An interview with Lonesome Dove’s Tim Love
“I have fun … this is a very polished restaurant, but the whole theme behind it is that we want people to have fun.” – Chef Tim Love
It’s been quite a ride for Chef Tim Love since the turn of the millennium.
Since opening Lonesome Dove Western Bistro in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2000, he’s become a well-known television personality and the official chef of Austin City Limits Music Festival.
He started Burgers 4 Babies, a celebratory benefit for the NICU Helping Hands Foundation, a charitable entity that provides support for prematurely born children and their parents. And he’s opened up a handful of award-winning restaurants across the country, each with its own concept.
With an apartment in Austin, he still calls Fort Worth home, but for the next 90 days or so, Knoxville, Tennessee, is where he will lay his head when – or if – he finds time for sleep.
Chef Love has taken his flagship concept from the Stockyard National Historic District in Fort Worth to the railways of the Old City in Knoxville.
It’s hard not to wonder what other, perhaps larger, cities are thinking about Knoxville right now. Love could have taken his signature bistro to any of the countries biggest cities and would have surely been well received.
So … why Knoxville?
According to Love, a UT graduate, the idea began in earnest just 18 months ago, after a chance encounter with another Knoxvillian.
“I did some work for ESPN when they came to Fort Worth for the national championship. I was doing some food for some of those guys, and Randy Boyd saw me on TV wearing a Tennessee shirt, ‘cause obviously I’m not going to wear any other shirt, and he cold-called me and said, ‘Hey man, I’ve got a space I want you to look at.’ And when he described it, I knew exactly what it was. I’ve been to Patrick Sullivan’s 400 times.
“There happened to be a football game that weekend and I flew out. We went to the game, and we struck a deal. It was kind of crazy and unexpected.”
This, however, isn’t where Love’s fondness of the city began.
“I went to school here. I’ve always loved this neighborhood. I’ve always felt like there was so much potential for this neighborhood, and I know in the 25 years since I’ve been here it’s been on a rise, but now you can just see that it’s about to take off,” says Love.
Lonesome Dove staffs 45 workers in Knoxville, and Love employs 422 people between all of his establishments. These numbers are sure to grow as The Love Shack opens and other details are finalized (more on that later).
After his initial stay in Knoxville, he says he’ll be back from time to time. “It’ll be just like my other restaurants; it’s just a matter of what’s going on,” he explains. “I’m in one of my restaurants every single day and I never have a day off. I take a vacation about every other year. I love what I do – to a fault, probably.”
The restaurant features 85 seats in the main dining areas, with seating for over 100 in two private dining halls. The larger private dining area is called The Sullivan Room and the smaller of the two is dubbed The Fulmer Room.
“Our goal with all of our restaurants is to get a nice diversity of people. We want to get people celebrating their anniversary, people closing a big deal, people who have family in town … you know, what Regas used to be. We want to emulate that. I remember hearing about Regas closing, and I couldn’t believe it. And when this came around, that’s the first thing I thought about,” says the chef.
Now that we know the how and the why, let’s dig in to what to expect from the restaurant that was regarded to be the nicest in town well before it even opened.
The physical design of the restaurant focuses heavily on Knoxville – much like the design of the menu – and, according to Love, said menu is different from the other Lonesome Dove locations. “With everything we do, we try to blend in to the local culture. I think right now there are seven items that are completely unique to Knoxville,” he says. “The menu changes every day depending on what produce we get.” Love explains that the restaurant wants to establish a rhythm in the initial stages after opening, but the changing menu will be possible due in large part to the Market Square Farmers’ Market.
“It’s one of the better farmers’ markets I’ve ever seen; I talk about it all the time when I’m traveling,” he says.
As you enter LDK, you’ll notice some immediate differences from when it existed as Patrick Sullivan’s. The space maintains an aura of openness yet still remains pleasantly snug.
An exquisite bar, made from a single ash tree, stretches along the south wall of the lower level. Hovering above it is a one-of-a-kind antler fixture, composed of a white-tail deer that roamed on Love’s farm in Texas.
The opposite side of the bar is home to a cozy network of tables under a lowered ceiling.
Saddle leather placemats, made by Love’s Texas bootmaker, greet guests who sit in this area. “It’s like sitting at the bar, yet when you get underneath here, it gets pretty intimate. The dynamic and the sound change a lot, so you’ve got your own space.”
One of the chef’s favorite pieces of the new restaurant is the Chef’s Table, which is just around the corner. “I have fun. If you want to hang out with me, we’re gonna have some fun. You’re not going to sit in the seat and be quiet. That’s just not part of my personality,” Love says through a smile.
“This is a loud and fun table. You’re with the kitchen. You’re definitely in the thick of it. … This is a very polished restaurant, but the whole theme behind it is that we want people to have fun.”
As you make your way upstairs you find even more intimate seating and a separate kitchen for banquets and pastries.
When you make your way to the third level, the former home of a music hall, you’ll find a private dining facility.
Those who were familiar with Patrick Sullivan’s and the adjacent Backroom BBQ will be pleased to see the old penny bar on the third floor of Lonesome Dove. “We (had to) have this piece of history for sure.”
As excited as Love has been showing off his new digs, his energy becomes even more focused when it comes to the kitchen.
“The kitchen is amazing; we’ve got so much cool stuff coming up soon,” he says as he makes sure to point out a $22,000 slicer imported from Italy. “I had to fly someone in to put it together.” It may be the restaurant’s most important item, as it is responsible for shaving its signature dish, the Fettine, to just 3.5 millimeters thick.
In terms of libations, Love spared no expense.
“I’m a huge wine fan. We’ve got about 1,200 bottles on the list. We keep the cellar dialed in at the right temperature and we actually have a table available in there.”
If you’re looking for the definitive experience in terms of privacy, the Lonesome Dove wine cellar is your spot. “We have cashmere shawls for the ladies and suede vests for the gentlemen,” Love says. “Every room has its own energy.”
Mentioning that he has dined at every restaurant within a five-mile radius at least four times each, Love has left no stone unturned in terms of research, hoping to create an environment that is all its own in a Knoxville restaurant landscape that is growing at breakneck speed. Adding that he wants only to add to what downtown has already and to fill the gaps where needed, he says, simply, “We’re aiming to be a fun, elegant place.”
If you’ve heard anything at all about Lonesome Dove, you’ve probably heard of the steep price tag that accompanies such a luxurious dining experience. While Love remains matter-of-fact about the high quality of his product, he does explain that there are ways to sample a good portion of his menu with a smaller budget.
“Affordability depends on what you want to spend your money on. But on top of that, there are lots of ways to eat here without spending $200. The way we set up our menu, you can mix and match your first course however you want. You can taste six different first courses and have a bite of each and it’ll cost you $18,” he explains.
“And then the next time you come back, if you want to celebrate, then you can go through the full gamut. But things cost money, and we’re never going to compromise what we do. We’re very reasonable for what we do.”
The Love Shack is another exciting piece of the puzzle. The aforementioned patio bar will feature a separate menu and live music on a nightly basis depending on the season. “We’re gonna get our rhythm over here first, but we’re going to try to break ground on that in mid-November. We might close during the winter, but, otherwise, we’ll be open seven nights a week.”
Love continues with details on the music front. “I’m a big music guy. We will definitely be using a ton of local music when we get The Love Shack going.“
TLS will take over the grounds of the entire patio area, and Love also teases the potential for something he can’t as of now discuss. “We’ve got a little surprise coming up in a few weeks. It’s gonna be awesome,” he says.
Love also hints at a late-night element to the private dining hall on the top floor of Lonesome Dove, and it’s hard to imagine a better space for a break from Rhythm & Blooms and the like.
Tim Love is a proud restaurateur.
And he’s got a lot of which to be proud. But he’s also quick to point out the people who have helped to make his latest launch a reality, highlighting the local creative community who made it possible. “We’ve used, I believe, twelve different local craftsmen on this project … everything from the plates, to the glassware, to the knives and saltcellars. I have a great team.“
A quote from the ‘about’ section on the restaurant’s website may provide the most apt summary of what Chef Love and company hope to do in Knoxville. “We want to surprise people with the restaurant, with the flavors. We want to wow them with the service. Most importantly, we want to become part of the community and understand better what people want, provide what people want and keep raising the bar for restaurants in Knoxville.”
So far, there have been nothing but rave reviews, like this one from Inside Of Knoxville.
Lonesome Dove is open Monday through Thursday from 4:30-10:00 p.m. and 4:30-11:00p.m. on Friday and Saturday. For those unfamiliar with parking in the Old City, valet is available. For more information, visit www.lonesomedoveknoxville.com.
