Yes, I wrecked my motorcycle last year on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Yes, my wife let me go back again. Yes, on a motorcycle. I came home
in one piece but the one flaw I have been unable to correct is the
way I attract poor riding weather. I think I might not be invited
along again. Regardless, after a pristine day in the mountains, my
presence again conjured dark clouds and precipitation that chased us
out of the mountains and into the town of Cherokee. If you remember
where we stayed before our breakfast run to
Flapjacks in Gatlinburg last year, is more like a movie set than
reality. It also sits in the notch between the Blue Ridge and Great
Smokey Mountain ranges. |
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We arrived one week before the season really gets underway while the climbing wall is laying on its side in the parking lot and the mechanical bull sits idle alongside. The leather, herb, and jewelry shops are closed awaiting the influx of people promised by Memorial Day weekend. To give you some idea we checked into our hotel and within the next couple of hours the staff checked out. They turned off the lights and left a note on the door that said something akin to “Thanks for coming; Please don’t die in our room.” Great comfort to the two of us and the other pair occupying the only other room out of the hundred available. Lucky for us, the woman working the hotel desk suggested a place to grab a bite which was right across the street before abdicating her post, locking the doors and scurrying away into the evening.
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Excellent Tortilla Chicken Soup |
I Couldn't Believe He Got It, But He Seemed To Love It |
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The menu is pretty interesting with some different takes on typical
sandwiches. We tried a chicken tortilla soup, a chicken salad
sandwich (recommended) and the weekly special BBQ sandwich. I added
a couple of cookies for good measure since they are touted as a
restaurant/bakery. Now I hope that I am not telling tales out of
school. I was wondering how I was going to write this while
protecting the guilty but he has already confessed so I suppose I am
alright. I didn’t order the chicken salad, my riding partner did. By
his own admission he has railed on about chicken salad for some time
now. You know, what do they use, all the chicken no one wants to
eat, kinda stuff. Theirs by report was really good and came
interestingly enough on cranberry walnut bread. To give you an idea
of how good it must have been, he said he would order it again
tomorrow if we were stuck in town. It came with a salad that looked
crisp and fresh. Well done, over all. I think they have two converts
and I didn’t even try it. |
Unique Slaw Added Complex Layers to BBQ |
Cookies Were Alright at Best |
The soup was wonderful, nice spice balance, loads of chicken, black
beans, and corn in a rich thickened broth, it worked very well. The
BBQ sandwich came on a unique looking croissant with some lettuce
and was again very well done. At first bite the butteryness of the
pastry and the sweetness of the pulled pork was a bit much but if
you like hugely sweet and rich you would love this thing. It was
then that I saw the little cup of slaw. It was unique looking.
Shards of purple cabbage with a jolt of vinegar. I put it on top of
the pork and the peppery acidity took the edge off the sweetness
with charm. The cookies were passable, tasty but dry but did little
to diminish the whole experience. The White Chocolate Cherry edged
out the Heath Bar Crunch but neither is winning significant
contests. We were going to try them for breakfast but the fog
cleared for a few minutes before they opened and in the mountains
you may only get one shot so we scrambled into the Smokies and made
it home. All I know is if they are still there on our next journey
we will surely be back, even if our hotel is closed before we get
there. |
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A Little Tradition
aka Why Ride The Parkway...A Feeble Attempt in
Pictures |
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Why Do They Call Them The Smoky Mountains? |
Climbing For A Spectacular View Of Blue Ridge Mountains |
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The New Ride |
He's Enjoying The Trip As Much as I Am |
Ratings | |||||||
Food |
Service |
Ambiance |
What's Best |
What's Worst |
Overall |
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B+ | B+ | B | C | A | B | ||
Cookies | Interesting Sandwiches |