Little Coyote is now serving lunch on the weekends. Starting this weekend, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., you can sit on the sunny patio nestled under the panoramic view of Lookout Mountain and order a gorgeous spread of tostadas, migas, enchiladas and more.
I sat down with owners Erik and Amanda Niel to talk about the menu and sample some of the delicious new dishes.
Chef Erik Niel created the menu items with his team: chef de cuisine Jonathan Pittman, culinary director Jonathan Ferguson and sous chefs Cody Baschnagel and Spencer Drudy. Niel noted that the majority of them hail from Texas. They collaborated on the menu with those flavor profiles in mind. They continue to bring smoked meats and fresh tortillas to Chattanooga with laser focus and precision.
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You already know, the barbecue and tortillas are made fresh every day at Little Coyote. Niel showed me the behemoth smoker for the meats and the elaborate machine imported from Mexico that cuts masa into delicate tortillas. The tortillas are piled up in a basket lined with a soft green napkin like little envelopes ready to hold the good news of smoked ribs.
Amanda Niel, who designed the indoor-outdoor restaurant space, makes sure the details are as welcoming as they are beautiful. There are heaters on the patio as well as colorful woven blankets to pull on to your lap while you order a cocktail and enjoy the view.
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If you roll in at 11:30 a.m. Saturday morning and feel like you are still in a breakfast-adjacent mood, you could order the migas. Smoked brisket is strewn throughout the cloudlike pillows of scrambled eggs, and crispy tortilla strips give a nice crunch, reminiscent of chilaquiles, while charred tomatoes burst with sweet acidity. Or you could order eggs in purgatory. This dish is delicious. Poached eggs sit marooned in an ocean of chili tomato sauce with a tortilla gremolata, which brings a bright lemony zest to the dish.
If you’ve spent the morning hiking to and from Sunset Rock and you could really use a hearty meal — Little Coyote also has you covered with its lunch menu. The fried ribs are smoked and covered in an ancho agave glaze that I’d like to shellac onto everything I care about in this life. The crunchy peanuts complimented the sweet glaze with a salty bite.
Staff photo by Lyric Lewin / Fried ribs with an ancho agave glaze, a pork belly tostada and eggs in pergatory sit on a sunny patio table at Little Coyote.The tostada has stewed pork belly sitting casually under a fried egg. It’s casual, because the pork belly knows it’s the star of the dish and can sit patiently while you taste the creamy beans and avocado, vibrant salsa roja and pickled onion, just waiting until you exclaim, “Wow,” as I did upon biting into the most tender and flavorful pork belly. Ferguson aptly noted that it has no business being as good as it is. It’s next level good.
Little Coyote
— Address: 3950 Tennessee Ave.
— Contact: info@littlecoyote.com
— Prices: Range from $9-$14 for chiquitas (small) plates and $13-$33 for fuertes (strong) plates
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Of course, Little Coyote is mindful of allergies and dietary restrictions, offering vegan and vegetarian options as well.
“We’ve had a vegan dish in that spot (on the menu) since the beginning,” Erik Niel said, “and it’s been great. They’re actually some of the best dishes.”
That’s the smoked and charred cabbage currently, with a sweet potato puree with apple slivers, pecans and chive oil.
Niel emphasized how he hoped people would come to share food with their friends and then stay and enjoy St. Elmo. After your brisket enchiladas, you could linger in the sunshine for soft serve Meyer lemon ice cream, then walk across the street to buy a bottle of wine at Scenic City Wine, or go for a hike at the Glen Falls Trail.
Everything is made to share, dishes scattered across the table for friends and family to partake in together.
“To sit down and share meals with people, that’s the most important style of eating right now for where we are in the world,” Ferguson said. “I think people love realizing — everything feels so divided — that we can still sit down and share a meal together.”
Contact Lyric Lewin at llewin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6215.