Southern cooking restaurants Archives

Farm to Fork (Ringgold, GA)

June 7, 2017

Farm to Fork is a popular restaurant in Ringgold, Georgia that serves fresh, homemade, Southern-style food in a friendly environment.

Every once in a while, I will actually go to a new restaurant and decide not to blog about them, for no reason other than it just doesn’t fit into my schedule at the moment. This was the case when I first tried Farm to Fork in 2014. I was getting ready to start a new job, car shopping (the kind of car shopping that involves watching YouTube videos, reading Consumer Reports, and generally doing everything you can to make sure you choose the right car), and kind of losing my mind. I really liked the food but just couldn’t quite get myself in the mindset to write about them. I think I even took pictures! I definitely did not intend to take three years to get back down there.

Philip and I drove down to exit 348 this past Saturday to give it another go. The current location of Farm to Fork is in a strip mall behind the Ringgold Cracker Barrel. They have two parcels of the strip, between Rock Bridge Church and the Rock Bridge offices. The space is warmly decorated, with wood tables and country-style decor on the walls. A bar serving beer and wine is in one space with tin (or faux tin, I didn’t get close enough to tell) tiles on the wall. We arrived at around 1:00 and while it was still fairly crowded from the lunch rush, we were seated in a booth immediately.

Usually I am really good about getting our servers’ names, and if I forget, the name is usually on the receipt. This time, I didn’t, and it wasn’t. Our server was a sweet girl with curly dark hair. It took her a few minutes to get to us, since it was so busy, but she was very apologetic and we were not in a rush. She got our waters and took our appetizer order. We decided to try some fried green tomatoes ($7.00); they also have fried pickles, an appetizer portion of onion rings, and pimento cheese with pita points, along with a few other apps. The fried green tomatoes were served with a dressing on the side. The menu didn’t indicate what it was but I think it was a Russian/Thousand Island sort of deal – creamy and a little orange/pink, a little tangy and sweet. The fried green tomatoes were coated with a panko crumb coating and crisply fried, well seasoned. They were very good; my only suggestion would be that they could have been blotted a little bit before plating – there was a lot of oil on the plate.

The menu includes appetizers, soups and salads, entrees, burgers, baskets, and sandwiches. For my entree, I vacillated back and forth between the pulled pork tacos (2 tacos and fries for $7.95, or another side for an additional $1) and the loaded chicken breast ($11). I ended up deciding on the chicken, which was an 8-ounce grilled chicken breast topped with barbecue sauce, bacon, and cheddar cheese, served with a choice of 2 sides. I decided to go for the hand-cut fries and a side salad (which is an additional $1.50). The salad was made with mixed greens, bacon, and shredded cheddar cheese, served with Farm to Fork’s homemade dressing; I decided on ranch. The salad was excellent – very fresh, with real bacon (not bits) – and the dressing was delicious. My salad actually got to the table before the fried green tomatoes, so I ended up dipping some bites of my fried green tomatoes into the ranch dressing.??

The chicken breast was well grilled, with a great grilled flavor but still juicy. It had enough sauce and toppings to give it good flavor without overwhelming the flavor of the chicken itself. The fries were very thick cuts – I would almost call them potato planks – and I was honestly a little concerned that they would not be done all the way through. I needn’t have worried. They were perfectly soft in the middle, just a little crispy around the edges, and perfectly hot and well seasoned. They were excellent dipped in the smoked mayo that Philip got for his onion rings.

Philip contemplated getting the hamburger steak entree ($11) but decided instead to get the jalapeño, bacon, and cheddar burger. This burger is a gigantic (half pound!) burger grilled and served on a bakery bun with cheddar cheese, bacon, and fried jalapeños ($12.25). The grilled flavor was excellent, and the portion of fried jalapeños was very generous (I had to dodge them to take a bite). He ordered onion rings as his side; the onion rings come with a side of jalapeño ketchup or smoked mayo, but we paid and additional 25 cents to get both. The jalapeño ketchup was fairly standard – ketchup with a little bit of a jalapeño flavor/bite – but the smoked mayo was fantastic – mayo with a smoky hit. Philip didn’t care for the batter-dipped onion rings and ended up eating quite a few of my fries, but I really liked them. I love light, battered onion rings, and these were well cooked and well-seasoned. I think that Philip might have just been on fried food overload.

I regret that I didn’t pay any attention to the dessert menu, because I would have loved to take some of their Hawaiian cake or coconut cake home (they also have banana pudding, brownies, and floats). But, alas, I didn’t, so I will have to make it a point to go back sooner than three years from now…even more so because they will be moving into a new space soon. Sometime hopefully in July, they will be moving a little farther north into a much larger, free-standing location off of exit 350, where they will be able to have patio seating, space for large groups, opportunities for live music, and a full bar.

Our total, pre-tip, was 34.24. Our server was very friendly and much more apologetic than needed for a little bit of a wait for our food. The food was very good and everything was very fresh – nothing frozen or packaged. No matter where they are located, Farm to Fork is worth the drive to North Georgia for some great food!

Farm to Fork is located at 118 Remco Shops Lane, Ringgold, GA 30736. They are open Monday – Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday – Saturday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. (they serve breakfast these days), and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can call Farm to Fork at (706) 937-3675. You can find out more about Farm to Fork on their website, FarmToForkGA.com, and you can also follow Farm to Fork on Facebook.

Henpecked Chicken

June 1, 2017

Henpecked Chicken is a restaurant in downtown Chattanooga that serves smoked or fried chicken and boasts “sober chicken and drunken milkshakes”.

Okay, let me know start by saying that I usually give restaurants two or three months to be open before I write about them. The folks from Henpecked, though, had invited me first to the soft opening, which ended up being cancelled, then to a little media party they had. I at first accepted the invite to the media party then canceled because I had family in for just a few days. I promised I’d get in ASAP to try out their chicken, and Sunday proved to be the day.

We had thought about going to the Chattanooga Market, but it had rained and it was sooooo muggy, then I saw a picture of the crowd on Instagram and that sealed the (no) deal. Philip was curious about Henpecked so we decided to make good on my word.

It was around 1:00 on Sunday afternoon when we arrived and while the place was nowhere near empty, there was no one in line. We perused the menu for a bit (you can grab a paper menu from a little pocket hanging on the half wall or look at the big menu boards on the wall) and the cashier, Lauren, kindly answered our questions, explaining to me that the drunken milkshakes could be ordered at the bar and also explaining that, because it was our first time in, we got free house made frozen custard (??????). We placed our order and took our number to our table. Our food was out in less than five minutes.

I decided on the Coop sandwich ($10) – a fried chicken thigh served on a soft bun with pimento cheese, Henpecked sauce, jalapeño bacon, and sweet pickles. The sandwich was huge…I ended up eating only half of it in order to save space for my frozen custard (because yes, I drank probably over half of the milkshake and ate the free frozen custard). The breading on the chicken was delicious and a little bit spicy. The pimento cheese was creamy and pretty traditional. Henpecked sauce was similar to Zax sauce or another slightly smoky, peppery dipping sauce, and the jalapeño bacon was, well, hot, at least for my pedestrian tastebuds. I had the crinkle cut fries on the side plus a side of Alabama white sauce. The fries were pretty standard crinkle cuts…a little crispy but still a little soft. The white sauce was spicier than what I make at home with a more vinegary hit than mine, which is more horseradish and garlic.

Philip decided on the 1/4 Nashville hot chicken ($9.50) with a side of cheddar grits and fries (he initially asked for coleslaw but was told that they were out – a sign over the counter asks for understanding when they run out of their homemade sides). The hot chicken was served in the traditional way – on a piece of thick white bread, which he didn’t touch (he never does). The quarter chicken was a leg and a thigh, and while it was well-cooked and he didn’t not like it, he said that he probably wouldn’t order it again. Essentially, because the sauce that coats Nashville hot chicken is oil-based, he feels like it makes the chicken a little more greasy than he prefers. He liked my sandwich more than his chicken, and enjoyed the fries and the grits though he felt that the grits could have used more cheese.

As for the frozen treats, it was worth a trip just for those. My Bushwacker drunken milkshake ($9.83), with homemade custard, Kahlua, creme de cacao, and dark rum, was delicious, albeit maybe a little dangerous because it didn’t taste alcoholic at all. That said, it might not have contained that much alcohol, so unless you can down several milkshakes you’ll probably be just fine. The bartender, Wes, described it to me as “basically a mudslide” but I describe it as “basically fantastic”. The frozen custard that we got for free for being first timers was amazing as well. It is only available in one flavor (vanilla) but if you get it in a bowl you can also get strawberry or chocolate syrup on it (the syrups are homemade as well). It was creamy and custardy (duh) and had a deep vanilla flavor. I would have preferred a sugar cone to a cake cone (I’ve never cared for cake cones) but it was free and hey, beggars can’t be choosers!

Henpecked Chicken is a tasty, casual restaurant that serves a variety of chicken dishes at reasonable prices, and their ice cream (ahem, frozen custard) is worth a visit. Their staff was extremely friendly. We’ll definitely make a trip back.

Henpecked Chicken is located at 405 Market Street, Chattanooga, TN. They are open Monday – Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday – Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. You can call Henpecked Chicken at (423) 710-1951. You can find out more about Henpecked Chicken on their website, henpeckedchicken.com or on their Facebook page. You can also follow @henpecked423 on Twitter and on Instagram.

Carrabelle’s Casual Cafe – Dayton, Tennessee

March 29, 2017

Carrabelle’s Casual Café is a casual dining restaurant located in Dayton, Tennessee, that serves low country and Southern-style food.

Have you tried any new restaurants off the beaten path lately? I don’t know if Dayton is really off the beaten path, but it’s definitely a little bit out of the way, at least the way we usually go. It’s nice to see new restaurants popping up in that area. Carrabelle’s opened up several months back, in the fall of 2016. I like to wait until restaurants have been open for a few months before I check them out, so a few few weeks ago we finally ventured north to check it out.

The full name for Carrabelle’s is Carrabelle’s Casual Café. Their website describes their cuisine as “low country Southern”. We arrived at about 4 p.m. to a fairly empty restaurant – several tables were occupied but there was no wait and our food came quickly. The building is new and the decor was pretty standard for a casual dining style restaurant.

While we checked out the menu, our server, Morgan, took our drink orders and brought our waters and Philip’s beer, from a Tennessee brewery that we had not heard of before (this doesn’t happen often – remember, he works in a bottle shop). We decided to order some fried green tomatoes ($6.99), battered and rolled in bacon and fried, served on top of grits with pimento cheese on top and a cup of Cajun mayonnaise. There was a lot going on there, but everything was very good. The grits were different from any grits I’ve ever had – they were dry, but somehow that wasn’t a bad thing. The tomatoes were crunchy and well-seasoned and the pimento cheese was melty. I liked the Cajun mayo a lot.

I was in the mood for chicken and biscuits, so it really didn’t take me any thought to choose my entree. I ordered the chicken and biscuits with a side of Cajun mashed potatoes ($10.99) but there is a “biscuit” section of the menu so I am not sure if this got rang up as “chicken and biscuits” or “chicken biscuits plus a side” because the chicken & biscuits were listed on my receipt separate from the side and the total cost was $10.49. Long story short, I don’t know if the entree version is served this way (chicken on the biscuits) or not, but that’s how I was planning to eat it so I was okay with it. The chicken was crispy and seemed freshly breaded, and the cheddar biscuits were tender and tasty. The gravy made a great dipping sauce. I liked the mashed potatoes, which were just a little bit spicy, but I will try a different side next time I go back.

Philip decided to go for the shrimp and grits ($14.99). These were not prepared in the style that he likes the best (grits cake and creamy sauce) but he said that they were very good. The grits were the same cheesy grits that were served with the fried green tomatoes. There was a reasonable amount of shrimp, bacon, and sausage, and it was served with a cheddar biscuit.

There were quite a few specials, most of them seafood dishes (most of the seafood dishes were listed on the specials menu). The menu was pretty standard for a southern style restaurant – fried chicken, shrimp & grits, chicken & waffles, several sandwiches and pasta dishes, etc. The prices were on par with other restaurants of similar quality. Our total for fried green tomatoes, chicken & biscuits plus a side, shrimp & grits, and one beer was $41.62 pre-tip). Our server, Morgan, was very friendly and attentive. The atmosphere was low-key and great for an early evening dinner date.

If you’re looking for a nice dinner in the Dayton, Tennessee area, check out Carrabelle’s Casual Café!

Carrabelle’s Casual Café is located at 4370 Rhea County Highway, Dayton, Tennessee, 37321. 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 423-428-9441. For more information, you can check out their website or like Carrabelle’s on Facebook.

Champy’s Chicken East Brainerd

November 16, 2016

The East Brainerd location of Champy’s Chicken serves up the same fried chicken & Mississippi Delta favorites of their other locations in a fun atmosphere.

Champy’s Chicken has been around in the downtown Chattanooga area for quite some time, and it’s been a few years since I wrote about that location. Located near the campus of UTC, it’s a pretty popular spot, and no doubt people in the East Brainerd area were pretty excited when another location opened on Lee Highway.

Philip and I decided to check out the new Champy’s Chicken on a Saturday afternoon around 4:00 p.m. It was pretty crowded, but we only waited about ten minutes for a table – not too bad considering that there were multiple large parties waiting to be seated.

The Champy’s Chicken East Brainerd location is just as “dive-y” as the downtown location, with lots of graffiti on the wall and defaced dollar bills stuck everywhere (shhhh, don’t tell the Treasury). There are indoor and outdoor seating areas, both filled with people from all walks of life. We were seated inside and our server, Katz, brought our waters to us while we checked out the menu.

When I did my original review of the downtown Chattanooga Champy’s, they didn’t serve fried pickles but rather fried pickled green tomatoes. They no longer serve the fried pickled green tomatoes, but they do serve fried pickles and fried green tomatoes. We decided to try out the fried pickles, which are spears coated in a batter similar (maybe the same as?) their fried chicken coating and served with ranch dressing for dipping. Now, you guys know that fried pickles are my favorite, but I prefer chips to spears. My main reasons for this are that you can eat the whole chip at once and not lose the batter, and you’re much less likely to burn the roof of your mouth on pickle chips. The fried pickle spears were good, though. Unlike the pickle spears served at many restaurants, these were hand-breaded. They were fried crispy and golden, and the coating was crunchy and a little spicy.

It has been a long time since I ordered chicken tenders and fries at a restaurant, but I decided to check out Champy’s Chicken’s version of chicken tenders. Their chicken tenders basket includes 4 breaded and fried chicken breast tenders and French fries, served with Champy’s sauce. The chicken was crispy, and like the pickles, a little bit spicy. The fries, while I’m pretty sure were frozen, were still pretty good and had a little bit of a smoky seasoning on them. Champy’s sauce was similar to Chick-Fil-A sauce, like a combination of honey mustard and barbecue sauce. The chicken tenders were huge, so I only ate two and took the other two home (we ate them on biscuits for breakfast the next day).

Philip decided to go for the Mississippi Delta Farm-Raised Catfish plate, which was several pieces of cornmeal-breaded catfish fried till crisp and lightly golden, with fries, coleslaw, hush puppies, and tartar sauce. The catfish was tasty, a little spicy, albeit kind of “fishy” (I know it sounds ironic to say that fish is fishy, but you know what I mean) – I think of catfish as a kind of fishy fish, though. Philip liked the coleslaw but it was, well, coleslaw. I ate the hush puppies, and they were very good – spicy with jalapeno and just a little bit sweet.

Our server was very friendly, and the service was quick. Do they serve the best fried chicken in town? Probably not (I have yet to make it to Lamar’s, which is rumored to serve the best). It’s not the cheapest, either – our pre-tip total including the fried pickles (which were a bit pricey in the $9 range), the chicken tenders basket, the catfish, and a beer was $40.36. But the food is good, and the atmosphere is fun and good for everyone from families to college students.

For tasty fried chicken and a great atmosphere, check out Champy’s Chicken East Brainerd.

Champy’s Chicken East Brainerd is located at 6925 Lee Highway, Chattanooga, TN 37421. They are open Sunday – Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Friday – Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. You can call them at 423-803-2800. You can find more information about Champy’s Chicken on their website or on their Facebook page.

Puleo’s Grille (Ooltewah, TN)

August 31, 2016

Puleo’s Grille is a small, regional chain (5 restaurants) based in Knoxville, TN. Their newest location is located in Ooltewah, TN.

A few months ago, Philip came home from his job at Sigler’s Craft Beer & Cigars and handed me a business card. The card was from a guy who worked at Puleo’s Grille who had come into Sigler’s looking for advice about what craft beers to include on their beer list the new location they were getting ready to open off of Exit 11 in Ooltewah. Philip had mentioned that his wife was a food blogger and the guy gave him his card.

Honestly, I thought up to that point that Puleo’s Grille was a large chain. I ate there once in Knoxville several years ago and didn’t realize that it was a very small, regional chain. The Chattanooga location is only their fifth location. They opened at the beginning of the summer, but we generally try to give places a few months to hit their stride before we go in. This past weekend, we decided that we’d given Puleo’s Grille long enough and headed to check it out.

We arrived at Puleo’s Grille around 4 p.m. on Saturday, so it was between the lunch and dinner rush and we were seated immediately. It took a few minutes for our server, Victoria, to check in with us, but I got the impression that they were having a quick server meeting in the back, as all the servers seemed to come into the dining area at once.

Victoria was very attentive after that. She got our waters (Philip also ordered a Schneider Weisse beer) and suggested the fried green tomatoes. We had been considering the fried green tomatoes and the fried pickles, and Victoria recommended the fried pickles, which are a Puleo’s Grille specialty. The fried green tomatoes are served with stone ground cheese grits and country and tasso gravy. The tomatoes themselves had a light cornmeal coating. The grits were very thick (as you can see from the fact that they stayed in the “scoop” shape) but that worked well with the tomatoes, as I was initially concerned that the grits might make the fried green tomatoes soggy. The tasso gravy was a little spicy and smoky, and the country gravy cream with just a hint of sausage. I thought it all worked really well together.

I immediately saw the fish tacos and initially thought I would order those, then I saw the fish and chips and I was torn. Then I saw the chicken penne pasta (grilled chicken, penne pasta, baby spinach, tomatoes, and mushrooms in a Parmesan cream sauce) and I was really torn. I asked Victoria for her recommendation between the fish and chips and the chicken penne pasta and she told me that those were her two favorite dishes, but ultimately she would choose the fish and chips.

The fish was not your typical beer battered fish that you would expect with fish and chips. The coating was more of a light breading with the slightly pebbly texture of cornmeal. The inside of the fish was very tender and moist, and the garlicky dill caper remoulade was a nice complement. I also liked the Napa cabbage slaw, which also contained shredded carrots, diced green peppers, fried noodles, and sunflower seeds in a light vinaigrette. The fries were pretty average restaurant fries – pretty sure they were frozen. Good not great.

Philip was craving a burger, so he settled on the fairly pedestrian bacon cheeseburger, hickory grilled and topped with Applewood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and onion, and also served with fries. His comment was that he probably should have gotten something else – not because the burger was bad but because it was just a basic burger, nothing special, and he probably should have gotten something more interesting for blog purposes.

By the time we left around 5:00, the crowd was picking up. In its location right by Interstate 75 and in a town that’s still relatively short on restaurants will definitely keep their business up as long as they continue to serve decent food. I didn’t find that what they were serving was really all that innovative or interesting, but it definitely tasted good and I guess that’s ultimately all that matters. Our food total was $34.93 ($9.99 for the cheeseburger, $12.99 for the fish & chips, and $8.99 for the fried green tomatoes) so right in the same ballpark as similar restaurants – chain or not. Victoria was a great server and we enjoyed talking to her, and the atmosphere is nice. We will go back.

Check out Puleo’s Grille and let me know what you think.

Puleo’s Grille is located at 6108 Artesian Circle, Chattanooga, TN (just off of exit 11). If you go to the first light past their location, you will see a sign to turn in (there’s a turn-in closer to the restaurant but it’s a little inconveniently located). They are open Sunday, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m., Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Friday, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. – 11 p.m. You can call them at 423-803-2271. You can check out their website, puleosgrille.com, like Puleo’s Grille Chattanooga – Ooltewah on Facebook, or follow @puleosgrille on Twitter.