Location: 519 Parkway, Gatlinburg, Tennessee 37738.With pulled pork right in the middle of country town Tennessee, I'd expect nothing less than a superb taste from Corky's. I'm happy to say the pork was indeed that, superb. My favorite BBQ dish, the pulled pork platter, was great. Two sides, mac & cheese and sweet potatoes. The macaroni and cheese was homemade goodness with a rich cheese flavor that popped from between the noodles. If you want to know how to get to my heart, serve sweet potato fries, I've nearly never had a batch I didn't like. Funny because I despise mashed sweet potatoes, but anyway, Corky's version may actually fall into the few that don't make me crazy. It surprised me that it was very difficult to taste any sweet flavor. They are sweet potatoes after all. I give kudos to Corky's for offering these on their menu, but I would recommend that they cut the salt added in half. They are too salty and don't allow the beautiful sweetness of the potato to shine through.
The pork however was excellent. Pulled like it should be, mostly tender, and served with sauce on top. The pork did need the sauce it came with though. A little flavorless without adding the sauce from the table. While Corky's only serves up one sauce, it covers several different flavors all in one. It is smoky and not too sweet. Easy on the tongue, not much fire. The perfect sauce some may say. I personally like a little more heat. I recommend this dish completely, just ask for some hot sauce if you're looking for some heat.
My number one complaint about this joint is the service. The place was simply understaffed when we were there. Given it was 4th of July weekend, the service was simply short. I waited nearly 15 minutes to find out the price of merchandise at the front. The hostess could not handle the flow coming in and the bartender was blatantly unwilling to help. This is a rather large production for a BBQ restaurant with 2 stories and a wait list. We did not have to wait at dinner time but struggled to get the attention of our waiter. Don't expect great service, but once the food came my mind was definitely elsewhere.
Bottom Line: If you don't mind your sides being served in styrofoam, this place is a great stop-in at this popular vacation spot in the Smokies.
I totally agree about the sweet potato fries!! Too much salt and not enough sweet. I would have also preferred more sauce options!
ReplyDeleteI feel like the sweet potato fries were quite good and how they should have been. I think they should be salted and not overly sweet. They're not dessert!
ReplyDeleteAn excellent review. I look foward to more postings from this up and coming blogger!
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