Before including food abatement on your list of New Year’s resolutions, consider what you’ve been missing. If you’ve never noshed on homemade naan or sipped fresh guanabana juice, make this the year to break out of your food rut with an intercontinental experience. The city is rife with exotic dining opportunities- with an array of healthy options-if you just know where to look. Some are tucked away in time-worn strip malls, while others stand prominently in historic districts. But the common thread in these international eateries is the utterly uncommon experiences they offer. So break out your dining passport and buckle your seat belt. Below is your ultimate excursion guide.
Sweet Basil
5845 Brainerd Road
423-485-8836
Named for one of the many herbs responsible for Thai cuisine’s unique flavor, Sweet Basil on Brainerd Road has been tickling the taste buds of Chattanoogans for 11 years. The unmistakable blend of sweet and sour is achieved through a masterful blend of lemon grass, coriander leaves and root, galangal and kaffir limes, as well as the aforementioned namesake. In addition to awakening sluggish palates overwhelmed from heavy holiday fare, these exotic herbs are also thought to have medicinal purposes. Lemongrass, for example, is thought to ease anxiety, improve digestion, lower blood pressure and relieve common cold symptoms. But for all its nuanced flavors and health benefits, true Thai food addicts come for one thing: heat. While most of Sweet Basil’s menu is tempered for American tastes, such as the traditional Pad Thai or Panang curry, diners can customize the heat of any dish with the restaurant’s one- to four-chili pepper rating system. Spice fanatics can even scald their tongues with an off-menu five-pepper option, which comes with a hearty eat-at-your-own-risk warning.
The Curry Pot
6940 Lee Highway #105
423-648-5069
The piquant flavors offered at The Curry Pot have earned the favor of some of the city’s most serious foodies, including St. John’s chef and owner Daniel Lindley. Using more than 100 spices, classically trained Indian chef Babu Bhaskaran transforms even the humble green bean into a dizzyingly pungent concoction. Cinnamon, cardamom, fennel, curry and cloves are just some of the expertly blended herbs that will ambush taste buds and please adventurous palates at this tucked-away locale, sandwiched in a strip mall between an Indian grocery and Blimpie sub shop. While the family-owned restaurant offers a nine-page menu, most flavor seekers elect for the buffet, which features authentic Northern and Southern Indian cuisine including homemade naan bread, seasonal vegetables and an array of traditional dishes including chicken curry, masala dosa or chicken tandoori. In addition to perfectly sweetened iced tea, owner Thomson Chacko explains there’s only one modification to accommodate his Southern clientele. “Our chef is careful not to put too much heat,” he says. “All the herbs and spices are there, but if you were to go to India and order the same dish, it would be so hot you’d start sweating.”
Sushi Nabe
110 River Street
423-634-0171
Master sushi chef Yasushi Watanabe, or Nabe, has been taking Chattanoogans on a culinary expedition for more than 15 years with creative combinations such as the Music City roll (crawfish, cream cheese and tempura-battered Japanese pumpkin) or the Utah roll (snow crab and asparagus inside with seared filet mignon outside). His prowess for rice and fish comes from more than 35 years experience in sushi making, which began as a side job while in culinary school in Japan. But even if you’re well-versed in Nabe’s menu, each year on Super Bowl Sunday the affable chef offers a sushi class, allowing adventurous diners a chance to step behind the sushi bar. Beginning at noon, football defectors can spend three to four hours learning the finer points of sushi construction and presentation. There’s even a chance to channel your inner Iron Chef with a friendly competition based on color, idea and creativity. The cost is $60 with proceeds going to a local nonprofit. Of course, those who prefer to remain on the sidelines will always enjoy a seat at the table at this North Shore eatery.
Taco Roc
6960 Lee Hwy, Ste. 101
423-653-1001
It seems like everyone is trying to roll a taco these days. But for truly authentic Mexican fare, in-the-know diners make the trek to Taco Roc. From the outside it doesn’t look like much; an adobe-colored stucco building marked with a yellow and orange sign. But what it lacks in panache is more than made up for on the plate. For the house specialty (the taco), homemade tortillas are piled high with grilled vegetables, melted cheese and a blend of secret seasonings with your choice of meat, ranging from pollo asada (grilled, blackened chicken) to barbacoa (shredded beef). The homemade tamales are another not-to-be-missed item, featuring traditional masa, pork meat, red sauce and spices. At the counter, fresh juices such as mango, guanabana (soursop fruit) and horchata (sweetened rice water) are ladled out of large plastic tubs. Owner Mario Leal opened his Lee Highway location nearly two years ago after the success of his first restaurant in Dayton, TN. His secrets to success are his two sisters, who do all the cooking and keep the homemade salsas and tortilla chips flowing. In fact, if you order this popular side for $1.50, you can rest assured it has emerged from the fryer in the past 20 minutes, ensuring ultimate freshness.
Café Roma
220 North Ocoee Street
423-339-1488
For more than seven years, Shannon Ritzhaupt and his wife, Christy, have been wining and dining Cleveland foodies as well as in-the-know Chattanoogans willing to make the food pilgrimage. The draw of this cozy brick and wood-paneled restaurant is Ritzhaupt’s fresh take on authentic Italian dishes such as the pesce griglia, a grilled fish of the day served atop red pepper polenta with pear compote and orange-thyme buerre blanc. Other high points include the homemade desserts and focaccia bread, made fresh daily. The menu is inspired from almost every region of the boot-shaped country, from the hearty veal and risotto dishes of the north to the fresh seafood offerings in the south. The native Cleveland chef learned the finer points of Italian cuisine while apprenticing for five years under Neapolitan chef Tony Race in a Colorado restaurant. When Ritzhaupt returned to his hometown, he worked in some of the city’s finest kitchens before opening his own eatery in the historic Banner building, located on the corner of North Ocoee and 2nd Street in Cleveland’s historic district. At the time, it was one of the first fine dining restaurants for the city, and continues to reinvent itself with an ever-changing seasonal menu.