The Elkmont Exchange restaurant and brewery has opened on Broadway in North Knoxville. Grub Scout video
I know several people who were very excited about the opening of Elkmont Exchange last month. They actually braved the crowds and waited for more than an hour to get a seat on the Broadway restaurant’s first night of business. And I heard a lot of really good reports early on, so The Grub Spouse and I were pretty psyched about our own outing to the Smokies-themed eatery last week.
I was first struck by the architecture. Uniquely designed exterior-plank features mask much of EE’s aesthetic impact from passersby, but once you park in the rear and approach the structure on foot, you get a sense of how the restaurant and on-site microbrewery co-exist in harmony, impressing early on with an abundance of windows and woodwork, all in the context of rustic-modern design.
We were seated in the open main dining area, walking past the main bar and entrance to the brewery along the way. We had already skimmed the menu online, so we knew where we were headed food-wise, but we still took a few minutes to give everything a final once-over.
A friend had highly recommended the spiced sweet plantains from the small plates section, so we started with an order of those, and I also decided to give EE’s house-brewed IPA a go. In all, more than a dozen varieties were on tap that night, offering something for just about any beer lover’s palate.
There are a couple of platters designed to feed two – the North Knox Hot Chicken and the Carolina BBQ Pulled Pork – but The Spouse and I wanted to go in different directions, so I ordered the sandwich version of the hot chicken ($10), which comes with waffle fries. (Other sandwiches include a burger, pulled pork and a Reuben.)
The Spouse got the fish and chips ($10) from the small plates section. The dish adds a uniquely Smokies twist by using catfish instead of the traditional cod or haddock and waffle fries for the chips.
The Exchange portion of the menu offers a hearty selection of dishes, including a hand-picked charcuterie selection, duck breast served over sweet potato and taso hash, freshwater prawns, duck wings, the regionally-sourced Forager’s Stew and boudin balls made with ground pork, jasmine rice and vegetables.
The sweet plantains were fantastic, complemented nicely by a coconut-whipped ricotta blend on the side. The cornmeal-fried catfish was also quite a catch, a familiar flavor taken up a notch or two by the side of remoulade, and the waffle fries that came with both our meals would have done the folks at Chik-fil-A proud.
My breaded-and-fried chicken fillets were served between buns with a slice of cheese, but while they were quite tasty, I was disappointed in their spiciness – or lack thereof. I felt it was quite a stretch to bill this dish as hot chicken in the Nashville tradition.
Our meal recovered nicely at the end, however, thanks to the Flour Head Dark Fudge Brownie ($7), served with Phoenix Pharmacy chocolate turtle ice cream and an Italian-style maraschino cherry. Both components were delish and left us wanting more.
The only other ding in an otherwise solid meal was the lapse in service as our meal progressed. Things started out well, but our server became increasingly absent toward the end, particularly as we were ready to order dessert and pay our tab.
But my lasting takeaway was that Elkmont Exchange is definitely worth investigating for yourself, especially for those who might enjoy immersing themselves in the sights and flavors of the Great Smoky Mountains.
Elkmont Exchange
Food: 4
Service: 3.75
Atmosphere: 4
Overall: 4
Address: 745 N. Broadway
Phone: 865-249-7904
Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays
On-site brewery
Kids’ menu
Bottom line: This outdoors-inspired eating house and brewery on Broadway pairs craft beers with the flavors of the Smokies for a uniquely familiar dining experience.