It was another year of milestones in the Grub House. I racked up my 1,000th restaurant visit and celebrated my 20th anniversary as The Grub Scout. And the dining-out biz still seems to be going as strong as ever in the Knoxville area. I have continued to maintain a list of restaurants to visit that’s been running anywhere from four to six months in advance. I am grateful for another year of getting paid to go out for lunch or dinner and to share my humble thoughts with the rest of you. And as ever, I greatly appreciate your readership, even if you don’t happen to share my opinions from time to time.

As always, I’m wrapping up the year by recapping some of my favorite restaurant outings. Following, in chronological order, are the 10 eateries that impressed me most out of the 60-ish restaurants, food trucks and other vendors I visited and reviewed in in the past 12 months.

Although I lived in Sevier County for 10 years at one point in my life, I had never been to Buckhorn Inn until The Grub Spouse and I received a gift certificate to the Gatlinburg bed and breakfast. While there, we sat down to a dinner that turned out to be one of the highlights of our wedding-anniversary celebration. The meal was served at a fixed price of $40 per person, and considering the food itself — five-onion soup, rack of pork topped with peach barbecue sauce, duchess potato casserole, steamed broccoli and a brown-butter almond torte with brandied cherries — not to mention the daytime views of Mount LeConte, adding Buckhorn Inn to my Favorite 10 (you don’t have to be a guest to dine there) was a no-brainer.

This food vendor operates out of Pretentious Beer Co. in The Old City, and the proprietors are the same team responsible for Seoul Brothers at Marble City Market. Hong’s specializes in what the owners call “pub fare with a Korean flare.” The Spouse and I dropped in just a week after our weekend at Buckhorn Inn and were pleased to have hit two winners in a row. The Spouse ordered the Walkin’ Taco — Korean pork prepared with kimchi pico and more over shrimp chips (this was more like nachos than a taco), while I got the vegan Philly cakes — a kimchi and scallion pancake topped with vegan Philly beef, caramelized onions and vegan beer cheese. It was all delish.

My year continued its strong start with a lunch just two weeks later at Tarik’s North African, which in those days was operating out of Alliance Brewery in South Knoxville, one of four rotating stops for the food vendor. Lately, Tarik’s seems to have found regular digs at Albright Grove Brewing Co. on Sutherland Avenue. On our visit, The Spouse and I feasted from what was essentially a catered lineup that included our ultimate selections — za’atar chicken as well as lamb and beef kafta with potatoes and cous cous. Tarik also let us sample his chorba soup and almond-date cookies, and I loved every bite of everything we tried.

A lot of buzz accompanied the opening of this upscale Oak Ridge eatery. The Spouse and I got around to it in short order and didn’t regret the decision. This happened to be my 1,000th restaurant visit, so I specifically chose what I suspected would be a solid contender to mark the occasion. After splitting an appetizer of potato-based fritters served with sour cream and cheddar fondue with shreds of braised short rib, we took on the Fire & Salt filet and rainbow trout as main courses, splitting a side of radiatori pasta with cheese. Cheesecake and chocolate mousse desserts sent us both home smiling.

When The Spouse and I had lunch with extended family at this Farragut dining stop last March, it was actually our second official visit; I had reviewed their dinner fare years ago, when they were at their original location. But on this occasion, we ordered from the brunch menu. Among the six of us, we tried the Ovation omelet, praline pancakes, Country Benedicts, crab cakes and another Eggs Benedict dish. Again, Seasons did not disappoint: From food to service to setting, we benefited from another spectacular meal.

This is the latest iteration of a day-service offshoot launched by the esteemed Foothills Milling Co. in Maryville. (They had previously served a lunch-y menu in the Five Points space where Amici now operates.) At the time of our visit, we thought they had moved into a renovated space near Foothills Milling. But The Spouse and I arrived to find they were still working out of the main restaurant. Nevertheless, the menu was excellent. I relished the Southwest turkey sandwich, while The Spouse ordered the Italian ham sandwich. We split a blackberry streusel cobbler for dessert. As with most everything with the Foothills Milling name on it, the food was superb, and the staff was accommodating in letting us dine on the patio, although technically, all orders at that time were to-go only.

Suspecting that this Farragut restaurant and wine bar would be a good experience, I scheduled it as my 1,000th unique eatery in early May. I’m happy to say that Van Edom’s didn’t let me down. The Spouse and I started with goat cheese- and spinach-stuffed mushrooms and moved on to a main course of gourmet sliders for yours truly and shrimp for The Spouse. My pour of Pino Grigio was an elegant complement to the meal, and we finished off with a decadently sweet Belgian chocolate cake for dessert.

This new restaurant was the third Farragut establishment to land on my Favorite 10 list for 2023. And for good reason. The meal: pimento cheese fritters, shrimp and grits, chicken and dumplings, crème brûlée and tiramisu. The food itself was great, and Elkmont Station’s atmosphere plus the attentive service we received that night helped it earn high marks.

What do you know? Another milestone, another good restaurant selection on my part. The Spouse and I experienced the dining component of this Loudon County resort-lodge near Tellico Village. The menus are seasonal, and dishes rotate in and out. Our course lineup featured duck confit, grilled scallops, cornmeal quail, embered peaches, an elk chop and New York strip steak. Dessert consisted of key lime pie and chocolate pot de crème. This place is definitely off the beaten path, but between the cuisine, the service and country views, I thought it was well worth the extra mileage.

I debated whether to include this steakhouse in my top 10 for the year. The scores I gave it back in September merited its inclusion, but then the restaurant abruptly closed its doors several weeks later. However, it has since reopened in the same location, just off Northshore Drive. Dishes like the 16-ounce ribeye and the duroc pork chop comprised our dinner on the evening we stopped by, and they were followed up by a flourless chocolate torte and crème brûlée cheesecake. My recent inspection of their website suggests that their menu has changed significantly (but not completely) since my visit, and I have also spotted several instances of price decreases, which is always a positive, especially since one of the few negative takeaways of my experience was the pound-for-pound pricing. So welcome to my Favorite 10, Fire & Smoke!

That’s all she wrote for 2023. Here’s to a happy and healthy new year and to happy dining for all.