Metro Pulse/Restaruant Rover/Westside Tavern

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Westside Tavern
6901 Kingston Pike
558-5358

Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Sun. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

by Connie Seuer

It's my belief that every restaurant should stand, or fall, on its own merit. Consequently, I avoid comparing one restaurant to another in a review. But a recent visit to Westside Tavern on Kingston Pike invites this rule to be broken.

The menus at Westside Tavern (erstwhile Harry's, Regas Brothers, etc.), proudly highlight the sibling relationship between Westside and the downtown-stationed Riverside Tavern. The menus are strikingly similar in content, save Westside's absence of wood-fired pizza. The very name "Westside" begs comparison with its older sister on the Tennessee. Sure, leveraging what's already established makes good marketing sense. But to me, such fran- chisey notions also reveal a missed opportunity for creating yet another Knoxville original.

Once inside, there's an audible difference between Westside and Riverside. Even though Westside was entertaining a full room of customers, the restaurant still felt cozy and its volume was low. Despite its great location and original architecture, Riverside has struggled with its ambient noise; it's a loud restaurant that rarely feels intimate. What you give up in view (the Tennessee River for Kingston Pike), Westside makes up for in comfort. Its dining room provides sound and space buffers between tables to allow patrons full enjoyment of their party and their meals.

The Bleu Cheese Chips ($5.99)—hand cut potato chips sprinkled with Old Bay� made for dipping into a ramekin of warmed, twangy bleu cheese—sung from the starters' menu like sirens. Our waiter (an amazing ringer for Jimmy Fallon), delivered glasses of water and our appetizer with breathless alacrity. Although I don't believe the chips ever saw the shaker of Old Bay�, the match up was one I'll be ordering again.

You'll feel better about eating the Baby Spinach Salad ($7.99), as it has a little bit of everything one needs. Delicate baby spinach forms the salad's foundation, along with a bitter foil of fresh radicchio. Tart slivers of Granny Smith apples take the edge off of the greens, as do the marvelously crunchy-sweet caramelized pecans. Final touches of crumbled bleu cheese and a splash of balsamic vinaigrette make a balanced and refreshing shared starter or single meal.

I asked speedy-waiter-guy for a glass of Ravenswood zinfandel ($7) to accompany dinner, and Heinrich was poised to order a glass for himself. Unfortunately, the server sped away before Heinrich could utter a sound. But the loss was mine, as the dependably pleasing and peppery zin was so hot it felt as though it had been sitting next to the stove.

We selected our main plates for their status as Tavern Specialties—a Prime Rib Sandwich ($9.99) and the Crab Cake Dinner ($16.99). All sandwiches come with fries or cole slaw (Fries! Fries! Fries!) and the potato wonders that came with our Prime Rib Sandwich were as good as most and hot as the devil. The prime itself—a brick of beef—was cooked (as requested) to a true, still very pink, medium rare and graced with horseradish sauce (too much mayo, not enough horseradish) and au jus au right. After some searching, we did find the hoagie bun, but calling this thing a sandwich was a bit of a misnomer. It's a fork and knife affair that should not be taken on lightly.

In my experience, when crab cakes are prepared with delicate seasonings, hearty crabmeat, seasoned dredge, and careful frying, there are few things more enticing. Westside's crab cakes were hard-fried, the thick shell masking the potential flavors of the crabmeat and seasonings. Another item on the plate, one I'd much anticipated, was the Boursin cheese mashed potatoes. But the short pace between kitchen window and our table was too long for the life of this side—to my waiting tines they were solidified and gluey. Despite the texture, their taste was quite appealing, luring me into more bites than I care to retell. Thank goodness for the much-maligned vegetable medley, a steamy toss of broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower, which was above average and an appreciated counterbalance.

After main courses, I can honestly say neither Heinrich nor myself wanted dessert. We simply wanted to roll home and begin the angioplasty. For research sake alone, we forged ahead with the Chocolate Meltdown ($4.99). This double chocolate cake, with a tantalizing truffle center, was served warm with an oversized scoop of whipped cream and another of vanilla bean ice cream. Although the cake was a bit dry, the viscous truffle center and the creamy vanilla bean more than made up for it. And again, portioning was so large that a quartet of diners could easily share and be sated.

So which Side is better, we pondered, River or West? Riverside has the view, the architecture, but it also has the hubbub and a frequent wait. Westside's locale is cushioned, quiet comfort and offers convenience for those West of Bearden Hill. Foodwise, the restaurants are, for the most part, Side by Side. But I will offer this: As we exited Westside Tavern, an old tune from Sade was chanteusing through the stereo, "It's never...as good as the first time..."