Favorite Tennessee Restaurants (Knoxville, Kingsport, Cookeville: moving, reviews, company)

[TreeFarm]

I just searched through this thread, and I am amazed that no one has mentioned Calhouns or the Dinner Bell.

There are several Calhouns in Knoxville and one at the marina in the park in Lenoir City (next to Fort Loudon dam). They feature casual dining, excellent food, good service, and very reasonable prices. They have full liquor service, and they own their own micro brewery. Try their Cherokee Red ale, if you are inclined toward that sort of thing.

There are two Dinner Bells. One is in Lenoir City on highway 321, just off of I-75. The other is in Sweetwater, just off of I-75 at exit 62. They are best avoided by those on a diet. The Dinner Bells are inexpensive and feature southern cooking. They are breakfast, lunch, and dinner favorites for a lot of locals. For ambiance, think slightly downscale Cracker Barrels without the high prices, hoke, or hordes of interstate warriors. Both feature large, well stocked breakfast and dinner bars, desert included. No alcohol is served.

The Sweetwater Dinner Bell is a favorite of truckers.

[RS-1080]

Originally Posted by SmokyMtnGal

There's a mom n pop place in Lebanon I like when I am out that way. It has great country cooking and the pies I have had from there are to die for. I believe the name of it is Sunset Diner. It is on the main drag there if you exit the interstate and go away from it, it is on your left maybe 1.5 miles down. Whenever we drive to Nashville to take Southwest on a penny pinching vacation we try to time it to stop there. Yum!

Are you talking about the one across from Uncle Pete's truck stop? Thats the only one I can think of right off I-40 at the Watertown exit.It's a nice little place to eat at,,I eat the biggest burger I ever eat at that place,and yeah,those home made pies are great to.

[menglin]

Any good Chinese? Around Knoxville?

[hiknapster]

I'm still trying to figure that out. Have yet to find good Chinese. It has to be here!

[jimj]

When I get there I will need to know a couple of things, Where to get the best Pecan Pie or Sweet Potato Pie, and is there a good ice cream store that isn't 31 flavors. My biggest vice is ice cream, used to love farrells ice cream parlor if anyone knows what those were. I would also like to know if there is any Indian food places.

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by jimj

When I get there I will need to know a couple of things, Where to get the best Pecan Pie or Sweet Potato Pie, and is there a good ice cream store that isn't 31 flavors. My biggest vice is ice cream, used to love farrells ice cream parlor if anyone knows what those were. I would also like to know if there is any Indian food places.

Jim,

Honest to God you have to be related to my husband. He loves Pecan Pie and his secret vice is ice cream. In the Knoxville area the major ice cream parlor (arguably) is Marble Slab Creamery. However, they are expensive! We buy Blue Bell ice cream (.: Blue Bell Creamery :.) at the store (just started being sold here within the past 8 months or so) and it is wonderful!!!! Food City also carries Kay's Ice Cream and it is good too.

I love good Indian food as well and the best I have ever had is in Washington DC and I go up there about once a year. I am curious to see answers to your Indian food question. I think that the Knoxville area is sorely lacking good, authentic ethnic food restaurants. Yea, there is one or two here or there, but mostly we have the chains. I love to cook and usually end up making my own Indian food. My favorite brand of curry is from Penzey's spices. (PENZEYS Spices Home Page)

There are good pecan pies here and there but I just make my own. Litton's in Fountain City has good desserts as well as other places, but what I have found is that a lot of places rotate their dessert offerings. We cook a lot at home so maybe I am missing out on something extraordinary??

[maryn]

favorite place so far in TN is Mauricio's in Cookeville. great atmosphere, amazing food. it is in a historic house and the owners are there all the time, great! fireplaces, home made bread.
Great! we look forward to going there every time we are in the area!
we will be moving close by in a couple of years, and will make it a weekly ritual! let me know if anyone needs more info. great specail occasion place!

[mbmouse]

If anyone is in the Tri-Cities are and looking for good, fresh, I mean really fresh, not frozen, seafood, try the Riverfront Restaurant on Netherland Inn Rd in Kingsport. They have great food! Cost is very reasonable, their lunches are great too. I found the menu to be very diverse and you can even go in and buy the fresh seafood to go and cook at home. Like a fish market in the front. Great atmosphere right on the river too. They have both indoor and out door seating.

[jimj]

Smokymtngal,
I never have been able to cook indian food. I have learned most others like chinese,some japanese,mexican down pat, italian and some jewish. As for Indian, I know a couple good places north of Atlanta. Maybe a family road trip to fill up on nan bread is in order?

[JMT]

Originally Posted by SmokyMtnGal

Jim,

Honest to God you have to be related to my husband. He loves Pecan Pie and his secret vice is ice cream. In the Knoxville area the major ice cream parlor (arguably) is Marble Slab Creamery. However, they are expensive! We buy Blue Bell ice cream (.: Blue Bell Creamery :.) at the store (just started being sold here within the past 8 months or so) and it is wonderful!!!! Food City also carries Kay's Ice Cream and it is good too.

I love good Indian food as well and the best I have ever had is in Washington DC and I go up there about once a year. I am curious to see answers to your Indian food question. I think that the Knoxville area is sorely lacking good, authentic ethnic food restaurants. Yea, there is one or two here or there, but mostly we have the chains. I love to cook and usually end up making my own Indian food. My favorite brand of curry is from Penzey's spices. (PENZEYS Spices Home Page)

There are good pecan pies here and there but I just make my own. Litton's in Fountain City has good desserts as well as other places, but what I have found is that a lot of places rotate their dessert offerings. We cook a lot at home so maybe I am missing out on something extraordinary??

Oh my gosh, Littons has wonderful desserts!! I'm glad you mentioned them, I like throwing business their way.

There are a couple of good Indian restaurants in Knoxville. One is on Kingston Pike (like everything else) in Bearden in an old Captain D's building. I think it's called Sitar. They have an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet that is absolutely divine. If you're lucky, they have mango pudding for dessert (which isn't all the time, unfortunately). There's another place near the U.T. campus, but I can't remember what it's called, either.

As far as ice cream stores, there's of course the Fountain City Creamery. I think that's what it's called (you'll have to excuse me, I just spent 30 hours traveling back from China, it'll take me a few days to get my brain re-adjusted). It's in the old part of Fountain City across from the library.