Battle Royale: Pitting the Smoky Mountains Best Eateries Against Each Other

The Peddler vs. The Greenbrier vs. The Appalachian: Which Sevier County top end restaurant is the best?

This is a contest in which – in the end – everyone walks away a winner. Whether you dine at The Peddler, The Greenbrier, The Appalachian or any of the other handful of fine-dining restaurants in the Smokies, you’re walking away with an excellent meal.

Everyone wins. But let’s be honest. Most of us vacation on a budget. Surely some of us can afford to dine at each of these places one night after the other while the rest of us can splurge on one expensive meal.

Can you dine at these places on a budget? Of course. The Appalachian – for instance – has fantastic hamburger that won’t make you want to throw your wallet into the roasting fire in the middle of the kitchen. The Peddler and The Greenbrier each have entrees that won’t break the bank, either. Heck, you can grab the Peddler’s World Famous Salad bar for $20 and be a happy, happy customer.

But dining at these places on a tight budget is a little bit like bowling with the inflatable pads in the gutters, it’s just better to live a little dangerously

What does that mean? It means a meal that can run north of $100 per person quickly. There are some places where that’s not really out of the ordinary. But in the Smokies – where flapjacks and all-you-can-eat-fried catfish have been king – it’s something of a shocker.

Let’s assume you only have one “expensive” dining meal in the budget and on the agenda? How do you choose? Let us break it down for you.

The Appalachian

The crown jewel of Sevierville’s surging foodie scene, The Appalachian represents the height of new school mountain dining. Using ingredients that are locally sourced – or regionally sourced when appropriate – the seasonally-changing menu is an expression of culinary artistry. It certainly stands out – if not alone – in the mountain’s culinary scene. The word I used before and keep coming back to is intention. There’s so much thought and art and science poured out into each plate that you kind of want to applaud at the end of the meal. And there’s a little bit of a challenge – a gauntlet thrown down – if you want to accept it.

Apps –(currently ) include chicken livers and cornbread waffles and buffalo frog legs. I really enjoyed the liver and waffles but was not man enough to tackle the frog legs. Entrée options include the aforementioned hamburger. Yes, I know it seems an affront to come to a place like this and order a hamburger.

Sometimes the heart wants what it wants, such as my beloved roasted quail with mushroom duxelles, pistachio, crispy grit cake and squash puree. There is also an excellent variety of wood-grilled meats from which to choose – which is where you start to get into some real money. Finally, the chocolate apple cake seems like it might be an odd combination of flavors but works really well.

Where The Appalachian stands even further apart is the bar with a whiskey selection that will bring a tear to your eye. There’s also a variety of beers, cocktails and dessert drinks that can double the cost of your meal really quickly.

The Peddler Steakhouse

A Gatlinburg icon, the Peddler is approaching its 50th year in the renovated home of Charles Earl Ogle, Sr., a descendant of the family that founded White Oak Flats – the town that would become Gatlinburg.

The Peddler isn’t out to reinvent the wheel. It finds the stuff that works – custom-cut steaks, classic apps, and sides, and a handful of non-steak entrees. And it is delivered with consistent excellence. But it’s not going to challenge you. It won’t encourage you to push your culinary boundaries.

The most daring menu items are oysters on the half shell and the signature chicken almond soup. As a salad bar aficionado, I appreciate the “World Famous” offering. Every time I go to the Peddler, I tell myself I’m going to pop in some time just to get the salad, but I never do. It’s too hard to be that close to classic steakhouse fare and walk on by.  The Peddler has an extensive list of desserts – Peddler Mud Pie is the choice- and a small list of wines, beers and premium cocktails.

It is – in just about every way – a perfect dining experience.

The Greenbrier

Over the years, I’ve gone back and forth between the Peddler and the Greenbrier – two excellent Gatlinburg restaurants. Depending on the time of the season and the dint of my particular mood, I could rank one above the other. Throw Chesapeake’s in the mix and you’ve got a real conundrum. The Greenbrier – a self-billed food and spirit outpost – is every bit the equal of just about any fine dining establishment in the region.

In terms of offerings, it sits somewhere between The Peddler and The Appalachian. The apps and entrees that are less traditional and more challenging – and slightly more expensive. Apps include the smoked octopus, duck and dumplings, foie gras and bulgogi empanada. Entrees include rack of lamb, pan seared duck and red snapper – probably the world’s tastiest fish.

You’ve got a nice selection of steaks, but the all-time classic is the Beef Wellington, 8 oz. Iowa premium barrel-cut filet of beef, prosciutto, mushroom duxelles and pâté de foie gras wrapped in puff pastry and baked. It’s served medium-rare only with bordelaise sauce. And takes you back to a different time in fine dining.

Like the Appalachian, The Greenbrier offers an extensive selection of bourbons, whiskey and cocktails, some of which can be quite pricey.

Like the other two in this battle, I don’t have anything really negative to say about the experience of dining.

The decision

Am I tempted to call this a three-way tie and chicken out? Yes. But I’m told the algorithm gods don’t care for wishy-washy. Therefore, my recommend to you at this distinct moment in time is: The Appalachian;wins, and second is The Greenbrier with The Peddler coming in at three.

Right now, I am enamored of the level of thought, expertise and artistry that goes into the seasonally adjust menu at The Appalachian. The staff can talk to me about the guy who grew the mushrooms. They also know where the sea salt is harvested from and that they pick their own barrel at the George Dickel Distillery. It’s classic and challenging, familiar and foreign.

I like that The Greenbrier straddles both worlds a bit. Will I order octopus this far from the ocean? Usually no. But I like that the Greenbrier offers this option. I like that in a world of new, boundary pushing entrees, maybe the best thing on the menu is based on a meal enjoyed by a British Duke born seven years before the U.S. declared its independence.

The Peddler came in three on this list but has been ranked higher before. I do love the idea of custom cut steaks that are only limited to the size of the cow it came from. Again, I’m a sucker for a good salad bar and a classic steakhouse shrimp cocktail. If this is the bronze medalist of fine dining in the Smokies – non seafood division, you can be assured that the overall quality to the Smoky Mountain culinary scene is stronger than frequently advertised.

What do you think? Do you have a favorite of the three? Let us know in the comments!