The place:
Five Guys Burgers and Fries
234 Brookview Centre Way,
Knoxville, TN
The time:
3/25/2011 5pm
The ambiance:
Standard burger join, clad with wooden tables and red/white checkered signs. The seating arrangement is pretty awkward (like a school cafeteria crammed far too tight), but it was a very comfortable and inviting as far as burger joints go.
The food:
Large fries, bacon and cheese dog, barq's red cream soda
The skinny:
Greasy, over the top, and worth every penny. The fries needed seasoning, but knowing that they underwent the conversion from potato to fry just before eating them made them that much cooler. There's a great sign up by the counter that tells you exactly what farm they came from, too. My fries came from a farm owned by a guy named Bob. The amount of customization that your dogs and burgers can undergo is awesome, but be warned, their normal burger is actually two patties. The large fry was enough for 3 or 4 people, and the brown bag was grease stained, like any self-respecting burger bag should be. This place is definitely a special treat, I don't think the average heart could handle this amount of grease more than once a week. Overall, a good joint!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Sugarbuzz
The date:
3/24/2011 3:30pm
The place:
Sugarbuzz
313 North Forest Park Boulevard
Knoxville, TN
The ambiance:
Perplexing. I drove past the bakery several times until I finally realized that it was a large brick house. There was no sign indicating that there was a business inside, and just past a screen door was a sofa and a set of people talking at a kitchen table. Once inside, you're restricted to a small room screened off from a larger area, and are surrounded by wedding cake models. There is no storefront where you can see or pick out any real food, the owner gets it herself from the kitchen and hands it over.
The food:
One dozen mixed variety chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. Livingsocial was used for this purchase.
The skinny:
Aside from the unprofessional-ism of the storefront and the owner not having change for my $1 towards tax, the cupcakes were exceptionally TERRIBLE. Orders need to be placed at least 24 hours in advance, and although I had to wait for the cupcakes, when I got them they weren't fresh at all. The frosting wasn't very sweet, more like a home-made heavily whipped cream that was refrigerated for 12 hrs or so. The cupcakes were also average size, no bigger than you would make in your own home. The cake wasn't very bad, but my fiance claims that the vanilla had a cornbread aftertaste. They were also quite expensive, I paid $15 for the dozen with Livingsocial (they claim it was a $25 value) and now there are 10 sub-par cupcakes in my house that no one wants to eat. Tsk tsk, Sugarbuzz.
3/24/2011 3:30pm
The place:
Sugarbuzz
313 North Forest Park Boulevard
Knoxville, TN
The ambiance:
Perplexing. I drove past the bakery several times until I finally realized that it was a large brick house. There was no sign indicating that there was a business inside, and just past a screen door was a sofa and a set of people talking at a kitchen table. Once inside, you're restricted to a small room screened off from a larger area, and are surrounded by wedding cake models. There is no storefront where you can see or pick out any real food, the owner gets it herself from the kitchen and hands it over.
The food:
One dozen mixed variety chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. Livingsocial was used for this purchase.
The skinny:
Aside from the unprofessional-ism of the storefront and the owner not having change for my $1 towards tax, the cupcakes were exceptionally TERRIBLE. Orders need to be placed at least 24 hours in advance, and although I had to wait for the cupcakes, when I got them they weren't fresh at all. The frosting wasn't very sweet, more like a home-made heavily whipped cream that was refrigerated for 12 hrs or so. The cupcakes were also average size, no bigger than you would make in your own home. The cake wasn't very bad, but my fiance claims that the vanilla had a cornbread aftertaste. They were also quite expensive, I paid $15 for the dozen with Livingsocial (they claim it was a $25 value) and now there are 10 sub-par cupcakes in my house that no one wants to eat. Tsk tsk, Sugarbuzz.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Surin of Thailand
The date:
2/16/2011 7pm
The place:
Surin of Thailand
6213 Kingston Pike
Knoxville, TN
The ambiance:
Very upscale/contemporary. In Thai restaurant tradition, they were closed between lunch and dinner. The ambiance light combines with spot lighting on large and impressive art pieces. The wall closest to Kingston Pike is sculpted, laden with ambient led lighting. The interior of the building is lit in this manner, and although beautiful, the lights are very temperamental, prone to flickering, giving out and randomly surging.
The food:
California rolls with cream cheese, Cashew Nut Chicken, Creme Brulee.
The skinny:
Quite possibly the most impressed I've been with any single restaurant in Tennessee.
California rolls: The rice was perfectly prepared and seasoned. It easily collapsed during eating, so you spent more time tasting than chewing. I enjoyed myself so much that the sushi chef looked very pleased with himself.
Cashew Chicken: Not a Thai dish, I know, but I've not had a well-made plate of this stuff in a few years. Their take on the dish was wonderful, not a thing to complain about.
Creme Brulee: Amazingly wonderful! The only bad thing about it is how fast it disappears once you get a first taste.
2/16/2011 7pm
The place:
Surin of Thailand
6213 Kingston Pike
Knoxville, TN
The ambiance:
Very upscale/contemporary. In Thai restaurant tradition, they were closed between lunch and dinner. The ambiance light combines with spot lighting on large and impressive art pieces. The wall closest to Kingston Pike is sculpted, laden with ambient led lighting. The interior of the building is lit in this manner, and although beautiful, the lights are very temperamental, prone to flickering, giving out and randomly surging.
The food:
California rolls with cream cheese, Cashew Nut Chicken, Creme Brulee.
The skinny:
Quite possibly the most impressed I've been with any single restaurant in Tennessee.
California rolls: The rice was perfectly prepared and seasoned. It easily collapsed during eating, so you spent more time tasting than chewing. I enjoyed myself so much that the sushi chef looked very pleased with himself.
Cashew Chicken: Not a Thai dish, I know, but I've not had a well-made plate of this stuff in a few years. Their take on the dish was wonderful, not a thing to complain about.
Creme Brulee: Amazingly wonderful! The only bad thing about it is how fast it disappears once you get a first taste.
Cities Cupcake Boutique - Knoxville, TN
The date:
3/23/2011, 12pm
The place:
Cities Cupcake Boutique
5201 Kingston Pike Southwest
The ambiance:
The store was cute, the colors were pleasing. This is a pick your food out and leave sort of place, with no seating whatsoever, in a traditional bakery sort of setting.
The food:
New Orleans cupcake. Not custom ordered.
Red velvet cake, cream cheese icing with mardi gras sprinkles
The skinny:
For $3 a cupcake, I was very disappointed. The frosting and cupcake size were fine, but the cake itself was not moist at all. The batter was also a bit on the salty side. The cake texture was a bit more stiff (like a homemade duncan hines concoction that's gone stale).
3/23/2011, 12pm
The place:
Cities Cupcake Boutique
5201 Kingston Pike Southwest
The ambiance:
The store was cute, the colors were pleasing. This is a pick your food out and leave sort of place, with no seating whatsoever, in a traditional bakery sort of setting.
The food:
New Orleans cupcake. Not custom ordered.
Red velvet cake, cream cheese icing with mardi gras sprinkles
The skinny:
For $3 a cupcake, I was very disappointed. The frosting and cupcake size were fine, but the cake itself was not moist at all. The batter was also a bit on the salty side. The cake texture was a bit more stiff (like a homemade duncan hines concoction that's gone stale).
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