J.C. Holdway

An unassuming but nice atmosphere and initial impression but amazing and well thought out. Delicious bites with pork belly biscuits and the hush puppies were good. Hands down get the wood roasted mushrooms and cabbage. So good. So smart. Smokey, sweet, bitter, earthy and rich. Just really good.

It was fully booked when I walk in on a Friday evening so I get to sit at the bar table. Service was very slow and it took more than 30 mins before they serve the snack plate. The food however was awesome. If only they could improve their speed and service that will be perfect!

We had the Ribeye for 2. It was excellent. You could cut with a butter knife. Service was outstanding. We dined at the Chef's Table at the bar. Great view of the kitchen.

A dinner at J.C. Holdway is one of the better meals that you are likely to have in Knoxville... or anywhere else for that matter. The ambiance is laid back. I wore shorts (much to the chagrin of my wife) and felt perfectly at home. The service is excellent. One can order in essentially three ways. There is a smaller plate (appetizer) section which is essentially a single serving, a small plate section which provides a shareable serving, and then there is a large plate, or entree, section which speaks for itself. I recommend getting the smaller plates and sharing them. That way you can have a little bit of everything. By the end of the night we were sharing everything anyway, so save yourself the trouble and just start off that way. Among other things, I had the grits with ramps and Benton's Bacon and the cornbread which was utterly amazing. I will long remember this meal and I eagerly look returning.