Grub Scout: Townsend’s Dancing Bear Lodge fulfills lofty expectations

For those who may not be familiar with the property, Dancing Bear Lodge is, primarily, an accommodations provider in the heart of Townsend. Consisting of a main building with 12 guest rooms and several outlying cabins and cottages, the timber-construction lodge blends rustic mountain simplicity with upscale amenities like feather beds, a state-of-the-art fitness facility and in-room massage treatments.

The dining room — once available to guests only — is now open to the public, so the Grub Spouse and I took the opportunity to check out the cuisine without having to commit to an overnight stay. The fact that there has been an operational affiliation with the famed Blackberry Farms over the years led us to believe that an enjoyable evening of dining lay ahead.

Dining tables are set up throughout the first floor of the main lodge, including the great room off the entrance, a separate room overlooking the back deck and, when weather permits, the back deck itself. We opted not to dine al fresco and chose the back room, where we could look out toward the neighboring woods in air-conditioned comfort. Wood floors, the lodge’s massive stone fireplace and a variety of tastefully rustic décor pieces set the scene for our early-evening meal.

A team of two servers was assigned to us and left us to peruse a brief menu selection that evolves throughout the year. I considered starting off with the spinach salad with drunken goat cheese (I never did shake the mental imagery of a drunken goat) and crispy shallots, but instead went for the hearts of Romaine salad ($6) with tomatoes, bacon and Sweetwater Valley cheese. I selected blue cheese from the dressing options. The Spouse went for the soup of the evening, the tomato and basil ($5).

Only a half-dozen entrees are presented, so it didn’t take us long to narrow down our selections. We gave long consideration to the pan-seared chicken served with “red beans and rice,” aka heirloom red peas and Carolina rice. We also passed on the likes of a pan-seared pork chop and seared salmon in favor of the almond-crusted rainbow trout ($19) for The Spouse and the shoulder loin steak ($24) for yours truly. Our server displayed his in-depth knowledge of the menu by explaining in fine detail the difference between the shoulder loin and the menu’s other steak cut, a flatiron.

The courses began with a delicious amuse bouche from the chef — a morsel of goat cheese wrapped in porcini-dusted bacon. Next came the soup and salad, both of which were superb. My salad in particular benefited from the creamy, homemade dressing and bits of local bacon. The meal overall was presented at a relaxed but not unnecessarily snail-like pace, and both servers were thorough and polished without being intrusive.

The entrees rose to our heightened expectations. The shoulder loin — accompanied by mashed potatoes and asparagus — was tender, juicy and just seasoned enough not to overpower the meat. The flavor of the trout made its presence known and was well balanced by the almond-based breading. Served on a bed of butter beans, thyme-roasted mushrooms and spinach, this dish elevated a local favorite to new heights.

None of the desserts — including a cheese assortment, ice cream and Tennessee whiskey cake — appealed to us that night, but that wouldn’t stop the Spouse and me from heading back Townsend way some other time. And we might even stay over to see what the continental breakfast is like.

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