Don't Back Down

This was my first visit to Pigeon Forge, and more than one person suggested visiting the Old Mill (the restaurant, I mean - there seem to be dozens of places in the general vicinity that start with "Old Mill", so don't get confused).

I'm not typically one who will wait for much time at all, but it was vacation, and I'm usually game for one of those must-see (or must-eat, as the case may be) places, so I figured I would wait. Unfortunately, it was also about 7, and the wait was said to be about 45 minutes, which would place us getting seated at almost 8pm, and that's really pushing my tolerance for dinner. Sorry, but I like to eat earlier than some. So that already put me in the wrong frame of mind. It got worse.

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Whenever my parents come to town, my father invariably wants steak. This has become something of a problem recently, as the Hereford Barn has closed down, and even several of the chain restaurants (Lone Star, Longhorn) have started closing too. So I started looking about to find somewhere new to try.

I finally settled on the Ranch House after reading some favorable reviews on the Internet. I'm always a little leery about somewhere that I've never even seen, but I figured if we didn't like it, we could always turn around and go somewhere else.

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My first exposure to Upstream was a few years ago at one of those "taste of" events, when all sorts of places from around town bring samples of their wares, and for a few bucks you can buy a little plate with something on it. We had teriyaki salmon, and it was just awesome. Ever since, we've been meaning to go by and try their real food.

So we went. I'd have to agree with a lot of others in that the atmosphere is just a little to stuffy for my own personal taste. It's a nice place, and you really don't have to dress up - we went in jeans - but it's just so "pretty". The staff is nice, they are relatively attentive and all, but it just seems so wrong. I'd much rather go somewhere that's a little grizzled.

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There used to be a great Mongolian Barbeque place in this location called BD's, but they unfortunately aren't there any longer. Now occupied by Stool Pigeons, a sort of sports bar concept, there isn't really a lot to like. What they do have is a nice patio area outside, and it is a good place to sit when the weather is good.

The downside to that is the servers don't do a good job of keeping things clean, and when you ask if they can clean it up, the first reaction is one where you are putting undue requests on them, the second reaction is one that you realize the grill-like tops of the tables don't clean well and the third reaction is that you get to see the other buildings of the area in their rundown state (they are in bad need of pressure washing).

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I should probably start by saying that I am not a fan of Indian food by any stretch of the imagination. It's not that I dislike it, it just doesn't seem to particularly agree with me, and I have never really developed any sort of affinity for it.

However, the group I was with decided to go there, and I wanted to participate with the group, so I went. I'm glad that I did, because the food was good - but my rating probably reflects my bias towards Indian food in general, and I likely can't speak directly towards the quality of the food, since I really can't tell you what I ate!

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I must confess to not having chosen this place for our lunch meeting - and in fact, I probably would not have chosen it, if the choice was mine. Now that it's out there, I probably wouldn't choose it, if I had the choice in the future. Dare I say it, but I'm not really that much of a seafood person, and I'm really not a huge fan of sushi.

With that out of the way, if you are a fan of sushi, I have this feeling that you may like the Todai buffet okay, but I also suspect that a massive all-you-can-eat buffet probably isn't the best sushi in the world. Call me crazy, but there it is.

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Call me crazy, but I actually like Manhattan in the morning. Mostly it's because I like bagels. I mean I really like bagels. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the reasons I like to visit New York is simply to get a real, honest-to-goodness bagel every now and again.

So on my first morning in the city, I walked a block or so down from the Affinia and into this deli on the next corner. They had a nice selection, unlike the smallish store right next to the hotel, so I ordered up a breakfast sandwich on - you guessed it - a bagel. An everything bagel, to be precise. And it was very tasty.

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I actually arrived across the street at the Affinia Manhattan a bit earlier than expected (odd, because of the weather), but still, it is Manhattan, so what better to do than stop in for a bite at a neighborhood pizza joint?

What better indeed. Ideally, it would be good pizza, and NPTII satisfies in one regard - they have a solid selection of pies. I can't say that they are better or worse than the original, as I've never been there. But there are a good selection, ready for your choice. That, in fact, may be the downfall. Your best bet might be sticking with something simple, as the choice could be too overwhelming.

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There are several Hickory Tavern locations in the Charlotte area, and this one is in the fast-growing Providence Road area. This also means that it can be absolutely packed, and when there are a few college basketball games on, it's even more so.

This is because the Tavern is not only a restaurant, it is a sports bar. That makes it a little difficult to classify, but I'll do my best.

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Housed in an old Pizza Hut in front of (you guessed it) a strip mall along Independence Boulevard, this unassuming restaurant is probably one that you pass with some regularity. Independence is, after all, one of the primary routes through the East Side of Charlotte.

But if all you do is race by on your way into the city, you're doing yourself a great disservice by not stopping in, because the Hibachi Grill really has done a great job with what they have to work with (which is to say, not much).

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Yet another in the long line of strip mall restaurants, but different for two reasons. One, because the strip mall isn't your typical strip mall. Instead, it's the fancier type that is springing up everywhere, that looks more like a small village of shops. But let's face it - it's still a strip mall. Two, because it's Wolfgang Puck.

True, it's a Wolfgang Puck Express, but it's still a step up from McDonald's. Perhaps. If nothing else, at least in price. And certainly in atmosphere and selection. As to the food? That is a different story.

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Dropping into this unassuming strip-mall restaurant on a Friday night, we found one heck of a crowd. I mean they were absolutely slammed. Khan's, which is just a couple of doors down, had almost no one inside. So I either the food was great, Khan's is bad, or some combination of both.

We've been to Khan's, and the food there isn't bad at all, so we didn't know what to expect. What we did know is that NYPP, as the server's shirts proudly proclaimed, was absolutely hopping. So we decided to stay. Somewhat surprisingly, we found a table without so much as a wait. I guess everyone moved fast enough that it just worked out that way.

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