downtown Chattanooga restaurants Archives - Page 2 of 20

Local 191 (Chattanooga River Front)

April 19, 2017

Local 191 is a popular bar located near the Chattanooga river front. Attached to the Blue Plate, it serves lots of delicious, locally sourced foods.

How is it that it’s already summer here? I mean, it’s only mid-April but guys, IT IS SUMMER. The temps have been in the eighties the last few days and I’m already having to pack anti-chafing gel in my bag (TMI, sorry about that).

Not that I am complaining. I❤️????summer. I made a vow a few years back that I would never complain about the heat in the summer because I wanted to be free to complain about the cold in the winter. And after the second winter of “will it or won’t it” in a row, I am ready for consistent temperature, even if it’s consistent heat and humidity. Anyway…

So, Chattanooga is an amazing city year-round, but it really comes alive when the heat comes. The river front is a center of the hustle and bustle in Chattanooga and a great place to see what Chattanooga has to offer. There are lots of restaurants, and the Blue Plate is one of my favorites. Serving lots of locally sourced foods from a kitchen that doesn’t have a microwave, it’s right up my alley. Local 191 is a bar connected to the Blue Plate, and we hadn’t managed to make it in there yet.

Early Saturday is a perfect time to go there. The lunch crowd was wrapping up at around 1:00 when we arrived and snagged the last table in the dining area. The patio was packed out. We took advantage of the 10-4 Saturday happy hour ($1.50 off cocktails, $1 off draft beers) with a Sun Also Rises (tequila, pineapple, grenadine, orange, and lime) and a Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ ale.

My search is on to find the best chicken sandwiches around, so I had to check out the Local’s Fried Chicken Sandwich – a fried chicken breast on a toasted Niedlov’s bun with slaw, house pickles, and honey mustard ($7.50) plus house made chips ($2). Lightly breaded and crunchy, the chicken was juicy and flavorful…but I would have left the slaw off or maybe just used about half, because the sandwich was a little messy and hard to eat. The pickles were great and the house made chips were crunchy and perfect.

Philip went for the chicken and pancake – an Aretha Frankenstein’s pancake served with a crispy chicken tender and loaded hash browns ($10.25). The chicken was basically the same as mine and paired perfectly with the tender, fluffy, sweet, and flavorful Aretha’s pancake (someday I’m going to figure out how to make a pancake that thick). The menu said that the syrup was maple syrup, but we thought it tasted like pancake syrup. Our server swore that it was real. It’s a mystery – has anyone else had the syrup here? What were your thoughts?

Regardless of whether the syrup was maple or pancake syrup, Local 191 serves fantastic food at a fair price, particularly when you consider how local the food is. Our pre-tip total was $31 and some change. Our server was friendly and attentive and the atmosphere was casual and laid-back. Local 191 is a great place for a meal or a drink!

Local 191 is located at 191 Chestnut Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402. They are open Tuesday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Friday, 10 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, 9 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, check out their website, like Local 191 on Facebook, or follow Local 191 on Twitter.

Sugar’s Ribs

February 22, 2017

Sugar’s Ribs is a popular BBQ joint near I-75 on Chattanooga’s Missionary Ridge, and it’s easy to see why they’re still around.

So the week before last I totally got taken down with some sickness. Cold, flu, I don’t know…all i know is that I was pretty miserable for an entire week. It did not, however, affect my appetite. Saturday I was feeling mostly better (except I was so tired) and I was craving barbecue. Philip and I headed to the Missionary Ridge location of Sugar’s Ribs. I previously wrote about their downtown location, which has since closed, but had never been to this location.

Sugar’s Ribs is a spot where you walk up to order, they give you a number, and your food is delivered to your table. The atmosphere is very casual and laid-back with inside seating and patio seating…it wasn’t too chilly but since I still didn’t feel great we decided to sit inside (near a window, of course). Each table has a selection of sauces and our server, Lisa, brought us a couple more. It didn’t take too long (maybe about ten minutes) for our food to be delivered to our table.

I knew that I wanted pulled pork, but I couldn’t decide between the pulled pork sandwich and the pulled pork tacos. I asked the cashier for her recommendation and she told me that the tacos were her favorite, so that’s what I went for, with crispy potatoes on the side ($9.95 + $.75 for the potatoes, which are considered a special side). The tacos were served on flour tortillas with shredded cabbage, radishes, a little bit of crispy okra, crumbled queso fresco, lime crema, grilled sweet onions, roasted salsa, and cilantro. The smoky pork was amazing and the flavor combinations were perfect. The crispy potatoes are baked first, then chopped and fried until very crispy, sprinkled with a little bit of cheese. They were so crispy and well-seasoned, very delicious.

Philip decided to go for the smoked sausage plate with okra fries ($9.75 + $.75 for a special side). The plate also came with a cornbread muffin. The sausage is house-made and freshly smoked. It was a little crisp on the outside and it was very tasty, though it was not spiced like a traditional sausage (which I liked, because I don’t love sausage). The okra fries were very thinly sliced pieces of okra fried until crispy, like chips. They were crunchy and tasty (they also serve smoked okra, which is fantastic). The cornbread muffin was okay, pretty average. By the way, all of the sauces were tasty.

Lisa almost talked us into banana pudding, which is made from scratch, but I had just bought ice cream and decided that I better skip the banana pudding. Lisa was a fantastic server, keeping our drinks topped off and talking to us about the dishes and the restaurant. She told us that the owner is a fantastic guy and she loves working for him. He also owns the Boat House, Canyon Grille (which we’ll try one of these days), and a new restaurant being built on Hixson Pike. We loved the food and the service. Our only complaint was that because of the pay at the register set-up the cashier told us that if we wanted to leave a tip we would need to leave it on the table. These days we usually have a little cash, but I know a lot of people don’t carry cash and I would have hated if we hadn’t had money to leave a tip for Lisa!

If you’re looking for great BBQ in Chattanooga, give Sugar’s Ribs a try!

Sugar’s Ribs is located at 2450 15th Avenue, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37494. They are open Sunday – Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday – Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. You can call them at 423-826-1199. For more information, check out the Sugar’s Ribs website or find Sugar’s Ribs on Facebook.

Beast + Barrel

January 18, 2017

Beast + Barrel is a gastro smokehouse and bar located on Chattanooga’s North Shore serving creative drinks and a simple, elevated menu in a cozy atmosphere.

It’s been almost three years since Beast + Barrel opened on Chattanooga’s North Shore, in the former location of North Shore Grill. I wrote about their soft opening, which my brother took me to (he works at The Honest Pint, which is owned by the same group that owns Beast + Barrel). However, though I’ve been back many times since the opening, I haven’t written about a normal service at Beast + Barrel…so I thought I’d fix that.

Philip and I arrived around 4:00 on Saturday afternoon. The bar area of the restaurant was teeming with diners, so we were seated in a booth in the back section of the restaurant. We’d never been back there, and it offered a birds-eye view of the kitchen, which I found interesting. We were given several menus – the regular menu, a happy hour menu, a specials menu, and a libations menu. Sara, our server, quickly came to fill our water glasses and take our drink orders. Philip ordered a beer cocktail, of which I can’t remember the name. He liked it but said he probably wouldn’t order it again – he’s a beer “beer” guy, not a beer “cocktail” guy. I stuck with water.

A couple of appetizers were discounted for happy hour, including the single wide – beast (shoestring) fries, pulled pork, cheddar bisque, cherry Coke BBQ sauce, and mustard slaw – which was $4 (they’re $8 regular price). I’ve had these as an entree before, so we decided to order them. It’s a generous serving, particularly if you’re having them as your meal. The pulled pork is smoky and perfectly tender, and the cherry Coke BBQ sauce is just a little sweet, a little spicy, and a little tangy. The cheddar bisque was, well, a perfect cheese sauce, and the mustard slaw was a nice tangy topping to offset all the other flavors in the fries.

I’ve had several meals that I loved at Beast + Barrel, including the Big Katz (reuben) and the Executive Chef Salad. For this meal, I decided to go for the Crescent City Chicken dinner – Cajun fried chicken, maple gravy, goat cheese whipped potatoes, and vinegar greens ($18). I decided to sub the special side – broccoli and bacon salad – for the vinegar greens. The chicken was fried perfectly crisp and was ever so slightly spiced with Cajun seasonings. The sawmill gravy with maple sausage was the perfect complement to the chicken, and while I’m just developing a taste for goat cheese, I really enjoyed the perfectly creamy goat cheese whipped potatoes. The broccoli and bacon salad was like a slaw, finely shredded, with carrots, red onion, and a little bit of cheddar in a light dressing (it was not creamy, so I don’t think it was mayo-based like my broccoli salad). It was tasty but I would have liked for it to have more bacon.

Philip went for the burger special, a PB (yes, peanut butter) burger – basically a basic burger (called a “Braveheart Burger” on the menu) but with only peanut butter, bacon, and red onions for topping, on a Niedlov’s bun ($14.50). They forgot the bacon, but Sara let the kitchen know and they got a couple of strips out in just a matter of minutes. Now, I know that peanut butter on a burger sounds a little strange, but it really works. The burger was cooked well and the flavor from the peanut butter and the bacon was fantastic.

Our server, Sara, was very helpful and attentive. The atmosphere at Beast + Barrel is cozy, intimate, and casual. I’ve heard mixed reviews from some, but I’ve never had a bad experience here. It’s a little more pricey than the restaurants we usually visit (our total was $43 pre-tip) but not terribly so. The atmosphere is great for a date night. The menu is simple but creative and the drink options are limitless.

We really enjoy Beast + Barrel and will definitely return.

Beast + Barrel is located at 16 Frazier Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405. They are open Monday – Thursday, 3 – 10 p.m., Friday 3 p.m. to 12 a.m., and Saturday – Sunday 10 a.m. to 12 a.m. You can call them at (423) 805-4599. For more information, check out their website, beastandbarrel.com or the Beast + Barrel Facebook page. You can also follow Beast + Barrel on Instagram.

St. Elmo Deli & Grill

November 23, 2016

St. Elmo Deli & Grill offers salads, burgers, hot and cold sandwiches, and wraps for lunch and dinner (on weeknights) near the Incline.

Philip’s new work schedule has really thrown off our Saturdays of late. For nearly 15 years, he didn’t work on Saturdays. Now…he works on Saturdays. He loves his job, so I’m not complaining, but it has definitely made visiting some restaurants challenging (never mind the fact that I have to have a snack before he gets home lest I get hangry).

St. Elmo Deli is one of those restaurants. A friend had recommended St. Elmo Deli a while back, so I’ve been wanting to go. They close at 4:00 on Saturdays, and we hate to go into restaurants near closing time. Since he usually doesn’t get home until 3:15 or 3:30, it’s hard to make it to St. Elmo before 4:00. Last Sunday, though, we went to Finley Stadium for my nephew’s football game (they won the Scenic City Championship) and headed over to St. Elmo Deli afterward.

The place was basically dead when we got there around 2:30. There was a family finishing up when we arrived but they left shortly after we got there and we were all alone. I didn’t notice the stash of takeout menus by the register, so we stood and stared at the huge chalkboard wall until we decided what to order. They serve salads, vegetarian sandwiches, burgers, hot pressed sandwiches, wraps, and toasted sandwiches.

I considered getting a Reuben (and after we ordered, I kind of wished that I had so we could compare it to others around town) but instead I ordered a Philly Cheese Wrap for $8.50 plus and additional $1 for fries (chips are included in the price of the wrap). The Philly cheese wrap is roast beef, provolone cheese, portobello mushrooms, sautéed peppers and onions, and horseradish cream sauce wrapped up in a jalapeño-cheddar wrap. The flavors were spot on and the cheese nice and melty. I loved the way that the horseradish cream complemented the other flavors in the wrap. I was disappointed that there was a lot of fat in the meat, though…I ended up having to pull a lot of it out of my mouth. The fries were frozen; I thought that my friend had recommended the fries but as we were leaving I noticed that the chips are housemade chips and thought that must have been what she recommended. You guys know I love a good housemade chip. The fries were good, but they were just standard frozen fries.

Philip decided to go for the bacon cheeseburger ($9), the price of which included either fries or chips (he chose fries). The bacon cheeseburger included two beef patties, cheddar cheese, and thick-cut bacon on a Bluff View pretzel bun. He was impressed by the burger, which was nicely crispy and just a little bit greasy, not in a bad way – just the way you expect a pan-fried or griddled burger to be. The pretzel bun was a nice package to serve it up in.

The atmosphere at St. Elmo Deli is, well, deli-like. Simple decor, clean, basic. The food was pretty good, aside from that unfortunate fat in my sandwich. The prices were about what I’d expect from a deli in this area, at $20.21.

If you are looking for a deli sandwich or a burger in the St. Elmo area, St. Elmo Deli is a solid option.

St. Elmo Deli & Grill is located at 3931 St. Elmo Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37409. They are open Monday – Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. You can call them at 423-825-5555. For more information, you can check out St. Elmo Deli’s website or find St. Elmo Deli & Grill on Facebook.

Main Street Meats

August 24, 2016

Main Street Meats, AKA the place with Chattavore’s #1 burger, serves amazing food AND provides great local meats in their butcher shop.

My birthday was a week ago, and because life has been very busy with school starting, I re-shared my Top Ten Burgers in Chattanooga (According to Chattavore) last Wednesday. That was my birthday, too, coincidentally, so the burger post was pretty fitting. Burgers are my A-1, superstar, perfect food, the thing that I could eat at least once a week (along with tacos. And queso. Always queso.). I knew when I shared it that a visit to Main Street Meats was in order this weekend (we stuck around suburbia and got a free birthday burger and a mojito at Ruby Tuesday on my actual birthday. There’s a lot to be said for free.).

I’m embarrassed to say that I haven’t been to Main Street Meats since it was taken over by Erik Niel of Easy Bistro fame, though we went lots back when it was butcher shop that happened to serve some sandwiches at lunch time. I’ve been wanting to go back for quite some time now, but new restaurant posts usually take precedence over “revisit” posts, though one could really consider this a new restaurant post since it’s essentially a totally different spot than when I first wrote about it. The seating area is small and was pretty packed when we arrived around noon (maybe a little after) on Saturday and were shown the available seats by a hostess. We chose to sit at a little bar in the back of the restaurant and were quickly greeted by our server, Meri (great name!) who filled our water and took Philip’s order for a Stiegl Radler (Stiegl-Goldbräu and grapefruit soda), which he’d never seen on tap ($4).

We have been on a bit of a pork rinds jag lately (we cannot go to Merv’s without having them, and we had some at Clyde’s last weekend – highly recommend), so we decided to continue the streak and order the pork rinds ($4). I assume that, just like everything else at Main Street Meats, the pork rinds are fresh and come from pigs raised locally. They were definitely fresh out of the fryer, crackling from being exposed to the air on their ascent from the fryer, dusted with hot smoked paprika and something just a little sweet (I couldn’t put my finger on the flavor) and served with a spicy harissa aioli. They were delicious but left my lips tingling from all the spice!

I couldn’t order anything but the burger. It just wouldn’t have been right, not this time anyway. The BLT did look tantalizing, but the classic Local Beef Burger (formerly known as the Ryan, for Ryan Coulter, who created the burger back in the old days) was the order of the day for $10. I added fries on the side ($5, maybe a little pricey, but more than enough to share). The burger, customarily served at medium temperature (they will cook it to a more “done” temperature if you want, but this is meat I trust, so I’m good with medium) is served on a wheat bun with mustard, mayo, house pickles, Gruyere cheese, house bacon, and caramelized onions. It’s quite possibly the juiciest burger I’ve ever laid eyes on (or teeth into), but somehow it manages to hold together. The rich flavors from the bacon, cheese, and onions are the perfect complement for the amazing, dry-aged local beef that makes up the burger patty. It’s burger heaven, or burger nirvana, or something. The fries are not your average fries…they’re sliced crosswise from the potatoes, so they look like chips, but they just aren’t as crispy as chips. They too were delicious.

Though the Bánh Mi ($11), with its head cheese, mortadella, and liverwurst paté were quite tempting for my adventurous eater husband, Philip decided to go for the MSM pastrami Reuben ($10), with sour cabbage, Gruyere, Russian dressing, and cornichon (small, sour pickles), served on marbled rye bread. He immediately pulled off a piece of the pastrami and handed it to me to try. I adore good pastrami, which is basically peppered corned beef, and this was just so good – a little salty, a little peppery, with a great meaty flavor. He said that it was one of the driest Reubens he’d ever eaten – but in a good way. The bread was not greasy, as can be a big problem with a little of Reubens, and it had a perfect amount of sauce to flavor it without being drippy or making it fall apart. It was a perfectly structured Reuben, for sure.

On the way out, we stopped at the butcher counter and picked up a pound of baconage so I can remake this delicious casserole and take some presentable pictures, as well as a bag of Riverview Farms Milling Grits. I ran into a friend, Suzanne, who writes GMOGone…nice surprise!

Main Street Meats is a casual dining spot serving casual yet upscale food in a beautiful atmosphere. The food is about as local as it can possibly get. How could you get more local than meat from local farmers that was butchered and dry-aged in the same building where you’re about to eat it? That’s right, it can’t. I know that a lot of people disagreed with me about Main Street Meats having Chattanooga’s best burger (Tremont Tavern has lots of loyal customers!), but the meat here is just so incredibly high quality…that just puts it over the top for me. For $36 and some change for two sandwiches, fries, pork rinds, and a beer, the prices aren’t terrible either. I just really want to go here every day.

If you haven’t tried Main Street Meats, what are you waiting for?

Main Street Meats is located at 217 East Main Street, Chattanooga, Tennessee, 37408. They are open from 11-10 daily (they stop serving the full menu from 4-5 daily, but still offer meats, cheeses, and drinks). You can call Main Street Meats at 423-602-9568. You can find Main Street Meats online at mainstreetmeatschatt.com. You can like Main Street Meats on Facebook or follow @MainStreetMeats on Twitter and Instagram.

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