review

Tuesday’s Treats #51

/ The WheatandTares

Maggie’s Galley

Location: Waynesville, NC

This is a great little seafood restaurant in Waynesville, NC. Who would have thought it? The atmosphere is completely nautical. The staff is friendly, and the place is clean. It is locally owned, and they seem to really care about their customers. 

Now, I have to throw out a little disclaimer here. If you haven’t read my story, you may not know I am originally from the Gulf Coast; so, my opinion of seafood can be a little picky when I’m inland, but this place is pretty good for not being on the coast. If I were on the coast, it definitely wouldn’t be my first pick; however, when you’re inland, it is what it is. They have a good variety, and everything we’ve had tastes pretty fresh.  

The onion petals were a nice start. My husband got the steak, and he loved it. My son got the fish and chips, and it was so so. He didn’t really care for it, as it seemed to be more like catfish. My grandmother got the special of the day (above pic), but I am sorry, I don’t remember what it was. It’s been a little while since our visit, and I forgot to write it down. It was a grilled fish with a creamy, almost hollandaise type, sauce. The sauce was a little heavy, but it was tasty. I ordered the High Country Shrimp over blackened grit cakes. The dish had a good flavor, but it was so soupy. The hush puppies are yummy, and the cheesecake is divine! 

You’ll have to check this place out for yourself, but I’ve added some pics for you to see. You can check out their menu here, too.  

Tuesday’s Treats #50

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

Mad Dog’s Donuts and Ice Cream

Location: Gatlinburg, Tn

This is a great little dessert place in Gatlinburg. It is located on Highway 321. They have fresh, homemade doughnuts, ice cream, coffee and drinks. The doughnuts were delicious and the icream was yummy as well. Honestly, the coffee could really be better. However, the doughtnuts will hit the spot! 

They have all different kinds from which to choose. Chocolate, vanilla and strawberry iced, iced, devil’s food, salted caramel, blueberry cake, red velvet with cream cheese and even espresso sprinkled, just to name a few. One of our favorites is the apple fritter. Oh my goodness. Yum!

One of the really nice things about this place is it is situated right beside a little creek with several old stone and brick houses across the creek. There is picnic table seating outside; so, in the warmer months, you can enjoy your sweets by the creek. 

This is a great little addition to a great town. I hope you will try it out and enjoy! 

Ps. I just looked them up online, and, apparently, this Spring, they will be opening a new location, too. Now, you’ll be able to enjoy a fresh, homemade yummy in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. 


Tuesday’s Treats #49

/ The WheatandTares

Bub’s Burger Barn

Location: Gatlinburg, Tn

This place is a great place to grab a burger while you’re in Gatlinburg. It’s up a little ways on Highway 321, right before you get to the Arts & Crafts Community. As you’ll read on the Trip Advisor reviews, it’s a little pricier than your average burger place, but the food is definitely tasty.

The burgers are juicy and full of flavor, the fries are yummy, and the sweet potatoes fries are delicious! The sweet tea is made just like it should be in the South, too. The staff is pretty good, but we have run across a “dud.” The place is usually pretty clean, and the atmosphere is nice.

So, if you’re looking for a great burger while in G’burg, and you don’t mind paying a little more than fast food, this will be your place.

PS. I think they’ve possibly changed the name, but I do know it’s still “Burger Barn,” and it’s in the same location. It may just have a new name tagged on the front…

Tuesday’s Treats #48

/ The WheatandTares

Capitol Coffee

Location: Maryville, Tn

This is the absolute coolest coffee shop I have ever entered! They have taken the old Capitol Theater and renovated it to make a venue and a coffee shop. The owners and designers did it right! Even if we are totally stuffed from our wonderful meal at Sullivan’s Downtown, we make it a point to stop by here. This place has so much character, you feel like you’ve stepped back in time as you walk through the door.

The coffee shop itself is really fun with the special coffees all having a name from a famous retro film, and they have even created a photo booth with costumes, hats and attire to make your pose picture perfect. The coffee is delicious, too. As with everything in the place, they have put forth their absolute best.

The theater itself has been made over into an absolutely gorgeous venue which can be rented for parties, weddings and other special occasions. Standing in the back of the room, you feel as if Cary Grant or Audrey Hepburn might just walk across the stage at any given moment.

Now, if you’re really lucky, one of the managers or owner will take you down to the “Man Cave.” The first time we went, they were just filling this up with all the interesting and intriguing artifacts of days gone by. The last time we went, the room looked a bit different from this, as they have added more and organized a bit beyond to accommodate the feel and clientele they wish to attract. It is really something to see.

If you’re looking for a memory-making venue, this is the place. You’ll not regret stopping by, even if it is only for a warm cup of joe and a walk down memory lane.

Find their location and venue information here.

Tuesday’s Treats #47

/ The WheatandTares / 3 Comments

Sullivan’s Downtown

Location: Maryville, Tn

We love, love, love Sullivan’s! The atmosphere is great. The staff is always inviting, and the food is incredible. We haven’t had an item yet that we don’t like. One of the cool things about this restaurant is it used to be the old JC Penney’s building, and at the tile at the front door has the JCP tile. The interior is really neat.

Okay, so if you’ve read many of my Tuesday’s Treats, you know I love desserts, and this place has an INCREDIBLE key lime pie! It’s got a thick graham crust and just the right key lime flavor. I’m not crazy about all the whip cream on top, but I just like key lime pies with less toppings. 😉 It is delicious!

The shrimp and grits, called Shrimp Charleston, are absolutely scrumptious! The shrimp are seasoned and cooked just right with just a little bit of a kick. The grits are so creamy and delicious. These are some of my favorite!

The Northshore Salad, full of feta, cranberries and candied pecans on a bed of spinach is delicious. The fried green tomatoes are just as incredible. I don’t even like tomatoes, but these little items are a tasty delight, AND they are set upon a bed of those creamy, scrumptious grits. I’m not a huge fan of balsamic vinagrette; however, this mixture of grits, fried green tomatoes, feta and vinagrette is like a party in your mouth! Yum!

If you are in the Maryville area, you don’t want to miss this wonderful restaurant. You can check out more on their website. They have two locations, one in Maryville and one in Knoxville. I’ve been told the Knoxville location is just as good.

When you get done, and if you don’t get too filled from your wonderful dinner, you’ll want to walk down the street for another delightful treat at the Capitol Coffee Shop in the old Capitol Theater. That’s a really cool venue, too; however, that will be for another post. 😉

 

Tuesday’s Treats #46

/ The WheatandTares

Pack’s Tavern

Location: Asheville, NC

This restaurant is super cool, and it’s nestled in the heart of Asheville, right next to the Police Department. The atmosphere is great as is the staff. The place has a lot of character, and there are nights they have live music, too. The food is incredible, and the cheesy bread appetizer is a must!

They have a great variety on the menu, including salads, sandwiches, burgers bison meatloaf and shrimp and grits. We ordered bison burgers, fries and the shrimp and grits. I’m sorry I didn’t get any pics of the actual food. We were so hungry that I forgot once the food arrived. We really enjoyed the atmosphere and the giant windows that showed the beautiful surroundings. All the food was tasty, and the boys even got some ice cream for a yummy dessert. Honestly, the shrimp and grits weren’t my favorite, but I’ve learned when going to a burger place, and being so far inland, that’s the chance you take. It was edible; I’d give it a solid B-. The burgers are definitely great, and the cheesy bread appetizer is to die for! 😉

If you’re in the downtown Asheville area, it’s a definitely stop. I’d like to go again just to try another bite of that appetizer and one of those burgers! There looks to be a lot of yummy items on the menu, too. Here is their website for you to check out.

Tuesday’s Treats #45

/ The WheatandTares

Vinny’s New York Pizza and Italian Grill

Location: Buford, Ga

If you’re looking for a great pizza joint, Vinny’s is your spot! It’s locally owned, and the owners care about their customers. The atmosphere is very quaint and comfortable, and it is suitable for a business lunch, a ladies night out, a large family gathering or even that very first date.


The serving portions are larger than usual, and the food is delicious! As you can see by the picture above, when I say the portions are larger than usual, I’m not kidding! This is a calzone, and I could only eat half of it! I wish I had taken a photo of the personal size pizza. It’s as big as a small, and the large pizzas…well, let’s just say they can feed an army!  

They have a pretty diverse menu, too. Calzones, pizza and spaghetti is available,and they also have subs, lasagna, eggplant Parmesan and even hot wings. Often, restaurants who have a wide variety on the menu will do some things great and then other things way below average; however, Vinny’s seems to get it right. I haven’t had anything, yet, that I don’t like, and we’ve know about this place since 2005.

Oh, one menu item that I must mention are the Alfredo garlic rolls. Oh. My. Goodness. These are just pure sin! Their regular garlic rolls are delicious anyway, but these are then smothered in Alfredo sauce and served as an appetizer. I have friends who have had these simply as a meal! Those attempting to be health conscious need not apply! 😂

The desserts are supposed to be scrumptious as well, but I am always so stuffed by the end of our meal that I have yet to order a dessert. They have some yummy looking cheesecakes and chocolate cake slices, and I did sample a friend’s “funnel cake,” which is more like little sugar-covered doughnuts. Those were yummy. So, if you’re ever in the Buford area, you should check them out.

Vinny’s is located at the Friendship Road exit off 985.  I had a little difficulty pulling up their website; however, their Facebook page has the location, phone number and most everything you would need.

Tuesday’s Treats #43

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

Loretta’s

Location: Oakwood, Ga

If you’re looking for a home cooked meal and can’t find the time to cook it yourself, this is you’re best choice! Loretta’s is the place to go for comfort food.

They have a variety of daily choices; so, if you’re a little more selective like me, you’ll want to check out their daily menus. However, I’ve yet to be disappointed in a meal. They have some of the best pot roast, green beans, creamed potatoes and biscuits around. They have everything from livers and onions to fried shrimp. The fried chicken, chicken and dumplings,  and fried okra is to die for. The sweet tea is purely Southern sweet, and they even give you a choice of biscuits or cornbread with your meal. All the desserts are homemade, and just to make your mouth water, I’ll share a few: banana pudding, chocolate silk pie, and strawberry cobbler.

They also serve breakfast with some of the best chicken biscuits you’ve ever put in your mouth! So, you can get good comfort food for one or three square meals. Your choice.

Now, just like any good Southern Country Cookin’ restaurant, especially those that serve breakfast, you better prepared to smell like it for the rest of the day, or you better bring you an extra set of clothes to change after! 😉 For either breakfast or lunch, if you want to beat the rush, you better get there sooner than later. It fills up pretty fast around there!

Oh, and one more thing, if you’ll stick to the menu “combos” of meat item(s), combined with a few sides and a choice of beverage, your cost will be as stated on the menu board. However, if your family is prone to be more like mine, with growing boys who want more than those “preset” combos, yourvnill mightvrack up fast, as all other items are charged a la cart. 😬 I would have to say it’s worth every penny! It is that good!

If you need catering, they do an excellent job for both b’fast and lunch/dinner items. That’s saying a lot for breakfast items such as eggs and gravy, because those things aren’t real great cold, or even cooled down, and with Loretta’s catering, you don’t have to worry! They take care of it all!

Check out the daily menus and location here.

Tuesday’s Treats #42

/ The WheatandTares

Luciano’s Ristorante Italiano

Location: Lawrenceville, Ga
 This place is a little fancier than you would expect, pulling into the Kroger parking lot to find a spot. The hostess is a little pretentious, and the restaurant seems like it might be with the white tablecloths and decor, but if you can get past that, the food is pretty good. It seems to be a popular lunch spot, as it got pretty crowded today, and it is listed #5 on tripadvisor.com for the city in which it’s located.

The menu is quite limited; so, if you’re looking for an extensive, authentic Italian menu, you might want to go down the road to Carrabba’s. I ordered off of the daily specials menu, because for the price of a simple entree, I could choose the  “3 course entrees.” You get the choice of soup or salad, an entree and a dessert for $12.95.

I had a Caesar salad, pizza mafia (pepperoni, sausage, bacon, black olives) and tiramisu. My husband ordered a Chicken Caesar, and our youngest got the kids pepperoni pizza. Everything was delicious, but the tiramisu was just ok. It seemed more custard/pudding based and was served in this tiny ramekin (like 1-2oz. size!); so, I was a little disappointed at that point.

The bread that is served before the meal is accompanied by this brouchetta-eske sauce with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Yum! …and I’m not even a tomato fan. The sweet tea is really good; however, as the entrees came, our glasses were changed from these really cool, large glasses to these rather small glasses. So, we had to keep asking for refills. I thought that a little odd. Shouldn’t the larger glasses be served with the meal?

Anyway, the food was good, and we might drop back by sometime…if we’re in this parking lot at lunchtime, but I don’t think we will make a special trip. The regular menu prices seemed a little steep for lunch, and they don’t seem to have a wide variety of choices. However, my opinion may be a little skewed by our personal experience, because once our entrees were served, we didn’t see our waitress again for about 20+mins. (Time enough for us to finish, sit waiting, and my husband and son to “give up” and head for the car.) She finally arrived back in the room, put her apron back on behind the bar and came over to the table to ask me if she should box up the leftover pizza.

That’s when my tiny dessert was served by another waiter. She never seemed the slightest concerned about her absence, even when I graciously mentioned we had to hurry now, because we didn’t know it was going to take so long. Yeah, those moments of frustration, and the disappointment in the dessert,  may have slanted my opinion a bit.

Despite this, I chose to blog this “treat,” because of the TA rating, the amount of traffic they received during the lunch hour, and the food was rather tasty. Maybe we just got a bad waitress, and it’s usually better. Maybe we need to try it for a date night, too… maybe…

Check out their website here.

Tuesday’s Treats #41

/ The WheatandTares

La Hacienda

Location: Commerce, Ga


If you’re doing a little shopping in Commerce, you’ll surely want to stop here to eat. The service is great, and the food is even better. The chips and salsa, the rice and beans, and the steak tacos are great, but what I like the best is The Volcan. I don’t even know why it’s called this, but it is delicious! They take a soft flour tortilla, put grilled steak, bell peppers, a little sautéed onion and “wrap it up” like a present, complete with a bell pepper ring to close. It looks really cool, too (See pictures above). They have an extensive menu from which to choose, and the prices are better than many Mexican restaurants, too.

Check them out here.