Tri Cities Restaurants (Franklin, Bristol, Gray: sales, 2015, neighborhood)

[Ted Bear]

Portico......

Seems like they have opened in the space left by the not long lived "The Local". Not any public reviews out there. Yet.

I heard they got rid of those awful pennies on the floor, and redid the décor somewhat.The menu seems to be pizza and Italian specialties.

Anyone been there, or have any feedback from someone who has?

[Rangerred]

Haven't been there yet but they are owned by the same group that operates Label, Stir-Fry, and 620 State. Those 3 are quality operations so I would expect the same out of Portico. I still think that's a poor location for a restaurant, though.

[tonypitt]

I drive by that location every day on the way home from work. My wife and I are always hunting for a good restaurant. I had no idea there had ever been a restaurant there before. Saw the Portico sign the other day. Wonder why the old restaurant never put up a sign or advertised.

[Ted Bear]

Tony.....can't agree with you more. The old place never had a sign that I know of. PORTICO has a big illuminated series of letters across the front of the building. Can't miss it.

I did go there last night with a group of people. The "atmosphere" is pretty weak, BUT, the service was outstanding and the food was good. I had a New Orleans pasta and shrimp dish, person next to me had tagliatelle, guy across from me had short ribs...but I think they were more like "shanks", but said they were very good. After all is said and done it was a surprisingly positive experience. Pasta appears to be homemade.....certainly NOT low end commercial. Crowd was decent...not huge, but we didn't arrive until after a lot of people were likely done with their dinner hour. Quite honestly, a good crowd of regulars spending money is better than a surge of "let me try the new place never to be seen again" patrons.

I am pretty cranky when it comes to food and dining, but they made a sufficient impression that I would go back again. I don't think I could ever say that about the previous place in that location.

[Ted Bear]

Ming's Asian Cuisine.....a couple of us ate there the other night in an effort to satisfy our craving for Chinese food.

The service was outstanding.

The food was beyond disgusting.

Never again. Place was pretty empty, so apparently others feel the same.

RIP.

[DubbleT]

Thanks for the report, may have saved me a trip. Have been to the Hibachi Grill a couple of times but found the lo mein and the fried rice oddly tasteless, so have been considering where to try next.

[Ted Bear]

Alta Cucina.....has reopened following a fire back in May.

Food is pretty decent...the place needed a good cleaning (it was filthy disgusting to put it mildly)... so might be worth a visit if the fire had the unintended consequence of getting the place cleaned.

I'll go take a look one of these evenings. If someone beats me to it, please leave a note here on your experience.

[wombattver]

I've been to Tupelo Honey for lunch twice now. It was great both times - service was wonderful, food was yummy. The last time I went, a few weeks ago, their menu had changed and they had lots of fun and unique "small plates" and interesting sides. We shared a bunch of things - fried green tomatoes, smashed cauliflower, pecan-crusted goats cheese, okra, etc! Everything was delicious. Will be going back soon!

[wombattver]

We've also enjoyed Cafe Lola for lunch on numerous occasions. Cute atmosphere, soups are always good, as well as the sandwiches and salads.

We've had good take-out from Sahib's. We've never eaten in and don't like buffets, but dinner take-out has been pretty good and it's the only Indian I've found so far. Some dishes are hit or miss, but if you can go in and order, the staff will guide you and make recommendations. My husband wanted a lamb dish and the chef came out and discussed how he wanted to prepare it (in a way that wasn't on the menu.) It was delicious. Worth a try if you like Indian.

I'd love to hear more about good Chinese or Thai in the area!

[Rangerred]

I'd love to hear more about good Chinese or Thai in the area!

For chinese take-out it is hard to beat China Garden on N. Roan next to McAlisters. It's a tiny place but awesome food and similar to some of the chinese take-out joints found in large cities. I've heard that Magic Wok is very good too and has an authentic Chinese menu but I've never been there.

In terms of Thai your options are more limited. I enjoy Tomy Thai but I'm not sure how authentic it is. Angkor Bistro is very good as well but is Cambodian with some Thai dishes. I've heard good things about Monsoon in Johnson County but it's a pretty good haul out there from JC.