From the Anderson County Vision

Rainy days are just right for having lunch on a covered porch overlooking the Clinch River/Melton Hill Lake. A few weeks ago my pal Shannon and I did just that at the Riverview Grill in Anderson County. The restaurant is located between Clinton and Oak Ridge on highway 61. It’s a short drive from either city and has plenty of parking.

The owners of the grill, Trey Harrington and Tricia Roskop, like to say they are a seafood and BBQ place and they are that, but so much more. I had to go back for a second meal the next day, a Thursday. One of Thursday’s lunch specials is SMOKED meatloaf. It was, oh, so smoked and purely delicious. It was served over garlic mashed potatoes. Oh my, Oh my!!

On the first visit, right away we got the idea that seafood and BBQ were the house specialties. Platters of BBQ pork, chicken, and beef were flying by as we sat down to our table. Then a huge platter of crisp seafood, shrimp, oysters, clams, white fish, whizzed past us. I’ve never understood how a small person can carry so many plates on one arm without crashing but the folks that serve at Riverview are talented. No crashes while we were there. The memory of the aroma of those dishes is causing my mouth to water as I write this review.
Shannon and I took several minutes to read the menu before we could decide what to order. It was Wednesday, we couldn’t order Crabby Monday. A large order (1 or 2 lbs.) of crab legs and some beer really sounded good! Alas, we settled on smoked pork with the sides and fried oysters. Poor us!!

Joking aside, we selected a fine meal. The pork was hot, tender, well smoked with moistness preserved. It melted in the mouth. Riverview makes all its own sauces, the spicy BBQ was tangy and flavorful without a bitter bite. The oysters were temperature perfect and crispy and were fresh and juicy on the inside. I love fried oysters and these measured up. If you enjoy oysters, try them solo, on a Pick Two platter or the gigantic Captain’s Platter. The cocktail sauce and other dipping sauces were smooth and appetizing. Our entrées were served with our choices of steak fries (real potatoes), salad, cole slaw, hush puppies and home cooked green beans. Everything is prepared fresh in their kitchen. On our second visit, we sampled smoked chicken salad along with the meatloaf. The chicken was great, more chicken than mayonnaise!

Lunch Specials beside Monday’s crab and beer specials are BBQ salmon, crab cakes, BBQ quesadillas, beef brisket melt, Tilapia, buffalo catfish, and the ever true, beer and burger on Saturdays. Trey also recommended the rib eye from the grill; he gets lots of compliments on the steak from diners.

Of course, the fried seafood and hickory smoked specialties are the backbone of the main menu. Besides the shellfish mentioned, there is catfish, flounder, and grouper. I saw a Captain’s Platter served to another table. It had everything and made me wish I had ordered it. There is also a Smokehouse Combo that has everything smoked on it——ribs, pork, beef, brisket, and chicken! You better come really hungry if you want to tackle one of those.

Children are welcome at Riverview. There are items on the menu just for kids.

It always amazes me that food comes out of the kitchen hot soon after being ordered. At Riverview, owners Tricia Roskop and Trey Harrington want to know how you like your meal. If you need additional items or are not satisfied with your meal, they want to know about it. That is service! Trey got his culinary training at UTK’s Restaurant Management Program. He said he has always loved cooking and preparing new dishes. Tricia and her husband, Fred, have been in the restaurant business for all their working lives. The Roskops are from Upstate New York but have lived and worked in Tennessee for over 15 years now. Tricia was the “Shirley” in Squirrelly Shirley’s Shrimp Shack fame in west Knoxville.

One other unique twist at Riverview is the “Starters” part of the menu. The listed items are mostly smaller size portions of entrées BUT there are other starters not on the menu like fried pickles, fried green tomatoes, and fried jalapeno peppers. Look for them on the Daily Specials board just inside the front door. Dessert is a delight at Riverview. Yes, they have some of the usual, but Banana Pudding in a Mason jar ? It is a secret recipe from Tricia’s past. It is REALLY good. It has a banana flavor without strong sweetness. Okay, that sounds strange but you get the picture, right? Also for dessert is a chocolate layered pound cake with yummy chocolate filling and icing; New York cheesecake, and what ever else the chef feels like whipping up. The day we visited, the peach cobbler was already gone by the time we got around to “afters.”

Tailgate Alert! The Riverview Grill has Southern Party Packs for takeout! Call them for info on the Rib Rack Pack, the Picnic Pack, Dinner Tonight, and the Riverview Finest. They also prepare box lunches, party trays, BBQ Buffets and have full service catering. You’ll like the prices on all the menu offerings. Lunch prices average $7.99, while dinner averages $11.99.

The Riverview Grill is closed on Sundays, but open at 11:00am and seating until 8:30pm The phone number at Riverview Grill is 463-8550.










........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................


See what the Knoxville News Sentinel had to say about Riverview Grill  (click here)