Tennessee BBQ and Fresh Florida Seafood

Whenever I visit a new restaurant and enjoy it, I like to tell others about it, especially when it's a local place. Last weekend we tried a new BBQ restaurant near our house that is locally owned, and it has the added benefit of selling fresh Florida seafood.

Vernon's Grill (closed on Sundays and Mondays) serves BBQ sandwiches and ribs, hamburgers, bratwurst, potato salad, home style fries, etc. They also only charge $1.25 for a soft drink, which is about half of what most places are charging these days.

The man who owns the restaurant has a best friend who operates Coastal Connections next to Vernon's. It's only open Thursday-Saturday because he drives down to the Florida-Alabama line on Sundays and spends two days gathering fresh fish and seafood from the Gulf.

We bought sea scallops for $12.99 per pound, and they were delicious. We pay at least this much or more in grocery stores, and the scallops have been frozen. In addition to selling seafood, they serve lunch items, including fish sandwiches and seafood salad.

Both places are located at the corner of Middlebrook Pike and Bob Kirby Road in West Knoxville between Cedar Bluff and Lovell Road. There's an outside area where customers can sit on picnic tables, and there's live music on the weekends. We'll definitely make a return visit!