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

Maxwell’s Steak And Seafood – Stuffed Chicken And Baked Potato

Stuffed Chicken

Maxwell's restaurant located on the Parkway in Gatlinburg, Tennessee is a great place to eat. Usually! As was the case, Maxwell's did not have a long waiting list for dinner so we opted in.

Dining at Maxwell's many times before, I knew what I wanted before the menu's came out. Alas, that wouldn't be the cause. Our waitress introduced herself and took our drink and dinner orders. She told us she was new here at Maxwell's and still learning the ropes. I ordered the grilled chicken with lemon and a baked potato.

About 15 minutes later, our dinners arrived. As you can see, this was not what I ordered. It was stuffed chicken breast. At least the baked potato was correct. The stuffed chicken looked good enough and I didn't want to spoil our waitress's good spirits and first week of work so I accepted the dinner without telling her.

The stuffed chicken was well cooked, an adequate proportion, and tasted good. The stuffing was surprisingly good. Of course the baked potato was excellent. I love me some baked potatoes.

The cost was $17.00 without tip and was priced nicely.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 3 out of 5 shots and recommends Maxwell's of Gatlinburg for dinner. I was going to fail Maxwell's for getting the dinner selection wrong, but the waitress was new, she was nice, and the dinner was good.

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1. 
   

   Bob said

   December 3, 2008 at 4:26 pm e
   I would have sent it back right away. If the waitress cant get a simple order correct, then she doesn’t belong there.
   Reply
2. 
   

   Bitzky said

   December 5, 2008 at 11:33 am e
   Heh, my upbringing made me so that I don’t really care if orders get mixed up, unless they bring me something I absolutely can’t eat. I love your food posts. Keep them coming! 
   Reply
3. 
   

   Gumby said

   December 5, 2008 at 12:48 pm e
   You are nicer than me, I would have sent it back.
   Reply
4. 
   

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
   • 
     

Apple Barn Restaurant - Chicken Strip Dinner - Gatlinburg

Apple Barn Chicken Strip Dinner

Right to the main course this time. The Apple Barn restaurant was a favorite place of mine in Pigeon Forge. Imagine my delight when they opened one right on the strip in Gatlinburg. It looks exactly the same outside and inside of the original restaurant. And the food and service, yes, just the same. Excellent.

As you can see, I ordered the fried chicken planks with all the fixins. The chicken was golden brown and tasted excellent. An ample portion was served. You were not going away hungry from this restaurant.

Also with the main course was a baked potato with real butter, a bowl of macaroni and cheese, which was creamy and delicious, and a hot fresh roll with butter.

Apple Barn Menu

Of course, this is the menu, which was clean and easy to read. I hate receiving a menu that has dirt or crud on it. It makes me suspect the food they are preparing in the kitchen. If the menu is dirty, more than likely so is the food.

Apple Barn Apple Fritters

Brought out first were the apple fritters and juice along with several rolls with jelly and butter. Not wanting to fill up before the main course, I only had one.

Apple Barn Chicken Noodle Soup

Although the picture is a little out of focus, the chicken noodle soup was right on. It tasted like home made, with big noodles and chunks of chicken and carrots in a thick broth all steaming hot. A cold, crisp coke completed the meal.

Over all, the waitress was very friendly, helpful, and professional. We were seated quite quickly, and on a busy evening, that doesn't happen all the time. The cost was very reasonable, about 15 dollars before tip.

The Grassy Knoll Institute awards 4.5 out of 5 shots to the Apple Barn restaurant and recommends eating lunch and dinner there.

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Maxwell's Restaurant - Grilled Chicken

Maxwells Of Gatlinburg

Maxwell's Restaurant is located right on the Parkway in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Being in the mood for something different to eat, we ventured in and were greeted by a huge fish tank with apparently our dinner swimming inside. We were met by the hostess and seated right away. (Not a good sign on a busy week during the Smoky Mountain trade show in Gatlinburg) Our waitress took our drink order, (Diet Coke) and then our dinner order which was the grilled chicken in a lemon sauce.

Potato Soup

Instead of the salad, I opted for the soup, which was a wise choice for it was potato soup. A huge assortment of bread was brought to our table with plenty of butter. The potato soup was exquisite, the best potato soup I have ever had. Big chunks of potato, carrots, celery, a hint of bacon, onion, and a very steamy broth that made my mouth water. The bread I passed on.

Grilled Chicken

The main dish came out minutes after our soup and salads were done. The chicken was plentiful, cooked just right, and several added lemon slices were on hand just in case more was needed. A steaming hot baked potato in butter completed the meal.

The chicken tasted great. (It tasted just like chicken!) Very tender, juicy, and just spicy enough. As baked potatoes go, this one was very good.

The cost was just under $30 not including tip.

The Grassy Knoll Diner awards 4.25 out of 5 shots to Maxwell's Restaurant in Gatlinburg and recommends them for dinner.

Addendum: 10/24/2011: Sadly, Maxwell's restaurant has closed. The reason is not known. The sign is still up but no new restaurant seems to be going in anytime soon.

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1. 
   

   Contessa Confessa said

   March 5, 2008 at 11:12 pm e
   I just love a man that delivers… *wink*
   Reply
2. 
   

   LOTGK said

   March 5, 2008 at 11:40 pm e
   There’s plenty more where that came from.
   I was at Stack, Kokomo’s, California pizza, and Carnegie Deli twice this trip. But I’m lazy, it will take a little while to get them posted.
   Reply
3. 
   

   Eddy said

   March 6, 2008 at 1:36 am e
   I thought you were in Las Vegas. or are you behing again.
   Reply
4. 
   

   Jungljim69 said

   March 6, 2008 at 7:25 am e
   You know what gets me LOTGK? You and I both travel extensively. When I look at the meal listed above and add up the cost of the ingredients, (.60 potato, .30 diet coke, 1.00 potato soup and MAYBE .99 worth of chicken and they have the nerve to charge 30.00 for it. I can see maybe charging 10.00. BASTARDS!
   Reply
5. 
   

   LOTGK said

   March 7, 2008 at 12:19 am e
   Excellent point Jim.
   I always wondered the same at the service garage for my car. You can buy the part needed to repair the car for 10 bucks, but then have to pay a mechanic 150 dollars to install it.
   I guess the same goes with restaurants.
   You pay the cook 30 dollars to cook it.
   Plus tip….
   All of them bastards.
   Reply
6. 
   

   Scott said

   April 6, 2009 at 3:47 pm e
   My wife and I try to always get to Maxwell’s every time we are in Gatlinburg. I have always been happy with the quality of the service and the food. Given that it is a local restaurant we weren’t expecting a lot the first time we went in and honestly only did so because it was open later than most other places.
   The trout is good and the beef loin, excellent. The bananas foster is a kick but it’s definitely a dessert for two or more. I agree they are overpriced (what isn’t in Gatlinburg?) but for a couple’s night out I am willing to splurge a little.
   I recently tried getting to their website but the one I found had expired, I went to a to get the phone number to make sure they were still open for business.
   Reply
7. 
   

Aunt Mahalia' s Caramel Apple - Gatlinburg

Aunt Mahalia's Caramel Apple - Gatlinburg

Doesn't this caramel apple look good? Yes, it was. While walking the parkway in Gatlinburg, Tennessee I saw this apple in the window of Aunt Mahalia's candy shop. It was actually calling my name. I replied.

In a nutshell, this caramel apple was one of the best I ever ate. The Grassy Knoll Institute awards 4 out of 5 shots and recommends Aunt Mahalia's caramel apples with a deduction of one point for the price, $2.00, seriously, two bucks for an apple. I guess location, location, location, is the price increase.

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Smoky Mountain Brewery And Restaurant

Gatlinburg, Tennessee has literally dozens of fabulous restaurants to choose from and the Smoky Mountain Brewery and Restaurant is an excellent choice.

The Brewery is of course a micro brewery that has hundreds of brands of beer and spirits but I was there for the food. And the Brewery did not disappoint.

Another nice feature were the many TV sets tuned to all the NFL games and the angles were perfect. Any game we wanted to watch were in eye shot.

After getting seated, the place was packed, but we only waited about 20 minutes, I ordered the Chicken Parmigiana with a side of spaghetti. Toasted garlic bread was also part of the meal.The chicken was excellent, hot, juicy, spicy, and a hearty portion. The spaghetti, supposedly a side order, was huge and delicious. The garlic bread was hot and sealed the deal. The entire meal was almost perfect, including the service, which was fast, courteous, and correct.

The price was very reasonable, around 18 dollars without tip. The Grassy Knoll Institute awards 4.5 shots out of 5 and recommends Smoky Mountain Brewery for dinner.

PS: This is also the restaurant where I stapled up my dollar bill with my LOTGK logo enblazoned on it.

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Texas Roadhouse Restaurant

Texas Roadhouse Restaurant Of Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Located on the Parkway, the popular Texas Roadhouse Restaurant really packs em in. Upon arrival, you receive a beeper and when your table is ready, it begins to hum and red lights flash alerting you that your table is ready. (Expect at least a 45 minute wait on weekends.)The wait was very minimal, and we were seated at a nice table. Rolls to die for were delivered right away. They were hot, fresh, tasty, and served with a cinnamon butter.

A bucket of shelled peanuts was waiting for us on the table. You kind of just swept the peanut shells on the floor when you were finished.

I ordered the chicken strips with bacon and cheese fries and of course a Coke.

The entree was of biblical proportions. Six big pieces of chicken and a moutain of artery clogging cheese fries. The chicken was crunchy and spiced just right. The fries were heaped with bacon and cheese and were crunchy and hot.The service was very good and the order right. The rolls were fresh and hot with cinnamon butter. I have to say that the rolls were the best I ever had at a restaurant.

The cost was just under $20.00 without tip. The Grassy Knoll Institute recommends the Texas Roadhouse and awards 4 out of 5 shots.

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Peddler Steak House - Gatlinburg

The Peddler Steakhouse of Gatlinburg, Tennessee

The Peddler Sign welcomes you to the best steakhouse in the South. The restaurant is packed every night of the week, and for good reason. The steaks and chops are legendary and delicious. There is always a good 1-2 hour wait depending on the time of arrival. The trick is to eat in the open bar and lounge area. We walk straight in and find an open table. Most people are sipping drinks waiting for a table to open up down stairs but we just inform the waiter that we are eating here.

The waiter brought out a basket of hot delicious rolls with butter. He took our order and we proceeded to the salad bar. My Salad was fantastic with big chunks of ham, real bacon, hard boiled eggs, green olives, celery, carrots, several varieties of grated cheese, tomato, and of course lettuce.

The main entree, Filet Mignon, was prepared medium well and I asked for it to be butterflied to ensure it would be done. It was perfect. Absolutely zero fat on the filet and it was very tender and juicy.A baked potato came with the filet and I smothered it with butter. The cokes were bottomless and crisp.

The service, considering the crowd was exceptional. Our meals were promptly served with a smile.

The cost is a little pricey. The Filet dinner was just over $50.00 without tip.

The Grassy Knoll Institute recommends the Peddler for dinner in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and awards 4 out of 5 stars deducting only for the crowd and the cost.

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Parkway Pancake House - Gatlinburg

The Hash Browns Are To Die For

Parkway Pancake House is right on the main drag and Airport road in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We make sure to always stop and have breakfast when visiting this great town.

As you can see, I had scrambled eggs, sausage, pancakes and hash browns. Hot maple syrup and butter completed the meal. The eggs were cooked well, not runny, not burnt. The sausage was cooked well also. And oh, the hash browns, cooked perfectly. To the pancakes. Light, fluffy, with butter and hot maple syrup were fantastic.

The service was excellent. We were seated right away even though there was a crowd. The waitresses were friendly, well trained, and curteous.

The cost, I was amazed, it was under $9.00 without tip. Keep in mind, we were in tourist trap city and all the prices are higher.

The Grassy Knoll Institute recommends Parkway Pancake House and rates it 4.25 shots out of 5.

Sadly, the Parkway Pancake House is closed. It is now Bubba Gumps.

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Open Hearth Restaurant

While in Gatlinburg, Tennessee this past November, I found that the Open Hearth restaurant had closed it's doors. Perhaps they had lost their lease, couldn't afford the property taxes, or just had a bad business plan. Whatever the reason, here is a last meal from the now defunct Open Hearth.

We walked to the foothills of the Smoky Mountains and saw the sign, Open Hearth and walked in. It was very eloquent inside and we were waited on right away. For being a busy evening in Gatlinburg and waiting lists of an hour or more at the other restaurants, this was a pleasant surprise. I asked what the soup of the day was and the waiter said that they didn't have any soup today. Oh well, I went for the Loaded Potato Skins and for the main course, Chicken Parmesan with spaghetti.

My fellow Grassy Knoll Institute scientist tried to order several different appetizers but none were available. Even the main courses were not available. he settled for the prime rib. Five minutes later, the waiter came back and said that he was sorry but the prime rib was also not available that evening. Reluctantly, he settled for the fish.

The potato skins were cooked just right, plenty of bacon, cheese, and no sour cream which I asked to be left off.

The chicken parm was very good as well. A very generous portion with plenty of tangy sauce. The spaghetti was average, a little to rubbery, and almost cold, like they forget to warm it up. But I was so full from the skins and parm, that the spaghetti was left on the plate and not touched.

The cost was just under $30.00 without tip which was reasonable, but not the best. The Grassy Knoll Institute rates Open hearth 2.75 stars out of 5 shots and barely recommends Open Hearth for dinner.

The lights are on, but no one's home.

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Duffs Smorgasbord

Duffs Smorgasbord Of Pigeon Forge

You guessed it. We are staying with the Gatlinburg, Tennessee cuisine for a few more entries. This time, we went to Duffs Smorgasbord in Pigeon Forge. It was Saturday night and Gatlinburg was packed with the lighting of the Christmas lights ceremony plus the Smoky Mountain Gift Show was in town packing the city to above maximum capacity. Hence, all the restaurants had a minimum of one hour wait time. So we set off to the Forge. We spotted the Duffs Sign and pulled in.

The line was short as it was a self serve set up. I quickly paid my $11.95 and got in line. I selected Mac and Cheese and a salad for starters and then went for the main entree pictured above. The fried chicken was crispy, not greasy, hot, and very good. The mashed potatoes were real, not flaky, and the rolls were fresh, hot, and tasty.

For dessert, there was Strawberry Shortcake and Brownies. And you could go back as many times as you wanted. The cokes were bottomless as well. It was a feast indeed. Duffs receives 4.5 out of 5 shots and the Grassy Knoll Institute recommends Duffs Smorgasbord.

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