Restaurant review: Tacklebox working hard to reel in regulars along Brainerd Road

When The Comedy Catch moved downtown, little was said about the fate of the club’s former location on Brainerd Road near Missionary Ridge.

The site, not the best known part of town for nightlife and dining, had served well and had the amenities, kitchen and seating to become something if a new owner could be found along with a new concept to bring people in.

Enter Tacklebox Fish and Steakhouse, a casual fine dining restaurant designed to serve as a neighborhood pub for Brainerd, Shepherd Hills and Missionary Ridge.

There’re certainly plenty of potential customers for a restaurant in the casual-but-classy range in the area. However, the storefront on that section of Brainerd Road has struggled to attract and retain establishments over time, with many area residents driving downtown for a bite to eat or an after-dinner drink.

Can the Tacklebox turn that around and become the go-to place for a good meal for those living in that area? After just a few months in business, the owners and staff are working hard to make a name and get to know their neighbors.

THE SPACE

The restaurant doesn’t take up the entire location; it’s basically the front lounge and bar area and a small auxiliary dining room behind the bar. This is a manageable size for a new area in this part of town, with enough room for a moderate dinner rush while not feeling totally empty on a slow night.

The bar is long and spacious with plenty of seating. Televisions behind the bar are available for watching sporting events or news.

The dining area features 12 to 15 tables and can be arranged to accommodate groups of various sizes.

The restaurant is simple but clean, bright and inviting.

THE MENU

As its name would suggest, the Tacklebox tends toward steak and fish on the menu, with filet, ribeye and sirloin steaks and eight types of fish ranging from halibut and salmon to Southern catfish, which the menu indicates is “locally farm raised.”

There are also sandwiches and hamburgers, and the lunch menu features fish sandwiches as well as fish tacos and other selections.

The appetizer menu is where the Tacklebox offers some specialty items not seen at other restaurants. The Hook, Line & Sinker features shrimp fritters, buffalo chicken cheese bites and arancini (stuffed rice balls) with various sauces. They offer fish strips with house-made hush puppies and an amazing concept – fried cornbread. Yes, take Mexican cornbread, deep fry it and serve with pimento cheese or the Tacklebox’s signature Snapper Sauce. That’s impressive thinking on someone’s part.

Finally, there’s Happy Hour at the Tacklebox daily from 4 to 7 p.m. For those on a budget, this is pretty hard to beat with $5 appetizers, beer specials, $4 well drinks and $2 off wine. You can easily make a meal out of several appetizers and drinks for $20.

THE FOOD

For a midweek meal, I started with an appetizer of the fish strips and hush puppies on the Happy Hour menu. The fish was lightly fried and delicious, and the hush puppies were extremely good.

For the main course, I chose the 6-ounce filet with asparagus and rice. Normally, I’d have gone with a bigger steak and probably a baked potato, but after stuffing my face with fried fish and hush puppies, prudence seemed to be the wiser course of action.

The steak and rice were prepared to order, and the grilled asparagus, while slightly overcooked, was clearly fresh produce. It wasn’t a five-star meal, but it wasn’t supposed to be. It was good food at a good price.

My dining companion ordered the salmon, which was a nice-looking and generous serving that was fresh and well-prepared. I may go with seafood on my next visit.

THE SERVICE

The owners of the Tacklebox seem to understand that their success hinges on creating a crowd of regulars to semi-regulars from the surrounding residential areas. To this end, they go out of their way to greet guests and make everyone feel at home.

Dawn, the owner, works behind the bar most nights greeting guests and helping expedite orders at the bar and in the dining area. The other servers are equally friendly and helpful as they greet new and returning customers and ensure that they are pleased with their meals.

THE VERDICT

Tacklebox Fish and Steakhouse is a bold experiment. With the exception of The Comedy Catch, there aren’t many establishments on this stretch of Brainerd Road that have lasted very long in the past 15 years. In addition, the Tacklebox is a new concept with a different vibe and purpose from what The Comedy Catch was going for.

However, there are a lot of people living within close proximity to this area, and sometimes you don’t want to battle for parking or a reservation for a good meal or drink after work. That’s where neighborhood restaurants can be successful – good food, friendly service and reasonable prices without having to travel across town.

The Tacklebox is off to a good start in building a solid reputation. Hopefully they can become an anchor in the redevelopment of this part of town. Especially if you live in the Missionary Ridge/Shepherd Hills area, it’s worth a visit to spend some time with your new neighbors.

Contact Jim Tanner at JFTanner@bellsouth.net. Follow him at twitter.com/JFTanner.