The leaves have fallen and the boaters have mostly docked for the season. But the lights from the redroofed Riverside Catfish House still twinkle along the Tennessee River, humble, authentic and inviting.
With a chill in the air, the promise of a hot catfish feast sounded more satisfying than ever as I made the still scenic drive to the Lookout Valley, Tenn., restaurant. I took a booth beside a large window and peered at the hushed landscape. The hummingbirds may have migrated and the eaglets may have flown their nests, but now, deer come down from the mountainside to drink at the water’s edge.
The white-tails are not the only newcomers to Riverside this season. In fact, there is a number of new eats on the menu: fried pickle chips, fish bites, several new grilled seafood dishes and, perhaps the real show-stopper, D’s special spicy sauce, homemade by, you guessed it, D. Restaurant owner Cynthia Massengale laughed. “We call him ‘D’ because my grandson can’t pronounce his name,” she said, referring to her boyfriend David who sometimes helps out in the kitchen. Recently, I had the chance to sample several of the new dishes. For starters I tried the fish bites, made in-house from chopped catfish filets, hand-battered then deep-fried. The fish bites have a lighter, fluffier taste compared to the filets. They are buttery without being greasy.
Health, Cynthia said, is one reason Riverside has started to grill more seafood. There is now grilled tilapia, shrimp, salmon and catfish. The other reason, she told me, is that it just tastes better.
“To me, there’s just more flavor than when you bake it,” she said. I chose to sample the grilled tilapia. It was hearty, peppery and so juicy it didn’t need sauce of any sort. But still, I couldn’t resist.
I tried D’s sauce – pink, creamy, with a tinge of heat – on everything. Just as Cynthia had predicted, I quickly preferred it to tartar sauce. I used it on my tilapia and my fish bites. I dunked my hushpuppies into it. “It’s good on the pickle chips. I even dip my chicken in it,” said server Taylor Atchley.
I took a small tub to go – and an order of Catfish House’s famous fingerlings. There is just something about a hot catfish feast this time of year. While the world around Riverside is quietening down, Cynthia is clicking on her furnace. She suggests staying tuned in this new year when Riverside will likely have new special.
In the meantime, she’s going to wind down herself. The restaurant will close Friday, Dec. 19 and open back up Friday, Jan. 2. I recommend getting while the getting’s still good. Bring your Tupperware. You’ll want to stock up on what’s new