The Grub Scout

Columnist

As 2017 winds down, I’m taking my annual look back at the 50-something establishments I visited throughout the year. As always, I will point out that this is NOT a list of the overall top 10 restaurants in Knoxville but simply my favorite 10 of the ones I reviewed this past year. In the order they were visited:

Tandur Indian Kitchen

I know a restaurant lands among my favorites of the year when I go back for repeat visits on my own time and my own dime. This Bearden eatery was a newbie when a friend and I visited in January, and between us, the Punjabi chicken tikka and the lamb meatball in korma sauce really scratched that Indian-food itch. I also appreciated Tandur’s cheery atmosphere and modern, fast-casual twist on ethnic cuisine.

Sanctuary Vegan Café

It’s nice when an eatery also has a mission, and in this case, it’s to provide sanctuary for abused and neglected animals, including farm animals. So no meat to be found here, but rather, the likes of a chipotle burger and lentil meatloaf, which The Grub Spouse and I found both tasty and satisfying. Fried tofu sticks, beet burgers and quinoa lemon spinach quiche were also among the vegan-friendly options.

Szechuan Garden Chinese Restaurant

This Chapman Highway restaurant has been around awhile, but it was new to The Spouse and me when we stopped in for dinner back in March. The expansive menu covers all the Chinese-food bases, from chop suey to General Tso’s chicken. I feasted on a multi-dish combo featuring twice-cooked pork, while The Spouse had the beef and broccoli. Both dishes were outstanding.

Pho 99

This place rehabilitated pho for me in the wake of a food-poisoning episode I had suffered after eating pho at a different establishment back in 2010. In addition to a delicious bowl of pho tai with sirloin as a main ingredient, I dined on a banh mi cha lua (Vietnamese ham sandwich), while The Spouse loved the com thit nuong (charbroiled pork). An order of grilled barbecue pork rolls rounded out our meal.

Landing House

After an uneventful summer of Grubbing, I hit my stride in September with this new South Knox restaurant. Operating out of a converted frame house, this folksy eatery specializes in Asian cuisine; spring rolls (served cold), Cambodian pho (See? Rehabilitated!), char sui pork-fried rice and banana cake comprised what turned out to be a solid meal all around.

Wild Eggs

Knoxville got its own franchise of this chain of breakfast-focused restaurants, and my visit to Western Plaza turned out to be an unexpected delight. From its bright interior color palate and conscientious service to its menu of sweet and savory morning favorites, Wild Eggs delivered the goods. The Lox and Bagel Bennie (Eggs Benedict) and the cream-cheese-filled French toast were both superb.

The Farmacy

I wrapped up a banner September with a visit to this Northshore Drive eatery that features scratch-made meals made with fresh and natural foods sourced from local growers. I wound up landing on The Cure-All – a grilled-salmon sandwich, while The Spouse had the hot chicken, a Nashville-style treatment of fried chicken served on Texas toast with house-made pickles and buttermilk dressing.

The Walnut Kitchen

Blackberry Farm alumnus David Rule opened this semi-upscale restaurant near downtown Maryville this fall, and it went over big with The Spouse and me thanks to its accessibly rustic setting and a meat-centric menu that, for us, offered up fried chicken lollipops, a 14-ounce strip steak and cider-brined pork tenderloin. The banana pudding and the goat cheese cheesecake with bourbon caramel and bourbon peach jam both made for sweet meal closers.

Maple Street Biscuit Company

Here’s another chain that made its incursion into the Knoxville market in 2017. Yep, it’s all biscuits all the time (at least during operating hours) at this West Knoxville dining spot. The menu lays out 10 signature biscuits, many of which are filled with chicken and feature additional toppings like dill pickles, honey mustard, bacon and goat cheese. Yummers.

Merelli’s Italian Cuisine

This Italian-village-themed restaurant is tucked away between Kingston Pike and Sutherland Avenue, but it’s worth Googling the directions to it. Our authentic Italian menu included dishes like carpaccio, Ravioli con Ragu and Scaloppine al Limone, all of which The Spouse and I savored before saving room for the requisite but delish dish of tiramisu.

Honorable Mention: Pizzeria Nora, Fat Joey’s 2 Street Deli, Love Shack, Scrambled Jake’s, Elkmont Exchange.