My book club met last week to discuss Tales of a Female Nomad. We really enjoyed the book (which always leads us off topic. The better book discussions occur when we disagree) and each other’s company, but we didn’t get a chance to enjoy Blackbird Coffee House since they close at 6 and we don’t meet until 7 (another time then since I love coffee shops and hate Starbucks). Luckily, we are all fairly adventurous, so we just shifted down the way a bit to Catinella’s Pizzeria. What a cute little restaurant! I think it has 3 booths & 2 tables and the decor is cozy and clean. The service left a bit to be desired (too many cooks and not enough servers), but we were there to talk books rather than eat food. It’s a bring your own wine place (which we didn’t since we had anticipated going to a coffee shop), and I definitely want to return.
Elizabeth had the portobello mushrooms and roasted red peppers over polenta. It came out looking so pretty and tasting amazing! Kate had already eaten with her baby & hubby (again with the coffee shop idea), so she didn’t get to try anything due to a full tummy. So sad! I couldn’t resist ordering the grouper special. We sat & talked as people came in to pick up to go orders and the booths began to fill up. I was getting worried that my food would never arrive (Nathan was on his way to pick me up so we could go to a friend’s house), when finally, a huge plate of perfectly cooked fish over a bed of fresh spinach and a deliciously decadent lemon butter sauce appeared before me. I can only assume they cooked it from scratch with no pre-prepared ingredients. Sadly, I only had time for a few bites before I had to package it all up to go. Nate & I ended up heating it up in a skillet for dinner the next night, and it was fantastic even reheated.
So, what we have learned is, I now have a new favorite Italian restaurant in Knoxville (their on line menu doesn’t even show the pastas and lasagna and other goodies for some reason) which is good because my old favorite was the Macaroni Grill & we all know how I feel about chains (sorry folks, I do not like the little place on Sutherland everyone else loves. I just don’t.) I can’t wait to go back with a bottle or two of wine, a few good friends (or just Nate) and several hours to sit and talk and eat!
http://catinellaspizzeria.com/
Here are a few shots from my phone just to give you an idea of the tastiness.
It looked better in person. What can I say, it’s a phone-camera.
The presentation was really pretty. Then I dumped it into a to go box. I was too busy eating to remember to photograph it first. OOPS! 🙂
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