chow with chaz

Tag: knoxville

  • Chaz’s Not So Definitive Guide to Knoxville Coffee

    Chaz’s Not So Definitive Guide to Knoxville Coffee

    A Coffee Drinkers Coffee Shop

    Partial – Partial takes their coffee almost as serious as they take the community that they’ve built. Built on the backs of Murph and Shay, it is the Cheers of coffee shops if Cheers served some of the best coffee. They shine everyday, but they take it up a notch on Monday and Tuesday. This is their “slow days” where the menu is limited to Pour Over (the best) and espresso based drinks. Plan a little extra time and stop in. You won’t regret it.

    Remedy – I am partial to Partial because I love Shay, Murph and the coffee they served but Remedy introduced me to my favorite roaster, Radio. Remedy sources absolutely amazing coffee. Radio is legitimately my favorite coffee that I’ve had. They definitely seem lean lighter and fruitier which fits my palate perfectly. I don’t really get their lattes, their flavor pairings generally aren’t my cup of tea (pun intended), but I still spend most of my lunch breaks sipping on either of their drip offerings (two per day) or the iced coffee. I haven’t gotten a pour over here yet, but I will be doing so soon.

    A Coffee Drinkers Latte Shop

    Seed – My thoughts on lattes may be a bit controversial later on, but the only thing controversial about Seed is that they don’t have some of their drinks year around. If someone told me to take them to get the best latte in Knoxville, we would head straight to Seed. Their most recent seasonal drink was a Chocolate Chip Cookie latte. I’ve written about it before, so check out Chaz’s choice from a few weeks ago. It was phenomenal. My first fall in Knoxville they had a Strawberry PB&J shaken espresso that is one of my favorite coffee drinks ever. Go in, get a seasonal latte and enjoy your day.

    Awaken- Awaken has a fairly extensive latte menu, but everyone that I have had has been divine. The Born in The USA (I think, it’s been a while) was some sort of Strawberry Macchiato. I don’t fully remember as it has been a while, but I do remember loving it. I need to go back soon.

    Five and Hoek – This is another that really focuses on the flavors over the sweetness. Their Vanilla Bourbon latte is top notch and I believe year round. They also do banana bread seasonally that tastes exactly like banana bread. So good. I have had some other seasonal there’s and all (except the pumpkin spice) have been great.

    Honeybee – this makes the list solely for their pumpkin spice. I love a pumpkin spice latte and theirs may be my favorite. Their regular coffee is really good too, but I think the pumpkin spice is them at the A game.

    Nothing Wrong with Doing Food Better than Coffee

    Wildlove/Old City Java – I’ll mention Old City Java again in another category. These two are sister spots (I think). They both serve WildLove pastries and Counter Culture coffee. Counter Culture is fine coffee, with some releases being exceptional. These two shine for the pastries though. GO EARLY! They sell out. Basically anything you get will be delicious though.

    K-Brew – This is essentially (maybe actually) a local to Knoxville chain. Their coffee is good. I have no problem at all getting coffee there. That said, if I am getting coffee it is usually because I’m there to get a bagel. I really enjoy their bagels. They are a bit thick, but very tasty. I think they also shine with their sweeter bagels as opposed to their savory. A sweet bagel with savory…whatever the word is for the inside of a sandwich…is my go to.

    Wrens Bakehouse – by the name, they defintely lead towards the bakery. I don’t think they even have black coffee, just lattes. Their pastries are top notch though. If they have homemade poptarts when you stop by, get more than one. Also, walk across the street to Pratt’s Country Store and look around.

    Hope You Like It Sweet

    Jack’s – these will cater to a certain clientele and there is nothing wrong with that. They are the perfect shops for southern college towns. The lattes are sweet and T Swift is being honored. Jack’s is the picture of this. They get creative with their lattes and they do a good job. They do pack the sweetness though. This is not where I would recommend if you just wanted good, solid coffee. However, if you are craving a treat in a cup, then this place is great. Jack’s also has a terrific space. It is large with multiple rooms, which a a huge benefit because there are large groups chatting in the main space on most occasions. They also have a tremendous back patio.

    Cultivate – very similar vibe to Jack’s catering to the same clientele. It even goes so far as to have a flower shop in the back. Again, does solid lattes but “half sweet” will probably be your friend. I haven’t spent much time in the space, but they do seem to have a few rooms that close off which is really nice.

    I mean no shade with either of those. I think they are terrific spaces for people and both seem to be very successful. I am not their target market and that is perfectly ok.

    A Great Environment with Coffee

    Beard Brother’s – I absolutely love Beard Brothers. It has the coolest feel of any of the shops. See my review blog for the full breakdown. Their coffee is not necessarily my favorite though. It leans a little bit darker than I like. It is still good coffee and the environment makes it completely worthwhile. They also have very tasty lattes.

    Commonplace – I’ve spent more time here than any other. It was the closest to me while I was on my job search, so it is where I went. Their coffee is decent coffee. Nothing mind blowing. It is such a great space though, so much so that they rent it out. It is in an old bank. The old vault was my job application headquarters as it was quiet but still had the coffee shop vibe. Crew was also always incredibly kind, and it was nice to be seen as a regular.

    I Don’t Know Where to Put You

    Vienna – I like Vienna. Their coffee has a very different profile to me than anything I’ve really had. You leave there smelling like it as well. Vienna coffee may be the only coffee in the world that you could hand to me and I could tell you who roasted it. It is that unique. The space is also a restaurant, so it is a bit loud. They do have some comfy couches though.

    Mia Piccola – I have only been once, so I can’t speak too much on it. It has done well enough to expand to a new shop quickly, and people that I know really like it. I need to give it another shot.

    Capybara – This one is not in a very convenient spot for me, so I have only been a hand full of times. The few lattes I have had have been great.

    Potchke – not a coffee shop, just a casual Michelin recommended restaurant. They do serve coffee and various coffee drinks. Their drinks are almost as good as their food, which is a very high bar. Just ask Michelin.

    There are some newer coffee shops that I have not tried, but they are on my list.

    U-Brew – you do your own pour over. Not sure how I feel about paying to do that, but I will give it a shot.

    Primo Passo- I don’t know much about it, but their social media looks good!

    Intrepid Nitro – They specialize in nitro cold brew. That isn’t my favorite style of coffee, but I would like to give this place a go.

    Treetop – Their latte flavors sound really good, but my first and only experience there was not good. I would like to give it another shot.

    Remedy
    Potchke
    Seed
    A Cute Girl at Partial

  • Chaz’s Choice Week 4

    First Chaz’s Choice that isn’t Food! What up!!

    This week’s (last week, but who is counting) Chaz’s Choice is Company Distilling in Townsend. This was a Christmas Gift Kelsi, and it was such a fun experience. Firstly, Townsend is gorgeous. The “distillery” is right on the river, with a beer garden that is run out of a really cool airstream. The day we went was mid to high 60’s which was perfect by the river. You could not ask for a better spot.

    For the distillery, it’s not really a distillery. They source their whiskey and I believe age it at a different location. Jeff Arnett is the man in charge. He was the head distiller at some distillery in Lynchburg Tennessee. He is doing some really good things at Company. Mostly the rye!!

    When we arrived, we were seated large table by a really cool older man (sorry homie, I do not remember your name). He explained our options. We did the full tasting as well as their special release. These also came with a piece of chocolate to be paired with each from The Chocolate Bar. Upon the homie’s recommendation, we went through the offerings once and then back through with the chocolate.

    The bourbons were fine but nothing spectacular. They also had 2 ryes as part of the tastings. These were awesome. I ended up buying their Seismic Rye which was finished in cherry wood barrels. There were so many nods to the area in everything from their proofs to the names of their offerings.

    Our taste master also let us try their gin. Holy moly this stuff was delicious. They had just normal dry gin as well as a gin finished in a bourbon barrel. I didn’t love the finished gin, but the regular was fantastic. I took home a bottle of this. It was quite a bit more fruity than gins that I have had. It did not have as much of the Christmas tree note.

    We finished our time at Company with a cocktail by the river. Everything is was really good, this part was great. Such a beautiful day. The drinks were delicious. The company (ha!) was the best. I highly recommend getting out to Company if you are in the area.

  • Chaz’s Choice Week 3

    Really late this week!! Sorry. The weather has greatly impacted my ability to try things. I was able to venture out Friday and meet my parents for South Coast Pizza. South Coast has long been one of my favorite spots in Knoxville. It is in South Knox which is probably my favorite area.

    South Coast is very much a no frills pizza place. You order at the counter and they hand you the pizza in the to go box out of the kitchen. They have picnic tables and a few booths inside and a patio outside overlooking Sevier Ave. My favorite thing I had this week was the meat pizza. It is a fairly thin crust with pepperoni, bacon, sausage and ham. A lot of pizza places use the same weird Italian sausage that is kinda gross, they do not at south coast. Everything is delicious. I got to enjoy this with my parents while the snow started to fall in Knoxville. It made for a great Friday evening.

    I did not have it this time, but I have to mention their Cuban Pizza. It is a Cuban sandwich in pizza form. The base is yellow mustard and bbq sauce.  It is topped with mozz, pulled pork, ham, pickles and swiss cheese. It is one of my favorite pizzas ever. The sweetness of the bbq mixed with the tang of the mustard makes for an incredible base. It is also one of the only ways that I will eat dill pickles. 10/10 you have to try it if you come to Knoxville. Grab a beer, order a pie and enjoy the patio.

    I forgot to take a picture of the pie, but I remembered as I was eating leftovers on Saturday. So here it is! Shout out air fryer. Love you all!

  • I AM BACK HOMIES (JC Holdway Review)

    Hello Friends, it’s been a while. Back in April, Kelsi and I went out to celebrate finally getting full time employment since moving to Tennessee. We did this by going to the most delicious place in Knoxville, JC Holdway. This was our second time going (she has ditched me a few times to go), and it is a top 5 meal all time for me. It has been a while and I didn’t take many pictures, but I will do my best to recount. Also the best way to do JC (we haven’t done the chef’s tasting yet, and that’s probably the absolute best) is to do shared plates.

    One staple is the cornbread with sorghum butter. Just imagine your grandma is a James Beard Award winning chef. The cornbread was crispy and just moist enough while the butter had a bit sweetness and all of the elegance. I have gotten this both times we have gone and will get it everytime.

    I am not a big seafood guy but apparently in relationships you have to compromise. So we got the Tuna Crudo. I still don’t know what crudo is but it tasted fine.

    The main course was Osso Buco with mashed/whipped potatoes. Top 3 best things I have ever put in my mouth. The veal was so succulent and slid right off of the bone. My God it was magical. It was my first time having Veal and will not be the last. It just melted in your mouth but was oh so savory. Its 830 in the morning as I am writing this and I just want some veal.

    We also had some carrots, they were good.

    Last but certainly not least, the experience. Both times we have gone to JC, it has felt like we were the only patrons there despite the restaurant being completely full. You are taken care of like no other restaurant I have been to. I believe last time I wrote about JC, I said it was service as if Chick-Fil-A was a Five Star restaurant. This time was even better. David from North Dakota, Go BISON, was incredible. He felt like your best friend by the end of the night.

    If you can, go to JC Holdway. You won’t regret it, maybe a little when the bill comes, but it is worth the treat.

  • Sweet P’s Uptown Corner

    I went out to run some errands yesterday and of course planned these around where I was going to go for lunch. I have heard a lot about Sweet P’s BBQ since moving to Knoxville. I love BBQ, but I have yet to try it. I changed that yesterday. I am pretty sure where I went was a new location for them. The atmosphere was great, despite me being the only person in there. It was a restaurant where they take your order at your table, which is always a little odd for me at BBQ but I’ll allow it. I got a sweet tea because ya gotta with BBQ. It was very sweet…just like it should be! For my meal, I ordered the pork burrito and mac and cheese. The burrito was filled with pork, cheese, slaw, and pinto beans (I think that’s everything). They had two sauces on the table, mild and hot. I didn’t try the hot because as soon as I tasted that mild vinegar sauce I was sold! I like most BBQ sauces, but vinegar takes the cake for me. The burrito was absolutely divine. I am not the biggest bean fan (texture!!!!) so I would probably get it without them next time. I wanted to try it as it came the first time though. For my side, I went with Mac and Cheese. It was baked mac and cheese. I like my mac and cheese a bit gooey and you don’t always get that with the baked variety…this had a great amount of gooey. I will be going back 1000%. I rate this 4.8 Wilburs out of 5. In the attached picture, you will see exactly what I thought of Sweet P’s

    BONUS REVIEW!!!!

    Wren’s Bakery is right next door. I could go broke and get the betus in that place. They had a variety of cookie sandwiches which are a weakness of mine. I got the chocolate chip espresso, which I have not tried yet…looks so good though. I did try the carrot cake in a cup and it had maybe the best icing I have ever had. We may have a new contender in the battle of the bakeries. Maybe I will do a Battle of the Bakeries Video! Let me know if you would like that.

    Love you all!!