Reviewed February 12, 2011 by The Food Hound
4 out of 5 Forks
I'm not a girl who goes to a restaurant and orders an entree salad. Why? Because if I'm going out to eat at a place where the salad is the best bet, I'd really rather be somewhere else. The Booze Hound and I try to go out less, so when we do head out to a restaurant, it’s a splurge night. And a salad is not a splurge in my book.
Unless it’s a really good salad. Perhaps maybe... the best salad in Knoxville?? I could be convinced.
Such was my thought process in trying the Creamery Park Grille or, as locals call it, the Fountain City Creamery. Let me preface this by saying that with the name “Creamery” in the title, I had no need for further menu knowledge. “Creamery” means “homemade ice cream,” which means “when can I go?”
More than one of my fellow Fountain City dwellers raved about the Sunday brunch, the ice cream... and the salads. So I thought about it and decided that a salad was really in my best interest if I wanted a mammoth ice cream cone as a finale. And for the record, the Creamery knows no cone size smaller than “mammoth.”
So I went. I ate. I became addicted.
The menu mostly contains classic grille fare like burgers, patty melts, grilled chicken, etc. And they do a great job at it- I promise, I’ve tried a bite of most everything! But alas, I stick to my favorite: the Waldorf Chicken Salad.
OK, so maybe I prefer the salad over other offerings because I’m always seated facing their ice cream menu, and it’s too good to pass up. But reasonable decisions aside, this salad is phenomenal. The layers are as follows: salad greens, a chopped grilled chicken breast, shredded cheddar, raisins, chopped apple and pecans. And then there’s the creamy apple vinaigrette dressing, which totally pulls everything together.
The menu mostly contains classic grille fare like burgers, patty melts, grilled chicken, etc. And they do a great job at it- I promise, I’ve tried a bite of most everything! But alas, I stick to my favorite: the Waldorf Chicken Salad.
OK, so maybe I prefer the salad over other offerings because I’m always seated facing their ice cream menu, and it’s too good to pass up. But reasonable decisions aside, this salad is phenomenal. The layers are as follows: salad greens, a chopped grilled chicken breast, shredded cheddar, raisins, chopped apple and pecans. And then there’s the creamy apple vinaigrette dressing, which totally pulls everything together.
Before you think my salad decision too holy, know this: I always order sweet potato fries on the side “to share.” Not too greasy, and served with more of their luscious creamy apple vinaigrette for dipping, they are impossible to pass up. They are by far the best ones I’ve tasted and complement the salad really well. They would also complement motor oil really well- they’re that good.
And of course, there’s the ice cream. You didn’t think I would leave that out, do you? While it’s not made on location at the Creamery, one of the servers told me it’s made at the Apple Barn Cider Mill in Sevierville, which still works for me! It drips (literally) with that homemade ice cream flavor. My favorite? The After Dinner Mint. Lots of chocolate. Very creamy. Very minty. I want some!
Something that totally revs my engine even more about the Creamery Park Grille is that they make nearly everything from scratch (even their dressings!) and try to use as many locally-sourced ingredients as possible. The Creamery is owned by the same family that owns Patins’ Field of Greens, that leeeetle purple building off Gay Street you’ve always wondered about. Field of Greens is the next stop on my list since they have some other a-mazing looking salads and sandwiches. And I also want to see how much I can bribe them to give out their creamy apple vinaigrette dressing recipe. I’m not above groveling.
If you live anywhere in Knoxville, you have no excuse not to visit Fountain City (I promise we don’t bite) and the Creamery Park Grille. It’s conveniently located next to the duck pond and the Fountain City Park, so you/your kids/your dog can run off their ice cream sugar high. Of course, they have to be on a leash-- dogs, that is, not kids.
When you visit for the first time, get the Waldorf Chicken Salad and the sweet potato fries. The whole menu is fantastic, but this unusually tasty and satisfying salad will really knock your socks off. Plus... more room for After Dinner Mint :)
Submitted by:
The Food Hound
The Food Hound
food-hound@hotmail.com
The Creamery Park Grille offers both dine in and take out.
The Creamery Park Grille received 4 out of 5 forks because nutrition information is not available.
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