Food Friday Chattanooga Edition: The Honest Pint

Last weekend Steve and I headed to Chattanooga to visit the Tennessee Aquarium. Soon enough it was dinner time and we were very hungry. Lucky for me, Steve visited the 'noog not to long ago on tour and had a burger at The Honest Pint that he loved. So we went back there for dinner before we headed back home. Also, much love to Chattanooga for having a free electric trolly system downtown.

Via honestpint.com

I was kind of surprised how many of Chattanooga's eating establishments still are full smoking or have a smoking section. Maybe it's the New Yorker in me, but I haven't been in a eating establishment where you can also smoke for a very long time. As much as I dislike this, the Honest Pint had a smoke free room that was separated by doors so you really couldn't smell anything. Also, we were the only people in the room. Private Party.

We started out with a couple beers. Walking around and looking at fish all day works up a thirst. They didn't have anything I wanted on tap so I ordered an old favorite, Left Hand Milk Stout. Steve wanted to try a local brew so he ordered the house beer. It was a Irish Red made especially for them by Terminal Brewhouse. Steve liked it but it was too hoppy for me. The beer menu isn't as extensive as I would like a large bar to be, but they had enough bottles to keep me happy.

They had one of my all time favorites on the menu, scotch eggs. If you've never had them, they are hard boiled eggs, covered in bacon, battered and fried. I had these when I lived in Scotland and I don't think I'd had them since. Steve had never tried them before and I think he was really pleased with our decision. Everything is better with bacon.

Even though Steve recommended the burger, I was intrigued by the Boxty on the menu. They are basically an Irish pancake-based sandwich. I can't say I've ever had one before this, but I'm a fan. I ordered the Smoked Sausage, slaw and BBQ Boxty. It was like a really amazing version of bratwurst inside a pancake. This is possibly one of the best bar foods I have ever had. Also, I ordered mashed potatoes as a side and they were very delicious, probably because they contained massive amounts of butter.

Steve ordered the pulled pork, pimento cheese, wing sauce and BBQ boxty. For the first time ever, we actually split our sandwiches down the middle. I really liked this boxy also, but I preferred the sausage version. The pork was very tender, but I feel that the spiciness of the wing sauce overpowered the meat and the delicate flavor of pimento cheese. Steve was trying to be healthy and ordered the Hericot Verts, all of which he ate quickly.

I really enjoyed The Honest Pint. The staff was friendly and attentive and the food was good. It wasn't very crowded when we were there, so I'm not quite sure what the "nightlife" vibe of this place is if you are looking for a party bar. But there is a stage in the main room and they seemed to have a fairly busy concert calendar. But one things is for sure: for dinner, it's a slam dunk.