Knoxville Eats: the Orangery

We’ve been penny-pinching like crazy lately saving up towards a down payment for a house. For our 4th anniversary we decided not to get each other anything. However, being the foodies that we are, we still sprung for a lavish dinner out. After much online menu perusing, we settled on The Orangery… 

Our Menu for the evening:

Appetizer: Artisan Cheese Tasting (we shared. sharing cheese is difficult even with your spouse.)

Entree: Lobster & Mushroom Crêpes (with a orange cognac cream sauce that I could have dived into.)

Entree: Scallops & Jumbo Shrimp – Lentils, Wilted Spinach, Crab, Mango, Coconut Vinaigrette (the hubs said that coconut vinaigrette could have been dessert in a glass.)

Dessert: Lemon Chiffon Cake – Blueberry Puree, Brûléed Marshmallow Cream, Lemon Curd

Dessert: Key Lime Cheesecake – White Chocolate, Kiwi-Lime Puree, Spiced Pecans

I cannot leave out one of the best parts of the meal – the bread. The house made rolls are served with softened butter and a smoked duck pâté. I ate two rolls simply to partake in more of the duck pâté. I kid you not. It was that good.

We were able to nab a few photos of our experience with our phones (taking the giant Nikon into a fancy schmancy place for dinner would have been totally uncouthe :)).                                                                         

The cheese plate had three artisan cheeses – the goat dusted with fennel pollen was the best of the three. It was served with clover honey, fresh fruit, dried fruit chutney, wafer crackers, and a sesame cheese wafer. Definitely get the cheese plate. Definitely.

The crepes were so thin, light and perfectly cooked. This was a unique menu item that I would recommend to anyone.

The lemon cake was light and fluffy, but it was a  much larger piece of cake than I was expecting. Normally that is a welcome surprise at a fine dining restaurant, but I ate my entire entree and was not about to leave a bite of dessert. What a conundrum.

Mr. Brown, of course, made the better dessert choice. He went with the cheesecake since it’s one of his faves. This ONE, this cheesecake, was a serious slice of cheesecake. It was not joking around and the hubs, he knows everything there is to know about cheesecake. He is a self-proclaimed cheesecake-auteur. White chocolate complimented the tangy key lime and cream cheese perfectly, balanced with a light kiwi sauce and candied pecans. The flavors were to die for and the texture of this cheesecake was perfection.

I can say we made the right choice in spending our anniversary dinner at The Orangery. The atmosphere is fancy, but understated. The staff makes you feel completely welcome. There was music playing in the bar that wafted through the dining room, but otherwise the restaurant was peaceful, quiet and romantic. The decor is decidedly old-world french – gold sconces, chandeliers, soft floral fabrics, real china, pillows in the chairs, white linens and tiny vases filled with simple lilies and tulips in yellows and purples.

If you are ever on the look-out for a fancy dinner out or just a quiet evening with a fantastic meal then give The Orangery another shot. You will not regret it.