bars/pubs Archives - Page 4 of 6

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

October 13, 2014

We don’t do many vacations, so this fall break we decided to trek it up to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware for a few days…it was a good decision.

Philip and I are bona fide cheapskates, and one of the implications of this is that we rarely take vacations. This summer, we had good intentions of trying to find a trip to take, but because of the issues with our car and because I ended up working when I hadn’t planned to, it never panned out. The first couple of months of my new job have been pretty exhausting and I decided back in September that I needed to get away from home….away from feeling like I should spend my Fall break cleaning the house, catching up on blog stuff, and inevitably ending up thinking too much about work. We decided to trek it up to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware for a few days.

We chose Rehoboth Beach, Delaware because it’s near Milton, the home of Dogfish Head Brewing Company (more on that in a minute). A little hotel searching and we found a great deal right on the beach, by the Rehoboth Boardwalk. We decided to drive up through North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland so that we could check out the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. We left on Saturday and drove to Durham, NC, where we didn’t have time to do much except visit what might have been the busiest mall I’ve ever been to, The Streets at Southpoint. We witnessed two wrecks ON THE EXIT RAMP going to the mall then someone ran the red light while we were in the intersection. Yikes! There were more people than I believe I’ve ever seen in one place. We searched for a restaurant to eat dinner and ended up eating popcorn (that we took with us) and snacks we bought from our hotel lobby (Reese’s cups and Cheetos for the win!) for dinner.

Day two….six and a half hour drive. We started off the day filling our tank across from Lizard Lick Towing, which sounded vaguely familiar, but I had to look it up on my phone to make sure it was actually something famous. My nephews were excited about the picture. Later, our GPS took us off our path, telling us to exit left when we actually needed to exit right…but we corrected quickly and then got to see the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, a nearly 18-mile series of bridges and tunnels over/through the bay connecting Southeastern VA to the Delmarva (get it? Delaware-Maryland-Virginia) peninsula. It was quite a sight to see.

We arrived in early evening at our hotel, the Admiral on Baltimore. The Admiral was nothing fancy, but it was clean, up to date, inexpensive, and right by the beach. We checked in and headed out to grab dinner. I won’t name the place where we ate that night…we were not terribly impressed (if you ever go to Rehoboth Beach, send me an email and I’ll tell you the name of this place so you can avoid it). The food was okay, the service was pretty meh, and the bathroom was disgusting-a unisex bathroom with an unflushed toilet and urine all over the seat and the floor. Nice. At least there were fried pickles….

Day three we started out at Safeway buying food for our room so that we wouldn’t have to dine out for every meal. After lunch we spent the rest of the day checking out all the shops in the Rehoboth Beach downtown area. Unfortunately, some of the shops and restaurants were closed for the season, but we still found enough to occupy several hours. I found several shops with cute clothes, with a bonus being that they were made in the USA (we try to buy made in the USA as much as possible) but nothing fit. Wah WAH. The clerks in the clothing stores (Hula Sue and another whose name I can’t remember!) were very friendly and one of them made a dinner recommendation for us.

Before dinner, though, we had to hit the local ice cream stand (well, one of them), aptly named The Ice Cream Store. They feature over 100 flavors and have been featured on Food Network and several other channels. They also claim to have invented bacon ice cream….so hats off to them! I decided on a cup of the Minty Python-chocolate ice cream with peppermint flavor, chocolate chips, and Junior Mints, topped off with a Peppermint Patty. Hey-O! I love my ice cream minty. Philip decided on the bacon de leche-dulce de leche ice cream with bacon pieces-in a waffle bowl. The ice cream was delicious, but the best part was eating it while we watched the waves crash onto the beach.

For dinner, we followed the sales lady’s recommendation and dined at Pig + Fish and found ourselves wishing that we’d eaten there the night before! They had great happy hour deals so Philip tried Evolution Brewing Company‘s Jacques O’Lantern pumpkin ale, which he really enjoyed. I ordered the fish & chips, served with slaw, lemon-caper tartar sauce, and, of course, a bottle of malt vinegar. Everything about the dish was great and I had to slow myself down so I wouldn’t eat every bite! Philip had the pan crispy chicken, two skin-on, sautéed chicken breast halves served with mashed potatoes, sherry pan jus, and crispy green beans, which was outstanding…perfectly cooked and delicious. The service was fast and friendly and the atmosphere was beautiful-nice, simply decorated, not too noisy. Great place!

Day four we headed to the outlets. Not much to see there, though we did come home with a few things (including a deeply discounted Kate Spade bag that I had to go back for. I canNOT pass up Kate Spade on the cheap!). My most exciting find was four 1 1/2 cup Anchor Hocking glass casserole dishes for making individual pot pies. This is what I do on vacation, people. After that, we took a two-mile walk down the boardwalk and the beach. I wish I’d taken pictures of the houses along the boardwalk. Some of them were truly amazing. We ended up at the Dogfish Head Brewpub for dinner. Dogfish Head Brewing Company is the reason that we went to Rehoboth in the first place, so it seemed fitting that we would eat at some point in the place where it all started. It was burger night so it was hard for us to pass up the great deals on the burgers; I had the Indulgence burger with American cheese, bacon, and an onion ring, while Philip built his own with blue cheese and bacon. We also had some spent-grain pretzel bites with Hop-Pickle dip and truffle mustard (loved the Hop-Pickle dip, made with spicy pickles made by Dogfish Head). The burgers were good too. I had a Nor’easter (essentially a hurricane, made with Dogfish Head wit spiced rhum-no, that isn’t a typo-pineapple juice, orange juice, and grenadine)-strong but quite good. I know my limits…I sipped it through dinner but never finished it. Philip tried the Raison d’être, which he declared excellent, and the Tweason’Ale (a gluten-free sorghum brew) which he did not care for.

Day five: Dogfish Head Brewing Company tour. We had a great tour guide, Jake, and since we came on the off-season there were only four other people on our tour. Jake showed us around the brewery, detailing the history of Dogfish Head Brewing Co.-starting with its humble beginnings in Sam Calagione’s apartment and eventually expanding to the 12th largest craft brewery in the US-and showing us the process through which all of their brews are created. We got to see the bottling operation, including cases and cases of DFH getting ready for shipment. We also saw a snake (!) while we were walking along. After the tour, guests 21 and over can choose 4 free 3-ounce samples. I don’t care for beer, so I had their beach beer, which is a non-alcoholic birch beer, similar to root beer…and delicious. Philip tried the Miles Davis Bitches Brew (American stout), Birra Etrusca (ancient ale), Kvasir (ancient ale), and Noble Rot (saison ale) (he’s now contemplating entering the world of home-brewing). After, we had lunch from Bunyan’s Lunchbox, a little cart outside the taproom serving Dogfish brats (Philip had the Italian), clam chowder with fresh clams, pork, and Dogfish Palo Santo Marron (which is what I had). Great lunch! We finished up with a shopping spree in the store then headed back for another boardwalk/beach walk.

On our final night in Rehoboth, we wanted to head out for a seafood dinner. We narrowed our options down to Henlopen City Oyster House and Salt Air, next door neighbors both recommended to me by Bob the Rehoboth Foodie, whom I emailed before our trip to ask for recommendations. We decided on Salt Air, and while I’m sure that Henlopen is a perfectly wonderful restaurant, we were glad that we did. Salt Air was a beautifully decorated upscale casual restaurant-they call themselves a “picnic on the beach”. Our server Ryan was fantastic. To start, he brought us a basket of parmesan flatbreads with a goat cheese/cream cheese blend for spreading-perfect! I couldn’t stop thinking about them! We decided to be brave and try the mussels-which neither of us have ever eaten. They were delicious, served in a cream sauce smoky with tasso ham. I quickly got the hang of using a discarded shell to dig out the mussels and scoop up some of the delicious briny broth. Philip decided on the caramelized day boat scallops, served with sweet potato puree, brown butter cauliflower, and shiitake mushrooms. He declared the perfectly browned scallops “like butter”. The portion was deceptively large and I thought I was going to need to roll him back to the hotel. I ordered the crab cakes, which came with bacon potato salad and coleslaw. Everything was perfect, the cole slaw lightly dressed with mayo-based dressing, the potato salad made with red potatoes, bacon, celery, thin slivers of red onion, and a light mayo dressing. The crab cakes were crispy and full of meat, hardly any filler. The tartar sauce on the side was a delicious complement. We followed up our dinner with a final walk on the beach…which we needed in order to walk off some of our dinner.

Thursday and Friday were filled with driving, rain, and a visit to a mall in Roanoke, Virginia to break up the monotony. Not much to tell. We returned home happy to be back to our own bed and our cat, who clearly missed us immensely and has hardly left our sides since we’ve been home. We highly recommend checking out Rehoboth Beach, Delaware!

We loved Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and we’ll definitely be planning a trip back one of these days!

Best Bars in Chattanooga

October 10, 2014

What do you think are the best bars in Chattanooga? Guest poster Carmen joins us today to tell us her favorite drink spots in town!

Let’s all take a second to welcome my new guest poster, Carmen Patty, to the Chattavore party! Carmen is a local realtor and, like me, a Chattanooga native. She used to write her own blog as well. She’ll be writing some restaurant posts too, but for her first posts, Carmen has named her top ten best bars in Chattanooga!

As a twenty-something, I can still remember those natty light nights and plastic vodka cocktails in college. I think those nights shaped me into the food snob I am today. Instead of choking down the taaka, I think cocktails should be relished and enjoyed. Below are my favorite places to get the drinks you want to remember, not those you hope to forget!

10. Terra Mae Appalachian Bistro

TerraMae is probably the hippest and most interesting place in town. Their farm-to-table fare extends to their cocktail menu with most of their garnishes coming from their local farm. Nestled in the lobby of the Stone Fort Inn, TerraMae’s bar feels more like an upscale library than a traditional bar. You can try things at Terramae you will not experience anywhere else in the city. Since I am a fan of bubbles, my favorite is their French 75. While it is a classic cocktail, TerraMae makes it just right.

9. Hennen’s

Hennen’s patio offers a close second to my people-watching perch at Easy. If the weather is bad, their bar is the epitome of an upscale steakhouse bar. It is dark with a granite countertops and mahogany leather stools. The selection of whiskey is astounding and their staff is some of the most knowledgeable in town. The best thing to get at Hennen’s is a glass of wine from their extensive and impressive list. I love the Martin Codax Albarino!

8. Beast + Barrel

Beast + Barrel is the new Frazier Avenue establishment that is a much needed stylish and tasty hangout for the Northshore. They offer a multitude of interesting drinks and wines on tap. My favorite is the Smoke on the Water. Made with whiskey, Pimms, Brandy, maple syrup, and bitters, it is the most unique cocktail I have ever tried. It has hints of smoke, sweetness, and spice. It is definitely a must try!

7. Urban Stack

Urban Stack prides itself on its whiskey prowess and with good reason. They know how to mix some whiskey! My favorites are their strawberry and basil flavored Strawberry Blonde and their citrusy High Tea. The High Tea offers the best “bang for your buck” especially when it is half priced on their High Tea Tuesdays, but the Strawberry Blonde is just the right amount of herbal and sweet. You can find Urban Stack’s entire bar menu on their website.

6. The Boathouse

When thinking of The Boathouse, the first things that come to mind are probably oysters and the insane views of the Tennessee River. While those two things are great reasons to go to The Boathouse, their Lawton Rita is just as good a reason! It is the best margarita I have ever had! They use only top shelf liquor and instead of serving it frozen or on rocks, they shake it like a martini and serve it up in a large martini glass. Delicious!!

5. Flying Squirrel Bar

The Flying Squirrel has been the place to go for nights out since its opening in Spring 2013. With its sustainable and gorgeous building, large patio and upstairs lounge, it offers a landing place for every mood. My favorite cocktail at The Flying Squirrel is their infused lemonade with their house made strawberry vodka. While I usually shy away from sweet drinks, this one has enough of a kick to make it refreshing, not cloying. If craft beer is more your jam, you’re bound to find a new favorite here. You can find Flying Squirrel Bar’s entire drink menu on their website.

4. The Social

Whether you are in their private room, or are just standing at the bar, the service at The Social is almost as impeccable as their drinks. Their cocktails are a bit pricey, but their house made pineapple-infused gin is unbelievable, especially when added to their lemonade and with a garnish of mint.

3. Chato Brasserie

Chato is one of the few upscale eateries that manages to pull off the neighborhood hangout vibe while maintaining their consistent excellence. The food is incredible and thanks to their resident bartender, LT, the drinks shine just as brightly. Whether you’re ordering their signature Moscow Mule or you ask LT to create a tailor-made drink for you, it is always the right amount of sweet and smooth. If you’re looking for something that is practically a dessert with a buzz, order the Lindy Lou. It is a decadent chocolate martini that you’ll keep thinking of hours after it’s gone!

2. St. John’s Meeting Place

When you walk into St. John’s Meeting Place you feel like you have taken a departure from Chattanooga and have landed in a swanky big-city restaurant. With its dim lighting, buzz of trendy music, and sumptuous leather sofas, The Meeting Place is equal parts chic and inviting. It also offers one of the best happy hours in town because a place that can be a bit too pricey for an average weekday becomes the perfect spot for after work drinks. From 5-7 you can get a $15 bottle of Prosecco and various $5 drinks and discounted small plates. My favorite drink is their West Egg. It is a delicious concoction made from lime sour, bitters, gin, and topped off with a splash of Malbec.

1. Easy Bistro

Whenever the weather is nice, you can find me at Easy Bistro perched on their patio. One of my favorite things to do in the spring and summer is to sit and people watch with cocktails. Chattanooga’s vibrant downtown scene is so much fun to spy on! The best thing about the bar at Easy is that you can ALWAYS trust what the bartenders there suggest. No matter what your “usual” is, Easy will make it and make it better and more interesting than you’ve ever had before. My go-to at Easy is their Violet. It’s a deliciously light sparkling cocktail with a hint of Rothman & Winter’s Crème de Violette. Not only is it tasty, but I feel like such a lady sipping on a drink with a flower garnish! You can find Easy Bistro’s cocktail list on their website.

Tell me below – what do YOU think are the best bars in Chattanooga?

Clyde’s on Main (South Side)

September 22, 2014

Clyde’s on Main is a fun and trendy bar on Chattanooga’s South Side owned by Mike and Taylor Monen of Taco Mamacita, Urban Stack, & Milk & Honey fame.

When I read an article from TFP months back that the Monens (of Taco Mamacita, Urban Stack, Community Pie, and Milk & Honey fame) were turning Clyde’s Auto Glass on Main Street into a restaurant, my interest was piqued. Mike and Taylor Monen know how to start a new restaurant, and that area of Main Street is turning into a boom town. As Philip and I headed to Grocery Bar on the weekends, we would notice how the place was coming along. We don’t often go to new places pretty much immediately after they opened, but we couldn’t resist quickly checking out Clyde’s on Main, especially after seeing lots of pictures on Facebook and having one friend text me to let me know how tasty the food was. As one friend captioned his Instagram photo of Clyde’s bar: “And our next conference session today will be led by the Monens: ‘How to open dope $*&! and generally kick @$$.'” Yep.

This place is definitely all about atmosphere. It’s loud, I’ll warn you of that. Don’t go there to have a deep and meaningful conversation. However, if you just want to go to hang out and have fun, yes. There are ping-pong tables complete with brackets for tournaments on a blackboards. You can sit at a regular table, a booth, a high-top, or a pinball machine. That’s right, you can sit on a sofa placed at a pinball machine as a table. The lighting is low and the music is loud, and while I don’t remember what they were playing I know that it was good. Old school pop culture pictures hang in the restroom and an assortment of witty coozies hang at the bar. Every employee that we spoke with was extremely friendly and the vibe was great. There were plenty of families with children in the place for lunch on a Saturday (though some Facebook commentors on Meghan Pittman’s TFP review stated that they saw a poster with an “f-bomb” on it, so proceed with caution if this sort of thing concerns you-also, some of the commentors said that children are not allowed on weekend evenings, which makes sense to me as it is a place with a bar atmosphere).

I have to apologize for the menu photos. I know that they’re a little warped and there’s a shadow of my phone on them…but the ink was too shiny to take a straight on photo. Also, remember that the lights were low. But you get the point. Take your pick: appetizers, soups/salads, sandwiches, plates, and barbecue…an interesting and fun menu a little bit off the beaten path but not so far off as to be weird. There was also a list of craft beers and the old standards and a full bar including several signature drinks, with a nod to the college crowd with features like “Hunch Punch” and “Jungle Juice” (which I don’t think tastes too much like the fuchsia drink I used to get in a carton on extra special fun days in my elementary school cafeteria). While I really wanted to try some pork candy or some soft pretzels with homemade cheez whiz, we decided to pass on appetizers (and it’s probably a good thing we did, because I basically cleaned my plate). (If you’d like to see a better image of the menu, check out the menu link on their Facebook page-I tried to directly share the link here but for some reason it wasn’t working.)

Choosing an entree was a little bit daunting. The bahn mi was tempting and you guys know that I love a good burger and (since I need to revise my list) I needed to see how theirs fit into Chattavore’s top ten. I came very close to ordering the buttermilk fried chicken sandwich (buttermilk brined and hand breaded southern style chicken with lettuce, house pickles, tomato, melted American cheese, and sweet hot sauce on a Kaiser roll). However, when the manager (who was helping out our server by getting us started) told me that they still had barbecue, which they serve until they run out, I knew I had to give it a try. The friend that texted me about the food told me that when she went they were out…better get while the gettin’s good, I figured. I decided to get the pulled pork plate with barbecue baked beans and beer cheese house chips. The pork was perfectly seasoned and extremely moist and tender. I loved the rub. The baked beans were a little bit spicy and had an interesting flavor that we are fairly certain was cloves. The pickles were fresh, tangy, and just a little bit spicy. I love a good house-cut chip and these were awesome, dusted with a mildly beer-flavored cheese powder. And I was enthralled by the presentation of the barbecue sauce: six sauces (Original Red, Sweet Lily’s, Mexican Coke, Red Hot, “From Here” Mustard, and Alabama White) served in a six-pack carrier. I tasted them all (except the red hot) and decided that the creamy mayo based Alabama White was my favorite, but I also loved the tangy “From Here” mustard and the sweet Mexican Coke sauces. I loved having options.

Philip decided on the buttermilk fried chicken plate with Clyde’s Power Greens and hot mustard slaw. The chicken was served with the sweet hot sauce that came on the buttermilk fried chicken sandwich. It was indeed sweet and Philip didn’t think it was extremely hot at first but it was definitely a building heat and he was breaking a sweat by the end. He was served two pieces of boneless chicken with a perfectly seasoned and crispy crust, cooked through and juicy. The slaw was fresh with a light mustard dressing that Philip pronounced was “good not great”. However, he loved Clyde’s Power Greens: kale, spinach, and collards, cooked until tender, well-seasoned and just a little spicy.

Look, we basically loved Clyde’s on Main.

The only thing that we might have changed was the noise level, but even that was definitely not a deal-breaker. The decor was great, the food was fantastic, and the staff was accommodating and friendly. Our server, Kaitlunn, was very attentive and chatty (but not in a bad way)! The prices were pretty much par for the course for a place like this. Our total was $31.31 pre-tip, which included our entrees and an IPA.

Clyde’s on Main is located at 122 Main Street, Chattanooga, TN (next to Mean Mug Coffee House). They are open Sunday-Wednesday 11 a.m.-12:00 a.m. and Thursday-Saturday 11 a.m.-2:00 a.m. You can call them at (423) 362-8335. Check out their website, http://www.clydesonmain.com. You can also like Clyde’s on Main on Facebook and follow Clyde’s on Main on Twitter.

Other restaurants in this area: Mean Mug Coffee House, Blue Orleans, Terminal BrewHouse

The Big Chill and Grill (North Shore)

August 12, 2014

The Big Chill and Grill is a popular bar on Chattanooga’s North Shore that offers great food in an atmosphere that is family-friendly during the day.

The Big Chill & Grill has been around in Chattanooga for quite a few years, recently moving from Market Street (next door to Taco Mac) to the North Shore at the corner of Cherokee and Manufacturers. In the process of the move, The Big Chill became a non-smoking establishment (though they do have a terrace for smokers), making it a more diner-friendly environment. During daytime hours, The Big Chill is no longer a 21 and over establishment.

The Big Chill and Grill is a seat-yourself environment with lots of seating options: low tables in an open-air indoor seating area in the front, high-top tables or the bar, or low tables in the the back as well as the terrace where smoking is allowed. We were there around 5:30 on Sunday afternoon so it was not terribly crowded. We took a seat and our server was with us quickly, bringing menus and water.

The Big Chill and Grill is known for their strong drinks. Frozen drink mixers are constantly running behind the bar and they have a huge list of “concoctions”-frozen specialty drinks. I’ve had one of these drinks exactly one time and that was the time that I discovered exactly what my limit was (don’t have one of those drinks on an empty stomach-you’ve been warned!)….so I stuck with water. They also have an extensive selection of draught and bottled beers.

We decided to have the fried green tomatoes appetizer. It came with honey dijon mustard and a slightly sweet-spicy Asian chili sauce for dipping. The cornmeal coating was light and the tomatoes were cooked well. They could have been drained a little better-they were slightly greasy-but they were well-seasoned and tasty. Other appetizers included the standard mozzarella sticks and fried mushrooms, chips and salsa, chips and queso, and nachos (which I had on the night of the aforementioned drink when I realized that I was making a huge mistake drinking that strong drink on an empty stomach. They were quite good.).

The meal selections included salads, sandwiches, burgers, and entrees (they also have brunch from 11-3 on Saturday and Sunday and serve a lunch menu from 11-3 Monday through Friday). Tina, our server, recommended the chicken salad melter, which she described as “kind of like a grilled cheese sandwich with chicken salad”. Pretty good description. The melter is chicken salad, made with hard-boiled eggs and pickle relish, and cheddar, grilled on sourdough bread. I decided to take her recommendation and ordered the melter with house-made chips. I liked the sandwich a lot and remembered that Philip had eaten it once before, which was actually when I discovered that I like chicken salad made with eggs and relish (why haven’t I made that for you guys yet?). It was not greasy and it was a very large sandwich (I wasn’t able to finish it). The chips were not quite as crispy as I would have liked but still tasted pretty good. They were dusted with seasoned salt and were a little tiny bit sweet-I could swear that they were also dusted with a little sugar. By the way, fries and fried okra were also offered with sandwiches (and I’m sure that, perhaps with a bit of an upcharge, you could sub in one of the other sides like the homestyle green beans, which I’ve heard are amazing).

Philip decided on the chicken fried chicken, which is two large pieces of boneless fried chicken topped with white peppered gravy, skin-on mashed potatoes, fried okra, two deviled eggs, and a Sister Schubert’s roll (really! It’s on the menu!). He thought that the chicken was really juicy and flavorful, though he was pretty sure that the gravy was from a mix. The mashed potatoes are made from scratch and were well seasoned and had a great texture. I didn’t try the deviled eggs, but they had pickle relish in them and were sprinkled with paprika (I just like the fact that they include them on their menu….deviled eggs are quite an unusual menu item!). I am fairly certain that the okra was from frozen, though it still tasted pretty good and didn’t have the super-heavy jacket coating that so many fried varieties have. I just want to find a restaurant that makes fried okra from scratch!

All in all, though there are a few menu items that are frozen or from a package, I think that the menu and The Big Chill and Grill is pretty good for a “bar” menu and I know that there are quite a few items that are made fresh in-house. The prices are reasonable, with our total for fried green tomatoes, a chicken salad sandwich, and chicken fried chicken coming to $28 and some change. By the way, those frozen drinks are $6.50. The new location is really nice and well-decorated. I read some complaints about loud music on Urbanspoon and we definitely did not think that the music (which was early nineties hits like Bell Biv Devoe’s “Poison”-score!) was too loud, though I’m sure that they turn it up at night when it’s more of a bar crowd.

Check out The Big Chill and Grill for great homestyle food and delicious drinks!

The Big Chill and Grill is located at 103 Cherokee Boulevard, Chattanooga, TN 37405. You can call them at (423) 267-2445. They are open 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Sundays. Their website is http://www.bigchillandgrill.com. You can also like the Big Chill & Grill on Facebook. By the way, The Big Chill was recently cited for overserving with a consequence of having their license to serve alcohol suspended for six days. According to their website, as of 8/9/14 they are appealing this decision and are still serving alcohol until the appeal is considered.

Other restaurants in this area: Food Works, Elemental, Taco Mamacita, Milk & Honey

Beast and Barrel Gastro Smokehouse

April 27, 2014

Beast and Barrel is a bar and gastropub on Chattanooga’s North Shore owned by the same group that owns Terminal BrewHouse, Honest Pint, and Hair of the Dog.

So, turns out that making your brother an amazingly awesome super-rich boozy chocolatey cheesecake for his birthday has can pay off. See, my brother works at The Honest Pint and was able to get tickets to one of the soft opening nights of Beast and Barrel, the new restaurant opened by the group that owns The Pint, Terminal BrewHouse, Hair of the Dog, and Mean Mug Coffeehouse. And he invited me to be his plus one. That decision took all of one-quarter of a second.

I was pretty excited in January when it was announced that Northshore Grille had been purchased by the owners of the aforementioned restaurants. It’s no secret to anyone who reads my blog that I love all of the above, and while I did not dislike Northshore Grille, well, there was no question that it was about to be made better.

The full name of the new restaurant is Beast and Barrel Gastro Smokehouse. The restaurant was created to be a family-friendly, non-smoking environment with an “elevated menu” (according to this article from the Times-Free Press in January). They left a lot of the decor from Northshore Grille in place because, well, it was a beautiful space, with dark wood and cool ads on the wall. They’ve added their own design elements, though, lots of black with white accents. The decor is simple but amazing.

One thing that I noticed immediately was that the menu was much, much smaller than the other restaurants, more akin to the smaller menus that one might find in a fine dining establishment but featuring an enormous range (impressively enormous considering the small number of items actually on the menu) of items. First, bar snacks including popcorn of the day and jerky of the day; a small selection of salads; appetizers; sandwiches; burgers; entrées; and dinners for two. They have a great beer list including imports, Tennessee and American craft beers, and lots of others; a large wine list, and lots of cocktails including a few signatures (including Divorce Shore which was apparently what Northshore Grille was called?). All I can say is that these guys know how to create a menu.

A small plate of jalapeño cornbread with honey butter was quickly delivered to our table and followed shortly thereafter by a plate of house charcuterie. The cornbread was sweet, so that was a bit of a blow because you guys know I am not into sweet cornbread, but it did have a good flavor and was very moist. The charcuterie was amazing, including the house pastrami, pastrami-style salmon, and house made ham as well as house made pickled cucumbers, carrots, and onions (the pickles were a bit spicy, by the way). My brother ordered the quail poppers, boursin and smoked jalapeño stuffed quail breast wrapped in bacon and served with jalapeño jelly. At least the menu said quail breast, but I feel pretty certain those were legs. They were a little difficult to eat as “poppers” as they had bones in them so the quail had to be carefully eaten from the bone, but the combination of the slightly gamey quail with the spicy jalapeño, the creamy, herby Boursin (man, I love that stuff) and the smoky, salty bacon (wherever it was from, it was amazing) was pretty genius. Even though we weren’t sitting at the bar, you know I had to try the sage and brown butter popcorn because I cannot pass up popcorn nor brown butter. I was not disappointed and will be making this at home very soon.

I had a hard time deciding what to order. I considered a burger because, well, burger but decided that I needed to order something a little less standard. Ultimately, I was torn between the steak frites (fancy French terminology for steak & fries) and the Big Katz sandwich-basically a Reuben made with house pastrami, house made sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, thousand island dressing (the menu did not declare that it was made there but I’m guessing that it is), grilled up on marble rye bread. By the way, the “Katz” in the name of the sandwich is a nod to Sandor Katz, a well-known authority on the fermentation of food (did you know that sauerkraut is fermented cabbage?) so I assume that they borrowed the technique from him. The sandwich was delicious….I mean, that pastrami (peppered corned beef) was perfectly seasoned and wonderfully tender, the kraut was a little spicy and had a nice texture, there was a perfect amount of dressing, and the grilled rye was a nice complement to it all. I ordered fries as my side (some of the other options included baked beans, whipped potatoes, and collards). The fries were skinny, house-cut parmesan fries. They tasted great but I think I would have preferred a slightly thicker-cut fry.

One of the reasons that I ultimately decided on the Big Katz instead of the steak frites was because my brother ordered the steak so I figured I’d just try his. The menu describes the steak frites as “house cut 12oz ribeye steak char-grilled to temperature and topped w/ a hunk of cognac peppercorn compound butter. Our fresh frites are fried to golden brown then tossed w/ garlic, parsley and parmesan cheese.” Tom ordered his steak medium-rare (we definitely come from the same family. Both of my siblings are medium-rare people just like me.). There was a pretty gigantic slab of butter on top that added to the richness of the steak, which was cooked perfectly to temperature and seasoned just right. It is a simple dish but that’s the beauty of steak frites….amazing simplicity on a plate. It’s more difficult to do well than you might think but they manage beautifully.

A couple of my brother’s friends ate with us as well. One of them had the steak frites as well and the other ordered the Philly Cheesesteak with whipped potatoes. I took a tiny bite of the cheesesteak; it was oniony and cheesy on good, chewy bread with thinly sliced beef, and the potatoes were creamy and whipped to perfection.

So, will Beast and Barrel be a success? If my experience was any indication, yes. These guys have proven their staying power with their other restaurants and I don’t think that Beast and Barrel will be any different. The early reviews on their Facebook page have been nothing but glowing. I’ll be going back soon to try out the burger (and so Philip can try the Big Katz) so keep an eye out for an update to this post.

Give Beast and Barrel a try and tell me what you think!

Beast and Barrel Gastro Smokehouse is located at 16 Frazier Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405. You can call them at 423-805-4599. You can check out their website, beastandbarrel.com or like Beast + Barrel on Facebook.

Other restaurants on the North Shore: Good Dog, Totto, OPA, River Street Deli, Hill City Pizza, Poblanos

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