KnoxLux Is Your Ticket To An Evening (Or Longer) Taste of Knoxville
Have you ever struggled for special occasion or date ideas? Anthony Palmer, owner and operator of Knoxville’s KnoxLux, has your answer. KnoxLux is a concierge service that creates memorable experiences of all types for travelers and locals alike. (Full disclosure: KnoxLux put the evening together for us and didn’t charge us for the booking services. We paid for our food and drinks for the evening.)
Place card created for us at Pretentious Beer Co.
Saturday evening we went on an adventure created just for us by KnoxLux that was fit for a foodie. Here’s how it went down.
We started our evening at one of our favorite spots in the Old City, Pretentious Beer Co. For those of you that haven’t heard, Matthew Cummings started glass blowing studio, Pretentious Glass Co., a few years ago and always had the dream of owning a brewery as well. Early in its inception his glassware designed with beer in mind went viral on Etsy and soon they were shipping all over the country. He had always had a dream of opening a brewery and since Pretentious Beer started brewing their own beer earlier this year it is likely the only place in the world where you can drink beer made in house out of a glass that was also made in house. How cool is that?
We think it’s very cool, but we’re just here for the beer. We were treated to a flight of four beers each of our choosing or the house’s choosing. Letting our beertender, Bryan, select them for us seemed like the way to go. We were not disappointed and stayed to have another pint before heading out.
Next up we headed up Summit Hill Drive then over to Market Square where the staff at the Oliver Royale had a table waiting. We love the Oliver Royale. Their food and cocktails are some of the most creative and beautiful in town. There we were offered a pair of cocktails made by head bartender, Colin Perkins. He came to our table and talked with us a bit about what we like to drink and what we were feeling like drinking. We told him “whiskey and bitter” and “whiskey and citrus.” What came next was pretty special. Brought to our table were two very different cocktails both made from rye whiskey. Mrs. KnoxFoodie loved hers so much Colin wrote the recipe for us.
While enjoying our beverages, we were presented with the charcuterie board and boy was it gorgeous! If you’ve never had Chef Jon Gatlin’s food, the first thing you will notice is the beautiful presentation. The charcuterie board is no exception. It was full of tangy rich meats, jams, cheese, mustards, and flowers!
Following this, was going to be hard and we were only about half-way through our KnoxLux Night! We ordered from the seasonal menu (Pro Tip: They are changing to a Spring menu soon, so hurry in!) We had the Duck Confit and Dumplings with Pate a choux, baby carrots, celery root, fingerling potatoes, crispy brussels and english peas. It was as good as it looks! Our second dish was the Petite Beef Tenderloin with Truffle potatoes, okra, cauliflower florets, tomato, and crispy kale. Whew!! It was two of the most flavor filled dishes we’ve had in Knoxville. We weren’t able to hold dessert this night, but attended a wine dinner a few nights later and we encourage you to save some room for one of Pastry Chef Lana Talley’s decadent desserts.
Onward! We hopped up from our table and wandered through the hallway of the Oliver Hotel to our final KnoxLux destination for the evening. Knoxville’s famed speakeasy: Peter Kern Library. Tucked away in the ‘library’ behind sliding doors, is a small, minimally adorned room containing a bar packed with a spirits arsenal ready to craft cocktails both classic and futuristic. The menu is ‘hidden’ away in books and is extensive. We opted for spins on classics; a Corpse Reviver #2 and a Boulevardier. After finishing our drinks and socializing a bit, we stepped back into the Oliver Royale to say our goodbyes and retrieve our coats. We had a really special evening thanks to KnoxLux. Most of our outings are with friends, or we just saddle up to a bar and chat with one of our friends behind the bar while enjoying drinks and a meal. It was nice to have an evening out to ourselves. Thank you for putting it together for us KnoxLux! If you would like for them to make an evening, long weekend, bridesmaid party, or men’s night out experience happen for you, visit their site and book it!
