The Brass Pearl — Restaurant in Knoxville

The best seafood restaurant in Knoxville. Full stop. No negotiation.

There's a certain irritation that crops up when you arrive at a restaurant, have a reservation for a specific time, and are told that you'll have to wait a bit because they're still waiting for people to get up and leave. This was what my girlfriend and I walked into when we visited last week; however, as we sat at the bar and waited we eavesdropped on the people around us, listening to their reactions as their food came out. The unequivocal response? That this food is absolutely delicious.

It only took a few minutes of waiting and looking longingly at other patrons' food before we were seated. We ordered an appetizer of mussels that came soaked in an incredibly flavorful broth accompanied by some delicious grilled bread. I'm unashamed to admit I drank the broth like soup after we finished off the muscles. My girlfriend ordered the shrimp po' boy, and I went with fish and chips. I haven't had fish and chips since I ate it in London over ten years ago (American attempts at it are always way too greasy). I cannot emphasize how mouth searingly hot the fish was when I bit into it, and I also cannot emphasize how little I cared because it tasted so unbelievably good!

You have only tolerated fish and chips until you've had The Brass Pearl's. The breading was crisp and crunchy (which lasted all the way through the meal even after some generous lemon squeezes) and the fish was light and buttery. Both the tartar sauce and aioli that accompanied the fish paired perfectly with it. Much like the fish and chips, you have only endured what passes for tartar sauce until you've experienced the vibrant and herbaceous tartar sauce they serve here. All this to say nothing of the chips which were also phenomenal. Thick cut, crispy crust on the outside, tender and fluffy inside, with a seasoning mix that helped differentiate them as "not just another fried thing" on the plate. The po' boy was also fantastic. Deliciously breaded shrimp, the same aioli that came with the fish that I could drink with a straw, and a kale slaw with a chow chow that added another layer of flavor to one of the most complex and satisfying bites I've ever had from a sandwich.

In short, if you are a person who likes seafood in literally any capacity, you owe it to yourself to visit The Brass Pearl. If you don't like seafood, come here anyway because they have non-seafood items for weirdos like you that I'm sure are also amazing. Before we had even left our seats we were already discussing what we wanted to try the next time we come here, and believe me, we plan on there being several next times to visit the newest jewel in Knoxville's ever...

I live near Knoxville and always wanted to see what Market Square had to offer and today I was not disappointed! I had to return a rental car to downtown Knoxville and needed to kill some time. Since it was near dinner time, raining and a short walk to Market Square, I decide to find something new.... The Brass Pearl was my pick and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT! It is a small, quaint restaurant/bar with seating outside for a nice lunch or dinner on a sunny day or for a family/friends meeting to catch up or a single individual wanting to try something new on a rainy day. I was greeted by two sweet hostesses that took the time to show me the menu and tell me their favorite meals (I always ask). I didn't have to wait long for my waiter(Jake) to show up with my pre ordered cold water. Since the hostesses showed me the menu and recommended the Lobster Mac(decided to try it here since the Harry Ts in Destin, FL was a major fail), I asked Jake about the appetizers. He listed a few and then recommended his favorite, the Oyster Rockefeller(baked oysters with spinach, bacon and a creamy buttermilk bleu sauce) on the half shell. Baked was the key word because I don't do raw..lol! My O'my! I will be coming back just for this alone! The Lobster Mac was scrumptious! The Lobster was easy to find with it's chunky bits as soon as it was placed in front of me!! The Mac(shells) was very creamy and rich in flavor. The lightly smoked cheese that was used did not overpower the lobster. I was full before I was halfway through the Lobster Mac and requested for a box and my check, never giving any thought to desert. I went to the restroom while waiting for my check. I ran into the Assistant Manager (forgive me I forgot her name) on my way back to my table and she recommended the Creme Brule' Cheesecake. Goodness! I am a cheesecake fanatic and this one was heavenly! ♡☆Details, details...it's in the details! ☆The balance of the buttermilk bleu cheese, bacon, spinach, and Oyster was perfect. One flavor did not over power the other!! I loved the small detail of the lemon covered with the cheese cloth to keep the seeds out of the food. ☆The pasta shell was just enough for the Lobster Mac, not a mouthful of pasta.♡ ☆♡Well informed staff...from the door to the kitchen shows the best detail of all...love, care and time! ♡♡ Between the food and the atmosphere, I definitely will be back just to treat myself! To me everything was worth the price... Oyster Rockefeller $18, Lobster Mac $20 and a glass of Fleurs de Prarie $11. The ONLY downside is that I could not give it...

We went here for dinner. I would describe our experience overall as “fine, not bad”; however, the prices at this restaurant place it within the ranks of the most expensive restaurants in Knoxville, and I expect more than “fine.” I also want to say that we went into this meal with very high expectations, and maybe that made us just so much more disappointed when the experience was only okay.

Service was great throughout the meal, no problem there. We ordered cocktails, which were priced in line with craft cocktails ($12). However, they didn’t taste like craft cocktails; they tasted like they had sat for a while and had gotten watered down as ice melted. Again, not bad but not good.

For appetizers, we tried oysters and the octopus. First, the oysters: they were clearly high quality and were priced at $4-5 per oyster. They generally tasted fresh and good and were served with interesting accompaniments. However, we had an issue where ones of the oysters didn’t seem to be shucked properly, and the oyster was “stuck” inside the shell. For the price they’re charging, I expect properly shucked oysters. The octopus ($19) was similarly fine, although maybe a bit over salted. A lemon wedge on the side or some kind of acid would have helped.

For entrees, we got the fisherman’s stew ($38) and shrimp poboy ($17). The fisherman’s stew was, once again, fine but didn’t have much of a depth of flavor other than a tomato base. The menu described it as a “spicy” tomato base, but there was basically no spice that we could detect. Also, the mussels were quite gritty. This entree is almost $40; again, it’s reasonable to expect properly cleaned shellfish for the price. The poboy was also fine, and the shrimp was well cooked. However, the poboy was overdressed with a sweet, mayo-based sauce, and bread seemed a bit bland or stale. The poboy came with fries, which were also adequate.

We left fairly disappointed. Our total after tax and tip was almost $175. Had the food been great or even good, the price would be justifiable. But everything was “fine” or “okay.” We may give the Brass Pearl another shot in a few months, as maybe we caught them on a bad night. But again, for the prices they’re charging, it’s disappointing if they are having “bad nights” within their first few months...