I know it's been a pinch since my last blog, but I have actually been pretty mom-busy, and waiting to hit a killer date night spot so I could redeem myself, my blog, my family blood line, and the free-world as we know it....okay, maybe not redemption of that caliber, but close. I wanted this to be a good one; a meal squealed about that was a classy, expensive one...somehow hoping that this magical night out in cheap heels and a pencil skirt would get the writing gods to visit my hands. Thankfully, it worked.
Since the Northshore Brasserie has only been recommended to me, say, 900-1,400 times a day for the past year, (which totally makes sense-it's a pretty nice place for Knoxville, it's in a wealthy area of town, and it's modern-ish decor suggests that the food is going to really blow your face off your head) we thought we'd go ahead and give it a whirl. I don't know about anyone else, but when the purveyor is greeting patrons in a dirty golf shirt and jeans at the front door along with a 17 year old hostess, you get the feeling that the hook has been set, they are now just going to reel you in, fight you for a good hour or so, and then set you free back into the cruel world in which you came from. True story-Let's roll.
I ordered their Key Lime Pie martini, which it turned out that only certain members of the staff are trained to make, so about 15 minutes later I was offered to drink the incorrectly made one (for free, like that was a nice thing to do..back-handed compliment much?) and to pick another drink with the promise that it would be made really fast. Yikes! Not a deal breaker at this point because our adorable waiter Patrick was trying really hard to step it up and soak in the embarrassment that the bar had poorly shaken and not stirred. So, we went ahead, threw the dice and went for our appetizer: the steak tartar. Not too shabby is the nicest thing I can actually come up with to describe the flavor, but the chopped hamburger consistency was beyond gross. I mean, it wasn't like we weren't going to finish it, we just manned-up and got it down. I know what you're thinking....this is a slam piece. Well, you're wrong. This is where it takes a turn for the best! The charcuterie plate (which we asked to come out with our entrees and did not...but came out almost 20 minutes before) had grilled boar sausages that sent me to the moon. They were 100% to die for (unlike the rabbit pate', or terrine-mound, call it what you will...it looked and tasted worst than the best cat food i've ever ate), and then came our entrees, and we were beyond pleased. Provencal mussels and the roquefort burger were both prepared and presented in a manner that made us forget that we were about to sell the farm to cover the check, and we enjoyed every last bite of both. Gold star for the kitchen staff! So, feeling happy and lovvey at this point, we decided to wash it all down with an after dinner drink. Unfortunately for us when we each ordered a $10 Duvel, there was no clean Duvel glasses to come with the beer (again, which the employees felt free to tell us). Overall, it just took away from the ability of this place to be a consistently great place, but a beer is a beer, especially when it's a Duvel, and my belly is chock full of mussels.
I'll admit it, The Northshore Brasserie has a lot of, qu'est ce que c'est: Balls? Or issues....either way, if i'm going to spend that kind of cheese, i'll naturally expect something a little more than mediocre.
Find their website here.
Colleen's yummy food rating: 3/5.
