The Swank Pad's "Best of Knoxville"
I've lived in Knoxville pretty much since 1982. My taste is for the funky and quirky, for the things that are perfectly Knoxville, and timeless. Some of the things I love would make some people uncomfortable, but if you are interested in the off-beat path and the gritty, real and interesting things, and of course, the vintage modern, you'll want to visit these places.
Eateries
Brother Jack's building on right, after his father's passing, first opened it in the 1946.
"One of the more enduring businesses of Mechanicsville was operated by Charles Andrew
Jackson. Better known as “Brother Jack,” He came to Knoxville from Harriman. Tennessee
in 1900 when he was six years old with his father, a wrought iron worker who traveled to
various cities with “rolling mills” in search of work. In 1922 twenty-eight year old Brother
Jack started the Jackson Meat Market in the Floyd Building at the comer of College and
University. He had earlier learned the art of cutting meat at a butcher shop in the Old
Market House.
Knoxville has its own barbeque tradition which
is perhaps the best there is. I was introduced to Brother Jack's barbeque around
1986. I used to hang out with Tip Jackson on Thursday afternoons waiting for the
first pigburgers to be ready. For a long while I was there every Thursday, and
often Friday and Saturday too. I got to know him and Eugene "Jeep" Jackson and
his son Sonny. I had a lot of great nights down there listening to Marvin Gaye
and Tip drinkin' his Old Charter and Jeep with his gin. Those were great times.
But, that was great barbeque. I'll grant that the health department never went
in there and would have given him a zero score, but I also knew Tip was a
retired butcher and knew how to handle the meat like the pro he was. There
simply was nothing like his sauce, which was his Dad's sauce. When his dad died
and he got pneumonia at the funeral and ended up not cooking any longer, it was
a real loss. A number of years later I tried Sarge's barbeque and knew I tasted
a familiar flavor. And I found that Sarge's name was Jackson too! And then he
closed. Recently I discovered that old familiar flavor again at the only great
barbeque in Knoxville, Dixson's. You can get the original
Brother Jack's Barbeque Sauce
HERE.
Dixson's Barbeque is a little place
off Magnolia behind the Dixie Tavern. Worlds collide! They are only open on
Thursday, Friday and Saturday. An old tradition as they start cooking on
Thursday and the first fruits are ready that afternoon. When they run out,
it's all over. They serve the greatest thing Knoxville ever created food-wise,
the pigburger. A must. Generally you wanna get it to go as there is really no
room to eat there. It's good to call ahead too as you may find they are out of
what you want. It's the last of true Knoxville barbeque that goes back 60
years to Tip Jackson's Dad. Down the road a little is
Mary's Hot
Tamales which is another Knoxville tradition. At the same time I started
loving Brother Jack's pigburgers, I met Mr. Green and had his hot tamales from
his cart down off Western Avenue. Mary's keeps the faith. Ali Baba's Time Out Deli on Kingston
Pike is the best Middle Eastern food around and darned good at everything else
they do too. King Tut's is an experience. Their
Greek and Egyptian food is awesome, Mo is a memorable host and it's got all
kinds of crazy charm. Go with a group for sure so you can ham it up with Mo
all night. Truly authentic flavors like their Arabic coffee will impress. A
real treat. A couple of great meat and three type
dinners must be mentioned. Long's Drugstore on Kingston Pike and
Sam's Restaurant on Broadway. A great old fashioned feel, staple foods and
lively people watching. Just good stuff, especially for breakfast. Harby's Pizza off Broadway is a
hidden treasure. Pizza? Yes, pizza! Get one of his cheese pizzas and you'll
know. It's the best and damn cheap too! I have his number memorized, that's
how much I love it. Dining in there is a gas too. Friendly folks make you feel
like family and odd eye candy scattered on the walls. Sunspot has the best burger in
Knoxville, and with Mashers, it's fantastic! Shopping What I am talking in terms of shopping is
vintage, mid-century and modern. Antique stores and shops. Not a huge amount to pick from, but there are
some good ones. Not Your Average Antiques (NYA) in Clinton. Okay, so it isn't actually in Knoxville. Great variety of mid-century modern, vintage and funky. And while you are in Clinton, go around the corner and check out the Ritz Theater and have a bite at Hoskin's Pharmacy soda shop! Lots of other antiques on those blocks, but not much more in the vintage vein. Nostalgia in Bearden has a lot of vendors and great selection.. Spin Vintage is in Maryville. Again, not Knoxville, but has good prices on cool stuff. Knoxville Rescue Minitries Thrift Stores are the better ones in town. I gave up on thrift stores a while ago, other than for vintage LPs, but if you are diligent, you may have some luck. Bars, Dives and Nightspots Opal's Lounge has been a favorite for
a long time. Opal is like a mother to me these days. I hate that she stopped
working nights, but she is around 75 years old! She is there days until 7PM,
and I advise you go meet her. She is a Knoxville legend and a pro. Makes you
feel good. She is mean as a snake too though. Don't bother arguing with her if
she gets angry with what you say. Just let it go. She does not hold back her
opinions. Great jukebox, pool, darts and damn cold beer. Often the beer has a
little slushy ice on top. When I started going there is was always slow and
just a few of us around the bar. Dive. The it got very popular when Chris and
her massive jugs were behind the bar. After September 11th things got dead and
Chris moved on. Now the crowds are smaller. But Opal's has character in
spades. The best damned dive in Knoxville, period! I have met some incredible
people there. Men who knew Sinatra. A very interesting group come to see Opal.
There simply are not many places like this, and only one in Knoxville that I
know of. Long Branch
Saloon is an icon. Filthy, smoky and rough as a cob. Every reasonable
degenerate in Knoxville for 30 years has been a regular there. It's a lively
place with a band of characters most nights. I have taken to going down on
Fridays for Happy Hour before 7 and having cheap beer and listening to the
juke box (which is awesome) and meeting some cool people. Preservation Pub serves some of the
best drinks in town. It's just a good place to have a cocktail. Good lighting,
good looking bartenders, strong drinks cheap and the well brands for gin are
Tanquaray and Bombay! Good stuff! They get good music in there regularly as
well. For great live music, you need to be aware
of The Pilot Light. PBR in a can is a plus. The Carousel is an institution. It's
been a central hive of gay life for decades, and is certainly the single best
place to people watch around. Drag shows, of course. It's calmed down a lot
over the years. It used to be a place for all sorts of perverts to come out,
but it's become more and more main stream as homosexuality is becoming more
and more mainstream. It'll still shock the socks off Suzy Vonore. Hey, Devine
performed there, nuf said. Go up to Vic N Bill's for eats at 3AM and much of
the best show is there. Other Attractions A cruise down Magnolia Avenue is scary
and cool. There are a lot of vintage motels and shops along there. In the
evening, some of the neon glows and the Pizza Palace sign is incredible. You can
squint and see the heyday of the motel. You may also see prostitutes. Clinton
Highway has some of the same appeal, all the way into Clinton where the drug
store is another great little dinner. Chapman Highway has many remaining
motels as well, but they are generally plain, but intact and open. Memories Theater in Pigeon Forge has an
incredible salute to Elvis. Lou Vuto is really the best. I suggest you
skip the warm up show. Arrive late and just enjoy Lou. You'll know why Elvis was
such a star. He made a believer out of me. Radio Knoxville and the surrounding
area has a couple of really unique radio stations. They are unique because they
have been true to their audience for decades, they have real DJs who play the
music they love, not what is handed down to them by some corporate office, and
they are true to their roots. Two good ones are WLIL AM 730 and WKVL AM 850. Country as it is supposed to be. Some crappy new stuff here and there, but lots of old stuff and really obscure classics. Good music, hell, music period on
AM radio is just hard to find. But it is usually good stuff.
His business was so successful, he and his father built the Jackson Building at the corner
of University and Dunbar in 1923. That building which would later be known as the Delta
Hotel was a mercantile operation patterned after the popular Sands Store for railroad men
on Magnolia Avenue. The meat market and grocery store were on the first floor. The upstairs
section featured a well-stocked clothing store that appealed to the black and white railroad
men who lived in the area.
After the death of his father and having health problems, Jackson sold the business to Leon
Nance and moved to the country for recuperation. In 1946 he moved to another location on
University Avenue with a new idea. He had developed his unique barbecue sauce and had
invented “The Pig Burger.” His slogan “Brother Jack Feeds the Soul” caught on and people
came from miles around to feast on his burgers, ribs and shoulder sandwiches. He died at
age 93 in 1988."
1201 Magnolia Avenue - Behind the Dixie Tavern
865-525-9305 - Call ahead to make sure they hold some pigburgers for you!
1931 E. Magnolia Ave.
865-637-2033
UPDATE: Opal retired and the place is open, but not Opal's any longer. I hear she drops in on Friday's sometimes. Go by and say hi if you knew her.
4952-ish Kingston Pike - Next to Kroger and across from old McKay's site.