downtown Chattanooga restaurants Archives - Page 12 of 20

Conga Latin Food-March 9, 2013

March 10, 2013

I have no idea how long Conga (formerly known as Taco Rico) has been serving Salvadorian food down on Main Street (who else is singing Bob Seger now?) but I first realized it existed when it popped up on the Living Social (or maybe it was Groupon?) radar early last year. I scored a buy one get one free coupon in my Adventures in Dining coupon book. I drive by it every Wednesday when I drive to the farmers market, but Philip is never with me so it’s never an opportunity for dinner, and every time I think of it we aren’t in the mood, or else we just don’t want to drive down there. As if downtown Chattanooga is on the other side of the state….but when you live 30+ minutes from where you work, sometimes you just really don’t want to get near work on the weekends. A lot of times, actually.

Anyway, I was taking some family photos for a friend at the Choo-Choo then on Main. They decided to stop at the Terminal per our glowing recommendations and we headed back to the car to get our Conga coupon. We had heard glowing recommendations for Conga from three different people in the past week so we figured it was time. No one else was in the restaurant when we walked in and were seated immediately. I’ll say one thing….the server was very eager to take our order. She asked three times before we were ready! Anyway, we decided to order some fried plantains then felt a little puzzled when a basket of crispy fried plaintains (with a chip-like consistency) arrived at the table then minutes a later a plate of thicker-sliced, warm but not crisp plantains arrived with refried black beans and some creamy substance (crema perhaps????). Apparently the plantain chips are brought out just like chips & salsa at a Mexican joint. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the flavor and texture of both (plantains are very similar to bananas in texture though only slightly similar in taste) and thought the beans and what.ever.that.creamy.stuff.was. were delicious. Philip liked the “chips” but, while he liked the flavor of the other plantains felt the texture was just too much like a banana (he hates the texture of bananas). There were also “sweet” fried plantains, fried yucca root, and more “standard” Latin appetizers like cheese dip and guacamole.

The menu is small but includes a few standards (tacos, a burrito, chicken tamales) as well as chicken or beef tortas (which I filed away to order for later, empanadas (basically a Latin stuffed turnover), and pupusas, thick masa cakes stuffed with cheese and other fillings (spinach, beans, pork & bean [which the menu calls “original”], pork, chicken, cilantro & onion, or carrot). I decided on the combo #1: one pupusa (I ordered spinach) with rice & beans. The pupusa was delicious, filled with delicious stringy cheese and spinach and seasoned perfectly. There was a slaw dressed with a vinegary dressing that I didn’t care for too much because it had a very strong oregano flavor. I like oregano in small doses but this was a bit much for me. The rice and beans were excellent; long grain white rice, seasoned with salt and not much else but cooked to a perfect bite, and beans with onion and cilantro, well-seasoned but not overpowering. Different from your average Mexican restaurant plate of refried beans & red rice. Mmmmm.

Philip went for a taco combo (2 tacos plus rice and beans) with an extra taco. He ordered a fish taco, a chorizo taco, and a pastor (pork) taco. The tacos come on your choice of corn or flour tortillas and he chose flour (you know I would have chosen corn, but they weren’t my tacos!). He bit into the fish taco, chewed for a moment, then said, “Oh MY,” and handed it to me. I took a bite and he said, “It takes a second to hit you.” Sure enough, the longer I chewed the more pronounced the flavor became. The fish was grilled and coated with some sort of heavenly seasoning. Amazing. The pastor taco was filled with chunks of deliciously seasoned pork, and the chorizo was mild, not greasy in the least, and wonderfully spiced. Philip ordered his tacos with cilantro and onion, which added a perfect accent to all three meats. Philip also loved the rice and beans.

A sign in the window proclaimed sweet crepes (filled with Nutella or other confections) for dessert, but we decided to walk down a couple of blocks to Velo to buy some lolly-pies from Sugar Pie (more on that later). There are also sangrias on the menu (which I always think look so delicious but I am sure I would hate them because I do not like wine) and bottled Latin versions of standard soft drinks (which means they are sweetened with sugar, not high fructose corn syrup). Of course, we had water, and that is my one complaint of the day: after bringing our food, our server was too preoccupied with whatever she was doing to come back and fill our drinks (and I was dying of thirst, so I drained my water). She was friendly, though, and I’m just going to assume was busy and off her game (other customers came in after we did and she was the only server, plus they were getting ready to end their lunch service). I thought the food was delicious and I will definitely go back. By the way, before our coupon was applied our total was about $20.

Conga Latin Food is located at 207 East Main Street, Chattanooga, TN 37408. You can call them at 423-201-4806. They do not have a Facebook page or website at this time.

Community Pie-February 23, 2013

February 24, 2013

Several months back, as I was driving from work to the farmers market by way of Market Street, I looked over and noticed a “coming soon” restaurant in the space that was the original Market Street Tavern: Community Pie. How odd, I thought, that another pie place would come in across the street from Fork & Pie Bar…then I realized that the word “pie” was in reference to pizza pies. Neapolitan pies, to be exact. And gelato.

And I swooned. Because gelato is the stuff of my dreams.

I waited a good long while to hear that Community Pie had opened, then another drive-by had me thinking the whole thing had fallen through…but then Emily Rose, another Chattanooga blogger, wrote about them on her blog and a bunch of other people started mentioning them and then I realized I had totally missed something.

Don’t these restaurants know they’re supposed to alert me of their openings?

I’m totally kidding. Not really…okay, a little.

Anyway, I’ve been really dying to go there for at least two weeks now, so when we set out today with no real plan for lunch it seemed like a golden opportunity I would be a fool to pass up. The weather was very nice, which helped because we like to park not too close and walk. Walking between the buildings downtown is like walking in an Arctic wind tunnel on a cold day. The place was crowded but we were still seated immediately. We were struck by the decor….they opened up the space (which was sectioned into three or four rooms before) and really did it up, with gorgeous gray ceilings, painted brick walls (of which I completely forgot to take a photo) and cool light fixtures. Even the restrooms were interesting (if a little different from the rest of the joint) with graffiti painted on the walls.

The front side of the menu consists of appetizers (such as Kobe meatballs, fried cheese, and tomato soup & grilled cheese), toast (toasted open-faced Niedlov’s bread topped with homemade goodies & artisinal charcuterie), and salads. Despite the fact that I had heard very flattering things about the kale salad, I figured I’d blogged enough about kale salad this week plus Philip likes arugula more than kale, so we decided on the arugula salad (with pine nuts, Pecorino Romano, cracked black pepper, and lemon vinaigrette). We also decided on the truffled egg & speck toast (speck is an Italian ham). We strongly considered the creamy mushroom toast but ultimately decided to order the one that was topped with the smoky pork product-big surprise, right?

The arugula salad was very fresh (no wilted pieces-rare indeed!). The Romano cheese was shaved, not grated, on top and it was very strong….the perfect complement to the peppery greens. I love love loved the lemon vinaigrette…very lemony indeed but not off-putting, seasoned perfectly. The toast? Wow. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I was not disappointed. The toast was very crunchy and topped with a couple of slices of ham and a gigantic scoop of truffled egg salad on each half, garnished with chopped dill. The only thing that was a little difficult was biting through the generous amount of ham with my teeth…but this is not a bad thing. I must crack the code for the truffled egg salad (and perhaps the lemon vinaigrette too!).

While many of the pizzas sounded amazing (pork confit? duck confit? roasted mushroom?), we zeroed in on three in particular: sweet fig (prosciutto, gorgonzola, kalamata olives, goat gouda, homemade fig preserves, arugula, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt); carbonara (pancetta, green onion, black pepper, mascarpone cream sauce, fresh mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and egg); and Nueske’s bacon (fingerling potatoes, thyme, caramelized onions, fontina, Tilamook sharp white cheddar, arugula, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt). After a short deliberation, we settled on the Nueske’s bacon pizza. The pizza arrived without the arugula, but Tripp, our server, was quick to bring out a plate of it for us to throw on the pizza. It was good without the arugula, but there is just something about a pizza topped with arugula that is hard to beat. The crust was charred from the pizza oven. It was thin but chewy, which is a rare quality in a pizza and everything on it was perfectly cooked with the toppings proportioned just right. Also, I’ve read a few Urbanspoon reviews complaining that the middle of the pizza was too soggy, but with some research found several websites that stated that Neapolitan pizza often does have this slight sog to the middle. While it wasn’t super-crisp, I didn’t find it to be “soggy” or “soupy” but delicious!

Of course, as I mentioned at the beginning, I am a gelato-phile so there was no question that I would be sampling some Milk & Honey gelato (Milk & Honey is owned by the same company that owns Community Pie-more on that in a minute). Some of the offerings today (they change frequently) were the signature milk & honey, lavender & honey, chocolate macaroon, a vanilla with chocolate chunks (I can’t remember the name!), pear sorbet, and celery-ginger. I decided on the lavender & honey (I have a weakness for lavender-flavored things) while Philip decided to get milk & honey and chocolate macaroon (you can get up to three flavors in one of the 4-ounce servings). The milk & honey flavor was very simple and clean-tasting; the chocolate macaroon sweet but not cloying, chocolately but not bitter, and with just the right amount of coconut flavor. The lavender & honey? It made my eyes roll back into my head. Perfect. Just perfect….the lavender was strong and the texture and sweetness just right. I practically licked the dish clean. By the way, if you were wondering….gelato is a sort of Italian ice cream. It has a lower butterfat content than ice cream because the proportion of milk to cream is higher, and it is denser because less air is whipped into it.

Tripp, our server, was very attentive and friendly. He checked back on us several times and was quick to take care of anything that we needed (e.g. the arugula!). I asked him who owned the restaurant and he told me that it is owned by Taylor & Mike Monen, who also own Taco Mamacita and Urban Stack Burger Lounge. They will be opening an official storefront for Milk & Honey soon, selling gelato, popsicles, and other confections. Exciting!

I won’t lie, this was a little pricier than your typical pizza experience-our total was about $35 before tip. I was very happy with the food, the service, and the atmosphere, though, and, as you well know, I don’t mind paying a little more for those things. It’s not like we eat out every day! I highly recommend Community Pie!

Community Pie is located at 850 Market Street #100, Chattanooga, TN 37402. You can call them at 423-486-1pie. Check out their website, http://communitypie.com, like them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter (though they haven’t really gotten into the tweeting game just yet!).

Champy’s-February 2, 2013

February 3, 2013

Groundhog Day brought snow to the Tennessee Valley! Of course, for a teacher, snow on the weekend is a complete waste. All it does is create roadway chaos and grocery store chaos, and, of course, since it was completely unexpected, I had practically nothing in the house to eat. The snow covered the ground rapidly while we hung out on the couch after eating our breakfast, and momentarily we were unsure that we would be able to go anywhere. Sometimes that gets a little dicey when you live at the bottom of a hill and both of your cars have manual transmissions.

Lucky for us, the temperature was in the upper twenties and the road never froze, at least not in our neighborhood. We decided to head on out and started driving toward downtown, flipping through our Adventures in Dining coupon book to see if there was anywhere that caught our fancy. There wasn’t, so no buy one get one free meals for us this week. We decided instead to head to MLK for some Champy’s fried chicken. My friend Matt, who started the Facebook Group Matt Eats Chatt a few years back, recommended Champy’s a while back, referencing their awesome fried chicken and the paper bag coozies for their beers. Hi-larious. They actually have stickers that essentially say “chicken + 40 ouncers” = love. I mean….that’s not what they say….but it is. Oh, nevermind. I should have taken a picture. Anyway, there’s actually a Facebook group trying to get Guy Fieri to bring Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives to Chattanooga. Does that show still come on? I’m so out of the loop since we don’t have cable…

Driving across Veteran’s Bridge was a little sketchy…that is, it was completely frozen. Luckily, the other motorists were equally as cautious as we were so we had no issues. Champy’s was unexpectedly crowded for such a cold day with so much unexpected snow, but we were immediately seated in their covered and heated outdoor seating area (by the way, the place was pretty much packed out by the time we left). Our server quickly took our drink order while we perused the appetizer menu and settled on pickled fried green tomatoes, which were delicious….lightly battered and sweet, salty, briny all at the same time. They are served with Champy’s sauce, a slightly spicy horseradish and mayo sauce that was pretty benign at first but was burning just a little by the time our entrees came. The tomatoes were a little expensive-$8.75-but served in a very large portion. I would definitely order them again.

I have actually eaten at Champy’s before, but when I eat lunch with coworkers I generally don’t whip out my phone and start taking pictures….so I didn’t blog about them. Anyway, I had fried chicken when I ate there before and decided to order a salad this time (my coworkers ordered salads last time and they looked delicious!). I decided on the fried chicken salad with both honey mustard and ranch dressings (they also offer blue cheese and Champy’s sauce). I don’t usually order entree salads but this is no pansy salad. It’s crispy romaine lettuce topped with mounds of chopped chicken tenders, a sliced boiled egg, halved grape tomatoes, red onions, chopped pickles, and shredded cheddar. The hearty romaine stood up perfectly to the hot and crispy chicken tenders, and I especially love the ideas of chopped pickles on a salad. I don’t think the dressings were housemade…in fact, I am such a honey mustard expert (I used to have a bit of an obsession) that I am quite certain that the honey mustard was Naturally Fresh, but they were still quite tasty.

Philip decided to get the two-piece dark meat plate, which comes with slaw, baked beans, and white bread to soak up the grease(!). The chicken was perfectly hot, deliciously peppered and wonderfully crispy. The beans were not overly mushy or overly sweet, seasoned just right. Philip liked the slaw but (as usual) did not think that it was quite as good as Rib & Loin’s (no one’s ever is, Champy’s, so don’t feel bad!).

Champy’s is one of those places that “does one thing and does it well”. You know those are my favorites. They don’t bother to venture too far out of the realm of fried chicken….they serve wings and lots of fried appetizers (but their Mississippi Delta homemade hot tamales are quite delicious….I tried them when I ate there before). They also offer family meals and catering. It’s quite a popular joint and with good reason. We’ll definitely be back. By the way, Champy’s is a chain of sorts but still qualifies for Chattavore blogability because they only have four locations (the other three are in Alabama) and from what I can tell they started in Chattanooga (in 2009). Can anyone confirm or refute this for me?

Champy’s wing sauce…not too hot but burns a little bit. I almost ordered the buffalo chicken salad but was afraid it might be a bit much….I was probably right!

Champy’s is located at 526 E. MLK Blvd., Chattanooga, TN 37402. You can check out their website: http://champyschicken.com/locations/chattanooga-tn/, like them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter. You can call them at (423) 752-9198.

Poblanos-January 26, 2013

January 27, 2013

Yesterday I had my first paid photography session! Super exciting. I did senior photos for a girl from my church. Lots of fun, and I think the photos turned out great!

We met her and her mom at Coolidge Park, so I consulted my handy Adventures in Dining coupon book to decide where we should eat. We settled on Poblanos, which I didn’t know existed until we got the coupon book. Poblanos is located at the opposite end of River Street from Coolidge Park, in the location that was Pisa Pizza for a long time. Turns out they really haven’t been around all that long, so I don’t feel too guilty for not realizing they were there.

The dining room at Poblanos is fairly small but it was surprisingly crowded for 2:00 on a Saturday. We decided to sit in the screened in/covered porch area (they also have a second outdoor seating area that isn’t covered). Our server brought us our menus and our waters and we decided to order some guacamole (instead of our usual queso) for $6.50. The guacamole was just slightly chunky and garlicky, yet creamy. I didn’t notice any tomatoes but there was cilantro. It was very good, and I liked that the chips were very thick, hot, and not overly salty.

I toyed with the idea of ordering the flautas but instead decided to get the tortas Milanesa, a Mexican sandwich with a breaded chicken breast, refried beans, lettuce, tomato, queso fresco, and avocado. I asked our server for a her side dish recommendations. She recommended the salad, which I ordered with the housemade mango vinaigrette, and the grilled Mexican vegetables (yellow squash and zucchini). The salad was pretty good, with romaine lettuce, chopped tomatoes, julienned cucumber, sliced radishes, and white cheese. It was fresh and cold, just like I like it. The housemade dressing was sweet with a strong hit of vinegar. I really liked it. The vegetables were well seasoned and tender. Unfortunately, I think our server got confused by my order and I ended up with what I’m pretty sure was a Torta Especial-the chicken wasn’t breaded. I didn’t feel the need to send it back, though, so I ate it. The chicken was well seasoned and I liked the crustiness of the torta roll. A couple of times I got a little too close for comfort with seeds from the jalapeño, but nothing too major. I would order this again.

Philip decided to get the flautas. Three flautas were included with the dish so he ordered one with pulled pork, one with steak, and one with chorizo. He decided on rice and refried beans for his sides. He felt that the beans seemed like they had a more “homemade” texture than most Mexican restaurants (i.e. not über-smooth) and that the rice was pretty standard Mexican restaurant rice. The flautas were fresh and hot, with sour cream drizzled over them and queso fresco crumbled on top. The chorizo was not as spicy as most that he has had. The pulled pork was tender with a few crispy edges. He didn’t find the steak to be as tender as he would have liked it, though it did have a good flavor.

Overall, I thought that the food here was fresh and tasty. The menu items were pretty standard, though the menu was not as huge and overwhelming as most Mexican restaurant menus. I liked the selection of tortas, which many Mexican restaurants don’t have. They do try to serve local ingredients, which of course I appreciate. Our total before our buy one get one free coupon was about $32….definitely a little more than we usually pay at El Metate or Delia’s. Still, Poblanos is worth a try if you’re in that direction.

Poblanos is located at 551 River Street, Chattanooga, TN 37405. You can call them at 423-490-7911. They are open Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Check out their website at http://www.poblanosofchattanooga.com. You can also “like” them on Facebook.

Sing It or Wing It-January 19, 2012

January 21, 2013

I’m not really one for resolutions, but I told Philip the other day that I thought it would be a good idea to see how far into the year we could get doing blog posts on restaurants featured in our Adventures in Dining coupon book. Adventures in Dining features buy one get one free coupons for restaurants in the Chattanooga area. I paid $35 for it (from a friend’s daughter who was selling them for Chattanooga Girls’ Choir) and we’ll recoup that amount within three or four meals. Not a bad deal. Not bad at all. I could definitely go for some savings.

Our first Adventures in Dining meal was New York Pizza Department, which was more of a coincidence than anything else since people had been telling me and telling me that we needed to blog about it, so it was just serendipitous that there was a coupon. Meant to be, perhaps. I sat down with the book the other night and folded down the corners of the restaurants I really, really wanted to try. Some of them we’ve already blogged about (Sluggo’s, Good Dog….) but I ended up with twenty-three folded-down pages and several more that I need to research on UrbanSpoon. Now, the book will be our guide. When Philip asked me where we were going yesterday, I waved the book at him. The book has the answer.

We ended up driving toward downtown so it made sense to consider restaurants downtown. Philip thought that Sekisui sounded good but it turns out they aren’t open for lunch on the weekends. I was craving a burger anyway (Sekisui has one on their menu but who really wants to order a burger there?) since I haven’t had one since before my surgery, so at least a month (I know, crazy, right?). Sooooo…Pickle Barrel or Sing It or Wing It? Sing It or Wing It won (I love Pickle Barrel, or at least I did the last time I ate there, which was probably in college, but since it’s 21 or over I’m thinking a warm day when we can sit outside is probably the best time to go….).

When Sing It or Wing It opened by Chili’s on Market Street I was a little skeptical. A karaoke joint that serves wings? Sounds pretty limiting to me. They’ve been open for nearly three years and seem to be going strong, so I guess I stand corrected. One of my friends goes there during the day with her friends and her young children….it’s a family friendly environment (though 21 and over after 9 p.m.) and her children enjoy singing kids’ songs. She had told me that she actually really liked their food, so I was inspired to check it out.

When we arrived there was only one other table occupied. I guess 2:00 on a Saturday afternoon is not the busiest time for a karaoke restaurant…no big surprise there. There was one server, Scarlet, working, serving tables and tending bar. She immediately greeted us and told us to sit wherever we’d like, then brought us menus and asked if we needed a karaoke book (a very thick notebook of their song choices). We did not (while Philip may be a great singer he is not a karaoke fan) but she brought us one to look through and explained the menu to us. All of the menu items are named after singers/musicians and usually have some sort of correlation to the artist (e.g. the Philly cheesesteak is called the “Elaborate Elton”…you know, Philadelphia Freedom? The menu items are cooked to order with fresh ingredients, some locally sourced, and the menu was obviously someone’s labor of love. Spend a few minutes reading it. It clearly took a lot of time, thought, and effort.

Yes, the name of the restaurant is Sing It or Wing It. They offer six varieties of wings: mild, medium, hot, barbecue, teriyaki, and lemon pepper. The wings are smoked then grilled, not fried as you would usually find. However, while I like wings I rarely order them in restaurants and definitely don’t consider myself a connoisseur, so we decided to order “Pickler’s (as in Kelly) Pickles” instead. Here, I learned a valuable lesson: when you use a photo editing app on your iPhone, take the photo with your camera then load it to the app. VSCOcam pooped out while I was editing the photo of the pickles…so you get a photo of our almost empty plate. This is pathetic, people. There were a lot of pickles on that plate. The batter was a little salty for my taste, but you see that didn’t stop me from eating them, so they were definitely good. The sauce was a chipotle ranch dressing, tasty but not all that spicy. I’d order these again, but Philip didn’t like them as much as I did so that’s probably not going to happen.

While I spent several minutes perusing the menu, I pretty much knew going in that I was going to order a burger. I considered the Bold Bonnie (Raitt) burger but decided to order the Bruce (Springsteen) Buster instead. The Bruce Buster is a half-pound Angus burger with Swiss cheese and sautéed mushrooms served with fries ($7.99). I decided to add bacon for $0.75. The burger came with lettuce, tomato, and red onion (which, of course, I promptly removed) and I got my fries Cajun-seasoned. The burger was very tasty and drippy. I would have liked to have had more mushrooms on it (yes, I realize this would have made it more drippy, but a drippy burger is not a bad thing). The bacon was delicious. The fries were very seasoned and a little spicier than I would have liked. Next time I go I’ll order regular fries…they were good but I just couldn’t eat too many of them (because I’m a pansy).

Philip decided to get the Elaborate Elton (named after none other than Sir Elton John, of course), which is a classic cheesesteak with sautéed onions and peppers and cheese sauce (love a cheesesteak with cheese sauce instead of slices!). He got regular fries. The fries were hot and crispy (though I could not immediately deduce if they were housemade or not) and the cheese sauce seemed to be mixed in with the chopped steak. The whole steak/cheese sauce/onion & pepper mixture was just a little spicy, which was pretty interesting. I might try this myself at some point in time. Our total, minus one sandwich thanks to our coupon, was about $16.00, give or take a little change.

Like I said, the menu here is creative and well thought-out. Since it is a karaoke bar, there is a large appetizer menu….and I’m all about appetizers, so I like that. Next time I’d like to try the Skynyrd Pretzels-soft pretzels covered with parmesan cheese and served with marinara sauce-or maybe the Go-Go bites-broccoli cheddar nuggets. I also thought that the Chicken Martina (McBride)-a chicken breast topped with barbecue sauce, bacon, and Swiss cheese-sounded lovely, and I’d be interested to sample their smoked pulled pork sandwich, called “Sensational Scotty” for American Idol Scotty McCreary (by the way, Lauren Alaina sang karaoke here, if you’re an Idol fan-I’m not). There are some interesting, unique menu items, like the Godfather (a bologna burger that Philip almost ordered) and the Diffie Delight (a sloppy Joe). They also have a selection of salads, a kids menu (with names after your favorite teenyboppers), and several desserts (I wish I’d seen the Handsome Harry-named after Harry Connick, Jr.-beignets! Woohoo! Next time.).

It’s doubtful that I’m going to be headed to Sing It or Wing It for dinner because crowds of people just aren’t my thing….but I’ll definitely go back for lunch. I recommend that you try it out, and if you are in to karaoke, be sure to warm up your voice before you go! Sing It or Wing It is located at 410 Market Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402 (next door to Chili’s). They are open Tuesday through Sunday with lunch starting at 11 a.m. (a closing time is not listed on their website, but since they are a “bar” I would guess till the wee hours of the morning). They also serve Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Karaoke is available anytime that they are open. You can call them at 423-757-WING. Check out their website, singitorwingit.org, “like” them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter.

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