On the way back from a July 4th trip through the Smokies, we stopped at Blackwell’s on Lake Ocoee for lunch, located at 2496 Highway 64. It has a nice view of the water with windows down two walls. The people working there are very friendly and seem to go out of their way to make you comfortable and to get you exactly what you want/need.
I was disappointed that they didn’t have a full menu (such as plate lunches) during lunch. The lunch menu consists of salads, burgers and sandwiches. And the pies they listed on the blackboard weren’t available. I was really hoping for a slice of the homemade Buttermilk Pie.
There were, however, some really interesting items on the menu. We did not try it, but they recommended the Chargrilled Romaine Salad ($5.95). This is Romaine lettuce sprinkled with olive oil then quick charred on the grill and served with bleu cheese and bacon crumbles. Also listed are homemade tuna or chicken salad ($6.95), a pasta salad, and several others.
Blackwell’s lists several burgers, one of which caught my eye – The Bi-Pass Burger ($7.95) – ½ lb burger loaded with bacon, American, Swiss and Pepper jack cheese, along with sauteed onions.
There are numerous sandwiches and that is the menu we ended up ordering from. Wayne ordered the ham sandwich ($5.95), featuring mayonaise, lettuce, tomato and a choice of cheese on white bread (he ordered “hot”, so it was toasted”). For his side he chose the chips. The sandwich was STUFFED! He could only eat half. The other half went home for later.
Not really eating bread, I was limited to my choices, so I finally decided on the catfish sandwich with no bread. I was served three pieces of catfish on a bed of lettuce and tomatoes – perfect! With a little tartar sauce I was good to go. For my side I selected the potato salad. I really did not care for the potato salad – it seems more like the Sam’s variety rather than homemade, so I just took it home. If it’s homemade, I would go with a different recipe. The catfish was very good, hot and crisp on the outside. I would order it again. I also liked the homemade tartar sauce – it was delicious on the catfish.
During the evening hours, Blackwell’s offers entrees (with two sides), such as grilled chicken balsamic breast ($8.95), pot roast with gravy ($6.95), chicken fried steak with white country gravy ($9.95), fresh rainbow trout ($11.95), hand pulled hickory smoked pork ($9.95), and several others. The salads and burgers are also offered in the evening.
Blackwell’s was a nice place to visit and we would certainly have no objection to going back for dinner.
Hours for Blackwell’s on Lake Ocoee are Thursday from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. and Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. They are closed Monday through Wednesday.
Next time you’re in the Ocoee area, check them out.
Share your opinions with us at Chattanooga Dine Out
cdojanet@chattanoogadineout.com