food

Dinner at Do

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Last Sunday evening, we decided to have dinner for the first time at a fairly new restaurant in downtown Sevierville. Do (pronounced ‘dough’) is an Italian restaurant that features scratch made pasta and pizza baked in a stone-fired oven. We tried a little bit of everything and liked it all.

Do is located across the street from the Sevier County Court House at 160 Court Avenue and around the corner from the ‘sister restaurant,’ Graze Burgers. Because it is open for dinner only, parking should not be a problem. On weekends, parking will be even better. When we went on a Sunday evening, we were able to park on the street and very close to the restaurant. Convenient!

The design is upscale, and modern, yet comfortable and intimate. The large windows add ample light in the open area and you can look into the kitchen, if you like. This would be a good place to have a graduation party or any other celebration. We could tell that Do is a place to take one’s time and enjoy a meal like the European way. And so we did.

Tables are attractive and ready to serve.

The table lamps are pretty as the sun sets behind the courthouse.

The bar is cozy and offers refreshment and entertainment on the large TV.

We looked at the menu and decided to order what we wanted, but to split a pizza—which was the perfect balance.

Here is a link to the menu.

https://dopizzapasta.com/sevierville-do-scratch-made-pizza-and-pasta-food-menu

I started with a side salad that was quite fresh and packed with greens.

Friends enjoyed the Italian sausage and potato soup with two pieces of Italian bread on top. Next time, I may try the chicken and white bean soup.

We decided to share a Neopolitan mushroom pizza. The waiter alerted us that it did not have a red pizza sauce, but we decided to try it—and it was excellent. Four ladies were able to have one generous slice + half of another. That is all we wanted with our soup or salad. There are many tempting items on the menu that are worth exploring in the future. In addition, the children’s menu looked good, including a child’s pizza.

We did not order dessert, but the Tiramisu and Lemon Italian Cream cake looked divine.

Although we walked in at a good time to get a table, I would recommend having a reservation in advance.

Hours are Sunday – Thursday 4pm to 9pm.

Friday – Saturday 4pm to 10 pm.

Our waiter was very efficient and helpful, but not intrusive. He did a great job and kept things moving, but at a relaxed pace.

Here is a link to the Do website. You can see a menu and order online as well.

https://dopizzapasta.com/

As we prepared to leave, we walked by this large table with a good view of the street and the courthouse. This would be my favorite table for a larger group.

A quiet Bruce Street on a Sunday evening.

As you can see, Sunday evenings are great time to try Do restuarant in downtown Sevierville. We will return again and wish it much success!

See you out and about in Sevierville.

Meek’s Kitchen: Best Burgers in Tennessee

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It took 5 months since they opened, but we finally made it to Meek’s Kitchen—and we weren’t disappointed. It is the best hamburger that I have had in Tennessee. Even more, it is tied for first place with my favorite burger ever: Poe’s Tavern on Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina. Things could not have been better because we got the best seats in the kitchen, across from the grill, and got to observe the kitchen in action.

First, you need to know that Meek’s Kitchen is located in a Marathon gas station across the street from the Sevierville Walmart on the parkway. (Yes, the really busy one). Lisa and I have visited Gas Station Tacos in Pigeon Forge so going into a gas station for lunch was not unusual for me, an adventurous foodie. We went at noon, a busy time, but easily found parking on the side of the Marathon station and walked in to find our friend Anita.

As luck would have it, Anita got there first and saved us seats at the counter, right in front of the grill so we got a really good view of the busy kitchen.

You come here ready for a hamburger or hot dog and the menu delivers. I found the prices to be excellent due to the high quality product.

Meek’s uses grass fed ground beef in the ‘smash burger’style. The flavor is everything that you want in burger.

Order at the counter or the cash register and you can watch the work in progress.

There is also an interesting warm potato salad dish that I will try some day.

A big advantage to having lunch in a gas station is the access to any kind of drink that you could want. We were able to have caffeine free Diet Sprite, which is hard to find in eateries. Definitely a perk!

Burgers are all cooked fresh and fries and onion rings are hot. I love burgers served like this! This photo is the first option on the menu, the Gourmet Cheeseburger.

Each burger contains two 3 ounce patties with spring mix lettuce on a brioche bun. The brioche bun is my favorite and the best choice for this kind of burger. They were outstanding and we had to get ‘to go’ boxes to finish the rest later as the burgers were generous portions.

I have been reading my friend Tad’s assessments for Meek’s Kitchen for 5 months and it was even better than I imagined so Anita, Melinda, and I plan to go back again and again. Meek’s Kitchen delivers an outstanding hamburger and fries,etc. You will not be disappointed.

My friend Tad says, ” nothing will ever top a REAL Frank Allen’s cheeseburger, but Meek’s Kitchen comes very close! They do have the original recipe for Frank’s slaw, and it is delicious. The restaurant area is spotlessly clean, as well.”

We didn’t order cheesecake, but imagine that they are wonderful—just look at the flavors.

Here are some tips for first timers.

  1. Meek’s Kitchen is quite popular so this is a place that you may not be able to grab a quick lunch. Plan for it to take a while to order and get your food, then enjoy it.
  2. I noticed the crowd thinned out more after 1:00 p.m. so a late lunch would be a good idea too.
  3. I sat across from the grill and noticed the next day that my jacket smelled like cooking hamburgers (not a bad thing), so be aware that you may attract animals or other foodies by sitting close to the grill.
  4. It looked like some customers were doing take-out so that seems to be an option.
  5. There are places to sit at a long counter and several table areas. People ordering to-go seemed to be standing around waiting for their orders so it may look more ‘peopley’ during the lunch rush. Worth the wait!

Meek’s Kitchen is a local treasure and a place that I want to go on a regular basis. It is convenient and one of the best hamburgers that I have enjoyed during my foodie adventures so I bet that you will like Meek’s Kitchen too. Who wants to go next week?

See you out and about in Sevierville.

Lunch at My Little Italy

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Friends and I recently met at My Little Italy restaurant to have lunch with an Italian flavor. The restuarant is located in the small, former Cheesy Steaks building on Highway 66, but has plenty of parking and dining area. We could smell the wonderful aromas of tomato and garlic as we walked into the door, signaling a good meal to come. Here is what we found.

Within a moment of entering the restuarant, I recognized that the quiet soundtrack playing in the background was correct!

We sat inside the dining area closest to the kitchen and the side door. This is an additional dining area that should accommodate customers well.

I usually like to order lasagna at Italian restaurants so I kept it the same here. There are lots of dishes to choose from and something for everyone. The owner /chef of My Little Italy spent decades working in restaurants in the Little Italy neighborhood in New York City—and you can tell because the flavors really capture that experience.

Here are the dishes that we ordered for lunch.

Greek salad was a starter.

Lasagna with plenty of sauce was excellent.

Of course, spaghetti was very good. The meat sauce was very satisfying.

And the exclamation point at the end of the meal: an order of Tiramisu to share with tablemates.

Wrapping up our meal, I asked the server who was the little boy depicted in the restuarant rugs and signage. The picture of the little boy is the server’s son, the owner’s grandson. Truly, it is a nice representation of a local family business.

You can find My Little Italy restaurant on Facebook to get the latest news. For example, there is a lunch special going on right now between 11:00-3:00 that offers pasta, house salad, drink, and bread for $12.99 . Maybe check Facebook before you visit as they will alert you if there is a repair need and they may have to close, as is the case right now with a kitchen hood repair.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574463236974

My Little Italy is open Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner. It is closed on Sunday.

My friends and I will return again before the summer is over to have another taste of Italy. Anyone who enjoys Italian food will enjoy dining at My Little Italy on 1758 Winfield Dunn Parkway in Sevierville. See you out and about in Sevierville.