chow with chaz

let’s chow

  • Best Meals of 2025…kinda

    Behind the scenes and a look into my brain (I hope you’ll continue reading!). I started this with the intention of doing a Top 5 of 2025. As I started, I didn’t make it past one as it represented so much for this year. So I am going to share that reflection with you all. Short tangent, I am drinking a Chocolate Chip Cookie Latte from Seed Coffee…if you’re in Knoxville, you need this drink!! This was a really big year for me. 2024 was very much a transition year for me. It was my first full year living in Knoxville. I was still finding my bearings (I still am to an extent), I was searching for a job, and was splitting time between my parents’ house and Kelsi’s. I spent time substitute teaching and eventually working fully part time at an incredible elementary school was some of the most passionate and incredible faculty. This was such a rewarding experience and I love you all at Rockford. However, in April I finally found full time employment in Knoxville. It took A LONG TIME, and so to celebrate Kelsi and I went to JC Holdway. As I continue to reflect, this is my 1A meal of the year, it was going to be number 1 but a second and much different celebratory meal will be second. As you can see, we celebrate with meals. This time at JC we kinda went all out. It was the best meal of my life. It was by far the most money I have ever spent on a meal and I did not regret a single cent. I don’t remember everything we had, but I remember it all being incredible. To be able to do that was such a blessing. Thank you so much to my parents for supporting me as I searched far and wide for a job, thank you to Kelsi for your patience while I was a broke boy and thank you to Jeni for taking a gamble on me. That meal was all of that being celebrated and it was done with the best food I have ever eaten. So it would be virtually impossible to beat…but I am going to have a 1B. Finding employment allowed Kelsi and I to being searching for a place to live. It started with us looking for places to rent and ended up with us owning a “whole damn house” – Kelsi. Our first night we had 1B…Marco’s pizza. A few hundred dollars less than JC. No tableside service. No fancy cocktail made by someone else. But the first of a lifetime of pizza Friday’s in our new home. That is something that could compete with JC Holdway. Marco’s may not be mentioned by Michelin like JC, but when shared in a place you can call home with the person you love most has to be the best meal of any year.

    If you have made it this far, yes we do accept housewarming gifts! Kidding, kinda. Love you all!!

  • Swipe Right on Kaizen

    Two years ago today I had a date at some restaurant named Kaizen. I knew nothing about it as I had been I lived in the city for less than 24 hours. The food review portion will have to come from the numerous times I have eaten there since. Hard to remember the food when the prettiest girl in the world is sitting across from you and you are playing the drums with your chopsticks because you are so nervous. I’d say it turned out ok though, because I am currently sitting at a coffee shop trying to make time move faster as I wait for that same girl to get home to celebrate two years together. I guess the drum solo was a good one. Kaizen has become a special place for partly because of that awkward, incredible first date. We have continued to go sometimes to celebrate birthdays, sometimes to relive our Old City first date, and sometimes spur of the moment on a Friday evening. Everyone of them is special though because of the company. Ok now sappy reflection is over, LETS EAT.

    Knoxville has a surprisingly great Asian food scene. Kaizen is my favorite though. I rarely venture out from one of their fried rice dishes, which sounds very basic, but when basic is done to perfection it plays. They have a fried chicken fried rice that has a sweet chili sauce. It is the perfect combination of sweet and spice. This makes the chicken thighs so dang tasty. I have also done the wagyu fried rice. The steak is tender and juicy. The peanut satay is also a great compliment to both the steak and rice. It is hard to put into words just how good the rice itself is. I feel like us American’s usually associate our fried rice with yum yum/yellow/sometimes pink sauce at Hibachi. This needs none of that. It packs so much flavor by itself.

    My other favorite thing about Kaizen are the buns. That can relate to the first paragraph too ;). I think at some point I have tried all of them except for the mushroom. Im not an eggplant fan so I will rule that one out. It is hard to beat a pork belly bao bun and there’s is done well! The bang bang shrimp bun has really good flavor, but it is not the easiest to eat. The thai sausage is usually my go to. It has the same peanut satay as the wagyu fried rice.

    Lastly, the cocktails and beer selection are both great. They have a number of Japanese beers, a great whiskey (both American and Japanese selection), and they make fantastic cocktails. I usually go with a Weller Reserve Old Fashioned and it never misses.

    If you’re planning trip to Knoxville, make a reservation at Kaizen. You will not be disappointed. You may get hot though as they keep that place WARM!!

    I don’t have a picture of Kaizen, so i’ll just post a picture of Kelsi and I from that fall.

  • Chow with Chase like Chevy because it’s a Vegas Vacation

    Frontier Airlines did their best to keep us from getting to Las Vegas, but we made it at 3 am…pretty there that’s like 5pm to the youngins partying in Vegas. We went straight to bed though. Incredible meals would be had over the next few days.

    Eataly was in the hotel next door to us. If you haven’t been to an Eataly, its large food hall/market all Italian centered. There’s pasta and pizza stations, pastry counters, multiple bars, sandwich stands, a breakfast counter, crepe and coffee stand, and also a market with food and wine. We went every morning for coffee and breakfast. The coffee was good, nothing spectacular. The Nutella and banana crepe was dang delicious though. I had a couple of those. They also had a breakfast panini. It was good, but very messy. And ya boy does not like stuff on his hands so I was one and done with those. We also got cocktails and wine at various times. Both were excellent. The bartenders were incredible. We also saw a British couple arguing which may have been the highlight of my trip. The dude yelled to his partner to tell the entirety of Eataly and Park MGM that he was a loser…and Terry obliged. I stared, Kelsi hid in embarrassment of me staring.

    Esther’s Kitchen is an Italian restaurant in the Arts District. We were told about it by some locals. We went in February of 2024 and it was divine. I had the chicken parm sandwich and Kelsi had some lemon pasta. My dad had a meatball sandwich, don’t remember what my mom had, sorry Candace. They also do dipping sauces for their bread. These were the best thing we had this go round. I got spaghetti and meatballs and Kelsi got a different lemon pasta. Both were fine, nothing spectacular. They had also moved to a bigger space which just didn’t feel the same.

    Quick shoutout to my Vietnamese Iced Coffee in the Cosmopolitan Hotel. I get it atleast once everytime I go. I love it!!!

    Also shoutout to Zaytinya by Jose Andres. We did apps here and they were good. Im not the biggest humus fan, but I gorged myself on theirs. It was unreal. I also had a margarita that had “salt air” rather than salt on the rim. It was basically this really lite salt foam on top. It was a very cool drink.

    The final two I will write about were the best two. Herbs and Rye and Best Friend.

    Herbs and Rye is a bit off of the beaten path. I believe I have written about it before. They do half price steaks during happy hour…which is the majority of time they are open. We got a filet with Bearnaise and holy mackerel it was great. Their steaks are cooked perfectly but the sauces you get with them just elevate them to a different stratosphere. We have done the Béarnaise and the Creamy Horseradish and both were spectacular. The creaminess just pairs perfectly with the savoriness of the steak. We also got the Angolotti. I had never heard of such, but it was a stuffed past with short rib and red wine jus. It was the best past I have ever eaten. That isn’t hyperbole either. The cocktails are also a highlight but I was so full from steak and pasta that I only had one.

    Now, the Grand Finale. Best Friend., which is Roy Choi’s restaurant in Park MGM. First of all, it’s the coolest looking restaurant. You walk into what looks like a bodega. They take you through this red plastic curtain to this big room that’s like the streets of LA have been made into a restaurant. There is west coast hip hop playing with pictures of SOCAL around the room. We ate at the bar. First of all, I had a Henny and Coke slushy that was so good I went back the next day for another. For apps, we got Lumpia (these were ok, still not 100% sure what I ate) and fries with ramen dust and sambal mayo. If I could only have fries from one place the rest of my life, it would be these. For our meals, I got Kogi Short Rib Tacos. They were really good. The star along with the fries was the Spicy Pork BBQ. BBQ and fries are 1000% the way to go here. The pork wasn’t too spicy but was so succulent. They also give you a crap ton. The bartenders also just had that Southern Cali cool vibe. It was great. I will be going every time I go back to Vegas. Reservations are probably the best bet, but we were able to wait in line to get a seat at the bar. Just be there when they open.  

    Guess it wasn’t too bad because I demolished it.

  • I AM BACK HOMIES (JC Holdway Review)

    Hello Friends, it’s been a while. Back in April, Kelsi and I went out to celebrate finally getting full time employment since moving to Tennessee. We did this by going to the most delicious place in Knoxville, JC Holdway. This was our second time going (she has ditched me a few times to go), and it is a top 5 meal all time for me. It has been a while and I didn’t take many pictures, but I will do my best to recount. Also the best way to do JC (we haven’t done the chef’s tasting yet, and that’s probably the absolute best) is to do shared plates.

    One staple is the cornbread with sorghum butter. Just imagine your grandma is a James Beard Award winning chef. The cornbread was crispy and just moist enough while the butter had a bit sweetness and all of the elegance. I have gotten this both times we have gone and will get it everytime.

    I am not a big seafood guy but apparently in relationships you have to compromise. So we got the Tuna Crudo. I still don’t know what crudo is but it tasted fine.

    The main course was Osso Buco with mashed/whipped potatoes. Top 3 best things I have ever put in my mouth. The veal was so succulent and slid right off of the bone. My God it was magical. It was my first time having Veal and will not be the last. It just melted in your mouth but was oh so savory. Its 830 in the morning as I am writing this and I just want some veal.

    We also had some carrots, they were good.

    Last but certainly not least, the experience. Both times we have gone to JC, it has felt like we were the only patrons there despite the restaurant being completely full. You are taken care of like no other restaurant I have been to. I believe last time I wrote about JC, I said it was service as if Chick-Fil-A was a Five Star restaurant. This time was even better. David from North Dakota, Go BISON, was incredible. He felt like your best friend by the end of the night.

    If you can, go to JC Holdway. You won’t regret it, maybe a little when the bill comes, but it is worth the treat.

  • Sweet P’s Uptown Corner

    I went out to run some errands yesterday and of course planned these around where I was going to go for lunch. I have heard a lot about Sweet P’s BBQ since moving to Knoxville. I love BBQ, but I have yet to try it. I changed that yesterday. I am pretty sure where I went was a new location for them. The atmosphere was great, despite me being the only person in there. It was a restaurant where they take your order at your table, which is always a little odd for me at BBQ but I’ll allow it. I got a sweet tea because ya gotta with BBQ. It was very sweet…just like it should be! For my meal, I ordered the pork burrito and mac and cheese. The burrito was filled with pork, cheese, slaw, and pinto beans (I think that’s everything). They had two sauces on the table, mild and hot. I didn’t try the hot because as soon as I tasted that mild vinegar sauce I was sold! I like most BBQ sauces, but vinegar takes the cake for me. The burrito was absolutely divine. I am not the biggest bean fan (texture!!!!) so I would probably get it without them next time. I wanted to try it as it came the first time though. For my side, I went with Mac and Cheese. It was baked mac and cheese. I like my mac and cheese a bit gooey and you don’t always get that with the baked variety…this had a great amount of gooey. I will be going back 1000%. I rate this 4.8 Wilburs out of 5. In the attached picture, you will see exactly what I thought of Sweet P’s

    BONUS REVIEW!!!!

    Wren’s Bakery is right next door. I could go broke and get the betus in that place. They had a variety of cookie sandwiches which are a weakness of mine. I got the chocolate chip espresso, which I have not tried yet…looks so good though. I did try the carrot cake in a cup and it had maybe the best icing I have ever had. We may have a new contender in the battle of the bakeries. Maybe I will do a Battle of the Bakeries Video! Let me know if you would like that.

    Love you all!!

  • Battle of the Bakeries

    Knoxville Edition

    Two of my go to spots in Knoxville are bakeries. Magpies Bakery and Wild Love Bakehouse. These both have incredible offerings, but they can be quite different. Whoever said you can’t compare apples and oranges is wrong.

    I will start with something they both do…cookies. Wild Love generally has one or two cookie options. Their salted chocolate chip is maybe the most common, its ok. I don’t love the salt. The cookies also tend to lean a bit dry, and that goes for the majority of their cookies. The chocolate sable is a bit better, but it really just tastes like a brownie. Magpies cookies are soft and just chewy enough to be out of this world. They did a chocolate chip cookie with oreos baked in and its maybe my favorite cookie I have ever had. They also do cookie sandwiches. The oatmeal cookie sandwich is magical. One of my favorite desserts ever.

    I think where Wild Love really shines is in their buns. Everyone loves some good buns. Their apple morning bun is probably my favorite thing that they do. Their normal morning bun is really good as well. They also do a hand tart, but these always just leave a bit to be desired for me. It’s a bit too much filo dough for me, I want the filling!! I also enjoy their tea loaves, their citrus tea loaf is phenomenal, but I have only seen it once.

    Magpies shines in their cupcakes and actual cakes. They generally have special cupcakes for the week. One week was a brown sugar espresso and oh my lanta was it delicious. The strawberry cream is also amazing. I cannot think of a bad cupcake I have had from there. Their carrot cake will also knock your socks off. This is a favorite of ours.

    In this battle of the bakeries, my winner is Magpies. They do specialize in different things, and I like cupcakes more than pastries so that does not help Wild Love’s case. Magpies cookies are just far and away better too though, so it is a pretty decisive victory for me. There are a couple people in my life that I am pretty confident would pick Wild Love. You cannot go wrong with either, and you really can’t go wrong by just getting both! Love you all!

    PS Sorry for still not having pictures. I will have a restaurant review next week that I promise will include pictures!!

  • Chismoso’s Review

    Holy guacamole, Chismoso’s has vaulted itself to the top of my Knoxville food rankings. My beautiful girlfriend took me there for my birthday, and boy did it deliver. Like most people, I love the typical, cheaper Mexican restaurant. Give me some grilled chicken nachos and I am GOOD! This was not that. The menu is designed for shareable courses, you do not have to do that obviously, but we did. We started off with their Oxican Pimento Cheese with blue tostados. It was unlike any pimento cheese I have ever had. I honestly cannot describe it, but I can fully recommend it. We then shared two small plates. The first was a grilled squash salad…which I was less than thrilled about. It was one of the best salads I have ever had…and I’m sure much to your surprise, I love salads. They do switch up their menu and this is not currently on it, I do think it rotates back on though. We also had birria bone marrow with cheese quesadillas. This was lamb bone marrow, which I had never had. Our waitress, who was spectacular be tee dubs, recommended to open up the quesadillas while they were still hot and put the bone marrow in them. Phenomenal recommendation. I could’ve eaten 20 of these. The birria bone marrow was so succulent and the went incredibly with the fried cheese in the quesadilla. These are still on the menu and I would definitely get them again. Our last course was Mexican Fried Chicken. The chicken was fried perfectly, skin was incredibly crispy and the meat could not have been juicier. Its seasoning had the perfect amount of kick and the peanut sauce it was served on was the perfect compliment. The leftover chicken was also fantastic the next day, cold of course. This too is still on the menu.

    Our next venture to Chismoso’s, I will be trying their smashburger. We saw a few people order it, it definitely looked big enough to share. It looked absolutely divine, and it is served on a Potchke Bun. Potchke will get a write up at some point as their food is also delicious. Try their new bagel shop in Cedar Bluff, you will not be disappointed.

  • Eat Around Athens

    City number two is the city I lived in for 6 years, and one I visited last month. I was able to hit up a few of my favorites, but I will help you plan your perfect day of food and drinks in Athens.

    Athens has an incredible food and coffee scene so this one may be a bit tougher. I miss quite a few of my coffee shops, so there may be a few or’s thrown in there. I saw that Athens Bagel recently opened back, so I am starting there. I am going sausage, egg and cheese on Jalapeno cheddar. Man do I miss that bagel. The shop was closed for the last year or two I lived in Athens. You can take a short drive or a decent walk over to 1000 Faces. You cannot go wrong with any coffee there. For lunch I am going to grab a burger. In my opinion you have three options here, Clocked which is a small diner spot downtown (get the feta burger), Grindhouse (any burger is great but you have to get the blue cheese fries), or maybe my favorite in Baddies Burgers. They only have a few options but they do all of them well. Get you some pudding as well. For my afternoon coffee, I have two options as well. If you are just wanting a drip, head over to Choco Coffee on Baxter. Grab a bag of beans on the way out, you will not regret it. If you are feeling a latte (specifically a spiced chai), Jittery Joes. You can go to any, but the best atmosphere by far is the Five Points location. If it’s nice out, enjoy the patio. There is approximately 4 billion bars in Athens, but for a nice cocktail, I am going to The Place. Their upstairs bar is really neat and they make fantastic drinks. You could also swing by South Kitchen. Super cool atmosphere and they make great drinks as well. If you’re wanting to try several beers for cheap, go to Terrapin. It is $15ish for 6 pours (they are GENEROUS) and you get a glass. On our trip we had originally planned for Cali and Titos on the Eastside. I would highly recommend going there. Their sandwiches and drinks are just as good as the atmosphere, which is top notch. Understandably, it was quite a long wait, so we called an audible and went to Taste of India. I love Indian food and this one doesn’t miss. I am not sure the name of it, but the cauliflower appetizer will blow your mind. And you can never go wrong with Chicken Tikka Masala. For a post dinner drink, it is hard to beat Bar Bruno. It is a cozy little spot with a fantastic offering of Italian wine and cocktails. It also has another atmosphere that is top notch. Writing this made me realize how well Athens bars and restaurants do atmosphere. For a fairly small place, there are some incredible and unique bars and restaurants. Just beware of the “fans” that will bark at you…GO VOLS!!!

    PS. Sorry for the lack of pictures. I still don’t feel comfortable being that person taking pictures of their food.

  • Eat Around Knoxville

    I am going to do a brief series where I talk about my perfect day of eating and drinking in a few of the cities that I have spent a considerable amount of time in. We’ll start out with my current place of living, Knoxville.

    Breakfast sandwiches is something that I have found lacking in Knoxville. KBrew has a pretty decent bagel, but it is nothing mind blowing. I do prefer a savory breakfast, but because of the lack of options, I am going to recommend a sweeter stop. So first, you are going to head down North Central Street to WildLove Bakehouse. Their pastries are second to none. I prefer their apple morning bun or their citrus loaf cake. Grab one (or both) of those to go. About 3 minutes away is Partial, take your pastry there and order their drip. They rotate roasters that Shay personally picks. All are fantastic. Their latte’s are also delicious, made with homemade syrups. For lunch, we are going to head over to Bearden and stop by Holy Land Deli. Get the corned beef Reuben and fries. You will absolutely not regret it. If you would like an afternoon latte, you can head back to Partial or give Awaken in the Old City a try. It’s a super cool spot, and their strawberry latte (it either the Born in the USA or Rockin in the USA, I cant be sure) is my go to. Get dressed up and head down to the Vault on Gay Street. This is a swanky bar that is inside of an old bank vault. Their cocktails are perfection, and if you are a bourbon aficionado, they have one of the best selections in the city. This includes both allocated bottles and single barrel picks they have done. Dinner was my toughest choice as I have a couple of favorites. If you are really looking to ball out, walk over to JC Holdway from the Vault. You are going to experience the best customer service this side of Chick-fil-A. They update their menu seasonally I believe, but your server will not steer you wrong. The other option I would give you is Kaizen in the Old City. Follow them on Instagram to see their daily specials which all look so dang good. The Wagyu fried rice is my favorite. After dinner, we’re going to head back to the Old City and hit up Monkey’s Bar. If you are lucky, Monkey will be there. Monkey is the most adorable Golden Retriever. They update their cocktail menu seasonally, and you can never go wrong with one of their old fashioneds. For dessert, you may have to stand in line, but Cruze Farm soft serve will be worth it. I think some flavors change daily. You can get two flavors swirled. It is the best soft serve you will ever eat, so grab you a pint to go on the way out. I hope you enjoy this day in Knoxville. If you’re buying, come on up and we can go to any of those you’d like!

    Kaizen Wagyu Fried Rice

    Holy Land Reuben

    Partial’s 1st Birthday Affogato

  • Beard Brothers Coffee Review

    I visited a new coffee shop today; it is actually my second time but I ordered wrong and didn’t hang out the first time. Today I am at Beard Brothers Coffee in Maryville, TN. I had heard great things about them from a friend, so today I finally checked it out. When you walk in, it has the looks of an antique hunting cabin. The furniture is all antique, there are old pictures on the wall, taxidermy deer, and an assortment of other antiques. It is such a unique but also very welcoming atmosphere. The atmosphere feels especially warm as there is still snow on the ground. It truly looks like a place where you could just walk out back and roast marshmallow.

    Now the coffee. With an atmosphere like this, I would come back even if the coffee wasn’t my favorite. Did not have to worry about that though. They have an assortment of coffee and tea options with some very unique lattes. My first drink here was a Mexican Mocha which was basically a mocha with cayenne. I don’t like spicy drinks so that was on me but I panic ordered. Happens to the best of us. Today I got a black coffee. They had two roasts, a light and a medium. The barista had to brew the medium which he said was his favorite, but patients isn’t a strong suit of mine so I went with the light roast. This is the one my friend told me about anyway, so I was glad to get to try it. Holy mackerel it is delicious. I am not super good with tasting notes but I will give it the ole college try. The initial note is your typical coffee note, just that tad bit of coffee bitterness, not off putting at all. The coffee finishes with this delicious dark Hershey chocolate note that just makes me want to keep drinking it, which I will do because as I always do, I ordered too large of a drink. Hello jitters!! I’m going to come up with my rating system right now (subject to change):

    I am going to give the Atmosphere 4.85 chomps out of 5.

    I am going give the coffee 4.5 chomps.  

    That leaves Beard Brothers with a 4.68 chomps out of 5.

    I highly recommend it if you are in the Maryville area.