Where to Eat & Drink: Knoxville

More on Knoxville:
>City Portrait: Knoxville
>What to See & Do
>Meet the locals
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Big Fatty’s Catering Kitchen
’Cue with fried pickles, banana pudding so divine it is spoken of in hushed, reverent tones. These are draws. But the real star attraction is owner-chef Lisa Smith, whose confessional ramblings in-house and on the Fatty’s Facebook page manage to be both hostile and inviting. “Why did I wake up in the clubhouse with a pool float and a skateboard? Chubby got fried! Fattymelt 2day w goat cheese and grilled apples.” Come for the soul food. Stay for the crazy. 5005 Kingston Pike; 865-219-8317

The Bistro at the Bijou
A watering hole for politicians since around 1820, this cozy mainstay again made civic news this year when the owner, Martha Boggs, refused to seat state senator Stacey Campfield after his ignorant remarks about the AIDS virus. Many veggies on the menu are grown by Boggs’s husband in their envy-inducing family garden. That said, the chicken fried steak is a game changer. Live music often, with acoustics that rival the Ryman’s. 807 S. Gay St.; thebistroatthebijou.com

Boyd’s Jig and Reel
Unabashedly old-fashioned, Thomas Boyd’s mission is preservation—of bluegrass and folk music, of fellowship, of kilt wearing, of the broad Southern tradition of sotted sing-alongs. Weekly pub sessions encourage the last one (there are extra fiddles and loaner mandolins on hand), as does a whiskey list longer than Anna Karenina.101 S. Central St.; jigandreel.com

Holly’s Eventful Dining
A ladies-who-lunch spot for ladies with a sense of humor and a discerning palate, Holly’s is the cozy offshoot of an entirely chef-run catering outfit. The chefs, seeking to exorcise their ya-yas, make up a fresh menu every day, with entrées as diverse as steak sandwiches with guacamole and cumin, and house-made ramen topped with soft egg. 5032 Whittaker Dr.; hollyseventfuldining.com

Just Ripe
A combination grocery and lunch place, Just Ripe is a little hippie café the way Dolly Parton is a little country singer. True enough, but turned up to eleven. Just Ripe keeps it real, stocking only food in season, with a giant wall chart reminding you of Mother Nature’s intent before the advent of the frozen tomato. 513 Union Ave.; justripeknoxville.com

Litton’s Market
Founded in 1946 by Eldridge Litton and still owned and operated by the Litton family, the market sold its first burger for eighty-nine cents. The lines out the door haven’t stopped since. The massive Thunder Road burger—bedecked with pimento cheese, sautéed onions, and jalapeños—brings the boys to the yard. The Baby Jane—strawberry angel food cake with white chocolate rum mousse and an avalanche of sweet cream—makes them never want to leave. 2803 Essary Rd.; littonsburgers.com

Magpies Bakery
Peggy Hambright knows from baking. She also sings, plays accordion, and toured internationally with eighties indie sensation the Judybats—facts she is modestly disinclined to discuss. She is equally mum on how she packs a whole lifetime of sweetness into one bite-size miniature cupcake that leaves you longing for weeks (okay, months) post for nothing else. Her pies are even better. 846 N. Central St.; magpiescakes.com

Old City Java
There are people who care about coffee. And there is Shaun Parrish. Monastically devoted so you don’t have to be, Parrish will talk rhapsodically about fair trade organic beans and CO2 levels for as long as you desire. And who doesn’t want to hang out at a gorgeous, 100-year-old place where the people in charge devote that much consideration into making you a little cup of happiness? Drink it with his wife Meg’s Chocolate Chubbie cookies or fresh-baked croissants. 109 S. Central St.; oldcityjava.com

The Public House
Low-key in vibe but elegant in offerings (truffle popcorn, beet pesto, seasonal liquor infusions like cardamom vodka and jalapeño tequila), the Public House is the kind of bar you marry. It doesn’t try too hard. It makes you feel good inside. It is easy and pleasant and just sexy enough. Go on a weeknight. Sit at the bar. Order a Kid Curry—bourbon, fresh lemon juice, and lavender syrup. And put a ring on it. 212 W. Magnolia Ave.; knoxpublichouse.com

Sassy Ann’s
A neighborhood bar positioned in an actual neighborhood (historic Fourth and Gill), Sassy Ann’s house of blues occupies a converted 120-year-old Victorian. Like Grandma’s house, with hot wings instead of doilies. Three floors, including an outdoor porch and an open wraparound balcony on the third level, provide plenty of space to 1) dance to old-timey sixties R&B or 2) watch other people dance to old-timey sixties R&B. 820 N. Fourth Ave.; sassyanns.com

Time Warp Tea Room
The Time Warp Tea Room is neither. Instead, it is a cavernous antique game arcade, coffeehouse, tamale-plate offering, film-screening meeting place for vintage motorcycle enthusiasts and their friends who “just want to be free to drink espresso, ride our machines, and not be hassled by the Man.” It also serves smoothies. 1209 N. Central St.; timewarptearoom.com

The Tomato Head
“Food gotta cook, don’t come out of a can.” So advises founder and chef Mahasti Vafaie, who, with her husband, Scott Partin, has been at the forefront of Knoxville’s organic food movement for more than twenty years, transforming what could have been a simple pizza-and-burrito joint into a force of nature that has made unlikely fresh-food converts out of the downtown lunch rush crowd. 12 Market Square; thetomatohead.com