Pig and Pie

Pig and Pie, a Nashville barbecue joint that inhabited the food court at Bellevue Center Mall prior to the mall's untimely death, has opened a restaurant at 336 White Bridge Road, which isn't far from Sherry's mom's house. I read a review on the place in the Nashville Scene, and the headline characterizes the quality as "uneven," though the review overall is fairly positive. The restaurant is in the little white house that used to be the home of a Persian restaurant, Hot Kebabs. We've eaten at Hot Kebabs before, and I'm sorry to learn that it has closed. I bet Pig and Pie does well there, though.

Restaurant Review: Becky's Grocery & Grill, Maryville, Tennessee

A year ago I said I wanted to have a meal at Becky's Grocery and Grill, 3856 Laws Chapel Road, Maryville, Tennessee, and last week I finally got around to it. I found it using MapQuest, but it took me a couple of tries, because it is way out in the country in the eastern part of Blount County. One of the roads you travel on to get there is unmarked, so look for the signs to Laws Chapel. Parking is also pretty tight, but it is worth the drive, which is part of the experience. To be honest, I'd never been in that particular part of the county before, and it is quite beautiful, consisting of rolling farmland at the very foot of the mountains.



Upon the recommendation of many, my first meal at Becky's was a hamburger, which I had with milk. The milk was poured from a gallon jug, and the hamburger was quickly cooked to order on a grill that was in plain sight. I noticed a sign on the wall boasting of a 100% health department score, and everyone was friendly and welcoming. I overheard the proprietor, Becky, tell another first-timer who commented on the long, winding drive, "The road gets straighter and shorter every time you drive it." There was also a friendly patron in the place showing a photograph of a raccoon he caught in a coyote trap on his property nearby. It doesn't get much more country than that. He said he eats there about every day, and highly recommended the macaroni and cheese, which Sarah will like.



I thought Becky's place was wonderful, and the prices were about what you'd expect to pay for lunch. The drive from the justice center was about twenty minutes, not counting the time I spent wandering around lost. They are open 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and 11:a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays. The business is yet another Blount County treasure.

Restaurant Review -- The Coffee Shop, Sylva, North Carolina

When we visited our friends in western North Carolina last weekend we drove into Sylva to find a bite to eat for breakfast Saturday morning. We saw a Waffle House on the drive to their place in the mountains south of Cullowhee, but stumbled across the Coffee Shop, which is at 385 West Main Street. The restaurant has been in business 84 years, so they've been doing something right. I had country-style steak, gravy, biscuits and eggs, all of which were delightful. There's nothing I like better when I travel than finding a good, home-town eatery, and the Coffee Shop certainly fit the bill. Sherry, Sarah and I had breakfast for about $28.00, including the tip.

Cook Out Restaurant

While perusing the Knoxville Business Journal yesterday I saw that a hamburger chain from North Carolina, Cook Out, is opening two restaurants in Knoxville. One is on the Cumberland Avenue strip, and the other is on Kingston Pike just west of Papermill Drive. I was curious about whether they sold a burger the way they do at Homer's Windy City Grill in Hickory, where they top their hamburgers with slaw, chili, mustard and onions, so I checked their menu. Sure enough, their Cook Out Style hamburger is served the way they make them at Homer's.