Seldom drawn to buffets, I spontaneously decided to stop at The Cupboard while driving downtown on Sunday. Motivated both by childhood memories (the legendary cafeteria-style Home Plate was located at this site) and curiosity (I've been passing the building for months), I parked and strolled in.
Following a friendly greeting at the door, I began with the relatively meager salad bar, which consisted of a desert-dry, room temperature salad mix, cottage cheese, beets, shredded cheese, bacon bits, and two or three additional items accompanied by a soup of the day. I spied two dressings: a strangely dark low-cal of unkown origin and ranch. Knowing that low-cals are seldom homemade, I opted for the ranch. It disappointingly turned out to be Hidden Valley or a close competitor.
The similary lackluster hot bar included cold fried chicken, cold grilled salmon, cold honey-roasted potatoes, two varieties of cold quiche, and hot green beans. I guess if you have one hot item, you still have a hot bar.
The fried chicken, which I was most eager to try, was underseasoned and slightly overfried. Heck, some of it was outright burned. I decided to skip the green bean tray in which the serving spoon was totally submerged (previously used handle included). The potatoes, while cold, were excellent, though I'd prefer mashed potatoes served with Sunday fried chicken. Aren't mashed potatoes a Sunday staple in the South?
The quiche should be avoided at all costs. If you enjoy a deep dish, light and airy quiche, walk on by. The shallow pan ham and cheese variety was flavorless and rubbery, and I was less than eggs-static.
Their steaming hot soup of the day, spicy black-eyed pea, appeared homemade, but was seasoned through the roof with salt and some unidentified smoky meat, not a morsel of which I could locate.
The star of the show, however, was the dry-rubbed grilled salmon. If it had just been modestly warm, I would have given it a resounding 12 - and that's on a scale of 1 to 5! If you ever need salmon to take center stage at your next affair, these are the people to call. The spice rub was superb, the salmon rich and flaky. Just cold. A warm version would be divine.
Excluding beverage, tax and tip, I parted with a crisp $10 bill. However, according to a sign posted on the counter next to the register, prepare to shell out $12 starting this Sunday. While I believe this hike reflects a bit of overconfidence by the owners, I trust my adventure was an anomaly.
Though I experienced a buffet, I didn't exactly enjoy a hot meal. In all fairness, you take your chances at buffets. Food temperature and freshness are always a challenge, and the spread is sitting in an open dining room waiting for guests to arrive.
Service at my table was nonexistent, but I graciously left a 15% gratuity. I exited wondering if the server would have been more attentive had she known I normally leave 25 to 35% for good service.
According to the owners, the success of their catering business is the reason for eliminating restaurant service during the week. However, the aformentioned food quality may well lead to the same decision regarding their Sunday buffet in the foreseeable future.
The Cupboard Catering
21 East Seventh Street
Chattanooga, TN 37402
Phone: 423 266-1356
Sunday Buffet 10:30 a.m.
(The Finicky Gourmet© was conceived from Jay Lewis' affinity for food and his penchant for talking about it. Be watching for mouth waterin' (or knuckle crackin') reviews as A Finicky Gourmet visits a restaurant near you.
Contact: TheFinickyGourmet@yahoo.com)
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Brunch at the Cupboard
Two people eat at the Cupboard the same day; two people assess their dining experiences with nothing in common, but the label “common” is a word that never describes the Cupboard’s fare. One customer describes himself as “finicky” while this one fancies himself as “discerning.”
Finicky chose a few ingredients from the chilled salad bar but didn’t mention the wonderful artichoke hearts and& delicious Kalamata olives both of which are rarely found on any local brunch. Finicky blasts the fried chicken but in actuality, it was delicately crisp on the outside, juicy and perfectly cooked inside out, not over or under seasoned but a wonderful, old-fashioned, down-home treat.
The salmon didn’t blister Finicky’s mouth but it wasn’t supposed to; flakey & moist, kept off the burners so it wouldn’t dry out; a culinary delight as is. It was so well received that many pounds were consumed by patrons over the course of the brunch. The Cupboard might consider posting a minder near their brunch during this Christmas season – they should be on the lookout for a man dressed in a Santa Clause suit (with a finicky name tag sewn on his breast pocket) stuffing room temperature salmon into his clothing (my apologies to “Trading Places” & Dan Akyroyd).
Here’s a listing of the Cupboard’s past Sunday Brunch menu:
Cheese Blintz -replaced by blueberry pancakes
Ham and Broccoli Quiche/Artichoke and Asparagus Quiches
Green Beans
Honey Roasted Red Potatoes
Jerk Salmon - replaced by grilled catfish
Fried Chicken
Homemade soup
Salad bar with American mix and organic field greens
Assorted toppings and dressings
Cottage cheese
Pasta salad
Fresh Fruit
Marinated artichoke hearts
Kalamata olives
Scones, muffins, banana bread, yeast rolls
Pumpkin bread/cream cheese frosting
Lemon coconut squares
Cinnamon brownies
Chocolate truffles
Amaretto mocha pie
Cream cheese pound cake
I recruit on behalf of culinary schools & culinary school managers throughout the nation. In my “discerning” opinion, Chattanooga has been blessed to have a locally owned, core city dining venue like the Cupboard. Treat yourselves next Sunday or any Sunday to a spacious but intimate atmosphere graced by friendly owners who consistently offer a wide variety of culinary treats.
Jack Sokohl
strebor@highertech.net