re: Gatlinburg recs please

It's been a couple of years, but we enjoyed Park Grill and Cherokee Grill on the main parkway.

It won't register on your "foodie" scale, but it's a step up in quality from some of the other Gatlinburg places mentioned.


Park Grill

Cherokee Grill

My Gatlinburg Notes are here. Don't expect a lot, spice levels are kept down for travelling seniors on low salt diets. Take Tony's with you.

Howards Grill (Wild Boar Saloon) - GOOD

Service was haphazard but not repellant. Ask for a Creekside table. Had the wings—fried well, and naked. Buffalo sauce was on the side. Jimmie had Quesadillas—hers were great and full of flavor. Overall, food was great, while service was sparse.

Calhoun’s Barbecue- OKAY

Had the triple (ribs, pulled pork, chicken tender) Not so great. Ribs tasted boiled, were easy to chew. Typical sweet, sticky sauce. Surprises were the appetizers-baked pretzels with honey mustard and a creamy beer-cheese dip. Chose the Spinach Maria as a side. SM is a much-less spicy version of Spinach Madeline. Eddie the server was a gem. Overall, Calhouns is a lot of hype and PR, but not much on the food end. Need to try the Red Ale Pork Chop Next Time

Blaine’s Grill-OKAY

The appetizer was the star here. The spinach artichoke dip was served in a bread bowl. That bread bowl was the best bread we’ve had on the trip. Also came with nacho chips and decent salsa. We had salads that night—my taco salad was overflowing the bowl, but needed some life. Any fire at all would have been nice. Overall—average.

Best Italian-NAH

Two locations, ours adjoins the Wild Boar Saloon. In fact, they share an outdoor seating area. We split a pizza and an appetizer. Appetizer was pretty good, pizza was average bordering on miserable. The garlic rolls everybody raves over are pretty lackluster.

Peddlers Steak House-MORE PRICEY, SERVICE GREAT, FOOD OKAY

High-end dining in Gatlinburg. We did the cheesy stuffed mushrooms for an appetizer which she loved. She loved her filet, my sirloin was a tad overcooked. Ordered medium-rare, it was more to the medium side. Service was impeccable, so it was an evening worth the money. Making reservations is HIGHLY recommended.

Pancake Pantry-OKAY

I don’t get why people rave about this place. Although there’s nothing bad about it, there’s nothing exceptional there either. Its designed for maximum output and speed of service. Food is good—no doubt about it, and the speed of service is swift. We went 20 minutes after it opened on a Sunday morning and walked right in. Passed by there on Monday at 9a, and people were lined up out the door.

Gatlinburg is pretty much gone fyi due to wildfires.

Please post less

??? Downtown survived just fine. Really dumb to find and bump this old thread to post wrong info. That city will need tourists not to cancel upcoming trips.