Downtown Game and Dinner Recommendations

#1
kiddiedoc

kiddiedoc

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#1
We are going to be downtown for a little "staycation" this weekend, and I'd like to find a nice place to watch the game and have a respectable dinner (not bar food) that my wife will enjoy. Saloon 16? Any help is much appreciated.
 
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#6
#6
kiddiedoc said:
We are going to be downtown for a little "staycation" this weekend, and I'd like to find a nice place to watch the game and have a respectable dinner (not bar food) that my wife will enjoy. Saloon 16? Any help is much appreciated.
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Kefi in the old city right off Jackson avenue. Mediterranean style cuisine. Get there early because it fills up quick. There is even free parking underneath the bridge past Barley's.
 
#10
#10
I a fan of the original cooper cellar downstairs. Bistro at the bijou is tasty but they won’t have the game on.
 
#11
#11
GoBigOrangeVols said:
Early dinner at Lonesome Dove, then walk over to Barley’s for the game.
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This is the answer.

Saloon 16 is absolutely awesome and worth visiting at least once just to see the incredible memorabilia on the walls, but at its core you're going to a casual hotel bar with mediocre food (cheese bings aside, you might as well eat at Half Barrel or Cool Beans) and standard drinks while paying a hefty Tennessee tax to do so. The television situation in there leaves a lot to be desired as well, so it wouldn't be my choice to actually watch a game.

Lonesome Dove is still the best restaurant downtown in my book (Emilia and Oliver Royale are also great if you'd prefer being in Market Square, don't buy into the J.C. Holdway hype) so you'd be hard pressed to go wrong there as GBOVols said, and the relatively-new flat screens at Barley's have served me well for watching mid-day tennis and such when in town. Barley's will likely put the game on a projector, too, and my assumption is that the band they have scheduled for 10:00 p.m. will be held until the end of the game but I'd probably call to check about that because the last thing I'd want is a close battle in the 4th quarter upended by some "jazz and psychedelia" music.

If Barley's doesn't work for whatever reason, Old City Sports Bar skews very young so I would recommend trying to get a seat at Tommy Trent's on the corner of Market Square or begrudgingly paying a visit to Skybox on the 400 block of Gay St.
 
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#12
#12
Stop by here...yell,,,"Give me 2 Roosters...and run them through the garden!"

701e2d3713a401fa50cf06dd5ec17d3f.jpg



then HERE...
OIP.Zr-49NFp4SDVpW8hCsKgzgHaGX



You can thank me later...
 
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#13
#13
kiddiedoc said:
We are going to be downtown for a little "staycation" this weekend, and I'd like to find a nice place to watch the game and have a respectable dinner (not bar food) that my wife will enjoy. Saloon 16? Any help is much appreciated.
Click to expand...

Saloon 16 isn’t downtown and honestly isn’t all that great (hate to say it). If it were me, I’d go to Southern Grit.
 
#15
#15
TrumpedUpVol said:
This is the answer.

Saloon 16 is absolutely awesome and worth visiting at least once just to see the incredible memorabilia on the walls, but at its core you're going to a casual hotel bar with mediocre food (cheese bings aside, you might as well eat at Half Barrel or Cool Beans) and standard drinks while paying a hefty Tennessee tax to do so. The television situation in there leaves a lot to be desired as well, so it wouldn't be my choice to actually watch a game.

Lonesome Dove is still the best restaurant downtown in my book (Emilia and Oliver Royale are also great if you'd prefer being in Market Square, don't buy into the J.C. Holdway hype) so you'd be hard pressed to go wrong there as GBOVols said, and the relatively-new flat screens at Barley's have served me well for watching mid-day tennis and such when in town. Barley's will likely put the game on a projector, too, and my assumption is that the band they have scheduled for 10:00 p.m. will be held until the end of the game but I'd probably call to check about that because the last thing I'd want is a close battle in the 4th quarter upended by some "jazz and psychedelia" music.

If Barley's doesn't work for whatever reason, Old City Sports Bar skews very young so I would recommend trying to get a seat at Tommy Trent's on the corner of Market Square or begrudgingly paying a visit to Skybox on the 400 block of Gay St.
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Sounds like we have similar taste in food! (Although I do really like JC)

To clarify, I am looking for a place to eat AND watch the game at the same time.

We actually just went to Lonesome Dove a few weeks ago. Not sure if it was just what we ordered or what, but I left feeling a bit hungry and very light in the wallet. I'll stick with a steak or the Elk next time. The appetizer pricing is insane, though.
 
#16
#16
I am not sure what your taste are but my favorite restaurant downtown is JC Holdway. The chef came from Blackberry Farm and it is all farm to table. After dinner walk a block to the Oliver hotel and go to the Peter Kern Library speak easy for a drink.
 
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#17
#17
Hawkeye4588 said:
I am not sure what your taste are but my favorite restaurant downtown is JC Holdway. The chef came from Blackberry Farm and it is all farm to table. After dinner walk a block to the Oliver hotel and go to the Peter Kern Library speak easy for a drink.
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Are they open again? Last month they were still closed.
 
#22
#22
TAF said:
Stop by here...yell,,,"Give me 2 Roosters...and run them through the garden!"

then HERE...
OIP.Zr-49NFp4SDVpW8hCsKgzgHaGX

You can thank me later...
Click to expand...

My goodness! There are still places where diner-speak is still spoken?????? I thought the days of hearing a diner waitress yelling such lingo as:
Adam an Eve on a raft, a cup of mud and, hold the moo juice. And Butcher's revenge, whistle berries, and elephant dandruff etc. was long gone.
Diner-speak was such a colorful language back then, and very creative.
 
#23
#23
most of the better restaurants downtown have limited capacity and are not really set up to cater to folks who want to hang around for four hours.

Although not really downtown, but close by, I would suggest Balter Beer Works, Field House Social, or Ruth's Chris (eat and then move to the bar).
 
#24
#24
WoodsmanVol said:
My goodness! There are still places where diner-speak is still spoken?????? I thought the days of hearing a diner waitress yelling such lingo as:
Adam an Eve on a raft, a cup of mud and, hold the moo juice. And Butcher's revenge, whistle berries, and elephant dandruff etc. was long gone.
Diner-speak was such a colorful language back then, and very creative.
Click to expand...


You FORGOT the FAMOUS S.O.S.
 
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