Smokys Sports Pub And Grill Cheeseburger

Smoky's Sports Pub And Grill

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 Sports Pub Fried Cheese

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 Sports Pub 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.

A  2.25 Star rating

 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.

Addendum: Smoky's Closed their doors. Perhaps it was bad service, low quality food. 

Maxwells Restaurant - Stuffed Chicken

Maxwells Restaurant

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.

A 3 Star Rating

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. 

Maxwells Restaurant - Grilled Chicken

Maxwells At 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.

Maxwells 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.

Maxwells 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.

A 4.25 Star Rating

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.