La Costa

I'm not sure if words can accurately describe the experience that is La Costa, but I'll try. I went yesterday evening with my friend Ana, and while we only had appetizers, that was enough for me! La Costa is a moderate-expensively priced restaurant in Market Square. It's Spanish theme is evident in not only its menu but its extensive wine list. The exposed brick walls give it a very rustic, yet modern feel. Friendly staff, too.

For "dinner" we ordered the duck quesadillas, fish tacos, and queso with spinach dip. Fantastic! I had the fish tacos, and they were all that fish tacos should be with dressed cabbage, pico de gallo, and spicy crema to boot! Tilapia is a great choice for fish tacos, and it was fried ever so lightly in cornmeal...amazing! Ana had the duck quesadillas, and I must say, I've never had anything quite like it, but I certainly will again. Smoked duck breast with carmelized onion, dried apricot and manchego is quite the perfect combination. I will never go to La Costa again without ordering these, and you shouldn't either. Ana and I also split some queso blanco mixed with spinach that was finished with fried artichokes (mmmm!) and seasoned tortilla chips. It was very, very good.

Overall, I don't have one negative thing to say about La Costa. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that we ate during happy hour, so our meals were half price (since they were appetizers)!! Not the duck quesadillas though, you'll pay the full $10 for them, as well you should! Food like that is never going to be discounted, and we're lucky that it's only $10 because it tastes like $50! La Costa gets a 10/10!

Sunspot

This past Thursday I was treated to an awesome meal at Sunspot. I must say, if every belated birthday gift turned out like this, I wouldn't mind a bit that my birthday was two months ago! Anyway, on to the food!

We ordered the sundried tomato and roasted garlic hummus appetizer. I was not disappointed. You couldn't ask for a bigger portion size (which was great because I took it home, and I'm still eating it)! Topped with fresh cucumbers and diced tomatoes and served with delicious pita bread, this hummus is fantastic! I should mention that you get fresh chips and salsa verde when you're seated (and it's really good), so an appetizer isn't really necessary, but if you like hummus, you won't be disappointed.

For my meal I ordered the fish tacos. Let me just say that I love trying fish tacos, and that if you can make a good fish taco, you've got a friend in me. Sunspot definitely delivered. If I'm not mistaken, I believe the fish was halibut (fish tacos aren't on the online menu, so I can't be sure), if not, it was tilapia. We're going to go with halibut though! Either way, it was perfectly cooked! It was a spicy grilled fish that would have been fantastic by itself. There was also fresh crema, avocado, and red onion in the soft flour tortillas, and two were more than I could eat! It was served with yellow rice and black beans that were very flavorful. I hate when restaurants forget about the side dishes and you end up with bland rice and beans. Sunspot gave them the attention they deserved though! My friend ordered the pollo loco chicken wrap, and while I didn't try any of it, it looked good, and I think she was pleased. Whether you agree or not, it's true that we eat with our eyes first and then with our mouths, and Sunspot remembered that.

For dessert we were a little adventurous and ordered the spiced chocolate cake. The only way I can describe it is interesting. Our server told us it was spiced with chili powder, and upon eating it, she was definitely right! I've often heard of chefs pairing chocolate with peppery spices, but I've never tried it before. Well, now I can say that I have, and that's all I can say. Perhaps my taste buds are not quite developed enough to enjoy it. Regardless, next time I order dessert it will be the cheesecake or the mango mousse.

Overall, Sunspot receives an 8.75/10. Reasonably prices, great atmosphere, and good food. Perfect for hanging out with your friends! A must for Knoxville's younger crowd!

By the Tracks Bistro

My first experience at By the Tracks can only be described as blissful. It was the last in a long list of birthday restaurants, but it was by far my favorite. Being 22, I can't say that I found the atmosphere appealing. It's definitely for your middle-older aged patrons, but it was still very nice. Our waiter was very friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable. Definitely an A+ for service! Our group ordered the calamari for starters. (I've found that that tends to be our appetizer of choice and if a restaurant has good calamari, I usually like the rest of the menu, too). It was perfectly cooked, and the smoked tomato sweet and sour sauce was superb! It's absolutely a must if you're ever there.

We all ordered different entrees (which I enjoy because you get to try more dishes that way)! For my main course I ordered the Truffled Scallops. I'm no exaggerating when I say they were the best scallops I have ever tasted. They were perfectly cooked with a great sear on the outside and that amazing texture that can't really be explained unless you've had properly cooked scallops. As if I wasn't happy enough with my perfect scallops, the dish was served with creamed corn, sauteed carrots, sauteed spinach, and pickled red onion. Let's review in ascending order...shall we? Pickled red onion: different. I've never had it before, and it was not what I expected, still good though. Creamed corn: definitely a step above your mom's...still nothing spectacular. Sauteed carrots: fantastic! Who knew carrots could taste so good?!? Cooked carrots are not my favorite thing, but these were awesome. Sauteed spinach: my favorite thing on the plate besides the scallops. I love spinach anyway, but it does have a tendency to be a little boring when cooked and not seasoned properly. This was not the case at By the Tracks. If you like scallops, I'd absolutely advise ordering this!

The other main courses I got to try were the Fried Green Tomato plate and their special that day, seared Ahi Tuna, both of which were excellent. Fried green tomatoes have never been my favorite food, but these were definitely good. The tuna was amazing, perfectly cooked, and very flavorful.

Overall, By the Tracks gets a 9/10. If you have the money and want a great, gourmet meal...look no further than 5200 Kingston Pike.

Abuelo's

For my 22nd birthday, my friends took me to Abuelo's for dinner. I just have one word to describe it: fantastic! I don't remember the salsa being anything special, but everything else was top notch. Besides having an awesome menu, they had a pretty extensive drink list. I ordered the Tropical Rum Punch and was pleased. It was made with Sailor Jerry's spiced rum, which I prefer over Captain Morgan, so they were already earning points! It was a great balance of fruit juices to alcohol that a mild or moderate drinker would enjoy. Great for the girls!

Now on to the food! For dinner I ordered the Tilapia Veracruz. The fish was perfectly cooked, as were the accompanying shrimp and scallops. Being the scallop lover that I am, I would have preferred more than two-three baby scallops on the plate, but it was still great food. Served with rice and beans, it was overall a wonderful dish. However, the real star of the night was my friend Ana's food. She ordered the Enchiladas de Cozumel. Nothing like enchiladas, these were guacamole filled crepes topped with shrimp, scallops, mushrooms, spinach, and peppers in a white wine sauce. A-Mazing! Absolutely amazing. You might think it would be too much guacamole, but with everything else on the plate, it was the perfect balance. I will be ordering these for myself next time I visit Abuelo's, and I'd recommend the same for other guacamole lovers.

Let's not forget dessert! Since it was my birthday, we got free flan! I've never been crazy about flan, and since it was free I didn't have high hopes. I was pleasantly surprised though! This was probably the best flan I've ever had! It was traditional Mexican flan, and it was perfect. Even the Mexican at the table agreed it was awesome! ;-)

Overall, Abuelo's gets a 9/10. Great food, great atmosphere, great service! We had a party of seven, and our server was still quick and friendly. If you get the chance, go to Abuelo's!