Written by Ell
| 24 October 2008
It's been a wild week (
culminating for me last night in the Auburn-West Virginia debacle), so I hope we're able to spring this up before those of you who heeded my hypocritical call head up on ole Rocky Top. I'm sitting this game out - for the first time this season. Don't worry, nxojkt will be there representing the BSR. But the drive to Knoxville isn't worth the amount of fun it returns for me.
For those of you who feel differently, here's our road trip guide for Knoxville.
There are several nice places to eat when you arrive in Knoxville. It's about five miles out of town, but the most popular is
Ye Olde Steak House. If you're expecting big steaks in a less formal atmosphere, it's exactly, 100% what you'd expect. The only exception to those expectations is that the steakhouse is located in a dry county. They're still able to sell beer, but if you're in need of liquor or wine, you'll need to bring your own - a $2.00 per person charge is required.
If you're not interested in wandering about out of town, right downtown in the World's Fair Park is
the Butcher Shop, another local favorite for meat. In addition to steak, they have chicken and fish - but why are you going to the Butcher Shop for chicken? Eat the steak, and enjoy the homemade salad dressings.
If you're not ready for bed after a huge meal, head down to Cumberland Avenue - "the Strip". It's near the stadium and it'll probably be your base of operations for pre-game.
On Cumberland, you'll find a collection of bars and restaurants, and traditionally, we've not had a problem with any of those places.
BAR Knoxville is, by all accounts, the clubhouse leader here.
So, Gameday arrives - get back down to Cumberland! There will be beer aplenty and big screens with the afternoon's SEC action (go Dawgs!). When it comes time to dine,
Calhoun's is right on the river, and features better than adequate bar food and barbeque.
Calhoun's sister restaurant is
the Copper Cellar. It's a touch more "upscale" - it bills itself as "Knoxville's classic dining destination". It's hard to argue with that moniker - the food here is tasty, if the atmosphere is a bit Ruby Tuesday's.
Also right down on Cumberland is
the Old College Inn. The menu there is huge, and features mostly tasty sandwiches and burgers. In addition to some traditional entrees (steak, pork chops), there are a wide variety of salads and appetizers as well - the cheese bings are a favorite. Stick with one of the big sandwiches here for the meal.
So, you've been to the game, it's late, and you're either drowning your sorrows or partying your butt off. You need fuel.
Vick and Bills is a couple of blocks off Cumberland - and it has great cheeseburgers. It's open late night, so you should be able to get beef sustenance late into the evening.
One last thing you should know - unlike most SEC towns, the authorities don't look the other way on open container laws on gameday. Our last trip to UT featured my friend being shouted at in a crosswalk that he couldn't have the beer he was holding. He naturally responded by handing the female police officer his half-full beer bottle. Good times.
Go forth, enjoy, and rock out on Rocky Top!
Southern Saturday has their guide up as well. It's their "Game of the Week" and they do good work. Check it out as well.
UPDATE: Holly from
EDSBS has posted
her thoughts on Dr. Saturday.
