Editorial
Front Page - Friday, September 18, 2009
Weekly Indulgence
Samara Litvack
My first visits to Chattanooga Billiard Club downtown were for one reason – to play pool. I fell in love with that place the first time I walked in the door. Up those treacherous stairs I climbed to find an after-hours hang out I would soon call my favorite in town. I loved the atmosphere, the jukebox and the choice of pay-by-the-hour and pay-by-the-game tables. That very first night, the service staff took great care of me and I knew I’d be back again.
Since that first night at CBC, I’ve expanded my horizons. On random Sunday nights my friend Becca has taught me to play darts. I’ve spent evenings there watching football, playing bar games and introducing friends from out of town to the Chattanooga nightlife.
I remember vividly the first time I ordered food at CBC: I was playing pool on the pay-by-the-hour side and I was starving. The first thing from the menu to catch my eye was the Philly cheese steak. While I’m not a fan of flank steak, I do love a Philly made with chicken. The CBC staff was happy to make the substitution, and I was more than impressed with the outcome. Served with some of the best-seasoned steak fries I’ve ever tasted, the sandwich was a huge portion and came slathered in Swiss cheese, peppers, mushrooms and onions.
After that, I was hooked. I ordered the chicken Philly nearly every time I went. Then, when I started working downtown – and after the establishment’s unbelievable renovation, which eliminated those hazardous steps – I began frequenting CBC for lunch, as well. Only then did I get a true idea of how amazing everything on the menu really is.
One day, I tried a simple grilled chicken salad (minus the egg). Marinated, grilled chicken came served on a bed of mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, shaved red onion, shredded Parmesan cheese and croutons. I ordered mine with a side of some of the best Ranch dressing I’ve ever had (and that means a lot, coming from this Southern girl) and was very pleased. The marinated chicken was well done, but not dry, and very flavorful. The veggies were all fresh and, like I mentioned, the dressing was amazing.
Last week, I took Becca to CBC for her birthday lunch, and much to my delight, we ordered a variety of things I’d never tasted. We began our meal with the ever-so-healthy appetizer sampler. Two loaded potato skins, two chicken tenders and three mozzarella cheese sticks came to our table with a slew of dipping sauces.
The potato skins were amazing, as potato skins often are. They were huge and the CBC kitchen staff didn’t skimp on the toppings. I dressed mine with a dollop of sour cream and dipped it in CBC’s tasty Ranch dressing. I swear, that combination is one of my favorite tastes on Earth.
The mozzarella sticks were wonderful too. I used to be a huge fan of these when I was younger, but as the years have gone by, I’ve found them boring. I realized at CBC that they don’t have to be, and that may have a lot to do with the marinara sauce. CBC’s sauce tasted very fresh. Rather than your basic tomato paste, this was seasoned with Italian seasoning and included chunks of tomato in the sauce. The cheese was the perfect temperature, stringing from our mouths as we ate, and the batter wasn’t too thick. It was perfect.
The chicken strips were exceptional too. Most places use too much batter for my liking, but these were perfect, only dusted in batter that seemed almost homemade. They were crispy, but not dry, and I dipped mine in wing sauce and Ranch (another one of my favorite flavor combinations).
For my entrée, I ordered CBC’s “flagship sandwich.” The Debris consists of slow roasted steamship round of beef, piled high on toasted French bread, served with a side of au jus. I added Swiss cheese to mine for only a dollar extra, and could have added ham and/or turkey for $2 each.
I have to be honest – I was not impressed with the sandwich. The meat was bland and much of it fell out when I picked it up off the plate. The bottom piece of bread was soggy before I took my first bite, and even the au jus sauce – which I usually find yummy – didn’t add anything to the flavor. Luckily, the sandwich was served with a side of CBC’s amazing fries, and I ate several of them and the pickle before Becca offered me some of her entrée – the flatbread pizza.
She’d had this dish before, but I had not. And when she ordered it, I pictured something totally different than what came to the table. She was served a huge pizza, 10 good-sized slices, on a super thin flatbread crust. She had it made with pepperoni, and I helped her eat as much of it as I could. It was very, very good – the cheese-to-sauce ratio was perfect – and that crust made for a nice texture, finishing the whole dish off wonderfully.
I must also note that after I paid for the meal, our server noticed that I had not eaten much of my sandwich and I told her I didn’t like it. She returned moments later with a coupon, good for $5 off my next visit. This gesture was greatly appreciated and I can’t say enough good things about it. It’s customer service like this that keeps people like me coming back to CBC again and again.
Contact Samara at samara@hamiltoncountyherald.
com.
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