Guy Fieri's tasty, carb-loaded tourist grub comes to Downtown Flavortown in Pigeon Forge | Grub Scout
I try to be selective about how often I do restaurants in Sevier County — especially as tourism season ramps up. Either I have to have heard some really good buzz about the food or, in the case of Downtown Flavortown, a notable name should be attached to the business.
In this case, celebrity restaurateur and TV host Guy Fieri is the name, and since food is his primary game, I thought a trip to “downtown” Pigeon Forge to visit his latest enterprise would be in order.
The Grub Spouse and I arrived around 6 p.m. on a weeknight and still faced a wait time of nearly one hour. (We found out on site that we could have made reservations. Few Sevier County restaurants do that.) We spent most of our wait browsing the nearby Mountain Mile shops adjacent to the eatery and roaming the nondining areas of Downtown Flavortown. Arcade games of all sorts account for most of that square footage, along with several merch vendors, a large tiki bar and a duckpin bowling alley.
When we were finally shown into the single, expansive dining area, we took our seats at a table near the hostess stand. The menu is surprisingly focused for such a high-volume destination. The one-sheeter starts with shareable appetizers like Jalapeño Pig Poppers (peppers stuffed with andouille sausage, maple bacon and cheese), Trash Can Nachos (barbecue) and Tuna Won Tacos.
Other menu categories include salads, chicken wings, flatbreads, sandwiches (pulled pork, hanger steak, etc.) and entrée platters such as Cajun Chicken Alfredo, ribs, fire-roasted salmon and ribeye steak.
The Spouse decided to go with one of the savory Outta Bounds Waffle creations, most of which are made with cornbread waffle batter. The Spouse passed on the spaghetti/meatball, chili cheese fries and Nashville hot chicken recipes in favor of the Shrimp & Grits Waffle ($19.95). The waffle is topped with blackened Gulf shrimp, grits, andouille sausage, bell peppers, onions and scallions.
I went for one of the Big Bite Burgers. Varieties include bacon mac and cheese as well as The Real Cheezy, Morgan’s Veggie Burger, the Primetime American Kobe Burger and a turkey burger. I ordered The “OG” Ringer ($16.95) — a thick patty topped with cheddar cheese, Guy Fieri’s signature bourbon-brown-sugar barbecue sauce, donkey sauce (whatever the @#!& that is) and an onion ring, all on a brioche bun. It’s served with their trio of fries — shoestring, home-style and waffle.
More Grub Scout reviews: Puleo's Pizzeria: Big palate-pleasing pies uphold family tradition
Our server had just gotten double seated when we arrived, so she was a little slow out of the gate getting our drink and food orders taken. And the place was pretty busy, even for a pre-Memorial Day Thursday, so we waited quite a while for our orders to come up.
I was reasonably pleased with both our main selections, however. The waffle embodied sweet cornbread flavor, and the plump, tender shrimp and sausage-laced grits were a palate-pleasing combination. And thumbs-up from yours truly on the burger. The thick patty was cooked well but still abundantly juicy, while the two sauces complemented the beef nicely. The veggie toppings and fresh brioche bun made this burger a monster of a stack (I couldn’t wrap my big mouth around its height in a single chomp), but I was happy that the buns stood up to this greasy, gooey mess of a meal and held together until the last tasty bite.
I would have scored the food higher overall, but the cheesecake we ordered for dessert ($16.95) knocked that down a peg. It was a large slice (billed on the menu as “half a cheesecake”), but it was simply bland. Even the bites I dipped in the chocolate-sauce drizzle on the plate scarcely stirred my taste buds.
So in a sense, there were no big surprises: Typical tourist grub designed to appeal to carb-loving vacationers, inflated prices (even in an inflationary market) and service that suffers due to sheer customer overload. But if you’re in Sevier County for the weekend or longer and think you might enjoy a Dave & Buster’s-style environment in which to chow down, Downtown Flavortown might just be your destination.
Downtown Flavortown
Food: 3.75
Service: 3.75
Atmosphere: 3.75
Overall: 3.75
Address: 2655 Teaster Lane, Pigeon Forge
Phone: 423-518-0742
Full bar service
Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Mondays through Sundays
TV host and restaurateur Guy Fieri lends his name to this new Pigeon Forge fun-and-dining destination.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Guy Fieri's Downtown Flavortown in Pigeon Forge is tasty tourist grub
