Top of the Mountain Restaurant & Grill is on Signal Mountain. Click to enlarge all our photos.
photo by Janet Wilson
We meet a lot of people in restaurants who are always more than willing to share the names of their favorite places with us. On one particular night about a year ago, we met a foursome from Signal Mountain, seated at a nearby table, who initiated a conversation about different restaurants they enjoy.
Due to the luck of meeting these people, we found out about the Top of the Mountain Restaurant & Grill located at 411 Wood Road atop Signal Mountain - and now have our newest FIVE STAR RESTAURANT.
They are located on the left
just as you get to the first red light.
The décor is more of an antique nature with beautiful plates, framed
pictures (both photos and paintings) adorning the wall. In the hallway where the restrooms are situated, the walls are covered with elementary "group class pictures" of Signal Mountain Elementary School.
This review would be remiss if I did not mention the restrooms. Since we
have been doing reviews, restrooms have gone from really bad and disgusting to very nice - but this one has been given much attention. It is immaculate with a "homey" feel. This is just simply a beautiful (and clean) restroom.
Wayne felt the men's restroom was done with the same care. And to support our mention of cleanliness, they recently scored a 96 on their Health Inspection Report.
The menu is of the "Southern" variety - which all true Southerners look forward to eating. Under "Complements" the menu states "All of our vegetables are Southern seasoned."
We recently made our second review of Top of the Mountain for lunch. We feel this restaurant is a must visit if you enjoy nice, cozy places with
delicious food. The ambience is wonderful. They use their own recipes, each with a little twist from the norm, making it all the more tasty. On this visit I decided to try the Cider Tea Punch ($2.50) as an accompaniment to my meal. This is a hot drink and definitely hit the spot.
For our appetizer, we decided on one of their daily soups - the Corn
Chowder, which was delicious - a perfect way to start a meal on a cold winter day. Wayne decided to go with the Fried Chicken ($8.00), his favorite, and for his side, the homemade potato chips. I went with the Blue Plate Special ($7.50), which was Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole with my choice of three
sides. I selected the homemade potato chips, fried corn, and Waldorf Salad.
They have such a wonderful list of complements; it is definitely difficult to narrow them down to just a few. Each one is as tempting as the previous one. The chicken is fresh, juicy and crisp and the potato chips are not to be missed! The casserole was wonderful and as I said before, a little twist from the norm.
Regarding the bread served with your meal - wonderful, melt in your mouth
yeast rolls. They are fresh and homemade with butter already on them,
although you can add your own it you like. They also sell these rolls at $5 for a Baker's Dozen (13) to go. Delicious!
We have found from our visits in the past, no meal can be complete without
their Top of the Mountain Banana Pudding ($4.00). This is the kind your grandmother used to make - warm and topped with meringue (toasted) and ladyfinger garnish. It is absolutely one of those desserts you cannot pass by. This is only one of two restaurants where I actually like the Banana Pudding. If it's cold, you can keep it!
Other items on the menu (which can be viewed on our site) include several varieties of salads, appetizers and sandwiches. On the lunch menu, other than the two entrees we ordered, are "Daddy Arch's Roast Beef Platter" and
"Aunt Martha's Turkey & Dressing Platter" ($8.00). There were 22 complements (sides) to choose from including Turnips and Greens, Waldorf Salad and Granny Smith Roasted Applesauce. A children's menu "Kid Stuff" is available.
For dinner, there is a different menu featuring Mountain Filet Mignon,
Seaside Crab Cakes and Cumberland Catfish - which are only a few of the
items offered.
I should also say that we recently had dinner at the Top of the Mountain and I can testify that the Seaside Crab Cakes are great. The Chef advised us she would be entering them in a contest soon. Wayne, of course, ordered the Fried Chicken again - he was threatened that the next time we are there,
they are going to hide the chicken so he will try something else!
Signal Mountain is only a short drive and the restaurant is easily located. Do yourself a favor and pay them a visit because this is one of those trips that is really worth the drive. When the weather is warmer, there is a large front porch with tables so you can eat in the refreshing mountain air. Good
food, friendly people and a lovely atmosphere.
Hours for lunch at the Top of the Mountain are Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Dinner is served Tuesday through Thursday from 5:30
p.m. - 8:30 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday until 9:00 p.m. Each Sunday there is a luncheon buffet from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. and they are closed for dinner. It is closed on Monday.
They have a Green Dining Room that is available for private party
reservations - minimum 12, maximum 16. An 18% gratuity added to parties of six or more.
We definitely recommend you add Top of the Mountain to your list of places to try. We hope to see you there. And don't forget, they are now taking reservations for the Easter Sunday Buffet.
And remember - if you know anyone who eats out a lot we have the perfect gift for them or even for yourself. The new Adventures coupon books are now in with even more coupons - 86 in all. These are perfect gifts for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and many other occasions. By using our
Adventures book during 2001, Wayne and I saved over $436 that would have
been spent out of our own pockets - and we didn't even use all the coupons. To make shopping easier for you, we now have credit card capability on the Chattanooga Dine Out site. We ship the same day you order (unless it's Sunday) so your books should be received within approximately three days.
Coming soon on the Chattanooga Dine Out web site - a chance for one lucky
person to win a free Adventures Coupon Book.
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