The Restaurant at RT Lodge — Restaurant in Maryville

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting this restaurant for the very first time. Prior to arriving for my visit, I found myself in the middle of a brawl between two guests of the same hotel I was staying at in Alcoa. The two men, one of which used a knife on the other, spilled into my hotel location as I was leaving my room. I was forced to provide medical care, call 911, and then give a police statement. I arrived 50 minutes late to my RT Lodge reservation. On walking into the reception area, I was greeted with a sincere interest in how I was doing. After providing a brief explanation to why I was so very late for my reservation, the two ladies showed immediate horror at my experience. Word spread through RT Lodge with all of my wait staff also exhibiting great concern for my emotional well being. I have never received such sincere interest in my emotional state of mind from a restaurant establishment. I was particularly impressed by Service Manager Mr. Charlie Savage and front waiter Emma, who kept a close eye on me, stopping by often as I ate by myself. Normally, I would be writing to compliment the head chef on the most amazing BBQ'd pork chop, but the real lasting impression came from these two individuals. I felt whole again as I left the restaurant. I was touched by the caring nature of those two people who took the time to help another in a time of need. Dining is more than just savoring a delicious meal. It's also the passion of those who create and compassion of those...

We arrived a few minutes early for a birthday dinner when our hostess told us our table was ready. When we inquired about possibly sitting outside, the hostess was quite dimissive and told us our table was upstairs. We accepted the table and asked if we could be seated and then walk around the garden and koi pand and were told that seating times were "sloted" implying that walking around was discouraged. Very disappointing start to the evening. There was a $25 corkage fee for our wine (which we knew) but that is by far the most expensive corkage fee in the area. The service manager stopped by first to fill our water glasses and was very gracious and made us feel welcome. The server was not quite as pleasant. The cheese plate app was good and the entrees were well-prepared. We brought our own cake but were charged a cake cutting fee of $20 with no warning! Stunning! Also, the bill included a mandatory 20% service fee (that you needed to review closely) or be fooled into thinking you needed to tip on the "tip" line. Our server was not knowledgeable about the ingrediants or the area when we made inquiries and we did not feel special as guests. All in all a ho-hum experience. We will think twice before...

Duck was good, but I was told the skin would be crispy and it was soggy. The pasta with fall vegetables was extremely bland - no salt, no flavor. The chicken was okay. The charcuterie board and beet salad were great. The drinks were good; however, I ordered two pear martinis and one had half the liquid of the other. The crème brûlée was excellent. I recommend the following: the bartender may want to consider over-filling the shaker a bit so that the amount of liquid in the martinis is sufficient (and when you hear a customer say “I’ll have a different drink because there is so little liquid in this one,” the bartender should take an interest and accommodate). I recommend the duck be grilled at a high temperature at the end so the skin is crispy, not soggy. Finally, I recommend the chef taste the pasta to be sure it has sufficient salt, herbs or other spices. There are many positives about this restaurant, but a lot of...