We recently ended up at The Gardens located in The Chattanooga Choo Choo due to a slight alteration in our plans.
They were fairly busy, but we were pleasantly surprised in the attentive service, as well as the food. We had a choice of ordering from the menu or the buffet, and decided to go with the buffet ($16.95) since we had already been somewhere else and it was getting late.
The Gardens offered a small salad bar area with the usual ingredients – lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, etc. The hot food section consisted of several vegetables including large baked potatoes, green beans, and corn. The meat selection included chicken and prime rib. Two desserts, cake and a chocolate cheesecake, were included.
I was especially impressed with the prime rib. A lot of places serve the prime rib overcooked and it is tough and rubbery, but this was extremely tender and juicy - some of the best prime rib I’ve eaten and was very tender.
Our server kept our drinks filled, while keeping an eye on making sure we didn’t need anything, without being intrusive.
Neither of us would have any objections to going back to The Gardens because on the night we were there, we found the food to be very good.
If you prefer to order from the menu there is quite a bit to offer. You could start with a cup of chicken corn chowder ($3.95) or maybe corn fritters ($5.50). There are several salads, along with four sandwiches priced from $7.75 to $9.95.
Entrée choices have “train” oriented names such as Norfolk Southern Fried Chicken ($10.95) served with mashed potatoes and seasonal fresh vegetables; Grand Central Ribeye Steak ($16.50) accompanied by an Idaho potato; and the Key West Express Tilapia ($10.95) with a coconut, mango and papaya crust, topped with sweet and spicy Caribbean glaze, served with rice pilaf and seasonal fresh vegetables.
If you are interested in dessert afterwards, you might want to try the Old Fashioned Banana Pudding ($3.50), Choo Choo Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce ($3.95), or possibly a Rockslide Brownie A’ La Mode ($5.50).
We had a very pleasant experience at The Gardens and would recommend a visit there. Not only was the meal enjoyable, but at night, the outside lights and flame lanterns are beautiful.
The Gardens is open daily for breakfast from 6:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. and lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. Dinner is served Tuesday through Thursday from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m.; and Friday through Monday from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m.
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