For the first time in years, the menu at Chattanooga Choo-Choo Gardens Restaurant has undergone a dramatic transformation — with an outstanding selection of gourmet favorites, I might add. It’s far different from the fried chicken and chicken a la king I once served as a waitress there during one of my high school summers.
THE MENU
While breakfast remains a buffet, the lunch and dinner menus have been revamped to feature a range of items for every palate, from Diner Car Chicken Piccata to Carriage Car Catfish and Track 29 Ribs. It’s only fitting that the menu’s items would be christened with railroad names.
The order (for two): Choo-Choo corn fritters, Breaded Half-Moon Mozzarella, Atlantic Railroad Special Grouper Piccata, Key West Express Tilapia, Choo-Choo bread pudding with bourbon sauce and Rock Slide brownie a la mode.
Whew! When dinner was over, I had to loosen my belt a notch or two, but it was worth every pound I’ve worked to lose.
Corn fritters have been a part of the menu since the restaurant opened in the 1970s, but somehow they tasted better on this visit. The cinnamony apple butter dip was outstanding when paired with the warm, slightly sweet fritters. While this is an appetizer, it would make an equally good dessert. And the large patties of fried mozzarella were so much better than fried cheese sticks. I would recommend either of these starters. But entree portions are so generous, you don’t really need them.
My husband and I compared our fish orders but couldn’t agree on whose was best. His tilapia, with its Caribbean flavors in the crust and glaze, was the best he’d ever had, he said. It was very good, I had to admit, but I’d still argue that my grouper was even better. It was very lightly floured and sautéed, then finished with a white wine-butter-lemon-caper sauce. The filet was obviously fresh, and I was impressed with its size. Fish doesn’t get much better than this.
If you can, get a dessert or have it prepared to take home and enjoy. The bread pudding was outstanding.
Best bets: Diner Car Chicken Piccata; Station Master Country Fried Steak; Victorian Grilled Chicken Pasta; The Appalachian (free-range chicken topped with ancho chile barbecue sauce).
Vegetarian selections:
Caesar salad; Breaded Half-Moon Mozzarella. Needed: More vegetarian selections.
THE SERVICE
Very professional.
Room for improvement:
Nothing to report.
THE SPACE
While The Gardens is not an intimate dining area — it would be hard to make it so in the center of what used to be a massive train station with a ceiling that reaches to the sky. But designers have done a good job of bringing the large room down to scale with half walls, plants and other accouterments dividing the area.
Tall windows across the front of the dining area bring the outside in, and the view is like none other in town, with beautifully restored train cars standing sentinel over masterfully designed gardens.
THE VERDICT
If you haven’t been to The Gardens lately, it’s worth another look. I think you’ll be as impressed as I was with the new menu. This restaurant was once a favorite of tourists and townsfolk alike. I’d like to see it return to that, with more locals enjoying the historic charm and good food The Gardens offers.
IF YOU GO
Where: The Gardens Restaurant, Chattanooga Choo-Choo, 1400 Market St.
Phone: 266-5000.
Hours: 6:30-11:00 a.m. (breakfast), 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. (lunch) seven days a week; 5-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday (dinner).
Price range: $6.95 - $10.50 (lunch entrees).
Payment: Cash and all major credit cards.
Alcohol: Full bar.
