THE CHESTNUT TREE, CHEROKEE, NC

The Chestnut Tree is in the Holiday Inn, located on Hwy 19 just on the Bryson side of Cherokee. It has changed names a couple of times and menus, but the owners are the same. They have advertised specials for meals, that are open to the public, not just their guests. They now serve a Breakfast buffet, Friday night Seafood Buffet, and Prime Rib on Saturday. 

The dinning room is very nicely decorated in Native American decor, with many of the items being handmade by local artists. There are carvings, baskets, painting, prints, etc. There are also many, many pieces for sale in the display cases outside in the lobby and the small giftshop. 

Many of the waitresses have been working at the Holiday Inn for decades. Its comforting to see familiar faces when you go there. Especially when they know you and greet you like an old friend. 

Tonite we had the pleasure of John and Rosemary's company. Its is always good to have new blood around the table to keep us on our toes, and make sure Lisa doesn't get to far out of line. 

Instead of going to The Chestnut Tree on Thursday for our usual night, we decided to go on Friday for the Seafood buffet. Greg and I had been many times and found the food plentiful, fresh, and varied. I was especially fond of the crab legs. I will travel many a mile for good, fresh crab legs. 

PART OF DINING ROOM. GLASSED ON TWO SIDES.

This night I think we were all disappointed. John was the only one who didn't eat from the buffet. He ordered the Prime Rib, which came with choice of two sides. He chose Mac & Cheese and Mashed Potatoes. According to John, his meal was pretty good. His Prime Rib was moist, and tender. He was as satisfied customer.

PRIME RIB DINNER WITH MAC & CHEESE AND MASHED POTATOES

While the buffet initially looked appetizing, upon closer examination and tasting.. it left a lot to be desired. There was a wide variety of offerings, in both seafood, veggies and desserts. There was even a nice salad bar and soup. The soup that night, appropriately enough,  was Clam Chowder. Greg and I  were the only ones who ate the soup. It was just OK. Nothing special and certainly not homemade. Wasn't bad.. but nothing memorable either. The salad bar looked pretty fresh, with several options. Nothing fancy, just basic salad bar fare.

OYSTERS, BOILED SHRIMP 

There were cold appetizers on the bar such as Oysters on the half shell and Boiled Shrimp. I didn't eat either, but the others did. I am very wary of uncooked food that has been sitting out for long periods of time.
Also on the buffet were peas, mixed veggies, rice, broccoli, pasta with a Red sauce and Alfredo sauce,  green beans,  mashed potatoes. All looked very unappetizing as if they had been sitting out for a very long time. 

As far as seafood, there was fried shrimp, fried fish (cod I think), frog legs, shrimp scampi, fried oysters, fried trout and boiled fish ( cod, I think). No roast beef as before and no crab legs.

 For dessert, there was berry cobbler and cherry cobbler. It looked OK, but again, was just OK. It was dried and looked like it has been sitting in the pan for quite awhile.

The company was spectacular that evening, which made up for a dismal meal.  We were so glad to have Rosemary and hope we didn't make her lose a couple of stitches that night. She and John were both welcome company. We laughed and talked and didn't go back for seconds. The seafood buffet used to be pretty fabulous, and I am not sure what has changed, but  it is definitely not worth the price nor the trip. You can get a better meal at Long John Silvers or Red Lobster. This buffet has seen its' better days. So.. no recommendation for The Chestnut Tree.
We are a bit off track for one reason or another, but onward.. We only have Anthonys, The Fryemont Inn, The Iron Skillet, and Tuckasegee Tavern left. The light at the end of the Swain County tunnel.

The Hemlock Inn Bryson City.

    The Hemlock Inn is a secluded hotel in Ela. They serve their meals family style, by that I mean that the food was served on a very large lazy susan. As far as I can remember, we had fried chicken, meatloaf, gravy, two kinds of casserole, sweet tea, and a pie for dessert. There were about six other folks eating at the table with us. We had some very interesting conversations with our guests   
    After the meal we were able to sit on the deck and take in the scenery of the mountains at sunset. The deck overlooked an open field that gave way to a very beautiful view of the mountains. Our next visit is to the Chestnut Tree in Cherokee. Come in and join us for food fun and conversation.
   

August 30,2012 River's End Restaurant Nantahala Gorge, Bryson City, NC.

   Good evening everybody, sorry for the late entry to our dining out. We have been sort of busy during the week. This installment is for the River's End Restaurant, located in the Nantahala Gorge. This place has been a favorite place of mine because of the scenery. Just imagine eating next to a beautiful setting of people going down river in kayaks, inflated rafts, and sometimes canoes. We have made this trek ourselves in the past, it was quite enjoyable and relaxing.
  The atmosphere in the restaurant is kind of frenzied at times, there is a stopping point for those people who are ending their rafting trip. Most of the time people are hungry when they get off the river, and the restaurant serves some good food. On our stop this week it was just Susan and myself, can't remember the excuses this time for Lisa and Pam not being able to come with us. So, we just decided to go ahead and dine out by ourselves. When we arrived there weren't too many people in the place, since it was after 6:30. It took a while to decide what to get, so Susan suggested that we order salads and split a sandwich.
   I ordered the Greek salad, one of my favorite salads. Susan ordered the Raven's Fork salad. I guess that Greek salads are pretty much made the same way with the same ingredients.The Raven's Fork salad looked interesting, it had all sorts of different stuff in it. It had mixed greens, feta cheese, dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, red onions and a honey citrus dressing. The thing about these salads was the size of them. When they were brought out to us they looked like they were on hubcaps! I mean the plates were huge!! And they were heaped up too.
   It took quite a while to put a dent in these things, but after some time we were able to finish the salads. We had ordered a Nantahala Gorge sandwich when we ordered the salads. When they brought the sandwich out, I knew that we were going to need a to go box. The Nantahala sandwich was piled with turkey, ham, bacon, cheddar, swiss cheeses,lettuce, tomato on a toasted wheat bread. It also came with some homemade potato chips, these are one of favorite vices. There is nothing like fresh made chips right out of the cooker. Be it potato or tortilla chips. If you fancy a delicious salad or a sandwich try out the River's End Restaurant. You won't be disappointed. Next week we travel to the Hemlock Inn. Hope that you can join us.