A local’s guide to the best restaurants Italian Restaurant’s in Pigeon Forge Pigeon Forge menus are chocked to the gills with pasta, pizza, salad and sandwiches – all boasting authentic pasta flavors. But do you want good Italian food in the region? Altruda’s in West Knoxville has some of the best Italian food in East Tennessee. It’s worth the drive if
Smoky Mountain native shares secret of where locals eat in Gatlinburg In East Tennessee, we locals keep the secrets that need keeping. The best trout fishin’ holes? You’d better know somebody. But other secrets we don’t worry so much about. For example, where are the best places to eat in town? Heck, we’ll shout directions to strangers on the highway if we
A local’s guide to the best restaurants in Gatlinburg In essence, Gatlinburg’s economy is built upon a three-legged stool of tourism commerce: Lodging, entertainment and food. And it’s probably not in that order. People come to Gatlinburg to do a lot of things, but eating remains dang near the top of the list. As such, there is a cornucopia of options. Indeed, a plethora
A New Wave of Taco Restaurants Puts the Classic Mexican Dish on the Frontline of the Smoky Mountain Culinary Scene For decades, the Smoky Mountain dining scene has been dominated by the ubiquitous pancake house, all following a similar mode. Open for breakfast and lunch with menus featuring familiar breakfast favorites and a handful of sandwiches and burgers. The model
Celebrating the Unique Dining Spots in the Smokies Mimicry in the Smokies is king. Success breeds imitation. That’s why everywhere you look, it’s pancake houses and go-kart tracks and mountain coasters as far as the eye can see. But the Smokies isn’t all about imitation. Some folks eye the landscape and decide to carve their own path. When everyone else
While many Smoky Mountain Restaurants are marketed as being a ‘mom and pop,’ these are as authentic as you’ll get As a writer, I sometimes become attached to the literal meaning of words or ideas. You spend your life mulling the minutia of second and third definitions – or fourth or fifth – and you can get a little lost
These are the 6 most irresistible desserts in the Smokies according to a local I’ve always believed that half of the experience of a Smokies vacation is experiencing the local cuisine. From chicken and dumplings to barbeque, you have to admit, East Tennesseans know how to get the most out of some good old-fashioned southern homestyle cooking. But a tragically
A local reviews Mel’s Classic Diner in Pigeon Forge There is a reason the classic American diner has endured from its heyday in the 1950s into modern times. And it goes well beyond nostalgia. You give the right person a griddle and a few classic ingredients, and magic happens. There are a lot of great dining options in the mountains,
A Smoky Mountain native offers his opinion on Calhoun’s in Gatlinburg I remember the first time I set foot in a Calhoun’s restaurant, the iconic East Tennessee dining tradition. It was 1994 and the NCAA tournament Men’s Regionals was in Knoxville at Thompson-Boling Arena. In fact, basically right across the street from Calhoun’s on the River. My stepdad suggested we
A chef-driven restaurant is changing the possibility of what dining in the mountains can be I’ve thought a lot about the right words to use about my new favorite restaurant in the Smokies. Words that can convey the experience without seeming like they’re hyperbole or exaggeration. I’ve thought a lot about the peculiar combination of artistry, science, passion, and expertise