Editorial
Front Page - Friday, September 4, 2009
Weekly Indulgence
Samara Litvack
I love the commercial that comes on Talk Radio 102.3 about Blue Plate: “Head toward the river on Chestnut Street. If you hit the river, you’ve gone too far.” The commercial also talks about Blue Plate’s use of fresh, local ingredients, which is one of my favorite things about many eateries in Chattanooga.
I looked on the Web site — www.theblueplate.info — to see exactly which local farms and suppliers they buy from. It lists Bluff View Bakery, Niedlov’s Bakery, Coldstone Creamery, River Ridge Farms and Stone Cup. I was very impressed.
The concept, says the Web site, was developed from late 19th century fast food restaurants, where people ordered from mobile food wagons. The diner’s special, in those days, was served on a disposable blue plate, which was sectioned to keep the meat, starch and veggies separate.
At the Blue Plate, the idea is that every dish is a made-from-scratch specialty, so every plate is essentially “blue.”
I had already eaten at Blue Plate a couple times before, but honestly hadn’t been impressed with either of the dishes I’d tried. The first time, I had a cheeseburger, which was good, but nothing I could write a column about.
My second visit, upon the recommendation of my roommate, I’d tried the Rotisserie Chicken Wrap, made with pulled rotisserie chicken, fresh pineapple salsa, spinach and red roasted pepper cream cheese. The ingredients were definitely fresh, but the sandwich just wasn’t my style.
So for a while now, I’d had my mind made up about Blue Plate. That is, until last week. Looking for somewhere to visit for this week’s “Weekly Indulgence,” I looked at their Web site again and decided to give it another try.
I’m so glad I did. The third time was definitely the charm.
Our server, Brian, was exceptional. His service was meticulous, from start to finish, and was extremely knowledgeable about the entire menu. Our glasses were never less than half full. Our plates were removed as soon as we were finished with them. He was friendly, but delivered silent service – a quality I value greatly, having spent several years of my own life in the restaurant industry.
I began my meal with the Loaded Blue Plate Potato Chips. The made-from-scratch chips were the perfect texture – marvelously crunchy and chewy at the same time, not too hard or too soft.
The chips came loaded with Blue Plate cheese sauce (which is creamy and delicious), mixed shredded cheese, pico de gallo (with just the right amount of cilantro) and black bean queso. (I must add here that I expected many more black beans on the dish, and was quite surprised when the chips were delivered. I learned in that very first bite, however, that the creative minds at Blue Plate know exactly what they’re doing. That queso was the perfect blend of cheese and black bean.)
The loaded potato chips were amazing. I ate every last one, and when the chips were gone, I ate the leftover toppings with a fork. I have never had anything that even closely resembled this dish, and I will definitely be back to have it again.
For my main course, I had fish tacos. I’d planned on taking the recommendation of our hostess and ordering the Summertime BLT (made with all fresh, local ingredients, right down to the bacon and the bread), but the featured fish of the day was Mahi Mahi (one of my favorites), so I couldn’t resist.
Two sizeable tacos were delivered shortly after I finished my appetizer. Wrapped in flour tortillas, the fish was dressed with lettuce, mixed cheese, fresh corn salsa and avocado cream. The fish was fresh, the corn salsa was unique and the avocado cream – though I usually don’t like avocado in any form – tied each flavor together into one fantastic, cohesive taste.
I was stuffed after just one of my tacos, but I had intentionally saved room for a very special dessert.
Since I was little, I have been surrounded by MoonPie lovers. My Grandpa Robinette used to eat them while he worked on cars in the garage. My friends used to bring them in their lunches to school. I tried them and tried to like them, but to no avail. I just don’t like marshmallows. And, that being one of the main ingredients in a MoonPie, I’ve just never been able to stomach a whole one.
When I moved to Chattanooga, I learned the Scenic City is the birthplace of this southern staple. Again, I tried to enjoy them, with no more luck than before.
But at Blue Plate, one dessert caught my eye over all the others – the MoonPie Cheesecake. Since I
love cheesecake in nearly any form, I decided to give it a shot. And let me tell you, I was so glad I did. That cheesecake was the lightest, fluffiest cheesecake I’ve ever tasted. It was rich but not overpowering, and the pieces of MoonPie throughout enhanced each sweet, creamy bite. It came drizzled with white chocolate and dark chocolate and, somehow, I cleaned that plate.
I wish I could give a little more insight to the history and concept of the restaurant, but my attempts at contacting management, or having them contact me, were unsuccessful. Nevertheless, I had a fantastic third visit to Blue Plate and, thanks to wonderful service and an amazing three choices of menu items, I definitely plan to return.
Contact Samara at samara@hamiltoncountyherald.com
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