I had been hearing about the new restaurant on the South Knoxville riverfront, so I approached my visit to Earl’s Knoxville last week with anticipation. The Grub Spouse and I headed to the South Banks development near Suttree Landing Park and found Earl’s near one end of Waterfront Drive. Unfortunately, virtually all of the street parking near the site was taken. And since most of the remaining spaces were allocated for all the new apartments that have opened up on that block, we had to park about a quarter-mile away.
The atmosphere was lively when we entered the main dining and bar area; the level of steady conversation bordered on raucous. All the interior seating was full, so the host assigned us a table on the heated patio. First, however, we placed our order at the bar, as required, before heading outside.
I didn’t see anything compelling on the menu in terms of appetizers. The lineup of tots, fries and the like felt skippable. Earl’s serves Cobb, Caesar and house salads as well as hand-breaded chicken tenders available in seven different spices, several of which are the hot side. I also spotted a small breakfast section featuring a couple of burritos and a morning sandwich…