Chattanooga Foodie Tour
Recently, this blog's administrator spent several days in the Chattanooga area, where down home cooking (BBQ, soul food, southern cuisine, and more) was a highlight of my visit. What follows is a brief report of some of the scrummier meals I had while there. All the restaurants are extremely low budget options, except for the upscale (yet understated) Canyon Grill, which is still reasonably priced and very good value for money.
By no means is this an exhaustive list of good eats in the Chattanooga area. However, it must be said that getting beyond the Cracker Barrel curtain to some authentic, local cuisine can be a bit of a challenge. One great resource that I used to get beyond the mega-chain restaurants was Chowhound co-founder Jim Leff's CHOW Tour Dispatch #25: "I Heart Chattanooga".
Bon appétit y'all!
Old Plantation BBQ
1515 Dodson Ave
Chattanooga,TN 37406
(423) 624-8105
Wow! Despite a tight schedule and a full agenda, I luckily managed to eat here twice during my visit. Some of the best BBQ I've ever tasted - the pulled pork almost melted in my mouth. I highly recommend a visit to this popular, humble take-out joint (there are a couple of concrete tables in the parking lot). Get stuffed here for under $10 (the pulled pork sandwich costs $5 and will keep you satiated for hours).
Pitmaster Eatery
2004 Dodds Avenue (at East 19th Street?)
Chattanooga Tennessee 37404
Heading home from Old Plantation, I drove by Pitmaster Eatery and made a mental note to return the next day for lunch. I'm so glad I did. This friendly, homey place served me up some of the best fried okra and hot wings I've ever had. Unfortunately, they were closed for the holidays during the rest of my visit. Otherwise, I would have gone back to sample more of their menu. To spend more than, say, $7 per person here would require Herculean effort!
Southern Star
1206 Market St
Chattanooga, TN 37402
(423) 267-8899
http://southernstarrestaurant.com/
Clean airy dining space, efficient friendly service, simple fresh home-style cooking with quality ingredients - all at a decent price. Southern Star is a no brainer. Approximately $10 per person will get starters, mains, drinks and dessert for lunch!
La Altena
314 W Main St
Chattanooga, TN 37408
(423) 266-7595
Regretfully, I don't have any pics of this great Mexican restaurant. I've been a fan of this taqueria for years now, and I'm glad to report that their food's gotten better! Seemingly tired of burrito slinging to gringos, our waiter was delighted when my wife and I ordered the chicken mole and the homemade tamales. He actually thanked us for ordering them! We were equally pleased to discover that they served orchata even though it wasn't on the menu. Great food at reasonable prices. Some of the best Mexican food I've had on the East Coast. $10 is plenty for a hearty appetite.
Canyon Grill
28 Scenic Hwy.
Rising Fawn, Ga. 30738
(706) 398-9510
http://canyongrill.com/
This unassuming restaurant atop Lookout Mountain (about 20 miles from Chattanooga) is a wonderful place for high quality dining in a casual setting and is also a great spot to keep in mind should you need to impress others (drive up around sunset for a spectacular show).
For $30, the Slash N Burn Catfish (a whole 3 pound farm-raised catfish crispy fried with black bean sauce served with one side) is feast enough to two. A great side is the crispy squash.
Battlefield BBQ
1006 Lafayette Rd
Chickamauga, GA
706-375-1111
Battlefield BBQ is a great dining option for folks passing through Chickamauga or visiting the National Military Park. I'm hesitant to place this take out restaurant in the same league as Old Plantation and Pitmaster Eatery, but I was more than pleased by the quality of the BBQ and the long list of available sides and veggies.
Photography by Emiana and Tiki Chris © 2006
By no means is this an exhaustive list of good eats in the Chattanooga area. However, it must be said that getting beyond the Cracker Barrel curtain to some authentic, local cuisine can be a bit of a challenge. One great resource that I used to get beyond the mega-chain restaurants was Chowhound co-founder Jim Leff's CHOW Tour Dispatch #25: "I Heart Chattanooga".
Bon appétit y'all!
Old Plantation BBQ
1515 Dodson Ave
Chattanooga,TN 37406
(423) 624-8105
Wow! Despite a tight schedule and a full agenda, I luckily managed to eat here twice during my visit. Some of the best BBQ I've ever tasted - the pulled pork almost melted in my mouth. I highly recommend a visit to this popular, humble take-out joint (there are a couple of concrete tables in the parking lot). Get stuffed here for under $10 (the pulled pork sandwich costs $5 and will keep you satiated for hours).
Pitmaster Eatery
2004 Dodds Avenue (at East 19th Street?)
Chattanooga Tennessee 37404
Heading home from Old Plantation, I drove by Pitmaster Eatery and made a mental note to return the next day for lunch. I'm so glad I did. This friendly, homey place served me up some of the best fried okra and hot wings I've ever had. Unfortunately, they were closed for the holidays during the rest of my visit. Otherwise, I would have gone back to sample more of their menu. To spend more than, say, $7 per person here would require Herculean effort!
Southern Star
1206 Market St
Chattanooga, TN 37402
(423) 267-8899
http://southernstarrestaurant.com/
Clean airy dining space, efficient friendly service, simple fresh home-style cooking with quality ingredients - all at a decent price. Southern Star is a no brainer. Approximately $10 per person will get starters, mains, drinks and dessert for lunch!
La Altena
314 W Main St
Chattanooga, TN 37408
(423) 266-7595
Regretfully, I don't have any pics of this great Mexican restaurant. I've been a fan of this taqueria for years now, and I'm glad to report that their food's gotten better! Seemingly tired of burrito slinging to gringos, our waiter was delighted when my wife and I ordered the chicken mole and the homemade tamales. He actually thanked us for ordering them! We were equally pleased to discover that they served orchata even though it wasn't on the menu. Great food at reasonable prices. Some of the best Mexican food I've had on the East Coast. $10 is plenty for a hearty appetite.
Canyon Grill
28 Scenic Hwy.
Rising Fawn, Ga. 30738
(706) 398-9510
http://canyongrill.com/
This unassuming restaurant atop Lookout Mountain (about 20 miles from Chattanooga) is a wonderful place for high quality dining in a casual setting and is also a great spot to keep in mind should you need to impress others (drive up around sunset for a spectacular show).
For $30, the Slash N Burn Catfish (a whole 3 pound farm-raised catfish crispy fried with black bean sauce served with one side) is feast enough to two. A great side is the crispy squash.
Battlefield BBQ
1006 Lafayette Rd
Chickamauga, GA
706-375-1111
Battlefield BBQ is a great dining option for folks passing through Chickamauga or visiting the National Military Park. I'm hesitant to place this take out restaurant in the same league as Old Plantation and Pitmaster Eatery, but I was more than pleased by the quality of the BBQ and the long list of available sides and veggies.
Photography by Emiana and Tiki Chris © 2006
1 comment:
This guy must have never actually eaten at the Old Plantation BBQ. Their pork shoulder is not "pulled" they chop it with a meat cleaver and it is much better than "pulled" pork. I've been eating here for 35 years and it's the best BBQ anywhere. Their sauce is wonderful!
Post a Comment