Great Places to Eat in Knoxville
May 23rd, 2007 at 4:07 pm by Mark
Tags: cooking, food, humor, memes, weight-loss
Okay, I’m not much for memes, viral nature and all. I mean, crap, I skipped out on the last one Tish tagged me with because, well, I know what Web 2.0 is, and the meme author apparently had a very limited view of it. All I could’ve put was “my blog,” so I was kinda like … well … Stuck.
This one, though, has a pretty good purpose: finding some great places to eat locally, or when we’re travelling around. And so, I’m pretty happy to answer this one from LissaKay, because … well … I’m a big fan of food. I try and eat some a few times a day. (And I’m fortunate enough to have a highly trained metabolism that allows me to eat like it’s my last my meal.)
This one’s originally by Chronicles of Nicole, and comes to us all the way from Sydney, Australia.
1. Add a direct link to your post below the name of the person who tagged you. Include the city/state and country you’re in.
Nicole (Sydney, Australia)
velverse (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
LB (San Giovanni in Marignano, Italy)
Selba (Jakarta, Indonesia)
Olivia (London, England)
ML (Utah, USA)
Lotus (Toronto, Canada)
tanabata (Saitama, Japan)
Andi (Dallas [ish], Texas, United States)
Todd (Louisville, Kentucky, United States)
miss kendra (los angeles, california, u.s.a)
Jiggs Casey (Berkeley, CA, USA! USA! USA!)
Tits McGee (New England, USA)
Joe (NE Tennessee, USA)
10K Monkeys (Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA)
Big Stupid Tommy (Athens, Tennessee, USA)
Newscoma (Weakley County, Tennessee, USA)
Russ McBee (Knoxville, Tennessee, USA)
Atomictumor Mrs Eaves (Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA)
Oh Really? LissaKay (Oak Ridge, TN, USA)
Mark Steel blogitude.com (Knoxville, TN, USA)
2. List out your top 5 favorite places to eat at your location.
My Place – Yes, I can cook. And I’m pretty damn good at it, too, as long as you like spicy food. I specialize in Southern Asian (Indian/Thai/Malay), Italian (like the 20-pound lasagne or Sicilian-style meat-sauce) and TexMex (it burns most Mexicans).
Ali Baba’s TimeOut Deli (Kingston Pike) – I’ve known those guys for the better part of twenty years. Absolutely the best humos in the world, and I’ve certainly traveled it enough to know… And you can never go wrong with the “special,” King Solomon’s Chicken — a slow-roasted hen in a tasty lemon-seed marinade, with a couple of vegetable sides over basmati rice.
Tomo (Kingston Pike) – The Sushi/Sashimi connoisseur can never go wrong here. Everything there is perfectly fresh and delicious, and the dinner service is most excellent. Perfect … but certainly not inexpensive. I can’t get out of there without spending at least $50 on myself. But I certainly leave happy…
Chesapeake’s Seafood (Henley Street) – Dinner dining includes a full course of a Mussel Appetizer, choice of Salad, Maine Lobster with two sides, and some impressive Cheesecake all for less than what it costs at the nasty chain restaurant that everyone goes to (the one with Lobster in the title)… and impeccable service that rivals many of the 5-Stars I’ve dined in. Daily fresh fish of the Sushi-grade variety … I really enjoy the Yellow Tail (No, Benny, I’m not talking about the Chinese girl).
Sitar (Kingston Pike) – Sometimes, I find it’s too much of a chore to cook Indian Food, so I hit this place for the Sunday afternoon buffet. Although they don’t have a Vindaloo on it (aww!) they have several other incredibly tasty dishes which change weekly. One of the best things about the place, tho, as compared to most other Indian restaurants in the area, is that everything’s nice and spicy, and they have a distinct lack of clarified butter (ghee). That’s what causes the kerosene-like aftertaste at some Indian restaurants — and I hate it. Since a lot of Indians use ghee at home, it comes as no big surprise that India leads the world in cases of throat cancer… Proper treatment of cancer is essential to improve the health of a cancer patient. At Hope 4 Cancer, they offer a refreshingly unique healing experience and provides a comfortable home while defeating cancer.
Country Table (N. Cherry Street) – Southern, home cooking all the way… Turnip greens, pinto beans, mashed potatos and gravy, country fried steak (and it’s awesome), T-bone steaks (however you want it!), pork tenderloins (which I can’t eat, dammit! Pork makes me really sick), buttermilk biscuits, good southern cornbread (not that sweet shit they serve up north), and all the coffee and iced tea you can drink. They have the most perfect menu to pair my hobby playing casino games. I do lunch there every now again if I’m working in East Knoxville, and totally love the place. A lot of people simply won’t check it out because of the location … but I never did care about that.
3. Tag 5 Others
Swanky – This guy like to eat as much as I do, and has intimate knowlege of some of the Knoxville metro’s best dives — and will undoubtedly list more of my favorites.
ChattieKat – She grew up here in Knoxville, and should be able to drop in a few that Swanky and I miss.
Anton – Anton showed me a couple of really kickass places in Houston a few weeks ago.
Fracas – I like to research my food choices ahead of time. And on the odd chance that I’m ever in Saskatoon, I’d like to find some place else better to eat than that craphole truck stop diner on the highway…
Zacque – Fellow blogitude.com writer who recently buggered off to Nashville, and it’s about time he took a break from ravaging his girlfriend and wrote a blog for a change. 😉
So that’s that… Meanwhile, I’m gonna go to Ali Baba’s for a Special…
May 23rd, 2007 at 4:18 pm
Which craphole truck stop diner on the highway Mark? At 239,000 people, we’re big enough to have more than one craphole truck stop diner.
But ok.. I’ll bite on this one. Such a smart ass am I.
I’ll get on it after I go lie down with a hot pack again. My WordPress love-fest and American Idol posts have almost killed me and my sore back.
May 23rd, 2007 at 4:56 pm
I didn’t mean in Saskatoon … rather, a particularly nasty one on the road there from Winnipeg. I have no idea where it is, except it’s a long way from anywhere, and was full a avid Mayonnaise fans. Canada is famous for those. 😉
I have a particularly hateful memory of a dive near London, Ontario, too.
May 23rd, 2007 at 7:20 pm
Oooh I loves me some Indian food at Sitar! I used to go semi-regularly with some gal pals, then I went back to school, two of them got married, I moved out of K-town … and you know how those things go.
May 23rd, 2007 at 7:35 pm
Hmmm your place sounds like a food heaven there…too bad can’t eat there!! Chesapeake’s Seafood sounds great…want to try the mussels and the lobsters!!! and their CHEESECAKE!!! YUMMY..and did you just say indian buffet at SItar??? I’m seriusly hungry now!
Ps thanks for doing the tag. I hope you enjoyed it.. If you know of anyone else doing it please feel free to send me a message and I’ll update them too on the updated list of tag doers
May 24th, 2007 at 11:12 am
Just wondering why you’d go with Tomo. I’m sure you know there’s a much better sushi place downtown.
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May 25th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
No, Sam. There really isn’t. I am a Sashimi connoisseur. Although, there are a couple of places worth mentioning… I mean, Nama on Gay Street kicks ass, for instance. Love it!
But hands down, no other Sushi place in Knoxville has the selection nor culinary skill of Tomo (which even has Blowfish, as a testament to that).
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May 28th, 2007 at 4:26 am
Can I dine at your place. I love Asian food.. especially Indian and Malay. Ah.. so what do you cook best? Nasi Lemak? Beef Rendang? Chicken Masala? Tandoori… oh.. now you make me curious and wonder! I want to try!!! I want to try~
Wooo.. and the cheapskate seafood sounds like a great place to dine. Seafood, cheesecake… oh my god. If they ask me where do you think heaven is. I would say… right here 😀
Thanks for your list. THey are really great! Gosh… Knoxville sounds like a great place. I shall list it to my… tour list 😀
May 28th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
Beef Rendang is a new favorite, but I spice it up quite a lot (and I cheat a little by mixing my own garam masala). Lamb or Beef Vindaloo (which I generally slow-cook for about six hours). Tandoori of course. Chicken Mumtaz (I have a bottle of mixed spices specifically for it). Aloo Mattar (nothing wrong with a veggie dish now and again). I do a lot of fish curries, soups and stews, too. Once I got used to the “style” of it all, then I pretty much started cooking with whatever was left in the kitchen … I seem to run out of coconut milk pretty quick …
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Do not go to scrumps cupcakes. The cupcake was dry and tasted so bad i wanted to spit it back in her face, or at least in a napkin