Grub Scout: In Townsend, a dining experience that's far from subpar

If you’ve spent any time at the Laurel Valley Golf Course in Townsend, you’re probably familiar with the restaurant in the resort’s clubhouse. It was closed for a while, but it has reopened within the past year, offering a fairly upscale dining experience in a casual atmosphere.

The exterior setting is stunning. Most of the window seats, in addition to the patio seating area, face the golf course, which is framed in the east by the Great Smoky Mountains. The Grub Spouse and I wouldn’t have minded dining al fresco, but the early evening was still a little too muggy outside for our liking.

Even though Laurel Valley is essentially a public country club, there’s no dress code to speak of. You’re as likely to find patrons wearing shorts and sandals as you are slacks and dresses. The mood is relaxed and laid-back, and the main dining room is highlighted by picturesque views and floral-themed wall art.

The appetizers, which include shrimp cocktail, fried calamari and smoked salmon on flatbread with cream cheese sounded enticing though steeply priced in the $7 to $9 range. There are also some tempting salads, such as wild salmon and grilled chicken Caesar.

The rest of the menu is well rounded, featuring several different cuts of steak ($15-$30) as well as seafood, poultry and pasta dishes. Highlights include grilled trout, fried shrimp, fettuccine alfredo, chicken Parmesan, Angus chopped steak and catfish. Prices are in the $12 to $19 range. Crab cakes can be added to any seafood entrée for $7, and chicken and shrimp can be added to the pasta dishes for $4 and $5, respectively.

The Spouse and I actually wound up ordering from the list of dinner specials, which are available Tuesdays through Thursdays only. The Spouse tried the lemon dill salmon with sautéed mushrooms as a side, while I ordered the citrus pork loin with loaded mashed potatoes as a side. Both meals are served with a house salad.

The salads were enjoyable, nicely topped with a variety of fresh vegetables, including olives, which was an interesting choice. Our respective vinaigrette and blue cheese dressings were tasty embellishment.

Both our entrees (which totaled around $30) were of sufficient portion size to warrant splitting in half. The pork loin was moist and savory, and while the citrus flavor was noticeable, it wasn’t overpowering. The loaded mashed potatoes were terrific thanks to bits of bacon, cheese and chives. While the lemon dill salmon was tasty enough, we agreed that it was a shade on the dry side. The succulent sautéed mushrooms, however, were a treat.

The dessert menu features chocolate turtle lava cake, Kentucky bourbon pecan pie, ricotta cheesecake and Key lime pie. A blackberry cobbler was also mentioned to us, but they had eighty-sixed it for the day. None of the other items trumped the cobbler in our minds, so we passed.

If you’re golfing at Laurel Valley or just staying in or visiting Townsend for any reason, this restaurant would be a worthy dining option. The great views, good food and full bar service are all par for the course.

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