Metro Pulse/Restaruant Rover/Boonedocks Grill

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Boonedocks Grill
Louisville Landing
982-7790

by Connie Seuer

Flip-flops. Shameless tan lines. Corona T-shirts and reflective sunglasses. Ball caps and bronzed skin. Ponytails and visors. Humble john boats putter beside glistening fiberglass yachts. Dogs thrust their wet noses into the air , and lovelies bake away their youth under the cracked ozone. Jet skiers buzz like gnats behind the larger boats and pontoons, catching air from their wakes. The scents of beer, petrol, and zinc oxide mingle into an unforgettable perfume that cements memories of good times into the old thinker. This is a day at the lake.

Some from more northern climes may assume that this year's lake season is over, but those of us more familiar with the grip of Tennessee summers know that a good month and a half of worthy weather awaits. And like the unforgettable fun of days on the lake, just as unshakable is the hunger one earns after playing on the water. Whether you were slaloming like a knife behind a ski boat, having your flab-ass drug in an inner tube, diving off the dock, or merely mixing cocktails on your AquaPorch (apologies to Buzz Goss) there is no hunger quite as pernicious as that of water hunger.

Water hunger doesn't knock at your stomach gently, repeating its rap every 20 minutes or so. Oh no. Water hunger is like Visigoths storming the drawn door of your castle. One minute, you're drying off after a successful run on the wake board and the next you're scrounging the boat's sun-crusty glove compartment for anything remotely resembling food. Yes, water hunger comes on fast, it comes on strong, and it takes a lot to put it to rest.

If you're on the water near Louisville Landing when the Visigoths pound at your gullet, you're in luck. Boonedocks Grill has the menu and the atmosphere for you. A screen door slams as you enter. No matter where you sit, a fan sends a cooling breeze your way along with a numbing background hum. With blues on the stereo and a decorating scheme inspired by a few good yard sales, Boonedocks is decidedly casual. Any worries about time or responsibility get checked at the door. That said, Parrotheads should note this would be a fine place to have a hangover (they serve breakfast on Saturday and Sunday).

As one might expect, the menu offers an abundance of fish and seafood (although none comes from the nearby waters...whew!). Crab, shrimp, and grouper are regular features with exotica of mahi-mahi and mussels making appearances in now-and-again specials. Fried is the predictable, and desired, word of the day, but there are also vegetarian wraps ($7.25), or wraps with blackened shrimp ($8.50), jambalaya ($10.95), baby back ribs ($11.95 half rack, $15.95 full), Caesar, pasta and fruit salads ($4.25-$4.75), even a friendly little BLT ($5.95).

Heinrich, the tot, and I started off with an appetizer of the Coconut Shrimp ($8.50), served with a very basic, Asian sweet and sour sauce. The coconut crusted breading was surprisingly good, made so by the light allure of the shaved coconut. One plate of the sizable crustaceans can easily be a meal in and of itself. Had the shrimp been less heavily fried, they would have been even more enjoyable. But what better reason to have a beer, eh? Heinrich maintained equilibrium with a Shiner bock from the tap.

The grouper sandwich ($8.50) is another mammoth delivery. Sporting a lighter fry job, a large tomato slice, leaves of iceberg, and served on a super soft white hoagie with a basket-size portion of French fries (aka Freedom Fries if ordered as an appetizer), it's a down home sandwich fit to feed the most ravenous water baby. The crab cake sandwich ($9.95), on the same white hoagie bread, avec tomato, lettuce, and fries also does the job, but with a bit more flavor. And for those who know you can't beat the fun of a fish fry, you'll find all you can eat catfish every Thursday night.

A quiet, older couple, dressed tidily in Dockers and white canvas sneakers, entered about halfway through our meal. Obviously, Boonedocks is not just a hang out for Lake Rats but also a community eat spot for those with permanent homes on the lake. This pair read their Sunday paper and enjoyed a pasta salad ($4.25) which, by the way, looked pretty dang good.

Open through October, Boondocks serves up classic lake culture—its food, its faces, and its unabashed commitment to casualness. Pass me a beer, why don't ya?