Grub Scout: Market Square's Cafe 4 serves up savvy twist on Southern cuisine

Cafe 4 at Market Square is aptly named. For starters, 4 is the street address, but once you arrive, this self-proclaimed "urban retreat" has four ways to enjoy its hospitality - a bakery, a coffee bar with loft, the Square Room live-music venue and, my most recent destination, the restaurant.

The dining room's retro-modern decor, fixtures and furnishings reflect Cafe 4's urban theme. The space is big enough to accommodate a rush of diners but small enough to maintain intimacy. The lights were dimmed shortly after our arrival, which enhanced the mood, and that evening's gathering of patrons established a positive energy that never swelled to levels of distraction.

The menu offers a lineup of comfort foods, many of which have Southern roots but all of which are produced with an upscale flair. Our appetizer, the pulled pork quesadilla, was a good example of Cafe 4's approach. Ingredients like zesty chipotle barbecue sauce, Sweetwater Valley smoked cheese and not-too-tart Tennessee chow chow relish were ideal complements to the expertly smoked pork.

Other pre-meal choices include crawfish and crab cakes, black eyed pea hummus, Parmesan and truffle french fries, chicken lemon soup and several salads, including fried oyster spinach with Granny Smith apples, bacon and boursin cheese.

The dinner menu does double duty for lunch, so diners also have a selection of burgers, dogs and sandwiches (pulled short rib and grilled cheese, meatloaf cheddar, and fried pork tenderloin, to name a few) from which to choose. But The Grub Spouse and I gravitated toward the entrees in the Plates section as well as a few other nooks within the menu.

Entrees include a handful of steaks as well as the Appalachian fish bake with smoked trout and crayfish, lobster mac and cheese, and roast vegetable linguini. The Spouse chose the fried chicken and herbed waffle, served with fried green beans and mashed potatoes.

I couldn't resist choosing the cheese grits, which are served with a choice of low-country shrimp, andouille sausage, fried oysters or blackened tofu. I chose the shrimp, although I'm pretty sure some bits of andouille sausage also made their way into my dish.

I'd had trouble deciding between the grits and one of Cafe 4's flatbread creations, so I threw caution and diet to the wind and ordered the lobster-bacon flatbread, which, for no good reason, I assumed would be served folded like a sandwich. Turns out the flatbreads are made flat like a pizza, but that didn't change the fact that it was awesome. The lobster morsels weren't exactly heaped on, but the bacon, sun-dried tomatoes and smoked Gouda cheese also helped accent the Dijon crust.

Oh yes, and our other selections were also superb. The shrimp were tender, the grits not too dense, not too moist - all topped with a tomatoey cream sauce. The Spouse's beans and perfectly breaded chicken fillets were both deep-fried heaven, and the lightly sweet waffle was drizzled with a zesty cerache sauce. Our slice of homemade cheesecake from the bakery, served in caramel sauce, was an appropriately decadent ending to an already memorable meal.

The service was thorough and cordial though slightly rushed at moments, but I took more notice of the prices, which are quite reasonable given the quality of the food. We got an appetizer, dessert and three entrees, all excellent, for just over $50, so I'm already looking forward to a return trip on my own dime. And I don't think I'll have trouble remembering the address.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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