Northshore Brasserie — Restaurant in Knoxville

I absolutely love French Bistro food , and was really excited to go back to Northshore Brasserie after having been out of Knoxville for 10 years. It was a bit of a disappointment. We sampled a large number of plates, and felt that every single one should have been better.

Tldr: Nothing was awful, but we've had much better dining experiences at this price point in Knoxville (shout out to JC Holdway!).

Even the butter with their bread was weird and distracting, it tasted unsalted but aggressively sweetened. I get it, people in the South like sugar, but it didn't complement the bread.

The gaufrette potatoes served with our tartare were burnt, and tasted terrible. We let our server know.. he apologized, but made no effort to bring us better ones. Instead he offered us drinks. Which we paid for.

When we asked about the crispy scallop dish, we were told they were lightly dusted in cracker crumbs and a far cry from a deep fried seafood platter. Well, no.. they were just greasy deep-fried scallops chunks, which seemed like a terrible waste.

The "Mussels with Pernod and tomato" were overcooked, shriveled and rubbery- and more than a little sandy. For some reason the tomato was raw cherry tomatoes halved and sprinkled on top. They were hard and contributed nothing to the dish.. had they been in the broth prior to steaming the mussels I'm sure it would have been delightful, but instead it was just a little weird and wrong.

When it came time for dessert, I asked a question about the creme brulee while placing a drink order. Well, when our drinks came so did the creme brulee. "How nice," I thought. No, that was added to the bill too. I didn't even want it, I was just curious how it was served.

These Bistro dishes are tried-and-true classics, and when they're done clumsily it feels like you're dining at a culinary school in the students'...

It's been since before covid outbreak that I've dined there. It's been a long time coming.i will say I've had experiences walking into a joint only to get attitude from staff. I kid you not, one place the server actually stated, what do you want to order? I'd like to keep the place clean. We are about to close. Has this happened to you? It's shocking customer service. Well, due to work, I walked in here about 39min prior to closing and i half expected to be shot down in some fashion. I was not disappointed when my party was welcomed and ssated and served. Never felt rushed, in fact I felt that I was more pushy to come along quicker. Ordered shared appetizers, escargot and raw oysters from Alabama! Who knew that the Gulf Coast had oysters had any seat at the table. They were decent sized and slight brine, they were terrific. Back to the review. Out server, I can't recall her name but I will update if I get it soon enough. She was knowledgeable of the menu items, the wine list, and she got on well with my dinner guests. At the end, I'm not sure what time, but it seemed most of the staff stayed. We left and were in the parking lot chatting when two guys that had nothing to do with our table from what I could tell brought out our forgotten doggie bag. The meals were off an elevated dining menu, not your average dishes to be had, low country french cuisine and prepared very well. For end of night meals, they came out as fresh as if we were first arrivals early in the night. As for atmosphere, the remaining staff put off good vibes, it was like the team were family, just good vibes. Service great, .meals great, and atmosphere perfect. I highly recommend the Brasserie. Do yourself a fsvor or someone else and introduce them to this gem of a restaurant. Knoxville is...

I know, I know why 4 stars and not 5! Well let me start by saying overall it was fantastic and I will be back...so if it hits 5 next time I'll update the review. I just can't go 5 stars when a steak is sent out as rare and not medium...I know it's hard to get the temp right on a thick cut of beef but that's what it takes to be anything 5 start IMO. Other than that...the food was outstanding.

The fresh baguette at the start of the meal was warm and served in a brown paper bag. The butter is sweet and tasty but I would personally go with a savory butter with this kind of bread but still great.

Our cured meat board was fantastic, really it was great...I wish we would have added the cheese option but it's super Large and great for sharing. My salad was also fantastic...spinach with a poached pear with warm cheese one of my favs.

My personal main course was the trout and...wow...might be the best trout dish I've ever had state side. Super tasty, skin was perfect and overall the fish was prepared to perfection. We also had a fillet as well and I'm not sure if they have a prime or aged beef option...the waitress never offered any info on the quality of beef .

This is a great little spot and I will be back and hope to update this review with 5 stars because I think this place might just...