The Canyon Grill

Yesterday we reconnected with lifetime friends at Fall Creek Falls State Park near Spencer, Tennessee. Before we parted ways we agreed to meet again relatively soon to continue our reunion.  One of the top destinations we considered  was the Canyon Grill. Although the name of the restaurant is the "Canyon Grill", it is not located in a canyon, it's located on top of a mountain--historic Lookout Mountain, Georgia. But the restaurant is located about a mile from the entrance to scenic Cloudland Canyon State Park.

I  don't know how old the restaurant is, but we've been going there over twenty-five years. We don't go as often as we would like, but we get there several times a year.  We have celebrated so many special occasions over the years with family and friends, but for us, if we want to have a special occasion, we go to the Canyon Grill.  Maybe one reason we don't go more often is that we want it to remain a special destination and do not want to ruin that with too much familiarity.

The restaurant is special to us on  so many levels.  First of all the drive there is a beautiful drive and contributes to the charm of the experience. Although there are several routes to choose from  that all take around forty-five minutes, we usually go southwest through Chattanooga Valley, Georgia. What an irony--go through "Chattanooga", Georgia to a canyon on a mountain. In Chattanooga Valley we hang a left on highway 193 to skirt the base of Lookout Mountain for several beautiful miles. At Cooper Heights we turn right on 136 to wind up to the top of the mountain. This drive affords many vistas to the left the higher we climb.

Then there's the restaurant itself.  When you arrive,  the restaurant looks like an upscale barn.  It's really nothing to look at. But when you park and walk toward the building, the aroma of wood-fired food permeates  the air. When you walk in you know that you have arrived somewhere special.

There is not room in one blog entry to explain all of its amenities, but here are some things the restaurant says about itself. "We do not 'fly seafood in fresh daily' as no local restaurant does. But we do fly it in twice a week. We store all our meat, chicken, fish, pork under ice rather than refrigeration. Ice does not dehydrate and dilute the flavors. Our menu changes daily due to availability of fresh product, weather and fishing conditions."

I'm going to say little about the menu as you can easily find it for yourself in the internet, except that the food is exceptional.  The service is exceptional. The understated music is exceptional.  The experience is exceptional. The restaurant prepares much of its food, including its signature "slash and burn catfish" on a wood-fired grill. They used to offer the grill for sale for about $6,000, but they took it off the menu.

So is the Canyon Grill "fine dining"? That depends on how you define "fine dining" and the experience that you want to have.  You can dress up and it will feel like "fine dining."  Or come as most do and dress down the occasion in blue jeans or bermudas. So I would call it "fine dining in a casual atmosphere". And since Dade County is a dry county, bring your own bottle. And don't forget your own corkscrew.  And just so you know, the a la carte menu is priced closer to "fine dining" than "casual."

Chattanooga has become an international destination.  Among its accolades and honors. Outdoor Magazine recently rated Chattanooga as the #1 city to live in the United States.  If you're not ready to move here, then at least try to visit soon.  And when you do by all means make the drive to Lookout Mountain, Georgia to dine at the Canyon Grill. Rock City and Ruby Falls aren't the only fabled attractions on that mountain.