Gone but not forgotten: Knoxville area restaurants and retailers we miss.

[Ted]

I was curious about Ivanhoe House of Beef. The Cityview article that I just posted has a reference to it opening in 1968, but online records say that it was incorporated in 1976. It was located at 7316 Kingston Pk, home of Copper Cellar and Cappucino's since 1977.

Ivanhoe was founded by Frank Kotsianas, who passed away in 2023. Frank also founded the Brass Rail restaurant at 605 S. Gay downtown in 1959, and Kotsi's Charcoal Grill at Franklin Square in the 80's. He was another of the great Knoxville Greek restauranteurs.

Frank's Brass Rail started out as a deli and pizzeria, but changed into a fine dining establishment in the early 60's. Black angus steaks, oysters and lobster! Being across the street from the Tennessee Theater, Brass Rail courted theatre-goers for dinner plans around the performances.

Frank sold Brass Rail and Ivanhoe in 1977 to fellow Greeks from St. George Greek Orthodox Church, Frank Sipsis and Gus Ligdis.

Brass Rail was open 30 some years. It was forced to close in 1986 by developers who bought the Gay St. building and evicted the remaining businesses. The building was called both the 1872 Building and the Fouche Building. It is gone now, replaced by 615 Gay, which is the Two Centre Square office building.

There was a Brass Rail West for a short time at 8207 Kingston Pike, opening in 1976 and closing in 1977. This was the building, demolished in late 2024, that was home to the Misaki Steak House restaurant. Sipsis and Ligdis built it.

Kotsi's Charcoal Grill was located in Franklin Square where Chop House is currently. Frank opened it in 1986, and closed it at the end of 1991 when he sold it to Mike Connor.

Frank was also the man who brought Darryl's to Knoxville.

I'll take a cue from Mad and post a matchbook cover:

 

[Omar V Tinko]

I was curious about Ivanhoe House of Beef, as I'd never heard of it. The Cityview article that I just posted has a reference to it opening in 1968, but online records say that it was incorporated in 1976. As Thunder Good-Oil said, it was located at 7316 Kingston Pk, home of Copper Cellar and Cappucino's since 1977.

Ivanhoe was founded by Frank Kotsianas, who passed away in 2023. Frank also founded the Brass Rail restaurant downtown across from the Tennessee Theater in the 50's, and Kotsi's Charcoal Grill in the 80's. He was another one of the great Knoxville Greek restauranteurs.

Anybody know anything about Kotsi's Charcoal Grill?

I'll take a cue from Mad and post a matchbook cover:

View attachment 712976

Kotsi’s was in Franklin square. Fantastic prime rib and steaks.
Frank would have Lamb on the menu once a week.
I worked there in the early 90’s.
Interesting note.
Tim Love who owns Lonesome Dove in the old city and several other restaurants in Texas was one of the grill cooks there at the time.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

I think that Ivanhoe’s sometimes had a piano player.

Greek families once dominated restaurant ownership in Knoxville. Regas. Alexander’s. The Quarterback. Sam and Andy’s. Louie’s. Just to name a few.

 

[orangebloodgmc]

I think that Ivanhoe’s sometimes had a piano player.

Greek families once dominated restaurant ownership in Knoxville. Regas. Alexander’s. The Quarterback. Sam and Andy’s. Louie’s. Just to name a few.

And Peroulas!

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

And Peroulas!

And Pero’s. One of Dad’s old haunts.

 

[Ted]

It was sad to see Pero's Bar and Grille in Rocky Hill (Pero's on the Hill) closing in September last year. What a fun, and good, restaurant that was in its time. We wish a happy retirement to Sam Peroulas!

The original Peroula's Restaurant was on Market Square.

The original Pero's was at 4931 Kingston Pike. Previously, that building had housed Dixieland Drive-in. The Pero's building was demolished in the late 00's. There is a BB&T bank branch there now.

Several years ago, Pero's opened a location off I-75 exit 112, at 7535 Connor Road, in the old Aubrey's location. Aubrey's had built, and moved to, a new restaurant at 214 E. Emory Rd. near the "new" Kroger. The Pero's in Powell may have lasted a year at best.

Here's Pero's on the Hill:

 

[Ted]

There's a place in my hometown, Salaam Seafood, that served fried chicken sandwiches the same way. Salaam Seafood, Griffin, GA. They also have whole catfish, fried shrimp, all the fixins, fried fish filets, etc. If you ever pass anywhere near Griffin, this is a must detour. If I'm lyin', I'm dyin'.

Not Knoxville, but I did a quick search on Salaam, and they are now closed. Sorry, @GVF!

Salaam Seafood

Thank you for 37 years! After nearly four decades of serving the community, Salaam Seafood closed its doors Saturday, July 29, 2023. Thank you to our customers near and far for dining with us for 37 years. Our commitment to helping underserved communities will continue through our nonprofit, The

www.salaamseafoodinc.com

 

[GVF]

Not Knoxville, but I did a quick search on Salaam, and they are now closed. Sorry, GVF!

Salaam Seafood

Thank you for 37 years! After nearly four decades of serving the community, Salaam Seafood closed its doors Saturday, July 29, 2023. Thank you to our customers near and far for dining with us for 37 years. Our commitment to helping underserved communities will continue through our nonprofit, The

www.salaamseafoodinc.com

Well crap. Haven't been thru hometown in long, long time.

 

[Ted]

I believe that restaurant in the 70's was the "Brass Rail" (She's talking about the Old Misaki building at 8207 Kingston Pike, recently demolished.)

@Vjcvette - Yes it was!

I was looking up info on Frank's Brass Rail earlier (here's the updated post) and discovered that the later owners of Brass Rail, Frank and Gus, built 8207 Kingston Pike in 1976. Brass Rail West operated there from late 1976 into 1977, when Frank and Gus sold the property and it became a Mediterranean restaurant for a time.

I don't know the timing yet, but at some point in the 80's, it became Kyoto Steakhouse. Kyoto later became Miyabi, and Miyabi became Misaki. Miyabi was there the longest. They were all the same format. Steakhouse, hibachi grill, and sushi bar.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

8207 Kingston Pike. Doodles. It was a very popular spot before there were very many full service national chains in Knoxville to compete with. Jolly Ox (later renamed Steak and Ale after local laws were changed to permit alcohol in the restaurant’s name) and Flanigan’s were rare exceptions. The Hungry Fisherman was a regional full service chain (but serving mostly fast food) that opened in 1976.



When Flanigan’s was a few weeks (or a month or 2) from opening, the newspaper(s) just ran a daily ad with the bearded guy logo without any explanation.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

I don’t know who Lillie Mae Cain was, but she must have owned hundreds of acres (or a thousand plus) on Kingston Pike between West Hills and Mabry Hood.

 

[Vjcvette]

8207 Kingston Pike. Doodles. It was a very popular spot before there were very many full service national chains in Knoxville to compete with. Jolly Ox (later renamed Steak and Ale after local laws were changed to permit alcohol in the restaurant’s name) and Flanigan’s were rare exceptions. The Hungry Fisherman was a regional full service chain (but serving mostly fast food) that opened in 1976.

View attachment 714946

When Flanigan’s was a few weeks (or a month or 2) from opening, the newspaper(s) just ran a daily ad with the bearded guy logo without any explanation.

View attachment 714947

I patronized all of them, but mostly Flanigan's.

 

[VolInNorthCack]

There is this old mansion on the hill on Kingston Pike right next to where Alcoa hwy merges into I-40 or I-75. It used to be called Fleenor's. Anybody remember it? Has it been discussed and I just missed it or forgot? Went to some scandalous parties in that place. The stories that place could tell...

 

[MAD]

Check out this gallery from Knoxville News:

Decade in Knoxville: 1950-1959. Photos through history of East Tennessee

A Decade in Knoxville: 1950-1959. See our photos

See pictures found in the News Sentinel archives from 1950-1959 in Knoxville.

www.knoxnews.com

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Check out this gallery from Knoxville News:

Decade in Knoxville: 1950-1959. Photos through history of East Tennessee

A Decade in Knoxville: 1950-1959. See our photos

See pictures found in the News Sentinel archives from 1950-1959 in Knoxville.

www.knoxnews.com

The original Weigel’s must have been in the back of the spot where the current store is at 3815 Western. 2910 Sanderson, which no longer exists. From the KGIS historical aerials, the building looks to be there in 2016 and was gone in 2018. The drive through roof was there in 1985 but removed by 1995.

I wonder if the zoo entrance in the early pic is still recognizable today or if it’s been dozed and built on top of.

 

[SuzyVol]

The original Weigel’s must have been in the back of the spot where the current store is at 3815 Western. 2910 Sanderson, which no longer exists. From the KGIS historical aerials, the building looks to be there in 2016 and was gone in 2018. The drive through roof was there in 1985 but removed by 1995.

I wonder if the zoo entrance in the early pic is still recognizable today or if it’s been dozed and built on top of.

Seems like there was a Velda Rose Cleaners close to the Weigel;s.