Metro Pulse/Restaruant Rover/Downtown Grill & Brewery

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Downtown Grill & Brewery
424 South Gay Street
633-8111

by Connie Seuer

The Downtown Grill & Brewery is an undeniably beautiful space—exposed brick, open stairways, wood, wood, and more wood. The location, the old Woodruff's building on Gay Street, is a tangible part of Knoxville's history. It's home to two full bars, acres of tables and booths, a game area, and a two-story restaurant. Spacious and wandering as the brewery is, time seems to slow simply upon entering. If it's an after-work, wind-down you're seeking, the brewery can fit the bill in a contemplative and wide-angle fashion. But for folks needing a fast dinner before a show or meeting, the brewery is still challenged by a lack of consistent and dependably good service.

Our first time out to DGB, we were fortuned by a seasoned waiter, quick and correct with our food and requests. He predicted they'd be brewing their own beer in a matter of weeks. On this second night, with a different waiter, the service was wonky—slow with drinks, quicker with food, absent for condiments, cheeky with table chat, rapid with the check.

The other downer—the evening revealed that the establishment is still waiting for the final legal check mark to brew their own. I'm certain the owners and operators are more frustrated by this than we were, and for all concerned I hope the necessary approvals get passed soon. Thirsty and curious nonetheless, we ordered up a sampler of the beers they do have on tap ($6.50) to experience a round of currently available draughts.

We received a tray of six tall shot glasses containing six shades of beer. Heinrich declared the Helles Lager, first to our lips, as being made just right. But it wasn't our favorite. Helles has a strong flavor, but at the same time, it's a very thin taste that reminded me of hangovers from lifetimes past. More to our liking was the Marzen Lager, with more body and a more rounded taste. The Goldenrod Pilsner was the most subtle and light of all the samples, an afternoon or lunch beer if you will. Tipping the scale from the wispy Pilsner was the Honest Injun Stout—thick with flavors of blackstrap molasses and comparing favorably to Guinness Stout. St. Theresa's Pale Ale was a worthy sipper, especially with food, as it didn't dominate but did provide a friendly bite. Best of all, and saved for last, was the Kashmir IPA. Warm and buttery in flavor, this is the beer we would drink to simply drink a beer.

While still enjoying the beer tasting we received our self-created appetizer sampler ($8.95). We chose chicken strips, chips and salsa, guacamole and chips, and tater skins. I was after the chicken, and although a little dry, these planks were tastefully breaded and quite nice with mustard. Heinrich dug into the guacamole (which we discovered is made afresh every day) and dug until there was no more. The salsa was merely mediocre, chunky enough but over populated by tomatoes. The chips that accompanied both the guac and salsa were a surprise—not too salty, not too greasy, and corn-toasty good. The tater skin (we were allotted one), heavy with cheese, bacon, and green onions, suffered from a case of averagitis, except for its size. This "tater" was nothing less than a small canoe on the plate.

For my entrée, I ordered one of the evening's specials, tuna fajitas ($10.99). It was way more food than I could handle—a full tuna steak atop a plate of flavorful green peppers, red peppers, and onions. Accompanying the tuna and its backup band of sizzling peppers and onions were the other necessary accouterments for fajita fixin': pico de gallo, sour cream, cheese, and several warmed tortillas. This was a good dinner, and plentiful enough for two.

Heinrich's choice, the taco trio ($8.95) was described by the menu, "If you want something for your tummy, we can cook you something yummy. / We serve it with beans and rice, but only if you're really nice. / We serve them in either hard or soft shell, just because we think you're swell. / Since we consider you a wonderful amigo, you can choose taco beef, fajita chicken, or fajita steak in this trio." Don't worry. The whole menu isn't a singsong rhyme, but it is loquacious. As cutesy as the menu descriptions can sometimes be, and as frequently self-referential, I applaud the brewery for doing something a little different with their card. Someone had fun putting it together. Good for them. But back to the taco trio...

The rice was a hit, just right with its Mexican seasoning, and each of Heinrich's steak tacos was packed with cheese, tomatoes, pico, and lettuce. As opposed to being in strips, the steak was cut finely into small chunks, and the meat was proudly steak-y in flavor.

Although DGB is not a stellar place, yet, and lacks the homey quality oft desired in a watering hole, it's got a lot going for it. And when the indigenous suds start flowing, there will once again be a downtown brewery we can call our own. Until then, it is what it is, it ain't what it ain't, and that's all she wrote.