Calhoun’s - Fried Chicken Strips

Calhouns Restuarant

Calhoun's restaurant of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, nestled in the heart of the Parkway is an excellent choice for dinner. They claim to have the best ribs in America. It's hard to argue with that. When we arrived, there was a small crowd waiting outside. We received our pager and were called in about 15 minutes. The waitress seated us at a very nice table.

Fantastic Fried Cheese

Our waitress promptly came to our table and took our drink order. When she returned, she took our dinner orders. I went with the fried cheese sticks and marinara sauce. As you can see, the portion was very generous, 8 pieces. As cheese sticks go, these were very good. The cheese hot and melted, the breading crisp and spicy. The sauce hot and spicy.

Calhouns Chicken Strips

The main course, fried chicken tenders platter. The platter came with 6 large pieces of breaded and battered chicken, a loaded baked potato with butter, cheese, and bacon, and warm fresh rolls. A side of cole slaw completed the platter.

The chicken was excellent. Golden brown, tender, juicy, and breaded perfectly. The baked potato was hot, plenty of butter, cheese, and bacon. I left the cole slaw alone.

The service was tip top even with it being busy. The cost was $20 dollars with drink plus tip.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 4.25 out of 5 shots and recommends Calhoun's of Gatlinburg for dinner.

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1. 
   

   Gumby said

   August 10, 2009 at 9:17 am e
   Calhouns has gotten good reviews from you, you have several already in, if I am ever in Gatlinburg, I will surely stop and partake.
   Reply
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     LOTGK said

     August 10, 2009 at 7:01 pm e
     It will be worth it. Calhoun’s is inexpensive, good service, and good food.
     Reply
2. 
   

   MikeWJ At Too Many Mornings said

   August 11, 2009 at 2:54 am e
   Sounds good, but I have to ask: How much did Calhoun’s pay you for this review? Also, can you cut me in on this deal? I’d do it for a free dinner…..
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     August 11, 2009 at 8:34 am e
     The nerve of Calhoun’s, they actually charged me for the dinner. However, every now and again at restaurants, waiters and waitresses sometimes ask why I’m snapping pictures of my dinner. Sometimes I tell them I’m the health inspector but usually I tell them about my blog.
     Reply
   • 
     

     Max Jackl said

     August 11, 2009 at 9:02 am e
     MikeW has something here. You should publish your restaurant critiques. Maybe then you could eat for free.
     Reply
     • 
       

       LOTGK said

       August 11, 2009 at 12:06 pm e
       Sadly, I do. Right here on my blog. I’m not in it for the money, perhaps maybe the glory, but like when i go to haunted houses, I don’t want to get in free, it may taint my critique.
       Reply
3. 
   

   New Harvey said

   August 11, 2009 at 2:23 pm e
   They are known for their ribs and you order the chicken. WTF!
   Reply
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     LOTGK said

     August 11, 2009 at 8:38 pm e
     Alas, if you would have surfed a little bit on the blog you would have seen that I already critiqued Calhoun’s ribs. Here is the link to it.
     Calhoun’s Ribs Critique
     Reply
4. 
   

   Bitzky said

   August 16, 2009 at 3:24 pm e
   Maaaaan, this is one of the (few) things that makes me want Tennessee to be closer to Sweden *drooooooools*
   Reply
5. 
   

Five Guys Burgers - Cheeseburger And Fries

Five Guys Burgers And Fries

Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips used to stand where Five Guys is now. Arthur's was there for as long as I can remember. Just a little while ago, they closed their doors and Five Guys had the building torn down and erected a new one. Naturally, we had to try the new burger joint.

Five Guys Menu

Parking was easy, as there were only a few cars in the lot. Once inside, of course the place was sparkly clean. It was a brand new building. There were several prominent banners touting how famous Five Guys Burgers were. (I have never heard of them before) Anyway, we bellied up to the counter and placed our orders. I asked for the cheeseburger, large french fries, and regular size diet Coke.

Five Guys Cheeseburger

This is the $4.59 Five Guys cheeseburger. Yes, that's right. Four and a half bucks for this so called "Famous" Five Guys burger. To me, not so much. I will say it wasn't terrible, but after seeing all the accolades posted all over the store, this burger was highly disappointing.

Five Guys Fries In A Cup

This is the $3.79 order of large fries. (Cooked in pure, no cholesterol, tasty peanut oil) Seriously, almost four bucks for a pack of fries. The fries were good, but not $4 dollars good.

Fries At The Bottom Of The Bag

At the bottom of the sack, there were some greasy fries left. I found it very strange to receive my order in a take out bag when we ordered for dining in. They even gave us a tray.

Here's how the dining experience went. Placed order, given an orange tray. Sat down at our table, waited for our number to be called. 10 minutes later our number was called, our order was packed in a take out sack. We were handed two empty plastic cups, the server motioned to the Coke dispenser on the left, we filled our cups, took the sack to our table, separated our dinners. No napkins were on the table, looked for napkins, found none, looked for salt, ketchup, mustard, found none. Asked the server, we had to go back to the counter to ask, we ate our dinner, and left.

Let's tally the dinner tab. A $4.59 cheeseburger, a $3.79 order of fries, and a $1.59 regular size diet Coke. What you see here is $9.97 of food. Sadly, McDonalds has better tasting burgers and fries and a hell of a lot cheaper. MsDonald's offers you a double cheeseburger for 99 cents, a large order of fries for $1.79 and a regular diet Coke for 79 cents for a total of $3.57 of food.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 2 out of 5 shots and DOES NOT recommends Five Guys for lunch or dinner.

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Calhoun’s - BBQ Ribs And Fries

I Did What The Sign Said To

Calhoun's of Gatlinburg is famously known for its BBQ ribs. Naturally, I had to order them. It was November, during the Smoky Mountain Gift Show, so the city was crowded, and Calhoun's had about a 30 minute waiting list. We mulled around outside until our name was called.

We were seated and a minute later our waiter came to our table and took our drink order and appetizer order. I went with a diet coke. A few minutes later, he took our main dinner order. Or course, I went with the famous BBQ spare ribs with a side of french fries.

The service was incredible for a busy evening, my coke was refilled, and my ribs were delivered to my table in under 10 minutes.

Calhouns Fall Off The Bone Ribs

As you can see, the ribs were plentiful, and this was the half order. The BBQ sauce was just spicy enough and the ribs, well, they were hot, tender, and juicy. The meat almost fell off the bone. The fries were good as well, but pretty much forgotten due to the taste of the ribs. And yes, the waiter brought plenty of napkins as they were needed.

The cost was $13 dollars for the half slab without tip. The price included fresh bread and rolls and one side which for me was the french fries. All in all, a good experience.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 4 out of 5 shots and recommends Calhoun's of Gatlinburg for dinner.

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1. 
   

   Longfellow said

   April 6, 2009 at 8:30 am e
   I have eaten there and agree, the ribs and service were darn good. I was there in the summer though, not when it was busy.
   Reply
2. 
   

   Gumby said

   April 7, 2009 at 12:52 pm e
   I love ribs. The hotter the better sauce.
   Reply
3. 
   

   Bitzky said

   April 7, 2009 at 7:24 pm e
   Oh dear , you just gave me the biggest cravings for ribs! They really look delicious.
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     April 8, 2009 at 8:59 am e
     I wasn’t surprised, they looked and smelled delicious.
     Reply
4. 
   

   Wraak said

   April 8, 2009 at 5:30 pm e
   those french fries look marvellous too. me wants.
   Reply

Crowne Plaza Hotel Room Service – Cheeseburger And Chicken

Chicago Crowne Plaza Room Service

Sometimes when I'm on the road, I am just to tired to go out for dinner. At those times I rely on room service. Sometimes you get the bull, sometimes the bull gets you. Today, I got the bull. As in a side of beef.

I was in Chicago for a trade show and stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, just a quarter mile from the convention center. The flight was long and late. Tonight I would dine in room. I dialed up room service and ordered a bacon cheeseburger, fries, and an appetizer of chicken planks. And of course a Coke.

Twenty minutes later there was a knock at my door. My dinner had arrived. I signed and tipped and the waiter was on his way.

As you can see, the portions were huge. I underestimated the generosity of the Crowne. The bacon was crisp, thick, spicy, and hot. Three thick pieces covered the burger. The cheese was spicy and was also generous. The burger itself was a half pound of grade A beef. Perfectly cooked and juicy. The bun was lightly toasted and buttered. Combined, it was one hell of a cheeseburger.

On to the chicken planks. Lightly golden browned, crisp, tender chicken, with just the right spices. Very good. And let's not forget the fries. Very crisp, not soggy and undercooked. Very little grease present on them. And they were hot and very tasty.

All this for around $25 dollars with tip and room charge. Pretty damn good.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 3.5 out of 5 shots and recommends the cheeseburger from the Crowne Plaza hotel in Chicago for dinner.

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Calhoun's - Cheeseburger And Fries

Calhouns Of Gatlinburg

Calhoun's on the Parkway located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee is well known for it's excellent tasting ribs. I know from personal experience but tonight, I was looking for something else on the menu.

Warm Rolls

Our waiter brought out some hot delicious rolls with warm butter that were almost heavenly. He took our appetizer and dinner orders. Yes, its crazy, but I ordered the cheeseburger in a restaurant famous for it's BBQ ribs. But, I had already had the ribs and they will be critiqued in an upcoming post.

Enough To Clog Your Heart

Our appetizer was fried cheese sticks. Ten of them with a tangy tomato sauce. They were brought out in a timely manner and were hot and delicious. Calhoun's fried cheese sticks were some of the best that I ever tasted.

Calhouns Cheeseburger

Our dinner orders were delivered to our table right on time. The cheeseburger was hot, juicy, and delicious. I ordered it well done and it was perfect. The bun was toasted just right and had plenty of cheese. The fries were cooked to a golden brown, and were crunchy, and just right.

The cost was just under $20 bucks without tip which is pretty fair considering the quality and quantity of food served.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 4 out of 5 shots and recommends Calhoun's of Gatlinburg for dinner.

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1. 
   

   Craig Of The Avenue said

   December 9, 2008 at 4:31 pm e
   You didn’t buy the ribs, at a rib place, famous for ribs, pretty ballsy.
   Reply
2. 
   

   Bitzky said

   December 11, 2008 at 12:08 pm e
   Why no ribs? And I must say that the rolls look really fresh.
   LOTGK Replies:
   I already ordered the ribs previously but have not yet added them to the site. I’m lazy. But I will get them up there for they were delicious.
   Reply

Smoky’s Sports Bar – Cheeseburger - Fries - cheese

Smokys Sports Pub

It was Saturday night, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and Joe wanted to see the rest of the Penn State game. We decided to pay Smoky's Sports Pub And Grill a visit. We walked in and there were plenty of TV sets with the football games on which was a good sign and the hostess came over and seated us right away. She asked what game we wanted to see and sat us accordingly.

Smokys Cheese Sticks

In a few minutes, our waiter appeared and took our drink order and appetizer order. I was feeling daring and ordered the cheese sticks. Ten minutes went by and no drinks but we got the cheese sticks. We placed our dinner orders and asked for our drinks.

I noticed that there were no napkins, no plates, no salt, no pepper, nothing on the table. After waiting a few minutes I went and flagged down our waiter. He looked startled! I said could we please get our drinks and perhaps a few napkins and plates. He said sure in just a few minutes. I went to the kitchen and got them myself.

The cheese sticks were OK, a little cold because we waited so long and two of them were empty. Just sticks, no cheese. Say that real fast.

Smokys Cheeseburger

My dinner order was a standard fare cheeseburger and steak fries. It came in a basket. There was no ketchup, mustard, well, you get the point. At least it was hot.

Actually, the cheeseburger tasted all right. It was well cooked, hot, fresh, (As fresh as frozen patties go) and the bun was toasted and not soggy. All in all, it was OK.

The steak fries however, choke, choke, they were terrible. A soggy mess of what once were potatoes in the bottom of the plastic basket. I choked down a few and performed the last rites on the rest of them.

The cost was 15 dollars for the empty sticks and burger, and a glass of water. A little steep for what you got.

Our drinks finally arrived halfway through dinner. The waiter said, hey, its one of those days man. Same right back at yea with your tip man.

Well, Joe was sad that Penn State lost and probably missed the chance for the BCS national championship game, but they would live to play another day. (Can't say the same for the fries though) And yes, I gave him only 15% for a tip.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 2.25 out of 5 shots and does not recommend Smoky's for dinner. Sidenote: if you find that all the other restaurants are packed, and sometimes in Gatlinburg on a Friday and Saturday night during certain events they are, then go to Smoky's just to get something to eat but expect bad service.

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1. 
   

   Soup Cop Jean said

   November 25, 2008 at 2:26 pm e
   I’ll take your word that it was good tasting. it doesn’t from the picture. So what the burger was just tossed on top of the fries. And I see a black plastic fork there.
   Reply
2. 
   

   Louise Wheeler said

   November 29, 2008 at 8:08 am e
   We ate at Smokey’s 2 times during our stay in Gatlinburg. We found the food pretty good. The portions were good, the food was served quickly and was served hot. The food is bar food, so we didn’t expect any thing exceptional but it was tasty and for the price and atmosphere (football), we will definintely return.
   Reply
3. 
   

   Gumby said

   December 5, 2008 at 12:51 pm e
   Should be renamed to Smokys Greasy Spoon.
   Reply
4. 
   

   Michele said

   March 28, 2009 at 4:51 pm e
   My visit to smokeys was not very good. The pizza was good, but the bar tender jessica kept thrusting her boobs in my husbands face. In front of my child. I was very upset. She even tried to sit on his lap. She was rude to me and did not refill my drink until my husband took my glass to the bar and asked her to get me another. I actually checked to see if she spit in it.
   I do not recommend this place until they get rid of her.
   Reply
5. 
   

   Craig Plaisance said

   July 10, 2009 at 4:16 pm e
   We just came back from smokeys, very angry.
   The service was very bad, the waitress and waiter were very rude. I ordered ceasar salad and soup, the plate of salad came full, but only on the top was fresh lettuce, at the bottom it was just very dry leaves (almost half of the plate), i have never seen something like that served in a restaurant, just like garbage. I told the waiter and he just took it back to the kitchen and left me there, they didn’t do anything. No sorry, nothing. Never go back there again. I don’t recommend people to eat there, food is crapy however the price is same as if you go to a very good restaurant. They even don’t give you napkin, they just put paper roll like bad paper towel.
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     July 11, 2009 at 2:30 pm e
     Too bad you didn’t read my blog before visiting. It may have saved you a bad dinner experience.
     Reply
   • 
     

Rosie O'Grady Restaurant And Bar - Fish And Chips

Rosie O' Gradys Restaurant And Bar New York

Being Irish, I have an soft spot for Irish cuisine. While In New York, we were drawn to the huge red neon sign that shone outside Rosie O'Grady's. Thinking it was an Irish restaurant, we went in for dinner. We were in luck, it wasn't packed yet, and we were seated in about 10 minutes.

Rosie O'Gradys Fish And Chips

Being that Rosie O'Grady's is an Irish restaurant, and their specialty of the house was fish and chips, I decided not to tempt fate and went with the special. Fresh bread and butter was brought to the table almost immediately as we sat down. It was very good.As you can see, the portions were generous, with four large beer battered fried cod with chips, (Flat fries) and a coke to finish the meal. The batter was deep fried to a crispy outside and a flaky moist inside. A squeezed lemon on the fish was the only topping I used. And well, ketchup for the fires, or chips.

Rosie O'Grady Apple Pie Dessert

Dessert was apple pie ala mode. The portion was average size, and it tasted good, but there was some type of paper wrapper on the plate as well. I don't know if the apple pie was frozen and the wrapper sort of stuck to the bottom, but that was the last bite I took just to be safe.The service was good, the restaurant was clean and efficient, the food hot, well prepared, and cooked to order, and the price was around $20 dollars excluding tip. Points are deducted for the dessert.

The Grassy Knoll Institute awards 3 shots out of 5 shots and recommends Rosie O'Grady's for dinner. (But not dessert)

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Bantry Bay Irish Pub - New York Cheeseburger

Bantry Bay

Back in February, while attending the Toy Fair, a huge blizzard canceled my flight back to Youngstown and I had to scramble for lodging for the evening or stay trapped at the airport all night. I supposedly got lucky and found a room at the Best Western hotel about 10-12 miles from LaGuardia airport, New York. Being that the Best Western did not have a restaurant, and I did not have a rental car, my options were to go hungry or find a place to eat within walking distance. (I should have went hungry)

The Bantry Bay Bar is located just on the outskirts of Brooklyn, within walking distance of the Best Western hotel and since I was walking in blizzard conditions and I was hungry,  Irish food it was.

The Sign On The Wall Said...

Walking into the joint I was greeted with this sign. At least there weren't any bugs. And no employee's either. The place was deserted which is never a good sign. A few shout out hello's and a blond waitress appears from the back room, smiles, and told me to take a seat anywhere. She handed me a menu and said she would be right back for my order.

Yes - I Said Cheese Balls

My order started with an appetizer of cheese balls with marinara sauce. I won't say these were tasteless, or terrible, but I will certainly print it.

Not The Cheeseburgers You're Looking For

My main order was a cheeseburger and french fries. When it arrived to my table, things were looking up as the cheeseburger looked pretty enticing. Until I took a bite. I have to say, it was one of the worst tasting burgers I ever encountered. Being very hungry, I managed to choke about half of it down and relied on the adequate at best fries to fill my hunger desire.

The cost for this meal was about $20 not including tip.

The Grassy Knoll Institute awards 1.25 shots out of 5 and does not recommend the Bantry Bay bar located in Brooklyn, New York.

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1. 
   

   Slub said

   December 21, 2007 at 2:21 am e
   aah. I think I posted a comment to the other blog…
   Anyway. Do you know how I can put a mp3 into my posts?
   That cheeseburger looked good until I read that it sucked.
   Reply
2. 
   

   GIDave said

   December 21, 2007 at 4:31 pm e
   Looks can be deceiving huh. What did it taste like? Just burned, or raunchy tasting.
   Reply

Canters Deli Las Vegas - Turkey Sandwich

Canter's Deli At Treasure Island

On my most recent trip to Las Vegas, I stopped at Canter's Deli, an in house restaurant at Treasure Island Casino. They have several great places to eat, which I will critique at a latter time but lets get to Canter's.

The restaurant area was set up as an almost self serve type. You would order from the window, pay, and move your tray down the line. I ordered a turkey breast, American cheese sandwich on a Kaiser roll. Added french fries and a coke.

It was only a five minute wait and the order was correct. The cost was under 20 bucks. Not bad in Vegas.

I found a table with a view to the wide screen TV's around the restaurant. The tables were clean and comfortable. The turkey fresh and good, the bun fresh, and the fries, well, its hard to describe. They were crunchy yet fluffy. Very unique quality.

They did not skimp on the turkey, or the cheese and the fries were plenty. All in all, good value for the price.

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The Grassy Knoll Institute gives 3.5 shots out of 5 and recommends Canter's Deli.