downtown Chattanooga restaurants Archives - Page 15 of 20

Alleia Restaurant-July 14, 2012

July 14, 2012

Choosing a restaurant at which to eat for our anniversary (number eleven!) was somewhat of a challenge this year. Initially I wanted to go to The Meeting Place, the more casual sister of St. John’s, but as the date got closer I began to add more and more restaurants to the list. Saturday morning there were five restaurants. I had talked to Philip’s sister on Friday and she highly recommended Alleia, then Saturday morning Philip talked to her as well and again she emphasized how wonderful the food was. Why not? We booked a reservation for 6 p.m. and headed to Main Street.

It’s funny, because I was always a little foggy about exactly where Alleia (pronounced a-LEE-a) was located. Turns out, I drive past it every Wednesday as I head to the farmers market. It’s on Main, right after you turn from Market, in the building right before The Soho. A large metal sculpture serves as something of a landmark. The huge wood door with the large metal ring handle is quite impressive. We walked in and were quickly seated by a hostess who told us that we did not look old enough to have been married eleven years (stop it! You flatter.). We were indeed hardly more than children when we wed, but it has worked out well for us!

We were seated at a booth, a very private booth with walls on three sides. While we were perusing the menu, we took in the ambiance….slightly dimly lit, but not dark (although I do need to apologize for the poor lighting of the photos….nicer restaurants rarely have lighting conducive to great photography), with beautiful worn looking walls. We were seated near a large lighting feature of candles with wax forming a mantel of sorts as well as a base on the floor; very unique and interesting. Also interesting was the heavy wool blanket decorating the wall; light grey plaid, it looked and felt like a horse blanket. The kitchen was open, and I enjoyed watching the guys work (although I wished that I could stand at the counter and really watch them work….but I suppose I would had missed out on my anniversary meal with my husband then, wouldn’t I?

The menu at Alleia is divided into six parts: antipasti (appetizers), insalate (salad), primi (first courses-all pasta dishes), secondi (main courses-meat-based entrées), pizzas, and contorni (side dishes). There was also a specials list, with one or two specials for each menu section, and a Vino (wine) menu. We had a difficult time choosing our antipasti…the bruschettas (one with ricotta and honey, the other with cannellini beans and roasted peppers) sounded wonderful, and I was very interested in the arancini (basically breaded and fried rice balls) with mozzarella and meat sauce…but the dates wrapped in Benton’s bacon with a balsamic and olive oil drizzle sounded wonderful, and that is what we finally decided to order. It arrived about the same time as our bread, a portion of a fresh Italian loaf (made in-house) with lots of olive oil and garlic on top. We were not disappointed in our choice. Just the scent from the dates was enough to send us over the edge….smoky and sweet. Both the dates and the bacon were tender enough to cut through easily, and the savory/sweet combination was perfect. Our server, Arturo, even encouraged us to sop the olive oil and vinegar with our bread.

The Bob Jones salad (with Bob Jones lettuce, gorgonzola, and strawberries), sounded lovely, as did the Caesar salad with romaine lettuce and shaved grana padano cheese, but I could not resist the insalate special for the day, a caprese salad. They divided the salad between two plates for us; it was a combination of sliced heirloom tomatoes and wedged tomatoes, with a chunk of mozzarella, a basil chiffonade, and again, a balsamic and olive oil drizzle. Delicious. The tomatoes were in that perfectly ripe stage, so juicy and drippy, and the cheese was fresh and amazing. Again, I sopped up the wonderful juices with the bread. Perfect. I kept waxing on and on about how the most amazing food is usually the most simple. Philip is surely a patient man to listen to all this food jargon all the time….but then again, he certainly has benefitted from it over the years.

I was so tempted to order a pizza. All of the topping combinations sounded impressive (especially proscuitto, arugula, and smoked mozzarella), and they are all neopolitan-style pizzas (thin, crispy….perfect) cooked in a 750 degree wood-fired oven. Shut your mouth, Arturo. However, I guess my desire to try the handmade pasta was stronger, so I asked Arturo to make a recommendation between the ricotta ravioli with zucchini and cremini mushrooms and the angel hair pasta with Gulf shrimp and cherry tomatoes. Rather than really make a “recommendation”, he gave me a very detailed description of each dish. Finally, I decided on the ravioli. Filled with ricotta lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, the ravioli is served in an herbed butter and white wine sauce with quartered cremini (baby portobello) mushrooms, very thinly sliced (almost shaved) zucchini, and red and yellow tomatoes with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. My. Word. This was, without question, the best ravioli I had ever had. Ever. The sauce was perfectly seasoned, the pasta so tender and the ricotta so fresh tasting. Amazing.

While the secondi menu had a variety of tempting options, like Maple Leaf Farm duck breast and the secondi special pork osso buco (which I briefly considered before deciding I must order pasta) Philip took one look and knew immediately what he would order: wood-fired pork shoulder with grilled peaches. All of the dishes on the secondi menu are served with perfectly roasted red potatoes and red cabbage. First of all, pork shoulder is not something that you often see on a menu at an upscale restaurant, so I was very interested to see the execution. It was served in a cohesive chunk (sorry, that word is so unappetizing, but I couldn’t think of a better one!) but was amazingly tender. Philip was able to simply use his fork to pull bites of meat from it. He definitely had one of those eyes-rolling-into-your-head moments when he first took a bite of it…the tenderness, the smoky flavor from the wood-fired oven, the seasoning…everything worked together fabulously. The red potatoes were also delicious, perfectly browned and with a wonderful grilled flavor. I didn’t taste the cabbage, but Philip said it was very good. The peaches were delicious, with a perfect grilled flavor. I love grilled peaches. We both could have finished our entrees, but we needed to save room for dessert, so Arturo boxed up our leftovers (and our bread!) for us.

We were sincerely hoping for the dessert special, summer fruit cobbler with basil gelato (!), but apparently we should have made our reservation for when they opened at 5 p.m. rather than waiting until 6. They were all out by the time we ordered! The dessert menu consisted of a handful of specialty desserts (tiramisu, panna cotta, and a flourless chocolate cake) and several flavors of gelato (Italian ice cream, more dense with less air than American ice cream). We decided to order the flourless chocolate cake, served with strawberries, fresh whipped cream, and cinnamon gelato, made with cinnamon sticks, not packaged ground cinnamon. The cake was dark, rich, dense….the whipped cream light, barely sweetened, and the gelato had a wonderful texture with a strong cinnamon flavor. By the way….I will be making basil gelato soon. I have to, it’s a must.

Alleia is owned by Daniel Lindley, the renowned chef who also owns St. John’s and The Meeting Place (he was nominated for the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Southeast in 2009, 2010, and 2012). This is certainly another hit for Lindley….amazing, simple, perfect food, much of it sourced locally. Basically everything that can be purchased locally, is, and other ingredients are imported from Italy, adding to the authenticity. Let me say…it was not inexpensive. Certainly this is a special occasion dining spot, but worth saving up for. Besides, think of all of the local business you support when you dine here-not just Alleia, but all of the local farms and producers from which they obtain ingredients. The atmosphere was beautiful, and the execution of service and cuisine spot on.

Alleia is located at 25 East Main Street, Chattanooga, TN 37408. You can call them at 423-305-6990. You can learn more at their website, http://alleiarestaurant.com/. They also have a Facebook page.

Purple Daisy Picnic Cafe-July 6, 2012

July 8, 2012

My mom and I have been trying to make it back to the Purple Daisy for, like, two years now. All the way in St. Elmo, it’s not exactly close….but since we were taking my aunt to the Lodge Outlet in South Pittsburg on Friday (where she and my mom cleaned up, by the way! If you haven’t been, you should go…) that provided us the perfect opportunity to stop off.

The Purple Daisy is a pretty small place, two rooms packed with tables and some seating out front (though somehow they manage to fit quite a few people in without crowding everyone). One room is bright and airy, the other room a little darker, but somehow that’s not an issue. The first thing that you notice when you walk in is the cheery decor-bandannas tied together hanging over a high window, Christmas lights (the kind contained within plastic tubing) hanging on the wall, lots of cool retro items like metal lunch boxes and a wooden ironing board hanging up. My aunt pointed out that there was a picnic basket like my grandparents used to have on a shelf, and my mom saw a lunch box like my other grandfather (Papaw) used to take to his job as an ironworker. In the bathrooms, the sinks are metal washbasins. Cool stuff. Adding to the atmosphere is the intoxicating scent of smoke (as in from the smoker). Yum.

The Purple Daisy is a very casual atmosphere, but they will seat you, give you a menu, and come take your order at your table. There were several specials listed on a folding whiteboard outside the door, including brisket and pork or chicken tacos. My mom ordered their fruit tea, which is pretty much brimming with pineapple juice and is very yummy, I ordered water, and my aunt ordered unsweetened tea (she’s from Texas, which I do not officially consider the South). The Purple Daisy’s menu consists of a “build your own sandwich”, which features chicken salad, pimento cheese, cucumber spread, and a variety of breads, meats, cheeses, and veggies. Purple Daisy is known for their barbecue (which I have yet to try) which can be ordered in plate form, on a sandwich, or atop a gigantic baked potato or plate of nachos. They also have quesadillas, grilled cheese, hot dogs (grilled), salads, chili, a smoked chicken sandwich (with or without buffalo sauce), and hamburgers (charcoal grilled) that are served on Thursday and Friday only.

I’ll admit, I haven’t tried any of the above items. I should, I know, but I can’t. Why not, you say? Because I have been rendered unable to order anything but the Rainbow Sandwich. What’s that? Oh, let me tell you. The Rainbow Sandwich is (and this is the menu description): A three-layered sandwich with homemade chicken salad, pimento cheese, and cucumber spread on crustless white and wheat bread served with chips and a pickle.

Help me.

I love this sandwich so much. The first time I came here, I didn’t know. I ordered something like a roast beef with cheddar on sourdough. It was good, sure…but one of the friends I was with had the Rainbow sandwich, and I was fascinated, so the next time I came, I had to have it. I was a little unsure of “cucumber spread”….but it’s wonderful. Cucumbers and cream cheese are the main ingredients. The pimento cheese is homemade, and you can see the little shreds of cheese. The chicken salad is made with smoked chicken. The person that dreamed this up is a genius, I tell you. Look at the pretty layers of white and wheat bread. This is one of the few occasions where I love just plain old soft white bread. I always know I shouldn’t eat the whole thing-that’s four slices of bread!-but I always do. Because it’s goooooooood. And as my side, I always sub hash brown casserole for the chips. If you haven’t had hash brown casserole…..mmmm. My mom makes it all the time, so it’s definitely a comfort food for me. Creamy, with mushroom soup, butter, onions, and cheese, served piping hot with paprika sprinkled over the top, theirs is very “authentic”. Not a culinary opus…but sometimes you don’t want a culinary opus. You want comfort. In a styrofoam cup. By the way, they also have slaw, hot slaw, baked beans, and potato salad as sides.

My mom ordered exactly the same thing as me, and my aunt (the vegan), ordered a baked potato with butter (she cheated a little!) and chives (which were actually green onions). I didn’t take a picture because I figured hey, we’ve all seen a baked potato. Only I should have taken a picture because it was seriously the size of the basket. Gigantic, I tell you. There’s not a whole lot to say about a baked potato, but hers was nice and fluffy, with plenty of butter and onions on top. It looked delish (I love baked potatoes).

We were all pretty much stuffed when we got done (my mom and I had, after all, just eaten the equivalent of two sandwiches), but if we had been so inclined we could have ordered banana pudding (which, the menu proclaims, was voted Chattanooga’s best 2009) or Alabama dirt (which I know as dirt cake, and if you’ve never heard of dirt cake you aren’t from Tennessee. It’s basically chocolate pudding, Cool Whip or whipped cream, and Oreo crumbs.). Instead we eased on down the road to see what we could see at Lodge.

My only complaint about the Purple Daisy is the parking lot. I despise their parking lot. It’s tiny. There are never any spaces available and even on those rare occasions when you can actually find a spot, it’s super-cramped. It’s no big. You can park next door at the Incline for $1.00 (for all day!). That’s what we did….no finagling out of your space there.

If you want casual, delicious comfort food in the form of barbecue or a fantastic, creative sandwich, I highly recommend Purple Daisy (yes, I know I haven’t actually tried the barbecue. But I have heard great things about it from people whose opinions I trust, and if the smell is any indication…yowza!). By the way, they also do catering. The Purple Daisy Picnic Café is located at 4001 St. Elmo Ave., Chattanooga, TN. They are open Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday 12-4 p.m. You can call them at 423-822-6477. Check out their website, http://www.thepurpledaisy.com. You can also like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Sluggo’s North Vegetarian Cafe-July 3, 2012

July 4, 2012

Philip and I don’t eat a massive amount of meat. It’s more expensive (obviously) than vegetables, so we probably only eat it a couple of times a week. Bacon is the only meat that is regularly on my shopping list, and besides our weekly breakfast that includes bacon, it is usually an “accent” or seasoning in a meal, not the centerpiece. We tend to lean more toward eggs and dairy products for our protein.

That said, I would certainly not classify us as “vegetarians”, as we do share a torrid love affair with medium-rare filet mignon and tender pulled pork shoulder. I doubt that we would ever completely cut out meat or animal products in our diet…but we are perfectly happy to eat not very much meat. One issue I have, though, is vegan products masquerading as meat. If others want to eat it, that’s fine….but I am not down with tempeh or seitan, or Tofurkey or Chik’n nuggets. I can eat tofu….I can eat black bean burgers (but not Gardenburgers or Boca burgers).

I have been very curious about Sluggo’s North, a vegan cafe (the name belies the fact that there are no animal products at all on the menu-no eggs, dairy, etc.) in North Chattanooga. Sluggo’s has been around for a few years, has a very high rating on Urbanspoon, and I have heard great things about it from several people, including my very carnivorous brother. My aunt Susan, who is a vegan, is visiting from Texas (this is my cooking kindred spirit aunt) so Philip and I took the opportunity to take her to Sluggo’s and do a little reviewing.

Sluggo’s menu consists of appetizers (like hummus, pesto bruschetta, and pot stickers, which were an appetizer “special” that day), soups (chili, curry-lentil), salads, wraps, burgers, sandwiches (like the seitan Philly and the “culture club” with seitan, tofurkey, and soy bacon), bowls (including a sweet chile Thai bowl and a ginger curry bowl), and entrees (such as a soy taco plate and sweet potato and spinach enchiladas, which I came so close to ordering. They also have a selection of sides like garlic mashed potatoes and gravy, pinto beans, collards, and pasta salad.

Sluggo’s is an order-at-the-counter restaurant. They have a blackboard with their daily specials by the counter and a stack of menus on the counter. You place your order, get a number, and they bring your food to your table. On this day, they were curiously out of ice and all of the drinks in their fountain; the options were tea (sweetened or unsweetened, water, and seltzer) or beer (they have a small selection of draught beers and a decent selection of bottled beers). Their lack of drink selection was not an issue for us, as Philip and I had water (of course) and my aunt chose tea.

I decided on a spinach and roasted red pepper hummus wrap, grilled and filled with spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, raw veggies, and their tahini goddess dressing, which I had heard lots of good things about prior to visiting. Sandwiches, wraps, and burgers can be ordered alone or as a plate, which come with one side and a side salad. I decided on kale, one of the day’s side specials, and citrus-basil vinaigrette on my salad. When I got my meal, the first thing that struck me was how gigantic the wrap was. Like, it was the size of two wraps that I would make at home. If we had not had a million other stops to make, I would have brought half of it home to eat later. It was delicious, drippy with the tahini (sesame paste) goddess dressing plus hummus where you might expect mayo. The fact that it was grilled made the tortilla crunchy and toasty-delicious, but the ingredients inside were still nice and cool, as veggies in a wrap should be. They did not skimp on the spinach, which was piled on thickly, or the roasted red peppers, which retained their crunch. There were also plenty of slices of cucumber and plum tomatoes. Sadly, there were red onion strips (which make me cry), so I had to pick those off, rendering my hands unbearably smelly for the rest of the day no matter how many times I washed them. The kale was delicious, perfectly cooked so that it was soft but not lifeless and seasoned just right, with a hint of lemon. The mixed green salad also had carrot shreds, cucumbers, and red onions (which I gifted to Philip). The vinaigrette had a perfect citrusy tang but also tasted like it contained some sort of pesto-ish something, which was very nice indeed.

Philip and my aunt both decided on the mushroom-walnut burger: a homemade “paddy” (that’s what the menu says) served on a whole wheat bun with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and soy Russian dressing. Philip ordered his with mashed potatoes and gravy (which are apparently a huge hit here) and tahini goddess dressing on his salad, and my aunt decided on the macaroni and cheese as her side. What I appreciate about these burgers is that they are what they are, if that makes sense. This isn’t a burger made of mushrooms and walnuts but trying to be a burger. It would never make the cut. No, it’s a mushroom-walnut burger. It was (just slightly) sweet and (just slightly) spicy, with a nice chew and a delicious flavor. The bun was not cardboardy as whole wheat buns are wont to be, and the soy Russian dressing was delicious. It tasted just as Russian dressing should (and that is coming from someone who typically despises things that are made from soy-milk, yogurt, cheese, etc.). Philip’s potatoes (which, he pointed out, are actually smashed, not mashed, potatoes) were perfectly cooked, creamy, salted just right, and covered with a delicious brown gravy that had a spice to it that made it reminiscent of a sausage gravy flavor. As for my aunt’s mac & cheese, I have to admit I was apprehensive. I mean, vegan mac and cheese???????? I am pretty passionate about what macaroni and cheese should (and shouldn’t) be….but this really was delicious. The color was slightly off-putting, but that feeling was laid to rest once I tasted the creamy, salty, and, yes, cheesy goodness. Vegan mac & cheese can be tasty!

It may take a while for me to warm up to certain aspects of vegan food (specifically, non-meat masquerading as meat) but I am sold on Sluggo’s. The fact of the matter is, it never hurt anyone to eat a little less meat, and when you can get food this good you really don’t miss it all that much. I highly recommend that those nay-sayers among you give it a try. You may find that you are swayed to be a little more meatless from time to time!

Sluggo’s North is located at 501 Cherokee Boulevard, Chattanooga, TN 37405. You can call them at 423-752-5224. They are open Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. They do not have a website, but you can check them out on Facebook.

Hill City Pizza-June 30, 2012

July 1, 2012

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. I love Living Social. Yesterday they ran a “deal” for $10 for $20 to spend at Hill City Pizza….a place on “the list”. So I bought it, and today we ate lunch there.

Hill City Pizza has been around for a couple of years, on Chattanooga’s North Shore in the former location of the Mud Pie. If you can believe it, I never once ate at the Mud Pie in all of the years that it was there. I went in once, but for some reason we didn’t order. We went to Taco Bell instead. That was high school….sometimes teenagers make dumb decisions. But anyway, back to Hill City Pizza.

There were not a ton of people around when we hit Coolidge Park around 1 p.m. Still in the middle of a heat wave…..by this point in time temps were nearing 100 degrees and I guess not too many people decided to brave it. They were probably all at Chuck E. Cheese’s (seriously-go there on the coldest, hottest, or rainiest Saturday of the year. You’ll see what I mean.) and we definitely weren’t complaining.

There weren’t a ton of people in the restaurant either….a family, a couple of women around my age having lunch, and a fairly large group of high school or college age kids (sometimes it’s hard to tell). There was no one at the door and no sign telling you to seat yourself….which is a trend I’ve been seeing more of lately. Just hang a sign, people. I hate standing around and feeling like an idiot until I decide what I’m supposed to do. Anyway, we grabbed a table and our server (whose name I did not catch) brought us a menu and took our drink order very quickly.

Since we had $20 to spend, we decided to order an appetizer-breadsticks stuffed with mozzarella. They were pretty good, not great; a little bland without the sauce (marinara topped with parmesan and chopped parsley). They seemed awfully perfect, so we asked our server if they are made in house. They are not. That’s a little disappointing. Oh well…can’t win ’em all.

You can choose your pizza from their specialty pizzas (margherita, Hawaiian, barbecue chicken), top your own, or order a slice and add toppings. Topping a slice is definitely the most economical option, although their pizzas are not huge so two might be more of a meal (unless the slices are larger than the ones that come from the pie we ordered). We decided to order a “Grecian”-roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes, black olives, red onions, artichokes, and feta cheese. It came out pretty quickly. The crust is not super-thin but also not super thick. The toppings were well cooked (as in, the onions were cooked enough that I was able to eat them, since I don’t do raw or undercooked onions). I liked the flavor combination, although I do think kalamata olives would be a little more authentic on a Grecian pizza….but maybe real authenticity isn’t what they’re going for. The only complaint I had about the pizza was that the toppings were not distributed quite as evenly as I would have liked (when I make a pizza at home, I’m pretty meticulous about even distribution).

Our total topped just a little over $20; the pizzas run from about $12 to about $15. They also have several entrees (chicken tenders, eggplant parm, etc.) and salads, and key lime and Reese’s pie for dessert. We weren’t thinking about dessert, though, because we were stopping in at Pure Sodaworks for soda after lunch (southern sweet tea and root beer!). Our server was friendly and the food was decent. The look of the restaurant was nice but acoustically it was a little loud. We’d go again, but we’d probably skip the breadsticks (they weren’t bad, but I just prefer housemade….).

Hill City Pizza is located at 12 Frazier Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405. You can call them at 423-702-5451. They do not have a website (I wish I had realized this; I would have taken a photo of the menu) but you can check out their Facebook page.

Fork & Pie Bar, June 23, 2012

June 24, 2012

Not too long ago, I wanted to open a pie shop, right here in good ole Chattanooga. The problem is, I don’t really have the funding or the business experience to go all willy-nilly opening a business, so it wasn’t like an immediate venture or anything. And someone beat me to it.

A couple of months ago my pie-loving friend Matt tweeted to me about the Fork & Pie Bar, which was set to open on Market Street downtown. Fork & Pie opened on June 8 to great fanfare in a relatively pie-starved city. Us Southerners do love our pies, but unless you are willing to make them yourself (I am, obviously), you are not likely to find them beyond the grocery store bakery (well, until June 8, 2012, that is). One of the owners is also an owner of Brewhaus, so they clearly had a leg up on me in the restaurant business.

Fork & Pie is located in a section of Market Street that has been somewhat abandoned recently, next to Fischer-Evans and near the former Rone-Regency Jewelers. Market Street Tavern is opening soon right next door. It’s a revitalization that is much needed. I love seeing my beautiful, amazing city coming back to life, a little at a time, a process that started when I was in middle school. Change is slow but hard-won. The restaurant is an open floor plan, a long, narrow space with seating around the perimeter, including a little mini-bar seating area with stools in one of the front windows. I wished we had sat there, for photo lighting purposes. The floors are wood and the walls are black, the decor sparing but deliberately so…a minimalist “less is more approach”. I liked the atmosphere, but Philip thought that a pie shop should have a more light & airy (i.e. not as dark) atmosphere. By the way, you just seat yourself, so don’t wait for someone to come and seat you!

A large chalkboard proclaims the quiche of the day as well as any other important info that you might need…such as the fact that their dessert mini-pies were not available on the day of our visit (all of the mini-pies were being taken to the Chattanooga Market for a pie-eating contest). Frowny-face! Menus are laid out on the table. I liked the design of the menus, with the logo at the top, savory pies on the left, sweet pies on the right, Sunday brunch items and sides on the back. The back of the menu also shows all of the local businesses supported by Fork & Pie, such as Link 41, Velo Coffee Roasters, Pure Sodaworks, and Eagle’s Rest Ranch. Our server also told us that nothing is ever frozen. Winning!

I quickly zeroed in on the Mexican Cantina Pie (after briefly considering the chicken pot pie and the Tuscan chicken pie). I chose this one, to be perfectly honest with you, because it seemed best suited to eat with the avocado salad side (I have a slight avocado addiction). The Mexican Cantina pie is a 4-inch pie baked in a house pie crust, with chunks of chicken, peppers, onions, mushrooms, black beans, corn, and cilantro, topped with sour cream. It was spicy, but not too much so, from the small pieces of jalapeno enrobed in the light sauce formed by the vegetables. The flavor was good, but I did think it was slightly undersalted. The crust was flaky and cooked nicely. The avocado salad was delicious, with pieces of tomato, carrot slivers, and red onion (which I ate-raw! Look at me trying to overcome my phobias). It had a guacamole-ish texture and was served with lightly toasted pita wedges. I liked it. They should put it on their appetizer menu (which includes hummus, tzatziki, and spinach dip) as well!

As soon as Philip discovered that the “quiche du jour”, which was sausage and Swiss, was made with Link 41 sausage, he was all in (he did consider the barbecue pork pie, but decided against it since the crust was a “sweet” cornbread crust, and he isn’t a sweet cornbread fan). The quiche was made with Link 41 sausage (particular variety not listed, and we didn’t think to ask), Swiss cheese, red onions, and eggs in a whole wheat crust. Unlike the other pies, served personal-size, the quiche is cut from a larger pie. Our server told us that the quiches usually go quickly. Philip decided to get the fresh fruit (blackberries, blueberries, pineapples, and strawberries) as his side. Philip was impressed by the whole wheat crust, which was crumbly (as one might expect with a whole wheat crust) but not falling-apart crumbly (which would have been bad). The custard was firm with a nice ratio of sausage and cheese, which was browned perfectly on top. Again, though, a little undersalted. Good, but as Philip told our server, not the best he’d ever had (but, in their defense, I make a mean quiche. Blindfolded. With my hands tied behind my back. The man is spoiled, what can I say?).

For dessert, we decided to split a pecan pie with whipped cream (fifty cents extra). If there had been mini-pies, I probably would have chosen chocolate chess pie or banana pie (which is touted as a pie version of banana pudding), but Philip was pretty excited about the pecan pie and I didn’t want to burst his bubble by insisting on something else (after all, I do like a good pecan pie). And the pecan pie was good. Very, very good. Buttery, with the sugar nice and caramelized and the pecans perfectly toasted. The seasoning was delicious and the whipped cream was just that. Whipped. Cream. Not whipped topping, which would have stirred my ire faster than you can blink. We stopped just short of licking the tin it was served in.

Chattanoogans, if you love pie, go here. They seem to be just slightly afraid of the salt pig, a fear I am sure they will overcome (admittedly, many of us are afraid of salt. DON’T BE!). Besides, it could have been just these pies on this day. They are certainly not afraid of butter, which bodes well for makers-of-pie. I like their inventive spirit where devising pie varieties is concerned, and home pie-making inspiration is always welcome.

Fork & Pie Bar is located at 811 Market Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402. You can call them at 423-485-3257. They are open Monday-Thurdsay, 11-9, Friday and Saturday, 11-11, and Sunday 10-2 (they have special brunch quiches available on Sunday). Check out their website, http://www.forkandpiebar.com. You can also “like” them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

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