June 7th, River Side Grill

This restaurant is located just outside of Bryson on Hwy 19 beside the Watering Trough and Nabers. Is has been newly renovated inside and out with new log look siding. The inside has new floors, booths, bar and some new decor.

RIVERSIDE GRILL

RIVERSIDE GRILL FRONT DOOR

RIVERSIDE GRILL OUTSIDE TABLES

It still has the sports bar  or bar look and feel, complete with a couple of huge TV's. We all know how I like those. One was right beside our table at head level. And to beat it all.. they were all fuzzy.. snowy. BUT! you do expect TV's in a sports bar or bar.  The new booths are very tiny and feel (once you get in them) a bit like a carnival ride in that you cannot move. They are very tight, and the metal pole underneath is against your leg. Lisa said that was so if  you got too drunk, you couldn't fall out of your booth.

Tonite we had two new folks to join us. John & Margaret. Glad to have them. None of us had eaten at the River Side before except for John who had eaten there way before the renovation.

Pam did not join us tonite as she is lounging on the beach at Emerald Isle with her girlfriends. Apparently this is a long standing annual event that has been occurring for over a decade. That sounds like a nice tradition. I did text Pam to ask for our weekly question and called her too, but she must be partying it up as I did not get a response. Good for her! She deserves it.

They do have a list of daily specials, mostly hamburgers and fried items. Their specialty and claim to fame is their Deep Fried Cheeseburger. The menu contains appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts. They also serve alcohol.

Lisa ordered the Fried Mushrooms for an appetizer. John & Margaret ordered the Catfish bites. I was not able to get a pic of the Catfish bites as Margaret was very hungry.

FRIED MUSHROOMS

I Lisa ordered the Ribeye. It came with a baked potato, salad and choice of veggies or ? Greg was the brave soul tonite and ordered the Deep Fried Cheeseburger. It came with fries. I ordered the Fried Onion Bacon Blue Cheese Hamburger. It came with a sweet and spicy sauce drizzled over it, which I asked for on the side. (due to my food issues, you  know). It came with fries, which I asked to be extra crispy.

RIBEYE WITH BAKED POTATO & VEGGIES

LISA SALAD 

FRIED ONION BACON & BLUE CHEESE CHEESEBURGER.  SWEET & SPICY SAUCE ON THE SIDE 

DEEP FRIED CHEESEBURGER WITH CRINKLE FRIES

John ordered the Fried Fish and Chips. The fish was Flounder and there were a lot of fries. Margaret ordered the Grilled Trout and it came with a baked potato and veggies.

FRIED FISH (FLOUNDER) & CHIPS

GRILLED TROUT WITH BAKED POTATO & VEGGIES

We talked about our weeks and what our plans were. Margaret is leaving at the end of June to head across the big pond  to the Netherlands. She will be there several months to stay with her son and daughter in law and grandchildren. What fun!

We talked about snakes we had seen recently. Greg and I just found a large rat snake in the yard this morning. The dogs did not see it and it was hiding next to the bunny cage. Margaret swears she has a 6ft black snake living under her house. John swears it is a copperhead. Either way.... a 6 footer!! That could eat a small child or small dog - of which we have 3.

Margaret also shared with us the news story of a man who ate another mans face. Apparently he was running around naked and just attacked some random stranger and ate his face. Luckily for us.. this did not happen around here, but in Florida. Too much sun??? Sunscreen overload???? Jellyfish venom??? Just plain crazy??? I vote for the last one.
No wonder Hollywood is having such a hard time coming out with new movies to entertain us.. real life is much more interesting. Remember Shock Theater? The Blob, It Came from Outer Space, I come in Peace... well they aint got nothing on the Florida Cannibal Man. I did look this story up after we got home. Apparently both men were naked and the Cannibal Man just attacked the homeless man who was lying near the Miami Causeway sleeping. When the police officer yelled at the Cannibal Man to "get off him" he just looked up at the officer, growled and went back to his dinner. YIKES!! I loved the interview with the Cannibal Man's girlfriend who stated she did  not feel a bit unsafe with her boyfriend as he was a Christian and carried his Bible and Koran everywhere with him.

We also talked about the new moved coming out Prometheus. It has just started at the Cherokee Theaters. John was able to pull up the ads for it so I could see what it is all about. Looks interesting,.

Back to the restaurant. We had to wait quite a bit for the food, but the waitress who was friendly did bring us pitchers of tea so we would not have to wait on those. My burger was so - so. I am glad I asked for the sweet & spicy sauce on the side as I did not care for it. I only ate half of my burger and farmed the rest out to the others. The blue cheese was a bit strong for me and I like blue cheese, but Greg, Lisa and John liked it. I tasted Greg;s burger and I have to say.... I did not care for it. Greg only ate half of his burger too and farmed the rest of it to the others. Overall, the restaurant experience was alright. Not great, but not somewhere I would return to. The owner was very nice and talkative and genuinely wanted us to have a positive experience.


Lisa drew for next Thursday and we will meet you at Jimmy Macs in Bryson City next Thursday at  6:30. Pam will be back and maybe others will join us too. See you then!