South Knox eatery open for dinner during week, brunch and dinner on weekend
Cozy. Relaxed. Charming. Those are the three words that immediately come to mind when you enter Simpl., the newest addition to South Knoxville’s growing slate of local eateries and breweries. It may sound like a cliché to describe it as such, but the beauty of the restaurant, located at 1120 Sevier Ave., truly is its simplicity. Fresh, local ingredients, skillfully prepared and artfully combined to showcase robust flavors without being overwhelming. It’s food that your chef friend might make at home using things from their garden.
The location itself matches that same homey aesthetic and is uncluttered and elegant. It could just as easily have been a well-to-do friend’s living room in Fourth and Gill instead of a restaurant, which felt nice on the cold, wet night that I dined there. It happened to fall on “Whiskey Wednesday,” so all of their whiskeys and bourbon-based cocktails were $2 off. Following my server’s recommendation, I ordered what was billed as their best-selling cocktail, the “Maple Old Fashioned.”
Because of the traditional drink’s status as one that is both beloved and relatively easy to make, it is a staple lowball the world over, boasting nearly as many variants as there are bartenders. Simpl.’s version did not disappoint. The drink arrived in a sturdy, branded rocks glass that matched the earnest and – dare I say – old-fashioned quality of the amber liquid that filled it. In addition to the eponymous maple, the cocktail brought together rye whiskey, orange bitters and cinnamon. The result was a delicious and warming drink that would have been equally at home by a backyard fire pit or on a fancy downtown rooftop. And though the recipe didn’t reinvent the wheel, the balance of ingredients would have made Thanos, the Mad Titan himself, proud.
Following the recommendation of a friend, I got the roasted veggie plate as my appetizer. The well-portioned dish easily could stave off the hunger of a peckish couple or serve as an entire entrée for someone who is averse to meat or has a dietary restriction to gluten. The specific assortment of veggies will vary based on what is in season and available. This go-round, they used cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, new carrots, and Broccolini served on a chimichurri base and drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette. You could tell the veggies were fresh before being roasted, and the roasting itself had been done just right, leaving them cooked throughout and nicely caramelized but not overdone. The overall flavor profile was rustic and nicely complemented by the fruity overtones and acidity of the balsamic.
The entrée options also will rotate regularly to accommodate whatever is in season. Tasked with choosing between a few seasonal options, I decided to go with the ribeye. Sourced out of Lick Skillet Farms in New Market, the steak was literally born and raised 30 minutes down the road and pasture-fed on very much the same grass that I have growing on my lawn at home. It’s hard to beat that type of freshness. It was served medium rare (the ONLY option offered, chef’s choice) along with gnocchi, Mossy Creek oyster mushrooms (another local delicacy) and kale in a light brown gravy.
The overall presentation was impressive, and you could tell that this was one of their menu staples. The beef, cooked to a genuine medium rare, was succulent, as it should be. It was well-seasoned with salt and pepper but wasn’t overwrought, relying instead on the fact that the meat itself was so fresh that you would swear it got its corn from a jar like a true East Tennessean. The gnocchi provided a friendly, dumpling-like vehicle for soaking up the sumptuous mushroom gravy, and the kale had been flash-fried to give a crisp and delicate counterpoint to the overall richness of the rest of the dish. It was comfort food at its finest – and well done, at that.
Overall, Simpl. serves as an excellent addition to the burgeoning South Knoxville culinary scene. It has a good beer and whiskey selection and a great location, and it is perfect for a quiet, midweek date night that won’t break the bank. It doesn’t overwhelm you with anything; in fact, it keeps things … simple. And that’s just right.
