aubrey's

absolutely the worstmeali've had recently. from the host greeting and seating us, it should have been a warning. he didn't know if there was a fish special of the day, when it was displayed that talapia was featured. after placing our order and waiting for the food to be brought to the table, i was dodging gnats at the table and heard something flying to find a stink bug had landed on our table. my guest and i both mentioned to the waiter that there were bugs and he shrugged, saying they probably came from the bar. i don't like to create a scene in a restaurant and didn't complain about the food. i ordered pasta with chicken with a mushroom sauce and caeser salad, my friend order the lime salmon with cole slaw and squash casserole. the pasta was bland and tasteless, the salad was edible. my friend ate less than half his salmon, saying he'd had better and the squash casserole was left uneaten after taking one bite, he ate the cole slaw. needless to say, i will not return and recommend diners find another place to eat. if there was a score less than 1 i would have given aubrey's a 0!! oh yes, thismealcost $49.00

had a slight issue getting seated in order, but that wasn't a big deal they were totally packed, and it was standing room only in the waiting area. the manager evidently knew what happened and once we were seated he came and told us that he was going to give us a dessert on the house. when it was time to pay when we asked the waiter for the check and said we had a coupon. and he then told us that the manager and taking care of our entiremealdue to the issues we had getting seated, in this situation and apology was enough but he went the next step.... or two and he has won our loyalty to aubrey's. also of note the manager was very genuine and congenial unlike most, that is customer service at it's best to us.

we'll be back. hub's and i went there last week. it was kind of early (before a week night dinner rush). the outside seating area looked fairly full so that seemed like a good sign. inside it was harder to tell as the layout is pretty spacious. i enjoy being able to talk during themealand not be drowned out by music or other guests. it's what i consider a nice, casual family restaurant. the bread they brought while we ordered was light and airy with a light crust.

i ordered the 14 oz prime rib, medium rare with the parmesan spinach. i rated my meat as fair. it was a tad bland so i asked for horseradish. our waitress was happy to get it and prompt in bring it. the parmesan spinach was great. nice and creamy, not too salty. i was having to fight hub's after i let him try a bite.

hub's ordered the 16 oz rib eye, medium rare. he got a side salad with ranch and the soup of the moment was chicken and mushroom. the salad was a typical side salad. the ranch though was not. it had more of a homemade taste to it with something else i couldn't quite put my finger on. i was dipping bread in the bowl after hub's poured it out on his salad. the soup was also pretty good though i thought the cup was on the small side. his steak was perfectly cooked and well seasoned. i was a little jealous.

i asked about the desserts and our waitress informed me they were made in house. i settled on the key lime pie. the portion was good, just about sharing size. perfectly tart, sweet and creamy. depending on what else they may have it goes on my exception to the diet list.

over all we both liked it. hub's really liked it. service wasn't bad. our bill came out to about what you'd expect for a higher end steak house. i watched a few different plates go by that i'd like to try. so we'll be going back.

what ruby tuesday's wishes it could be. we are visiting knoxville and staying in the powell, tn area. i spent about an hour looking at mostly urban spoon and other sites to find that "perfect spot". i almost did not go to this place because of the "ruby tuesday's" remark in an earlier review. i have been to various rt's over the years and have gotten some good food, but i usually feel like i am not getting my money's worth and have often gotten poor service and food. because of this i don't want to go there.

my wife and i got to aubrey's at about 8:00 on a saturday evening. we were seated immediately. we got patient assistance (including a taste) from our server in deciding what wine to order for my wife and i had a draft. our server was prompt, polite, and friendly during the entire meal. everything came to our table quickly but not too quick.

we ordered a spinach queso appetizer. we were suprised at how fast it came out. i was thinking "spinach dip", but this was a spinachy chile con queso. my wife is a wuss with heat and i like hot food. we both enjoyed the flavor and heat level in the queso and there was plenty.

my wife ordered the hawaiian steak skewers medium rare along with a loaded potato and mushrooms. her steak was cooked perfectly and was not overpowered with the marinade. she enjoyed all of her meal.

i ordered the peanut crusted catfish with sweet potato fries and baked squash. yes, the squash is a casserole and has breading, but i liked it. the sweet potato fries are "thick/thin" cut which seems to be just right. they have a salt/sugar coating that is nicely balanced. the catfish was the star of my meal. it came out piping hot and had a nice thin crispy crust. this may be the best fried catfish i have ever had! on the side was what i would call a tartar sauce ("caper lemon") that was a nice accompaniment. the only (minor) disappointment of themealwas that no spicy sauce such as a remoulade was available. the fish did not really need any sauce, though!

we finished off with a strawberry napoleon dessert that was excellent. if i am in this neck of the woods again, i'll be back!

jbb

good, solid food. aubrey's is a solid choice for a goodmealin knoxville. the fried chicken breast is huge, juicy, and delicious - the gravy that comes with it is a little tasteless. most of the veggie sides are good and fresh - though the squash is about 90% bread and kind of bland. i haven't tried the burgers, but they look and smell delicious. have always had good, fairly quick service and they are always generous with bread.