The BA Ramen features the restaurant's ramen noodles, which are good as a late-night bar snack or meal. / Photo by Jake LottThrillist.com recently published a story detailing the Unofficial Bar Snack of Every State, and we thought we'd take a stab at picking an Even More Unofficial Bar Snack of Chattanooga.
The winners on their list for the tri-state area were fried crab claws in Alabama, boiled peanuts in Georgia and barbecue nachos in Tennessee. Their list, like ours, will no doubt raise eyebrows and questions, such as barbecue nachos in Tennessee? Aren't nachos big everywhere? Like Buffalo wings?
And what is the difference between bar snacks and appetizers? We do not claim to know the answers to either, except nachos with 'cue is delicious anywhere, and we are assuming whether you call it a bar snack or appetizer, it's while drinking a beer and watching a ball game at the bar.
We didn't find any fried crab claws locally, but we do know that the fried calamari at the Boathouse Rotisserie & Raw Bar is pretty darn good. It's also good at Tony's Pasta, but they don't really pass the beer, bar and ballgame test.
The Boathouse also has several shrimp, oyster, clam and mussel dishes at the raw bar, and they offer smoked pork and brisket nachos.
If you want to try something different, Bud's Sports Bar, which has been serving up bar snack food since before little chicken wings were smothered in sauce, their Buffalo Tatchos are pretty good. Buffalo tater tots smothered in creamy white queso and topped with bacon bits will hit the spot.
Boiled peanuts make perfect sense as the go-to item for Georgia. Like the peach, we associate the venerable goober with the state. (I'm going to assume whiskey didn't qualify as a bar snack, or it would have been Tennessee's go-to item.)
In any case, you can find boiled peanuts every Sunday at the Chattanooga Market where Rusty's Nutz sets up shop and sells their nuts boiled, Cajun flavored, pickled, roasted and in brittle form. They are good on the spot, with a locally brewed craft beer, also available at the market, or to take home.
Jalapeno peppers add heat to the boiled peanuts at Rusty's Nutz. / Photo from Rusty's Nutz of ChattanoogaSome other local bar snack favorites include the beer chips at Clyde's on Main Street, the oysters at Easy Bistro, the tater tots at Tremont Tavern and the garlic fries at Flying Squirrel. Each is worth making a special trip for.
Other folks in our informal poll were fond of the chicken fingers at Pickle Barrel, noodle night at Bitter Alibi, the chicken curry rolls at Matilda Midnight and the ricotta at Alleia.
What are your favorites?
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.
You can find boiled peanuts at Rusty's Nutz at the Chattanooga Market, Brainerd Motorsports Park and special events around Chattanooga. / Photo from Rusty's Nutz of Chattanooga