This acquaintance won’t soon be forgotten
by The Grub Scout – Knoxville News-Sentinel

Ranking: 4½ stars on food, service, atmosphere and overall.

The Grub Spouse and I chose a quiet evening at home to ring in the new year, but the day before, we thought we’d take a quick trip to that much-celebrated destination where throngs of people huddle together outside in the cold embrace of a winter night and watch as the descent of a small orb counts down the final seconds of the old year.

I just didn’t realize that downtown Gatlinburg would already be so crowded on New Year’s Eve Eve. Although we had managed to bypass downtown’s clogged automotive arteries, the restaurant was packed, and we were greeted by an hour-long wait. We learned only after the fact that we could have taken advantage of call-ahead seating and avoided our repeated strolls through the Park Grill gift shop, which featured a distinctive array of merchandisel.

Then we took time to visit the loo, and while I normally don’t comment on rest rooms, I must say that we both got a chuckle out of the nature sounds that were piped in over the PA in WC. I thought the babbling brook sounds in particular were a stroke of genius; it’s just the right touch for those who might need a little suggestive encouragement.

Our wait also gave us plenty of time to look over the menu and plan our meal down to the side dish, so by the time we were seated (one hour exactly) and our waitress arrived with water (without those foul lemon wedges, bless her heart), we were ready to get the ball rolling.

Although I was briefly tempted by an appetizer special, we chose the Park Grill specialty, the Chimney Top stuffed mushrooms. Loaded with chicken, spinach and mozzarella cheese instead of the usual crabmeat dressing, the ‘shrooms got us off to a solid start.

Sticking with our strategy of ordering signature dishes, The Spouse selected the Abram’s Creek rainbow trout, charcoal-grilled, and I chose a half-rack of the barbecue pork ribs. While our dinner order made its way through the kitchen, The Spouse and I lined up for the salad bar, which comes with all the entrees.

The trout, which was served with seasoned rice, received two thumbs up, and although the ribs didn’t quite take over first place on my list of all-time favorites, they were a solid contender. The meat was reasonably thick and lean and separated from the bone well. The sauce was even more on the mark. Boxing up our dinners at the halfway mark, we forged ahead to close with a super –sweet serving of Cades Cove wild berry cobbler and vanilla ice cream.

I’ve always considered the Park Grill’s national park theme to be outstanding, but with enough taste and refinement to keep it from being podunk. I also give the Park Grill high marks for efficiency. I’ve seen many a kitchen and wait staff break down under the weight of a full house, but once we were seated, our service was in step from A to Z, and our food was delivered hot to our table in a timely manner.

I don’t usually bother with New Year’s resolutions, but if I did, I'd make it a point to visit the Park Grill again. And though it was worth the wait, you can bet I would remember to call ahead next time.