As some of you know, Mr. Handsome and I enjoy trying local restaurants when we travel. When we spent one night in Chattanooga earlier this spring, we were eager to try out some of the best-rated eateries in the area. We ate at State of Confusion and River Street Deli and had dessert from The Hot Chocolatier and Clumpies.
State of Confusion has a lively atmosphere and offers both indoor and outdoor seating. I had the plancha chicken–seared pineapple marinated chicken with cojita cheese, grilled vegetables, and yellow rice.
Mr. Handsome tried a small, wood fired steak, and Little Buddy had the kids mac n cheese. All our meals had unique flavors and were quite delicious, and our server was kind and attentive.
River Street Deli was incredible. I love a good deli, and Mr. Handsome loves meat, so it was the perfect place for both of us. This particular deli made us feel like we had been transported to the iconic Katz’s Delicatessen in New York City. It was wonderfully authentic, and I was impressed that the owner took everyone’s order himself (in his thick NYC accent). The Philly Reuben was a real show-stopper.
After seeing Daddy take a picture of his Reuben, Little Buddy wanted to snap one of his grilled cheese.
Living in Nashville, we know a lot of people who went to UTC (University of Tennessee at Chattanooga), and they all told us the same thing: you have to have ice cream from Clumpies. So we did. It’s a local business that was founded in 1999 by a gentleman with strong roots in Chattanooga, whose family began Brock Candy Company in 1906. Clumpies ice cream is homemade and definitely worth trying.
During our trip, we walked past The Hot Chocolatier, also a locally-owned establishment. Mr. Handsome took one look at their fresh truffles and just had to sample them. As expected, they were fantastic. When we first went in, Mr. Handsome was ready to grab six salted caramels (his favorite), but I insisted that we try some more unique flavors. The following day, after we had eaten them all, he said, “I’m so glad you encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone.”
Oooh everything looks so good inc Little Buddy’s grilled cheese sandwich. Yum to everything!
Have you ever been to Katz’s? That’s no “wonderfully authentic” Katz’s Reuben. Katz’s Reubens are corned beef, swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and their unique Reuben dressing. On untoasted rye, not toasted marble. Way more meat at Katz’s, too! Three times that much, at least. Saying that sandwich is like Katz’s is like saying the Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas is “authentic.”
That’s an interesting perspective. We went to Katz’s a few years ago and thought it was amazing.
You need to go to Tony’s Pasta Shop & Trattoria! Rembrandt’s Coffee House is great too.
Thank you! I’ll add that to our list for next time.
Thanks for coming! Definitely check out Boccaccia and Alex Thai next time- two of my favorites 🙂
Awesome! Thanks, Zach!