee and it’s been toooooo long, so I decided to get an iced latte. When my latte was delivered to the table, the barista (Bradley-I believe that was his name) told me that it was made with Boneshaker espresso and that they use a smaller amount of coffee and pull it after 40 or so seconds instead of the usual 20-something (can you tell I am not familiar with the process by which espresso is brewed), contributing to a different flavor. It was perfect….I drink coffee without sugar these days and it really allows me to taste all the nuances, though unlike Philip I am not good at picking out exactly what all those nuances are.

The menu is small but varied, with traditional brunch items like French toast (tiramisu French toast, to be more precise-aptly named “The Cheat Day”-hand me my fat pants, please!) and hash, a breakfast burrito, and a kale salad as well as sandwiches-called handhelds (they’ve added a burger to the lineup). I considered ordering the Seoul Train: red potato hash, Korean pork, soft boiled egg, spinach, and sambal. However, after Matt mentioned that he would recommend The Arnold, which was the other item I had been considering, I was sold. The Arnold consisted of two slices of sourdough toast, each topped with an over-easy egg, maple espresso bacon, and a slice of flat-top griddled tomato. Avocado cream was dolloped on the side. Are you kidding. This was brunch heaven on a plate. I am now tempted to start making this at home every day of the week. The eggs were perfectly cooked…there is no bliss like a gloriously runny yolk, in my opinion. The bacon was not overwhelmingly flavored but had a nice hint of espresso and bacon blending with its salty, chewy crispness. The Niedlov’s sourdough had a great sourdough bite and the tomato was wonderfully ripe and completed the stack. The avocado cream was just the right finishing touch, with just a bit of creamy tartness to drag the toast through, blending beautifully with the runny yolks.

Philip scarcely glanced at the menu before he decided what he would be ordering: The Cumberbatch, a cheesy biscuit topped with (and essentially swimming in) chorizo gravy with cheddar and an over-easy egg. Pretty much anytime Philip encounters chorizo on a menu, he is rendered unable to order something else. It didn’t hurt that Matt mentioned that it was one of his favorite menu items as well. One bite and Philip was in love. This basically a bowl of gravy made with house chorizo, with a big ol’ cheddar biscuit plunked in the middle and a runny yolked egg on top, and who can argue with that. The gravy was creamy and just a little spicy but not mouth-searingly spicy. It wasn’t greasy at all, and grease can definitely be a big issue with chorizo-based dishes. And, of course, that runny yolk poured down over everything and completed the dish just like peanut butter completes jelly.

I am fairly certain that I could have ordered anything on the menu and I would have been happy, but I was so pleased with my choice to get The Arnold and Philip was definitely satisfied with The Cumberbatch. The total, pre-tip, was around $29, which included Philip’s beer ($5) and my iced latte ($4). Perhaps not the least expensive breakfast/brunch/lunch in town, but when I consider that it’s a small, local business supporting other small, local businesses (they try to source locally whenever possible), I’m okay with it. Besides that, the service at The Bitter Alibi was stellar and the food was impeccable. This was upscale quality food in the most unpretentious environment possible. Plus, Matt and Jason are just super nice guys!

Go show The Bitter Alibi some love!

The Bitter Alibi is located at 825 Houston Street, Chattanooga, TN, 37403. You can call them at (423) 362-5070. They are open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 12 a.m., Friday-Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., and Tuesday, 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. Check out their website, www.thebitteralibi.com/. You can also like The Bitter Alibi on Facebook and follow @thebitteralibi on Twitter.

Brewhaus Chattanooga-Revisit

March 9, 2015

Brewhaus Chattanooga is the Chattanooga North Shore’s homage to German pubs. They serve great food and great beer in a relaxed atmosphere.
I’ve blogged about BrewHaus before, back in 2012. We liked it a lot (except for the German potato salad….I did NOT like the German potato salad!). We were out enjoying the sunshine and relative warmth this past weekend, walking the bridge and welcoming Spring-like weather after three weeks of nastiness. Since BrewHaus just reopened last week following the fire in January that shut the restaurant down for several weeks, we decided to drop in and see how things were going.

The restaurant looks great…I don’t know how much the fire affected the seating area as it happened in the kitchen, but everything looks just as it did before. We like to sit on the balcony, so that’s what we did. The menu is relatively unchanged, though I was excited to see fried pickles and cannot remember for the life of me if they were there the last time I went. The fried pickles are chips (woohoo!), lightly breaded and served with a dressing that tasted like horseradish. The fried pickles were nicely seasoned and a little spicy, with the dip adding a little additional spice. They were not greasy at all. Definitely some of the best fried pickles around.

I decided to order the Hamburg cheeseburger with pimento cheese and potato cakes on the side. The burger was nicely griddled and served on a chewy bun with lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. I really enjoyed the pimento cheese, which was melted a little on top, though I do think that pimento cheese burgers work better on a soft bun that doesn’t slide around as much. I had to be very careful while eating this burger so that my burger didn’t slide right out from underneath the bun top! All in all, though, a good burger. I really liked the potato cakes. They were a nice break from the usual fries, small patties of potatoes seasoned and fried till golden brown. Delicious.

Philip went for the chicken salad sandwich-chunks of white meat chicken with pecans, dried cherries, and mayonnaise served on toasted white bread. He liked the chicken salad, but he didn’t love the chicken salad. He ordered the spaetzle, German dumplings served in a cream sauce with mushrooms. The spaetzle was very good, creamy and well seasoned. He also had a Chattanooga Brewing Company Chestnut Street brown ale, which he thoroughly enjoyed. As you might expect from a restaurant named BrewHaus, they have a pretty nice beer list, with domestics, imports, and craft beers, and local beers…draughts, bottles, and cans.

While we were there, they were setting up for a parking lot party being held that evening to celebrate their reopening. All proceeds from the party were to go to charity. I overheard our server, David, telling the couple sitting next to us that because the community had been so supportive of them in their time of need, they wanted to give back. Other local restaurants and bars, including The Bitter Alibi, Root Kitchen, Chattanooga Brewing Company, and Mellow Mushroom hosted events benefiting BrewHaus and had the BrewHaus staff take over their establishments so that they could continue to pay their own bills. It’s very encouraging to see the restaurant community take care of each other!

We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch at BrewHaus Chattanooga.

During the day, it’s a nice family-friendly environment. The menu is good, small enough to not be overwhelming but with enough variety that just about anyone can find something to order. I recommend BrewHaus! By the way, our order was about $30 pre-tip.

BrewHaus Chattanooga is located at 224 Frazier Avenue, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37405. You can call them at 423-531-8490. You can visit the BrewHaus website and check out the BrewHaus menu. You can also like BrewHaus on Facebook and follow @BrewHausChatt on Twitter.

Chattanooga Brewing Company

November 24, 2014

Chattanooga Brewing Company is serving great bar-style food and fantastic micro-brewed beer on Chattanooga’s South Side, by Finley Stadium.

I’ve posted about Chattanooga Brewing Company before, but I didn’t have much to say because I don’t drink beer and at that time they didn’t serve food. However, last week a reader responded to one of my Facebook posts and told me that she’d eaten at the new CBC location and had some very tasty chicken tenders. Some of you may know that Philip recently started a blog, Path of Brews, to chronicle his journey into home brewing and post beer reviews. Seemed like a perfect opportunity for a great tag-team blog post to me, so we headed down to the new Chattanooga Brewing Company location (across from Finley Stadium and next door to the Chattanooga Jump Park) for a Saturday lunch.

First things first…there’s parking on the street or you can park in the big gravel lot behind the building, which is what we did. Of course, the first thing that we noticed was how gigantic the new location was in comparison to the previous location on Frazier Avenue, where there were maybe four tables. The new building has upstairs, downstairs, and outdoor seating and you just seat yourself. There were quite a few other people there, but still plenty of open seating. We picked a two-seat table by the downstairs windows. Our server, David, brought us each a beer list and a food menu.

Of course, I don’t care for beer, so I just had water. Philip decided on a 5-sample beer flight including Imperial Pilsner, S.A. IPA (infused with habaneros), Dunkel Vice, Winter Warmer, and Hefeweizen. I can’t tell you much more about that, but you can read his post on Path of Brews about our visit here.

Since my reader mentioned the Chickbock-battered chicken tenders, we decided to order those as an appetizer. There were three nicely browned, crisp-crusted tenders in the basket. The batter had quite a bit of spice to it, but not so much as to make it difficult to eat-instead it just added to the flavor. The tenders were perfectly cooked through and the honey mustard served on the side was a nice, cooling complement.

I had a hard time decided between the CBC burger and the Rivers sandwich (grilled sourdough with applewood bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and balsamic Vidalia onion jam) but finally decided, since I’m trying to decide on my top ten burgers so I can update my list one of these days, to get the burger. With beer cheese for good measure. Since David told me that the waffle fries were not housemade (I asked) I decided to get house chips instead. The burger was good-sized but not grossly oversized, served on a fresh bun (Niedlov’s, I’m pretty sure) with lettuce, tomato, pickles, mayo, and the beer cheese. The portion of chips was basically gigantic. The chips were delicious and fresh, perfectly crispy and seasoned with salt and pepper. The burger was cooked just right with a great grilled flavor. The beer cheese had a great beer flavor (interestingly I do not like to drink beer but I like the way it tastes in food preparations).

Philip decided to try a stuffed pocket, AKA a homemade hot pocket. He had a hard time narrowing it down to one because he thought they all sounded good, but finally decided on the Hot Chick, with mozzarella, Buffalo chicken, blue cheese crumbles, and ranch dressing. It was all stuffed into a pizza-type dough. It was pretty messy because the ranch and buffalo kind of flowed out a little bit, so he had to use a fork for a lot of it. However, it was very tasty, with good seasoning and a nice balance of spiciness from the Buffalo sauce, creaminess from the ranch, and tanginess from the blue cheese. The dough was nicely crisp around the edges. Philip decided to get sweet potato waffle fries, which, while they may not be housemade, were well-cooked, crisp, hot, and tasty (particularly dipped into the honey mustard that I saved from the chicken tender basket).

In case you’re a new Chattavore reader, you should know that I’m pretty low-rent as far as my food preferences go. I love an upscale restaurant from time to time, but I definitely prefer bar food, burgers, and the like for an average meal out.

There isn’t a huge food selection here at Chattanooga Brewing Company, but there’s definitely something for everyone and the food has good flavor and does a great job of incorporating the house brews.

And if you like beer, you definitely need to go here for some great (so I’m told, anyway) local beer. The prices aren’t too bad either-for our appetizer, two entrees, and Philip’s flight, it was $31 and some change pre-tip.

Chattanooga Brewing Company is located at 1804 Chestnut Street, Chattanooga, TN 37405. You can call them at 423-702-9958. They are open 4 p.m.-10(ish) on Wednesday and Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10(ish) Friday-Sunday. Check out Chattanooga Brewing Company’s website, like Chattanooga Brewing Company on Facebook and follow @chattabrew on Twitter.

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