Lemon Grass — Restaurant in Maryville

My family ate here for the first time tonight. We all ordered different meals.

For our starters we got chicken satay and vegetarian spring rolls. The chicken satay was not like any other I have had before. It was dry and did not taste of much. The tiny amount is sauce was not enough for all of them but it didn’t taste good so it did t really matter. The spring rolls were good.

For the main course we ordered, Panang curry with pork, spicy basil leaves with pork, drunken noodles with tofu and pad Thai with chicken. When the server brought our dishes to the table, two of them were wrong. He also did not remember who ordered what. This left two of us with food and two without for about 10 minutes while they fixed the problem. I had almost finished my food before the others arrived. If I had waited, our meals would have been cold.

Both the panang curry and spicy basil leaves consisted of a lot of chopped bell peppers. When I say a lot, I mean 90% of the dish was bell peppers. The pork in both dishes was way overcooked, tough and there was not much. There was a bowl of white rice to share too. The spicy basil leaves was uninspired and did not taste of much. I had asked for it to be Thai hot but it was not as spicy as my wife’s dish which was only 2 star spicy. When the waiter brought it to the table he sloshed it around and there was sauce all over the bowl and dripping from the bottom of it. The panang curry was tasty but again, too many bell peppers and not much overcooked tough pork.

The pad Thai was plentiful but lacking somewhat in the flavor department. My wife only ate a few small bites before we boxed it up to take home. It tasted ok but literally every other Asian restaurant in the area serves better pad Thai.

The drunken noodles were the best dish. The noodles were overdone but the flavor was ok.

It was a disappointing experience. The food was some of the worst Asian in the area. On top of the below average food the service mistakes forced two of us to eat before the other two. We could have waited and eaten cold food but that sounded like a worse option. After the mistake, our server seemed to want to avoid us and he made no attempt to make it better.

I will be avoiding this place...

Overall, best experience at a Thai restaurant I have had so far! I have been to almost every Thai restaurant in Knoxville and decided to check this one out. The outside made it look kind of run down, and my friend and I were not expecting much based off of that. However, looks can be deceiving! The inside was decorated nicely and the staff was extremely friendly! The waiter we had was very courteous the whole time. The best part for me was that the waiter did not bring the check halfway through the meal. He waited until we finished eating which was nice since it did not make me feel rushed to finish and leave.

My friend and I both ordered the Drunken Noodles since it is our go-to dish when trying a new Thai restaurant. The presentation of the food was perfect! Definitely the best presentation I have seen! The carrot was carefully cut for presentation. The veggies were all very fresh. It was the freshest I have ever had at a Thai (or really any) restaurant. The taste was perfect for me! I am really picky about flavor, so I was surprised how great it was!

The menu and prices were very typical for a Thai restaurant. The options and prices were similar for most Thai restaurants. The menu does need a bit of work though in my opinion. When looking at the Drunken Noodles and Pad Thai, I noticed it said it came with shrimp. It did not say anywhere else that the meat could be switched out for beef, pork, etc. However, I asked the waiter and he said it could. I think they may want to fix the menus just to make it a bit more clear.

Overall, I would say this was my favorite first experience for a Thai restaurant. Probably better than most of the ones in Knoxville!...

This unassuming eatery had a full parking lot when we arrived for lunch around 1pm today. The exterior is well-maintained, with the entrance tucked away at the side of the building.

Upon entering, I was immediately struck by the presence of maneki-neko -- the Japanese lucky waving cat. Its whiskered face appears on two cheerful banners and a statue at the sushi bar. (The statue has donned a blue surgical mask, that near-ubiquitous symbol of COVID protection.) The interior was clean and pleasantly decorated with blonde wood and warm drapes.

Sushi we did! My husband ordered the spider roll and Caribbean roll. He praised both as the best sushi rolls he's had in a long time. My tuna nigiri was fresh, mild, and served at a flavourful temperature.

I additionally ordered a plate of yellow curry, which came to me hot, with fresh vegetables stirred in and a generous helping of rice to go alongside. Delicious!

Our server (a young man with a curled moustache) was helpful and personable, and was attentive throughout our meal.

On the way out the door, we realized that the walls near the entrance were festooned in black and gold plaques -- plaques upon plaques! -- the various awards the restaurant has earned. They are absolutely well-deserved!

Five out of five stars! We...