Knoxville Bar Review - Toddy's

A few weeks back, I promised to rate some of the Knoxville watering holes (see my blog, here). And now I deliver on this promise. I’ve chosen several of Knoxville’s finest bars, taverns, and/or pubs and I will review each of them in due time. For each, I rate the ambiance, furnishings, food, drink, and prices. This all adds up to a total score (out of 25) and I’ll conclude with my brief take on the strengths and weaknesses. And without any further ado, the first location up for review is:

Toddy’s Back Door Tavern: This hole in the wall on Kingston Pike was founded by former Vols basketball player, Ted Cook. The name Toddy’s is a play on Ted’s nickname, Joe Toddy. The bar has earned the vote of two local legends, Peyton Manning and Justin “The Accountant” Gundy. Says Gundy, “Hot Dog Bar!” Need I say more?

Ambiance (3 out of 5): A definite hole in the wall, but it’s got a cozy, down-home kind of feel to it. The back porch is awesome, especially on a nice day. The bar itself is a little bit small with an awkward layout. The barside has a good feel to it with decent television screens.

Furnishings (3 out of 5): Definitely nothing to write home about. The furniture and amenities could be improved. But, at the same time the furnishings give the place its charm. And it’s got a lot of that.

Food (2 out of 5): The hot dogs are where its at. Problem is, they used to be free and now they’re not. However, they are tasty and there isn’t much that goes better with a tall, cold one than a hot dog. Rest of the menu is limited.

Drink (3 out of 5): The beer flows here and they’ve got Shiner on tap. That alone should make the Texans in the area pretty excited. I gotta admit, Shiner Bock is pretty darned good.

Prices (4 out of 5): The beer is cheap (and so are the hot dogs, despite no longer being Happy Hour giveaways). However, the place doesn’t take credit cards and I find that annoying. I must just be a snob or something.

Overall (15 out of 25): Weaknesses – Limited food options, no hard alcohol selections (it’s a tavern), does not accept credit cards and overall the place could use some TLC. Strengths – At the end of the day, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. I’ve always had a great time at Toddy’s. Cold beer, hot dogs and a patio on a nice, sunny day? Now, that’s living, folks.

Weekend Mania

Why is that weekends always seem to fill up so fast?!?
(not that I'm complaining)

Here's what Cara and I have on tap for this weekend.

Friday night - Rascal Flatts and Taylor Swift concert (7:30pm until ??) followed by a classmates' 30th birthday party (?? until the wee hours of the morning).

Saturday - Quinn (my old roommate) and Deborah (Quinn's fiancee and my old honorary roommate) come into town at 3pm. We tailgate for the UT/Alabama game until the start of the game at 7:30. We then will watch our Vols try their best not to get crushed by #2 ranked Alabama. And afterwards, we may hit the Strip for some shenooligans.

Sunday - Roll out of bed. Go to church to try and make penance for any sins we may have committed the night before. Have brunch with my friend Adam and his wife Katie at the Crown & Goose downtown. (Brunch Menu). I know what you're thinking. Mmmmmm...

Somewhere in all this, Cara and I must clean, continue to organize and straighten up around the house, prepare for painting (which is on our slate for the not-too-distant future), and get some rest!! Before we know it we'll be into a new week....YIKES!!

You can bet there will be some stories and pictures to follow the crazy adventures of this upcoming weekend. Check back next week for the full report.