Bistro By The Tracks — Restaurant in Knoxville

I first experienced Bistro on the Tracks about five years ago, and while it was excellent then, their new location is an absolute upgrade! It's much closer to my usual shopping haunts, making it incredibly convenient. The interior is a perfect blend of cute and classy, with quirky decor that adds personality without sacrificing sophistication. From the moment we walked in, the staff were wonderfully friendly and helpful, making us feel completely at ease. We even managed to snag a same-day reservation, which was a pleasant surprise and made our visit effortlessly enjoyable.

Be prepared to pay for quality, as this is a high-end establishment committed to locally sourced ingredients, but every penny is absolutely worth it. To start, I ordered both the milk bread rolls and the cheddar biscuits. While the rolls were lovely, the cheddar biscuits were an absolute revelation! Though listed as a side, they made for the most delicious starter – I'll definitely be getting those again next time, perhaps even skipping the rolls entirely (though they were good too!). We also tried the peach salad, which was wonderfully refreshing. It's certainly for a more adventurous palate, as it's far from a traditional salad, but the unique flavors intensified with every bite, creating a truly memorable dish.

For my main course, I opted for the dry-aged beef tenderloin kabobs, and they were phenomenal. The beef was incredibly tender, and the homemade steak sauce served on the side was simply incredible – I highly recommend it! I also ordered a side of loaded gold potatoes, which were super good, but honestly, the delicious corn and other accompaniments that came with the kabobs were ample, so the extra side wasn't strictly necessary. My husband had the grouper, and he raved about it, especially the fantastic sauce that complemented it perfectly.

Finally, we finished with the buttermilk pie. It was good, but not a standout for me personally – though I confess, I'm notoriously picky when it comes to desserts!

Overall, Bistro on the Tracks continues to impress. The new location, delightful ambiance, friendly service, and truly exceptional food make it a must-visit. I'm already looking forward to my...

If you're planning your wedding and considering this caterer, I strongly suggest you look elsewhere. Our experience was one of disappointment and frustration, and I write this review to help other couples avoid a similar fate.

The initial tasting was impressive. The pulled pork sliders with BBQ sauce and fried chicken with a hot honey dipping sauce were fantastic, which is why we chose this caterer. We made a few changes to the menu during this meeting, expecting the same quality on our wedding day.

However, after the tasting, our caterer became unresponsive. We couldn't get updates, clarification about the menu, or even understand how to pay them. Our communications were largely ignored, which was concerning.

On the wedding day, the situation worsened. Several key items were missing, and the quality of the food was not the same as we'd experienced during the tasting. The pulled pork was served without rolls or BBQ sauce, making it inedible; not many people want to eat a mound of cooked pork by itself. The fried chicken was dry and tough, with a soggy breading. Also, the hot honey sauce, a highlight during our tasting, was also missing which would have made the dry chicken more tolerable.

When I tried to discuss these issues with the caterer, she refused to speak to me and sent out a server instead. The server claimed the missing sauces were baked into the meats, an explanation that did not match the agreement we made.

The caterer seemed to take advantage of the fact that weddings are typically a one-time event, and we would not want to cause a scene on our special day. We were charged a high fee for services that did not meet our expectations, and our wishes were largely ignored.

This review is intended as a warning to future couples considering this caterer. Make sure you get everything in writing, demand regular updates, and expect professionalism. This caterer needs to improve their service and communication significantly. Make sure you get the respect and honesty you deserve when planning...

They must have been having an off night, because the reviews did not match the experience I had. The service was very weird. And it wasn’t isolated to our table. The waiters were forgetful and spacey. Our server took our drink order and then basically forgot about our table for at least 20m give or take. And it wasn’t busy at all, the restaurant was basically empty. There was this loud, droning, vibration going through the restaurant but no music? It was strange. We were told there was no dinner special but “everything on the menu is special” Then the food, god it was terrible. I usually am not picky but everything that we ordered came out lukewarm or undercooked. Everything was bland and under seasoned. My wife got drunken noodles (which were NOT drunken noodles, it was vermicelli noodles in watery broth) and it had absolutely no spice or flavor at all (after the waiter had made a big deal about it being their spiciest dish). However, the shrimp in the dish were cooked nicely. I got the BBT burger and asked for it well, it came back medium rare at best and my bun was disintegrating as I was eating. It was a complete mess. Thank goodness for the truffle fries because they honestly saved the night. We also got stuffed peppers and they forgot to put goat cheese in them so basically it was a pepper filled with undercooked black rice, corn, and beets. It was dry and crunchy. Char is not spice.

The food here is a concept with no soul. Technique does not...