“Quatie” Ross, wife of Cherokee Chief John Ross, by artist George Dawnay at 2nd American
Chances are, you’ve already been to 2nd American on Cowart Street. Opening a few months ago to a gazillion satiated guests who could have sworn they just dined somewhere besides Chattanooga, Daniel Lindley’s newest restaurant has been slammed.
The first time I went was right after it opened in October. Five of us went to celebrate my husband’s birthday on a “slow school night” when everyone was supposed to be in their own kitchens going over homework with the kids and watching football on TV. They weren’t. They were parked somewhere off Main Street and shouting their conversations over the next table a rear-end’s width away. It was loud and it was busy, but that’s part of the excitement over a restaurant opening, especially a Lindley one.
Even during the crazy first couple of weeks of opening, the food was incredible. We started with an order of crispy brussel sprouts and the raw hamachi with cucumber, lime and potato chips because someone said the latter was not-to-be-missed. The brussels were good but not spectacular. I was very suspect of the hamachi because I didn’t know what it was. I still don’t really know, except to say that doesn’t matter. It is oh-my-gosh-divine and absolutely not to be missed.
Since we were there in the fall of 2024, we ordered the harvest salad of some sort. It’s seasonal, as are several dishes, and again, it was incredible. As in my husband and I still talk about it. We also ordered the chopped salad, which I would order again just to look at it. It is presented in a tall glass column, gorgeous layers of Norwood cheese, crunch crouton, black walnuts, chopped lettuces, apples and poblano peppers the perfect amount of buttermilk dressing. Our server carefully spooned it out on a large plate for us to share. It’s soooo good, and, luckily, it is still on the menu, hopefully as a staple.
Next our server brought our entrees, which included scallops with lemon, brown butter and herbs, the short ribs accompanied with date compote and delicata squash (don’t you just love to say delicata in reference to food?) and Pickett’s ranch trout. Let me tell you, every single bite was unbelievable. Nothing ordinary here.
I went back a couple of months later with my mother. We like to go to dinner on Sunday nights but are always challenged to find a restaurant open on Sunday. 2nd is open on Sunday, so I thought we’d give it a shot. Bracing ourselves for the happening scene and over-the-top energy but hoping it was a little more subdued at 5:30 on Sunday night, my sister and I were thrilled to be seated at a comfy booth right under the gigantic painting by Mia Bergeron. We were even more thrilled to be served a large and lovely glass of wine by server extraordinaire Joe minutes after being seated.
As I expected, our food was over the top. We raved over the chopped salad and the seasonal beet salad, serving it on our own little plates, then each of us serving just a bit more until the plates were licked clean (not literally but the forks were very effective, thank goodness).
My salmon was exquisite, cooked perfectly, and my mother’s trout was yummy. She rarely finishes her restaurant meals, but I noticed there was not a bite left for my sister and I to fight over. And my sister had tasted a bit of the filet the last time she dined at 2nd. So she didn’t hesitate to order it.
Again, wow. Just wow. All of it. Outstanding.
Truly, the entire 2nd American experience is beyond special. Yes, the main thing we expect when dining out is delicious dining. Check that box.
(Did I mention a big family-style bowl of mashed potatoes come with every meal?)
But when a restaurant is really special, we expect the atmosphere to transport us to another place, maybe another time. My mother is an artist, and what a gift for her to be seated right under Mia’s magnificent piece, almost like she was part of it, with the larger-than-life size sculpture of Elizabeth “Quatie” Ross, wife of Cherokee Chief John Ross, by artist George Dawnay front and center. Legend has it that during the horrific Trail of Tears, Quatie gave her only blanket to shivering child; Quatie died of pneumonia afterwards.
This plaster-like white sculpture is highlighted with shadows from the dozens of candles at its base. Actually, my sister and I had to keep poking at our mother to pay attention to what ever drivel we were reciting because she couldn’t take her eyes off of the piece. Eyes shining and her face soft and a curve of a smile on her face, my mother looked like she could stay forever.
Of course, we had to stay a little longer for the chocolate cake Joe recommended. Served in a piping hot cast iron with whiskey ice cream, it had the perfect sugary crunch on outside, and decadent rich inside. None of us bothered with the three little white serving plates Joe carefully set for us. We dug right in, leaving a perfectly clean cast iron skillet that was still warm.
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Ferris Robinson is the author of three children’s books, “The Queen Who Banished Bugs,” “The Queen Who Accidentally Banished Birds,” and “Call Me Arthropod” in her pollinator series “If Bugs Are Banished.” “Making Arrangements” is her first novel and is available in paperback and on Kindle. “Dogs and Love - Stories of Fidelity” is a collection of true tales about man’s best friend. She is the editor of The Lookout Mountain Mirror and The Signal Mountain Mirror.
Ferris Robinson