Your Latest Experience Dining Out

#1
Tin Man

Tin Man

Dirt's Childhood Playmate
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#1
VN has threads about old favorites in Knoxville and chain restaurants. We acknowledge the fading of TGI Fridays, Bennigans, O'Charley's, and other established regional and national chains. This thread is to post your latest discovery, good or bad, local, regional, or ambitious to be national. So, when and where did you try something new?
 
#2
#2
The missus and I dined at First Watch this past Sunday (they recently opened in Buford, GA and have other locations in the north metro Atlanta area). Yeah, they serve Gen-Z avocado toast, but they also have some different twists of note. I tried the seasonal special - ciabatta plank topped with braised short rib, baby arugula leaves, and two poached eggs. My wife tried a smoked salmon frittata with tomatoes which had been dry aged to intensify their flavor (a common practice on the Amalfi coast). It was good. Dishes were ~$10 to $14.
 
#4
#4
Best place in Atlanta to eat Hankook Taquiera. Korean BBQ. Hole in the wall place on the west side of town.
Hankook | Takorea
Got to get the sesame fries. Had a bunch of stuff and it has all been fantastic. Cheap and near drinking places if you want to make it a full day out.

They have spawned several other places with names like Takorea or Yumbi.

Only issue is you pretty much have to drive to get there.
 
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#6
#6
For anyone headed through Birmingham, there is still a LA Paz in Mountain Brook. Despite TexMex being easy to find nowadays, I still miss the Green Hills/Nashville location. They got squeezed out of their lease and moved to a high rent area near Vandy where they couldn't make it work.
 
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#7
#7
Wife sends me to Panera for take out. French Onion Soup and grilled cheese. "Oh we don't have French Onion anymore, it's more of a seasonal thing". I have never, never, and I do mean never, ever been to a Panera Bread and NOT had French Onion Soup on the menu. They got $0.00 out of me yesterday. that was the only reason to go to that overpriced place in the first place. Bojangles benefitted from that faux pa.
 
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#8
#8
LouderVol said:
Best place in Atlanta to eat Hankook Taquiera. Korean BBQ. Hole in the wall place on the west side of town.
Hankook | Takorea
Got to get the sesame fries. Had a bunch of stuff and it has all been fantastic. Cheap and near drinking places if you want to make it a full day out.

They have spawned several other places with names like Takorea or Yumbi.

Only issue is you pretty much have to drive to get there.
Click to expand...


West side ?? Nah, don't think so. Unless you are talking way, way west.
 
#9
#9
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#10
#10
Some really good casual places that immediately come to mind:

Tremont Tavern in Chattanooga
Basecamp in Chattanooga
Champy's in Chattanooga (could go on and on about Chatt, but I'll stop there)
Saw's in Birmingham
Ninfa's in Houston (original Ninfa's on Navigation)
 
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#12
#12
Some parts of close in West ATL are gentrifying, others are being redeveloped into $500k+ cluster homes. Still others are the new multi-cultural Gen-Z cool spots with hip spaces in old buildings and fast climbing rents.
 
#13
#13
LouderVol said:
I wouldn't consider Underwood Hills way way west. but like I said you do have to drive to it so *shrug*
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Collier has history. It's always had the cool sub-text to it. The original location of US Bar y Grill. I miss that place.
 
#14
#14
If you find yourself in the Tri, don't miss out on Maple Street Company in Johnson City. Everything there is just awesome. It's my most recent obsession in restaurants.
 
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#16
#16
GVF said:
Also in West TN...Jack's Creek BBQ. In Jacks Creek. Which may still only be a rural intersection. On Hwy 1oo east of Henderson. (And Brooksie's Barn in Jackson, if still around).
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Wow. I haven’t been to Brooksie’s Barn in more than 25 years. If I’m in Jackson I really like Rock ‘n Dough Pizza and Brewing. Also, Coyote Blues is a TexMex place but they have an amazing hamburger.
 
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#17
#17
GVF said:
Wife sends me to Panera for take out. French Onion Soup and grilled cheese. "Oh we don't have French Onion anymore, it's more of a seasonal thing". I have never, never, and I do mean never, ever been to a Panera Bread and NOT had French Onion Soup on the menu. They got $0.00 out of me yesterday. that was the only reason to go to that overpriced place in the first place. Bojangles benefitted from that faux pa.
Click to expand...

I used to love Panera, but they kept taking things off the menu that I liked, so my desire to go there kept going down. I've really come to love Zoe's Kitchen in their place. I do have to thank Panera for their Kitchen Sink cookie though, it is amazing at 800 calories! Had one, and never again, but I found a recipe that I now make my own and they are a huge hit with the family.
 
#18
#18
@Tin Man I think you should change this to your last Out to Eat Dining experience. I go out to eat once a week. My last one was at Ruth Chris for the birthday celebration. Steaks and sides were very enjoyable. Not a fan of their cheesecake.

MVIMG_20191012_183424.jpg
MVIMG_20191012_191151.jpg
 
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#19
#19
Yes, I heed the members of the majority (women) and respond to the good suggestions received. Am I an enlightened male human? Please, don't ask my wife that question. Rather, let it be said that I've been alive long enough to have learned a thing or two, despite the disadvantage of my gender.
 
#20
#20
volwindy said:
I used to love Panera, but they kept taking things off the menu that I liked, so my desire to go there kept going down. I've really come to love Zoe's Kitchen in their place. I do have to thank Panera for their Kitchen Sink cookie though, it is amazing at 800 calories! Had one, and never again, but I found a recipe that I now make my own and they are a huge hit with the family.
Click to expand...
Is it just me, or about 15 years ago did Panera Bread have a borderline Starbucks/Chick-fil-A/In-N-Out kind of devoted following to it, and it lost it's mojo?

I remember Panera being one of the first restaurants to have free WiFi, and they were on the front end of the this whole "clean eating" thing. It seems like now Panera is just another fish in the sea - there are tons of places with WiFi and healthier, fresher food. I personally have never found their food to be anything special.
 
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#21
#21
05_never_again said:
Is it just me, or about 15 years ago did Panera Bread have a borderline Starbucks/Chick-fil-A/In-N-Out kind of devoted following to it, and it lost it's mojo?

I remember Panera being one of the first restaurants to have free WiFi, and they were on the front end of the this whole "clean eating" thing. It seems like now Panera is just another fish in the sea - there are tons of places with WiFi and healthier, fresher food. I personally have never found their food to be anything special.
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I cant’ stand this about Panera.

They have an incredibly nervy policy, where when you order your food up front, a screen automatically pops up and asks if you want to tip the Cafe Staff,

Huh?? How do I know if I want to tip if I have not even received any service or food yet at that point. Really dumb, nervy, and incredibly tacky.

And on top of that, this screen pops up even if you are doing a takeout order, even just for a danish or cookie.

Are you kidding? LAME
 
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#22
#22
mad4vols said:
I cant’ stand this about Panera.

They have an incredibly nervy policy, where when you order your food up front, a screen automatically pops up and asks if you want to tip the Cafe Staff,

Huh?? How do I know if I want to tip if I have not even received any service or food yet at that point. Really dumb, nervy, and incredibly tacky.

And on top of that, this screen pops up even if you are doing a takeout order, even just for a danish or cookie.

Are you kidding? LAME
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True, although a ton of places have that. There's a local place I go to somewhat often and picked up food from this weekend. Called in the order ahead of time and went inside to the counter. Paid using one of those POS programs that runs on an iPad. It showed the total with buttons underneath for tips of 15, 20, 25%, or a custom amount. I always see that and think "...uh, a tip for what?" At least you can always just select "no tip."
 
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#23
#23
While on vacation we went to the Southern Cafe in Watercolor because MIL just had to eat there. Over a 2 hour wait because they do not take reservations, waiter had an attitude and the service was slow as molasses. Then to top it off I ordered the shrimp and grits and the shrimp still had the shells on them. Who the hell wants to dig through grits to get the shrimp then de-shell them just to put them back into the grits?

I give the Southern a thumbs down.
 
#24
#24
this isn't a new finding but it still stands out as one of my favorite places anywhere....best cajun/New Orleans cuisine I ever tasted....and a very festive atmosphere....best shrimp and grits I have ever had...and Henry is a really great guy it seems...anytime we go near Atlanta we always allow some extra time to go there.

Henry's Louisiana Grill – Come Taste the Good Times
 
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#25
#25
GVF said:
Also in West TN...Jack's Creek BBQ. In Jacks Creek. Which may still only be a rural intersection. On Hwy 1oo east of Henderson. (And Brooksie's Barn in Jackson, if still around).
Click to expand...

Jack’s Creek is one of my favorite BBQ spots.
 
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