When a restaurant has the word “possum” in the name, it’s natural to expect the kitchen to showcase Southern cuisine. But when The Grub Spouse checked out one of Maryville’s newest eateries last week, we were surprised that the down-home grub was more elevated than what one might find at the local Cracker Barrel.
I had been hearing a lot of buzz about the debut of The Possum, which is just a block off Lamar Alexander Parkway, not far from the downtown area. The Spouse and I found the place in a renovated older brick home, with both downstairs and upstairs rooms converted into sequestered dining spaces. A hostess escorted me and The Spouse to the upper level, where we took our places in a room where two other couples were already dining.
How Southern is the food? We got our first hint while perusing the starters (they’re called “snacks” on the menu). I spotted items like cornbread, fried saltines with pimento cheese, and pork rinds with hot sauce. I wanted to try the bologna burnt ends ($10). That’s chunks of fried bologna tossed in a barbecue sauce and topped with crispy onions…