A UT fan checks out the antiques at Ramsey House Country Market

Fall for me just wouldn’t be the same without a trip to Ramsey House for the annual Country Market.  And since last fall came and went without the annual celebration, I was feeling a bit of withdrawal.  The Country Market celebrates so many things I love about East Tennessee: colorful fall flowers, homemade cobblers, homey crafts of spinning and quilting, and primitive antiques on burlap-covered tables.  It’s fall at its finest, and I was glad I had the morning to myself to meander the fields and talk to the people who make it happen.

Ramsey House, built in 1797.

The focus, of course, is on preservation.  Ramsey House was built in 1797 by Knoxville’s first builder, Thomas Hope, for Francis Alexander Ramsey, one of the founding trustees of Blount College, now the University of Tennessee.  With its signature red trim, this gray stone home boasts some of the prettiest exterior and interior decorative art in East Tennessee.  The Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities purchased the house and the 101 acres upon which it stands in 1952.

Col. Ramsey (a.k.a. Jerry Griffey) welcomes guests to the Country Market.

It was fitting, of course, that Col. Ramsey (who closely resembles Jerry Griffey, owner of Gentry-Griffey Funeral Home) would greet guests to the property on this pleasant, but rather warm, first day of fall!

Log house to the right of the main house

I parked my car in the field and headed straight for the antiques and crafts booths set up in tents on the grassy expanse between the Visitor Center and Ramsey House hoping I’d see some familiar faces and a few new vendors, too!

Barbara McDonald who specializes in antique quilts had several quality pieces on display as well as bowls, pottery, and a child’s rope-tied bed.

Barbara McDonald — Dealer of antique quilts

I was drawn to this table of red and white mostly kitchen items displayed on a graphic antique quilt in Joe Wolfenbarger’s booth.  Joe owns both Gertie’s Commissary and Whistle Stop Antiques in Cumberland Gap, so we chatted about the influx of tourists to his area now that the leaves are getting ready for their big fall flourish.

Joe Wolfenbarger’s display of red and white items and antique quilt

Hugh and Barbara Webb have been painting and setting up at craft shows for almost 45 years now.

Barbara and Hugh Webb of Knoxville — artists and long-time exhibitors

I own several pins and driftwood pieces, but I couldn’t resist the almost stony face of this yellow tabby!

Barbara Webb’s hand-painted wooden cat

She’s known for drawings of old Knoxville homes as well as paintings of animals. But there was a surprise this time — tiny little birds Barbara fashioned from leftover building materials.

Little birds from The Webb’s Works

Albert and Sandra Davis of Clinton put out collections of thimbles and buttons.  But sometimes Albert just demonstrates how comfortable his old lawn chairs can be!

Ahhhhh. The joy of old lawn furniture!

Roger Farneth of Louisville brought his hand-carved canes and walking sticks as well as his best asset and the “brains of this outfit”:  his wife Madilyn.  Roger agreed to come out into the sunshine to hold his “food chain” walking stick bearing a snake coiled to attack!

Roger and Madilyn Farneth of Louisville brought hand-carved canes and walking sticks along with jams, jellies, noodles, peanut butter, pickles, and chow chow.

Under the name of Paw Paws Woodturnings, Joe White of Friendsville hand-turns bowls and vases of must-touch woods that I dearly love.  Black cloth contrasted the grains and colorations of the various types of wood.

Joe White hand-turns bowls of wood that beg to be touched!

Craftspeople set up a bit closer to Ramsey House eagerly shared their love of what they make from what they find.

One of the outbuildings on the Ramsey House property

Gloria Felter of Oak Ridge had come upon a stash of scraps last January and set about to make a Log Cabin lap quilt with a tiny inset piece featuring – would you believe? – Elvis!

Gloria Felter uses a hoop for the hand-quilting process.

Linda Avery and Lalena Stewart take pride in making authentic quilts under the name Tennessee Quiltworks.  They’ll be back for the October 20th Second Annual Quilt Show right here at Ramsey House —  a sight to behold, they said, since so many quilts hang gracefully on clothes lines for viewing on the grounds. (Put that one on your calendar!)

Lalena Stewart and Linda Avery of Tennessee Quiltworks

Nancy, a spinner since 2007, gave a demonstration using the vermillion piece she was spinning of cotswold and mohair. Nancy is an advocate for Pick Tennessee Products, noting that the wool comes from sheep in Tennessee.

Spinning cotswold and mohair to make yarn for a shawl.

A drying rack of lovely yarns hanging in the sunshine.

Right behind her was Mark who researches and faithfully replicates powder horns with turned wood tops.  It’s not easy, I gathered. Mark described how he heats up the irregularly shaped horn and molds it on a wooden form prior to fitting it with the top.  Many, many steps, but worth it when you see the beauty of true craftmanship.

Mark holds powder horns that he shapes using heat and a wooden cone.

Inside the Visitor Center were appraisers offering their services for a mere $5.00 donation.  Darryl Mackley, who owns Mackley and Company in Knoxville, and Selma Burgin stood ready to evaluate jewelry.

Darryl Mackley and Selma Burgin, jewelry appraisers

Joe Rosson, News-Sentinel columnist who answers readers’ questions each week, was on hand to appraise antiques.  We talked a bit about the state of antique collecting and wondered if the next generation feels as strongly as we do about keeping family pieces in the family.  We didn’t have any answers, but we did do some head shaking and even more wondering!

Joe Rosson, columnist and appraiser, waits for his next customer.

Autographing her books was Dr. Lin Stepp, who writes modern fiction set in the Smoky Mountains with each book set in a different locale: The Foster Girls — Wear’s Valley; Tell Me About Orchard Hollow — Townsend; For Six Good Reasons — Greenbrier, and Delia’s Place — Gatlinburg. Her book covers feature paintings by celebrated artist, Jim Gray, and Dolly Parton has given her stamp of approval to someone she says “believes in all the things that I do.”

Delia’s Place, a modern-day novel set in Gatlinburg, by Lin Stepp.

Lin’s husband J. L. has a book coming out Spring 2013 outlining easy hikes anyone can enjoy:  The Afternoon Hiker: A Guide to Casual Miles in the Great Smoky Mountains. Click here to read more about their publications. Click here for Lin’s books on Amazon.

J. L. and Lin Stepp autograph books outside the Visitor’s Center.

In another area, flowers and farm goods beckoned.  Carefully arranged mums, cuttings of Sweet Annie, paper-wrapped bouquets of dried lavender, and white and orange pumpkins artfully positioned on hay bales added a fall touch to the Ramsey House booth.

Pumpkins, cornshocks, and mums for a lovely fall setting.

Sylvia looks over the osage orange for sale in the Ramsey House booth.

Stuart and Martha of Strong Stock Farm brought their signature grass-fed beef to their artfully arranged booth flanked by white-blooming hydrangeas and fall foliage.

Stuart and Martha talked to me about where they market their grass-fed beef.

In the children’s booth, little Kendall waited patiently for Mickey, the volunteer tattoo artist, to peel off the stencil and reveal a much-anticipated glittery heart.

Kendall waits for step two of her glitter tattoo!

And in the background, I heard the bluegrass stains of an old-time string band, Boogertown Gap.

Musicians from Boogertown Gap

By this time, I had worked up an appetite for either the beans and cornbread or the bar-b-que served by Janet Oakes, Charlotte Brown, and Miriam Anderson, three Ramsey House board members.  I chose the bar-b-que smoked by John Wallace whose wife Connie is also on the board.

Janet Oakes, Charlotte Brown, and Miriam Anderson serve bar-b-que for lunch.

Smoked and pulled bar-b-que by John Wallace was my choice for lunch!

You’d think that would be enough, but not so.  Two men had piled the goodness of dough and the richness of peaches into a black kettle that sat simmering over hot coals for almost half a day.  When I got there, they scooped out the steaming goodness into a cup, topped it with homemade ice cream, and watched me smile!

Dessert was a big scoop of peach cobbler right from the black cast iron pot!

Full and oh-so-happy, I joined Dr. Charles Faulkner for my last act of the day — a tour of Ramsey House!

Dr. Faulkner chats with another visitor about the architecture of Ramsey House.

Fall festivals in East Tennessee showcase the very best in area crafts, food, and the heritage of a land we love.  But you don’t have to wait until next year’s Country Market to visit Ramsey House.  It’s open year round Wednesday through Saturday.

Hoping Ramsey House has a Country Market every year!

You can have that Country Market experience every time you walk across the grounds or peer into the rooms or sit a spell on a bench and just imagine what life was like back then.

It was good then . . . and it’s still good now.

Lovely view of Ramsey House with begonias in bloom.

Ramsey House

2614 Thorngrove Pike

Knoxville, TN 37914

865.546.0745

info@ramseyhouse.org

Leave me a comment about a fall festival you’ve attended or you’ve got on your to-do list. Or just let me know what your favorite part of a country market is for you!  Thanks for reading!

Hayley and Lilly enjoying milkshakes on a Sunday afternoon on the front porch of Cook-Out

Now, I don’t even pretend to be a Guy Fieri who knows every drive-in, diner, and dive across America and where to get the best milkshakes.  But I do know a GOOD milkshake, if I say so myself.

I grew up in small towns where you drove up to a tiny little building and then walked up to the window (usually with screens) to order a cone, a hot dog, some fries, or a milkshake.  Now you only see those little places in the movies, I guess, or at the Freezo right here in Knoxville. But they’re definitely vanishing from America’s landscape.

My dad loved milkshakes, so he would drive my mom and me to the Dairy Queen and place his order: Three milkshakes, please. Then he’d walk back to the car, and we’d sip away quietly.  At least ’til we hit bottom. And then we all announced The End with that hollowed-out noise that only comes when you suck the last drops into an otherwise empty straw.

When the second daughter arrived, Dad announced that he would be ordering four milkshakes pretty soon.  Later, he proudly said it would be five, then six, then seven, since I’m the oldest of five girls, all of whom like milkshakes — or at least they did when they were young.  Best invention, according to my dad, was that cardboard 6-hole carrying container that transported all but one of the frothy shakes to our Chevy station wagon, leaving just one trip back to the window for my dad who said he was doing all this just for us.  We knew better.

So I thought of my dad and those good family times when my husband said, You wanna try a milkshake at Cook-Out?  There’s one on Cumberland.  Now how could I refuse?

Cook-Out on Cumberland Avenue, Knoxville

Verdict: Cook-Out has delicious milkshakes.  I can say that from my years of family indulgences and fully trained tastebuds.  Of course, others nearby that I’ve written about like Bruster’s and Tic Toc do, too, but Cook-Out probably has everyone beat when it comes to choices.

Just look at this.  More milkshake flavors than — well, just about anybody!  But there’s another thing.  If you can imagine it, they say they can blend it right up – your very own concoction.

Two servers, Jacob and Ashton filled us in on Cook-Out, a privately owned chain of restaurants in North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Jacob and Ashton, servers at Cook-Out, admit they’re lovers of the milkshakes, too.

What we like, they said, is how fresh the milkshakes are.

They explained that the richest, best ice cream is blended, dated, and stored in cups for a only a brief time.  There’s a time stamp handwritten on the bottom of each cup to guarantee freshness. Then they add refreshing ingredients like bananas, strawberries, pineapple — even watermelon in July and August — to the shakes when ordered.  And, they added, if you don’t see what you want on the list, you can ask us to make a different combo!

Somehow this code is a freshness indicator, but you have to know the code, I guess.

Cook-Out serves food, too, “cooked outdoors style” – like char-grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken breasts — as well as barbecue, BLTs, and sides of slaw. And it’s one of the few places in Knoxville that has Cheerwine Floats on the menu!

At Ashton‘s suggestion, I ordered a Peanut Butter Shake — one of two best sellers: Peanut Butter and Oreo!  Bert ordered Snickers. We agreed: rich ingredients, quality ice cream.

Jacob hands Bert my fresh-made peanut butter milkshake.

I have a technique down pat after all these years of “milkshaking.” First, I dig the spoon in for a medium bite of the creamy cold goodness.  Then I squish it between my tongue and the roof of my mouth — ever so slowly — to avoid the inevitable brain freeze.  I continue with bigger and bigger spoonfuls until I notice that at least some of the shake has started to melt.  At that point, I poke in my straw and commence the sipping/slurping process. (Some things your dad teaches you, you never forget!)

So, check out this unofficial website (The company doesn’t have its own up and running yet) to find a Cook-Out in your area. You, too, can enjoy shakes from Labor Day all the way through football season.

And one more thing — you’ll only hear Christian music at Cook-Out:  owner preference. Certainly didn’t make a difference to us — we enjoy milkshakes no matter what’s playing in the background!

So, what will it be? Chocolate malt . . . heath toffee . . . strawberry cheesecake . . . cappuccino . . . blueberry . . .

Cook-Out

Knoxville Locations: 2135 Cumberland Avenue and 6920 Kingston Pike

Corporate Office: 1-866-547-0011

Unofficial Website: http://www.cookoutnc.com

Been to Cook-Out?  Got a favorite milkshake flavor?  Leave us a comment.  We may try yours next time!  Or, if you’ve got another place you love, please share.  What’s not to like about a great shake on a hot afternoon?!

<a href=”http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/68/1613353/restaurant/Fort-Sanders/Cook-Out-Knoxville”><img alt=”Cook Out on Urbanspoon” src=”http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1613353/minilink.gif” style=”border:none;padding:0px;width:130px;height:36px” /></a>

Bluff View Art District is the epitome of quiet elegance in the heart of the city.

My husband and I left Knoxville on July 3rd in time to position ourselves on the Walnut Street Bridge for Pops on the River in Coolidge Park and then watch colorful, dramatic fireworks burst and dance to the music of the night.

A view of the Tennessee River from Bluff View Art District

 But the Fourth was ours for exploring on our own, so we headed to the District.

Near the Back Inn Cafe, a tall whirligig-like sculpture let us know this is no ordinary shopping area.  This is as artsy a place in Tennessee as you can find.

This sculpture almost says “lift off”!

Our first stop? River Gallery, in the former Dr. Edward Newell home.  We spotted suspended glass orbs beckoning us inside to take a closer look.

Hand-blown glass catching the sunlight from a window in River Gallery

Known for showcasing the creative art of some of the area’s finest craftsmen, the gallery offers variety in form, function, and medium.

Colorful scarves on display at River Gallery

Ceramist Kelly Jean Ohl created “11 Piece Wall Installation” — unique wall art.

We couldn’t resist touching these hand-turned, burled wood bowls.

We were pleasantly surprised to see this oil on canvas “House in Biltmore Village” by Knoxville artist Joe Parrott!

Wall hanging of colorful, contemporary quilting: “New Paths” by Marquetta Johnson

River Gallery is celebrating 20 years in business with a special exhibit, Collecting Thoughts.  Although it runs from August 1 to 31 this year, we were privy to some of the art that day by Nancy Kubale, Roelna Louw, and Susan Parrish.  (Here’s where the viewpoints part of this post comes in: It’s not just art . . . these pieces make statements!)

The sign with Nancy Kubale’s “Stand Still” reads “a reminder to stop and stand still and be fully present.”

Roelna Louw’s ceramic sculpture entitled “Us” features two people leaning in for conversation.

Susan Parrish’s mixed media pieces are a testament to her creativity as they express her views on people, politics, and the vagaries of life.

Parrish’s “Holy Man” uses metallic washers, a sink stopper, and a blue cleaning brush!

We left River Gallery and walked past other buildings like Renaissance Commons, a stately building now used for private events and the District’s holiday buffets. Originally this was a quadruplex, then a duplex, and now one of the area’s most tasteful examples of urban renewal.

Renaissance Commons

The Bluff View Inn is really a conglomerate of three turn-of-the-century homes repurposed as Bed & Breakfast Inns: the Maclellan House, the T. C. Thompson House, and the C. G. Martin House.  An 1889 English Tudor, The Maclellan House offers seven guest rooms, a honeymoon suite, and several original furnishings.

Bluff View Inn: The Maclellan House

You can see a view of the river from the breakfast room at The Maclellan House.

Period furniture graces the sitting room.

The Bocce Court Terrace, named for the game of bocce brought to America by Italian immigrants, offers unparalleled views of the river and a place to relax.

Built with salvaged architectural elements on the site where another home previously stood, Rembrandt’s Coffee House sells paninis, soups, artfully packaged chocolates, and gourmet desserts. It was definitely abuzz with activity on the Fourth.  We took time to relax, have lunch, and meet some of the people out and about that day.

Lili talked to us about the varieties of tea and coffee at Rembrandt’s.

We weren’t the only ones having trouble deciding what to order! Sandwiches, salads, desserts, fresh brewed coffees . . .

But Dava said my choice of chicken salad was a good one and tea would make a great, relaxing after-shopping drink!

I was tempted — very tempted — to take home this beautifully wrapped box of chocolates — just for myself!

We even struck up a conversation with Christina Neighbors who wants to be a teacher, if she can get a job in Chattanooga! Anyone hiring?

Listed in the Smithsonian Institute’s Archives of American Gardens, the River Gallery Sculpture Garden fascinates young and old with creative pieces that grace the courtyard and the bank below, leading to the river. It’s not unusual to see people looking closely at the sculptures or relaxing in this urban setting so removed from busy city life.

This sculptural figure seems suspended in flight on the banks below the garden.

A stack of heads seems as tall as the bridge from this perspective!

A walking, winged sculpture seems almost in motion.

The Bluff View Bakery occupies my favorite structure, the former Powers & Condon building.  Even on the Fourth of July, workers baked fresh bread in Chattanooga’s oldest artisan bakery and hand twisted pretzels for the restaurants and B & B’s in the area.

My favorite building in the District houses the Bluff View Bakery.

Rolling and shaping pretzels by hand

We asked Sharon why they were working on the Fourth, and she replied, We have to get the bread ready to sell at Blue Cross, Blue Shield tomorrow.  To the employees.

Sharon explained why they were working on the Fourth!

And so it was, that we, too, had fresh bread to take home that afternoon as one last souvenir from the Bluff View Art District.

It was hard not to pinch off a hunk of fresh bread on our way back to Knoxville!

You can see Bluff View Art District in a day, including a quick tour of the Hunter Museum, but you may want to spend more time than that.  It’s easy to get caught up in the shops, open air sculptures, and the fascinating architecture of the district.  So much to see. So many view points.

For a historical overview of the Bluff View Art District and a timeline of the district’s development, click here.

For more on the Hunter Museum of American Art, click here, and be sure to check out my next blog.

Bluff View Art District

411 East Second Street

Chattanooga, TN 37403

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Makhaila serves the finest ice cream around at Tic Toc!

It’s been fun writing these blogs for Cool Off 2012, a review of area ice cream shops we love to patronize.  Selecting one as “the best” is not only difficult . . . it’s impossible.  They each have remarkable ice cream and concoctions to come back for. But we’ve saved what we think is our favorite for last.

Our go-to place for the creamiest ice cream, most interesting dessert creations, and the best back-in-time location, is the Tic Toc Ice Cream Parlor in Loudon, Tennessee, about 25 miles from Knoxville!

Tic Toc Ice Cream Parlor — downtown Loudon

Nestled in an old building on the corner of Grove Street, Tic Toc makes you feel as if you’ve come to the right spot to cool off, but you’ve done it in a way-back-when kinda place.  Only open 12 years, Tic Toc has quite a following, judging from the lines out the front door and the review in Southern Living praising it as a destination for quality ice cream, shakes, floats, and sodas.

We first encountered the Tic-Toc when we set up our antiques on the grounds of the Loudon County Courthouse for the Antiques on Mulberry show each fall.  Those long, hot days sitting in the sun talking to dealers and customers made us look around for something cold and satisfying.  When we asked where to go for an afternoon treat, one of the dealers pointed us to the Tic Toc! Our son, Jeff, remembers it fondly, too, since we treated him to a double scoop cone for helping us repack the van for the return trip home.

Bob and Mary Jones, who’ve owned the shop for seven years, use only the finest ingredients — fresh cream, Madagascar vanilla, hand-chopped chocolate chunks, and other great add-ins. They flash freeze each of the 24 flavors so there’s not even a hint of freezer burn. You can really taste the difference.

Big scoops of this creamy, rich goodness mound up and over sugar or cake cones or hand-made waffle cones.  It just doesn’t get any better than that!

Or maybe it does.  Lots of great ice cream assemblages await.  Here are a few we’d love to try:

• Black and White — Chocolate ice cream covered with marshmallow topping, whipped cream, chopped nuts and a cherry!
• Dusty Miller — Vanilla ice cream covered with chocolate syrup, marshmallow topping and a dusting of malt!
• The Yukon Gold Rush — Coffee Bean ice cream with hot caramel syrup, whipped cream, and a cherry!
• The Cardiac Arrest — 5 scoops of ice cream, 4 toppings, whipped cream, and 3 cherries on top!

So many choices . . . so little time!

Interesting ice cream names make you want to double or triple scoop or come back for more:  George Washington Cherry, Chattanooga Chocolate, Blackout, Plantation Praline, Rainbow Party, and Loco Coco!

Two other best sellers are the Affogato — vanilla ice cream topped with piping hot espresso — and The King — a banana split made with peanut butter crunch ice cream!

The shop features a wall of photos marking memorable moments and people who’ve made the trip to the now-famous Tic Toc, the little shop that not only could, but does!

Panels of photos in the background record the history of the Tic Toc.

Bert noted, as just about any man would, that the young ladies serving these creamy delights were another reason to make a stop at Tic Toc!  (Not only beautiful, these girls know their ice cream!) But I reined him back in to focus on the purpose of our visit and to sample his favorite flavor:  Butter Pecan. (The girls told us that was one of the most popular flavors at the store.)

Morgan and Emily — just two of the friendly servers at Tic Toc

So, drive on over to Loudon, a quaint Southern town with a great little ice cream shop.  You’ll find the Tic Toc catty-cornered from the Loudon County Courthouse and just down the street from one of our all-time favorite antique shops, The General Store!

It’s a great place to “sit a spell” and cool off in style!

Two happy customers relaxing on The Square in Loudon eating Tic Toc ice cream!

What’s to Like: Tic Toc Ice Cream Parlor

• Delicious ice cream made on site with the finest ingredients
• Ice cream treats like sundaes, special desserts, shakes, floats, and sodas
• Friendly service by people who know their flavors and the history of Tic Toc
• Old-time charm from tin ceilings to nostalgic photo boards
• Bragging rights to having eaten at a place with high commendations by Southern Living, Urbanspoon, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and  WATE
• 1501 Likes on their Facebook Page

Tic Toc Ice Cream Parlor

504 Grove Street

Loudon, TN 37774

865.408.9867

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/68/731552/restaurant/Knoxville/Tic-Toc-Ice-Cream-Parlor-Loudon

For reviews of the other Cool Off 2012 destinations featured in this blog, go to the top of this post and look at the right-hand column.  Thanks!

Jacquelin and Cayla wait for me to make up my mind at Razzleberry’s.

Sometimes you just stumble onto good ice cream.  In a place you’ve never even heard of.  You see people licking drippy ice cream cones, and you’re hot, and you ask . . . Hey, where’d you get that? 

Hand-made sign for home-made ice cream

And that’s how I found Razzleberry’s Cafe & Market in Oak Ridge on the day of the Lavender Festival in Jackson Square.  As I passed by a booth selling cornshuck dolls, I saw a couple sitting on a bench feeding some ice cream to a child in a stroller.  It was only 10:30 in the morning!  And then I saw another couple walking around with big waffle cones spilling over with more ice cream.  And then some kids.  And well, you get the picture.  I figured if all these people were eating ice cream BEFORE lunch, I’d better check out the source. After all, it was getting pretty hot, and I just might need a cool treat, too!

One friendly shopper said, Just follow the square around — it’s on the corner.  You can’t miss it. He was right. 

A crowded day at Razzleberry’s

When I arrived at the big sign overhead, I saw where the owner himself, Waldek Kaczocha, had set up tables with breakfast foods, coffee, and the makin’s for lunch! 

Waldek Kaczocha, owner of Razzleberry’s in Oak Ridge

His wife Ilona saw me taking pictures, so she came out to talk.  So nice.  So chatty.  We’re originally from Poland, but we’ve been in this location about six years, selling ice cream. We sell a lot more stuff, too. I peeped inside. Sure ‘nough.  It’s a full-fledged, full-service restaurant selling sandwiches, plates of food, and cold, creamy desserts! 

Ilona then whispered to me, Our best seller is Polish kielbasa.  You should come for lunch! I told her I was on an ice cream mission, and she pointed with pride at the flavor of the day:  Lavender!

In honor of the Lavender Festival . . . a special treat

I meandered through the restaurant staring at pigs — hundreds of pigs!  Cartoon pigs, stuffed pigs, plastic and chalk and moveable-parts pigs!  The signature mascot of Razzleberry’s, I guess.

Pigs on the menu wall

 About 20 flavors of fresh cream ice cream stood ready in a case to my left.  One very nice server added, We make it with 14 percent fresh cream! Make the waffle cones, too! 

Pigs behind the ice cream case

One man was just leaving with his giant cone, looking quite pleased with his mid-morning snack!  Just plain ol’ vanilla.  I’m not very adventurous, I guess, he told me.

My favorite? Just plain ol’ Vanilla!

But I had to try Lavender ice cream.  After all, how often do you get this treat, if ever?  So I tried a free sample. I must say it’s a more pleasing taste than I anticipated — a little herby, I suppose, but also kind of citrusy in a way. It’s mild, not overpowering.  It blends well.

Special Today: Lavender Ice Cream!

I wanted a whole scoop until I spotted what makes my Wordsworthian heart “leap up”: Death by Chocolate ice cream.  If there’s one thing I can hardly resist, it’s deep, dark, almost bitter chocolate, and combined with 14% fresh cream — OMG! 

Ooooooohhhhh! Dark Chocolate!

So, there I was at 11:00 AM.  In one hand, a bundle of freshly harvested lavender purchased from the Farmers Market. In another — a cone of Death by Chocolate ice cream from Razzleberry’s Cafe & Market! 

Happy as a pig guarding waffle cones.

You’ve no doubt seen this saying on a plaque in a craft booth somewhere:  Life is short.  Eat dessert first.  And I agree.  Eating Razzleberry’s ice cream mid-morning is not a bad way to ease into the rest of the day!

I’m not saying Razzleberry’s is the absolute bestest anywhere, but for good quality, fresh ice cream, especially if you’re in the Oak Ridge area, you owe it to yourself to try Razzleberry’s.  It’s a great place to cool off, and you might even want to have lunch first!

What’s to Like: Razzleberry’s Cafe & Market

• All the websites that rate restaurants call it Razzleberry’s Ice Cream Lab, so I guess it has two identities.  Works for me. Check out Urbanspoon. Or Yelp.
• Not far from Knoxville — and the drive is easy!
• Great variety of food — some Southern, some Cajun, some Polish.  You may want to see what the Knoxville News Sentinel’s Grub Scout wrote when he dined there October, 2011!  Click here!
• Pleasant servers who aim to please
• Pigs, pigs, and more pigs
• Rich, creamy ice cream in homemade cones (or cups or sundaes or shakes)!
• Lots of flavors that change daily
• Friendly owners who make you feel special no matter what you order!

Razzleberry’s Cafe & Market

201 Jackson Square

Oak Ridge, TN 37830

865.481.0300

If you want to read my three other reviews of where to find the coolest treats to beat the heat, click on any of the ones below:

Cool Off 2012: Bruster’s

Cool Off 2012: Coolato Gelato

Cool Off 2012: Original Freezo

Leave me a comment — about any of the Cool Off places or your favorite!  Would love to hear from you!

Whitley loves the free Kiddie cone with sprinkles on top from Bruster’s!

It’s unusual that we visit chain restaurants or chain ice cream shops or chain anything – we love to see what’s local! We want to find out who owns a Mom-and-Pop establishment and what they serve and what’s unique.  But Bruster’s Real Ice Cream – one of the fastest growing ice cream chains in the country is an exception!

Bruce Reed opened the first Bruster’s Real Ice Cream (love the word real in the title) in Bridgewater, Pennsylvania, in 1989.  We stumbled upon Bruster’s on Cedar Bluff Road (West Knoxville) about three years ago.  From then on, we’ve rarely visited another place for order-at-the-window consume-on-spot ice cream!  It’s the richest, creamiest, homemade-tasting ice cream anywhere nearby.

Recently, another Bruster’s opened in Rocky Hill and another on Emory Road, making these red stores hard to pass up, especially in the summer heat! (Judging from the lines, we’re in good company.)

Bruster’s in Rocky Hill — Knoxville

Bruster’s familiar red and white awning

Well, it’s no wonder why we’ve joined the customer line. The cones and cups we order (2 scoops, 2 flavors!) are filled with generous portions of a very creamy, very tasty, almost sinful ice cream.  Bruster’s offers over 150 flavors, and each store makes 24 different flavors per day (Chocolate, Vanilla, and Strawberry required) right there on site along with cakes, pies and crispy waffle cones!

Two little fans of Bruster’s all the way from Chicago!

Flavors they’ve got — some with rather intriguing names:  Deep Dish Apple Pie, Gone Bananas, Jamaican Me Crazy, Monkey Madness, Peanut Butter Brittle, Purple Dinosaur, Smores, and on and on and on!

If you want to sign up to receive an email or text when they concoct your favorite at a location near you, you can do so! Just click here to register your address.  (Check me off: I signed up to be notified if and when the Northshore store makes Almond Chocolate Coconut!)

A dad treating his son to Bruster’s, but note who’s holding the ice cream!

Bruster’s Real Ice Cream is a kid magnet.  Moms and Dads want to treat their kids, but we’ve noticed the grown-ups aren’t denying themselves, either.  Some even order more than the single cones — they go all the way by reserving cakes for special days: holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. 

Special treats for special days at Bruster’s!

Others ask for the free Kiddie cone for kids who are just so tall!

Free Kiddie cone if you’re no taller than 40 inches!

No matter if you’re old or young, you gotta try Bruster’s Real Ice Cream.  It’s especially good when it’s hot outside, and you need a cold, creamy treat.  But just about any time can be Bruster Time. When you go there, you’ll get your order served up with a smile! 

Alexis hands Bert a cup of Banana Chocolate Chip.

What’s to Like: Bruster’s Real Ice Cream

• Rich, creamy, homemade-tasting ice cream made on site
• 150 flavors — Get ‘em to email or text you when your favorite flavor is in the store!
• Ice cream your way: Sundaes, Smoothies, Cakes, Pies, Blasts (Vanilla ice cream with candy mix-ins)
• More options: Yogurt, Sherbet, Ices, Sorbets, No Sugar Added-Fat Free
• Gift cards and promotions (See below.)
• Friendly service!

Go to the Bruster’s website to check out all the great promotions:

• Banana Thursday – Bring your own banana and only pay half for a banana split!
• PJ Day — Wear your pajamas on PJ Day! Reward: a free single-scoop waffle cone!
• Doggie Sundae – A free sundae for your canine companion
• Kid at Heart — Over 60? Sign up to get 25 cents off each purchase each visit!
• Quart Club — Buy 6 quarts of hand-packed ice cream, and get the seventh one free!

Bruster’s Real Ice Cream – Knoxville, Tennessee

• Cedar Bluff — 1043 Old Cedar Bluff Road
• Rocky Hill — 7670 South Northshore Drive
• Emory Road — 906 East Emory Road

Now that I’ve seen the website for Curate and read about this rave-about place for fine dining, I don’t know how I could have almost walked past without even knowing about this unique new restaurant.

It was all quite accidental. My husband and I were meandering down Biltmore Avenue (Asheville, NC) in search of art galleries when we spied a pig in a window!  And then an interesting name — Curate – with the pronunciation prominently displayed! I said, Let’s go in there for just a minute – OK? - to see if we want to eat here tonight.

And that’s when we saw Tyler (immediately, he introduced himself) carving Jamon Iberico!

Tyler began telling us about this delicacy —  acorn fattened Spanish ham — and other menu items we could order from the restaurant  he so obviously loves!

The finest Spanish ham served at Curate

He said Chef Katie Button (Cornell graduate, master’s from L’Ecole Centrale in Paris) abandoned her major (chemical and biomolecular engineering), followed her passion for cooking, and eventually became a service manager at Ferran Adria’s famous restaurant in Spain –  El Bulli! With the support of her parents and fiancé, she opened this now award-winning restaurant in Asheville — naming it Curate, meaning “cure yourself.” You can come here and allow others to take care of you so that you, in turn, feel cared for.  And it works.  On all levels.

On the window at Curate

We immediately asked for a reservation only to be told that they were booked nights in advance.  We could take a chance at getting seated at the bar — which is where we landed that very night –  a front row seat watching masterful preparations in the open kitchen and listening to the banter between servers and customers!

Open kitchen at Curate as seen from the bar.

It’s a tapas bar — you order and share small plates. Brown paper menus greet you, accompanied by a sleeve of silverware and list of nuestros vinos (their selected Spanish wines).

Menu, silverware, and wine list

We made friends with people on either side.  The couple to our right were sharing Ensalada de Tomate Yatun – a Kumato tomato salad with preserved Spanish Bonito del Norte tuna and black olives, topped with greens from Jolley Farms! Wow!

Kumato tomato salad with Bonito tuna and Jolley Farms greens

Mary Hill, to our left, suggested we start with what we came for: the Tabla de Jamon — a selection of three cured hams.

A Curate customer who knew what to order!

And yes, we could tell the difference once we tasted each one that this affable server, Daniel, presented.  From left to right: Jamon Serrano Fermin (dry cured Spanish ham); Jamon Iberico Fermin (cured ham from black-footed Iberico pigs); and the one that brought us in as Tyler was shaving it at the counter — Jamon Iberico de Bellota (the top shoulder cut from acorn fattened free-range pigs).

Daniel knows ham – and how to talk to curious customers!

While we waited for our other plates, I snapped a picture of Tabla Dequesos (Spanish cheeses) ready to serve.

Two platters of Spanish cheeses

And that’s when I sighted my favorite “junker,” Mike Wolfe of American Pickers, one of the shows I watch on the History Channel! It was all I could do to leave him alone to enjoy his dinner at Curate without being hounded by a gushy fan! I resorted to snapping this picture from across the room.

Celebrity Sighting: Mike Wolfe from American Pickers!

He’s not the only famous person who’s visited Curate.  You can read about Anthony Bourdain’s fall 2011 visit reported by the Asheville Citizen Times here.

Meanwhile, our small plates arrived, and I was able to focus on presentation AND interesting taste!

First, Berenjenas la Taberna (fried eggplant drizzled in Wild Mountain Apiaries honey) — fork tender with just a hint of sweetness . . .

Fried eggplant drizzled in Wild Mountain Apiaries honey!

followed by Setas al Jerez (mushrooms sauteed in olive oil with a hint of sherry) . . .

Selected mushrooms sauteed in olive oil!

and finally, according to the menu, the “number one tapa in Asheville”: Gambas al Ajillo (sauteed shrimp and sliced garlic)!

Sauteed shrimp and sliced garlic!

We had no room for Esparragos Blancos (white asparagus tossed in a lemon tarragon vinaigrette), but watching the preparation of this dish qualified as entertainment — several steps with a voila! ending.

Artful presentation: white asparagus tossed in lemon tarragon vinaigrette!

Carefully, chefs prepared desserts like these artfully drizzled beauties that we saw from our stools at the bar. (It’s fun looking over chef shoulders!)

Preparing fine desserts

Beautiful  topping!

And, then . . . tah-dah! Tyler surprised us by showing off one of their most intensely prepared desserts — an almost-transparent Buenuelo to top anything we’d ever seen! By now, we were friends, you know, and he wanted to show us everything in this classy eatery!

We’re definitely not among the first to be enamoured of Curate‘s cuisine and service. This relatively new-to-Asheville restaurant has won the Best of WNC Top Chef Award and mention in Southern Living magazine as a go-to destination!

Top Chef Award for Katie Button in the Best of WNC

But for BIG TASTE on small plates, ya gotta go there yourself!

Eating Spanish tapas just may cure yourself!

Curate

11 Biltmore Avenue

Asheville, NC 28801

828.239.2946

www.curatetapasbar.com

<a href=”http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/82/1577446/restaurant/Curate-Asheville”><img alt=”Cúrate on Urbanspoon” src=”http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1577446/minilink.gif” style=”border:none;padding:0px;width:130px;height:36px” /></a>

If you want to read about another Asheville restaurant we loved, check out Tupelo’s a Honey at http://ohtheplaceswesee.com/2012/05/30/tupelos-a-honey/