Best Bartender: Jeff White (Naples)
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Jeff White says he’s learned a lot about higher-end wines in his five years as bartender at Naples, but he’s still able to appreciate a wide range of spirits. Full story »
Best Neighborhood Bar/Pub: Preservation Pub
Thursday, April 30, 2009
The Preservation Pub proves that if your neighborhood is downtown, you’re at an advantage. But downtown, which offers more bars per city block than anywhere in East Tennessee, is also the toughest competition. The Market Square stalwart is an old-fashioned saloon with wooden booths lining the walls, a patio, and a stage with a dependably unpredictable lineup. (If it’s 10 p.m. any night, and you can’t find your Metro Pulse calendar and want to count on finding some interesting music for not much money, Pres Pub is one of your best bets.) Full story »
Best Beer Selection: Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria
Thursday, April 30, 2009
In terms of selection, Barley’s obliterates the competition with sheer mathematics. Unless you’re brewing it yourself, there’s hardly any good beer you can find elsewhere but not at Barley’s. Even we haven’t tried them all. Maybe it’s what you’d expect from a place named after a principle ingredient in beer. Full story »
Best Appetizers: La Costa
Thursday, April 30, 2009
The menu from the always-ingenious chef Anthony Fowler (who earned his chops at Johnson and Wales College of Culinary Arts) may not be quite as close to Southern/Latino fusion as its Gregg White-owned forerunner, but it’s very fine fare, creative but not fussy, fancy but flavorful. Just a few of the standouts among the small plates/starters include tilapia fish tacos, smoked duck breast quesadillas, and cornmeal-dusted calamari with romesco and chimichurri. Full story »
Best Mexican & Best Cheap Meal: Señor Taco
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Be honest. If you’d never been to Knoxville, and were driving off Interstate 640 for the first time, would you be tempted by a sign with a sombrero-wearing, mustachioed taco—a place in front of a bowling alley parking lot? A place that is, moreover, called “Senor Taco”? Full story »
Best Italian & Best Service: Naples
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Tucked in a cozy little building in Bearden for almost 30 years, Naples is too comfortable to count as fine dining and too good to count as just a local Italian restaurant. The food’s traditional but inventive; you could stick to spaghetti and meatballs or go for one of their surprising daily raviolis or seafood specials. The atmosphere’s just right, too—casual enough, but the impeccable service and old-world charm make it perfectly acceptable for special occasions, too. And with only a handful of selections topping the $20 mark, you won’t regret any of it when the check comes. Full story »
Best Meat and Three: Chandler’s
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Actually, the winner by a long shot is an atypical meat-and-three with a further specialty. Chandler’s is on Magnolia Avenue, not far from Chilhowee Park, and calls itself a deli, but it’s actually a top-rung soul-food cafeteria. The meat tends to be pork barbecue or fried chicken, and the three includes two different kinds of greens, plus mashed potatoes, cornbread, and sweet tea—everything you really need. Full story »
Best Sushi: Nama Sushi Bar
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Nama, the upscale sushi place which opened its original place on a then-iffy block of Gay Street about five years ago, introduced the high-concept sushi bar to Knoxville. We’d had good sushi before, but Nama took it to another level, and well-traveled Pacific Rim vagabonds declare it’s as good as it gets. Full story »
Best Seafood: Chesapeake’s
Thursday, April 30, 2009
It’s nice to see an old friend still doing well. One of the Copper Cellar restaurants, Chesapeake’s has lost none of its charm since its just-in-time-for-the-World’s-Fair 1982 opening, and only grew more polished with a facelift in 1993. The dining room is understated, tastefully nautical, and the seafood’s served Maryland/Virginia Eastern Shore style, including signature fried oysters and lump blue crab cakes that would pass muster in the snootiest Chesapeake Bay eatery. Full story »
Best Ribs & Best Barbecue: Calhoun’s
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Smells great when the neighbors are barbecuing, and Calhoun’s tantalizing aroma has been wafting over Kingston Pike for 26 years now (and Vol Landing at Calhoun’s on the River almost as long). The nice thing is, you don’t have to mill around hoping for a neighborly reprieve from your Lean Cuisine. Full story »
Best Deli: Nixon’s Deli
Thursday, April 30, 2009
The steamed hoagie is an endangered species. Its native habitat—campus delis—is disappearing. Within a generation or two, the sublime pleasure of a ham and salami sandwich on a dark roll with swiss cheese, all melted together under the unmistakable hiss of a stainless-steel kitchen steamer, may be nothing more than a memory. Nixon’s is still holding on, though, steaming sandwiches like it’s 1979 at six locations. Full story »
Best Bakery & Best Cupcakes: Magpies Cakes
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Yes, Magpies’ cakes and cupcakes and wedding cakes are divine. They are rich and sweet and beautiful and full of wonderful surprises. The large new kitchen on Central Street is a modern marvel and a feast for the senses; bright and spacious, full of talented young women and men who often appear to be having fun making fun stuff for others. Full story »
Best Coffeehouse: Old City Java
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Knoxville’s oldest coffee house of the coffee-house era was the runaway winner in this category, as it has more than once before. It has gone through several ownerships over the years, but somehow has kept the same atmosphere, with the big Renoir mural on the wall, and the same groovy vibe, disarming to hipsters and hipster wannabes alike. Full story »
Best Breakfast: Pete’s Coffee Shop
Thursday, April 30, 2009
For a very quick egg-over-easy with bacon and grits, or biscuits and sawmill gravy, or just a bowl of cereal and some coffee, Pete’s is very hard to beat. Forget Wi-Fi—Pete’s doesn’t have it. They don’t even accept credit cards. Full story »