Grub Scout: Marlin & Ray's entrees will hook seafood lovers

Last week, it was back to Blount County for The Grub Spouse and me, as we were compelled to investigate Marlin & Ray’s Seafood Bar & Gill (see how they make with the funny stuff?). What tugged at my curiosity more than anything was the fact that Marlin & Ray’s (as in fish, not two guys) is the newest Ruby Tuesday restaurant concept. My guess is that they’re dropping a test line in local waters to see how the fish bite before casting a wider net.

Inside, the former Ruby Tuesday location in Maryville seems little changed, with the exception of some decor tweaks. The Spouse and I took a table on the early end of the dinner shift and didn’t have to spend too much time with the M&R menu, which, as expected, is seafood-intensive. For the record, one side of the colorful laminated menu is devoted to food, while the other side features adult beverages and their nonalcoholic alternatives.

None of the appetizers (onion rings, fried calamari, spinach-artichoke dip, etc.) seemed compelling enough to lure us in, so we skipped the starters. However, diners are served a basket of jalapeno-cheese muffins upon seating, and those spicy morsels sufficed in holding us over until our meals arrived.

Sandwiches include a shrimp po’ boy, shrimp salad melt, fish tacos and blackened chicken. Meanwhile, chicken Parmesan, shrimp Alfredo and linguini highlight the pasta section, as does the spicy shrimp diablo, a house specialty that seriously caught my attention for a few moments.

The entree platters include a preponderance of fried items such as tilapia fingers, fish and chips, popcorn shrimp and the Cajun Combo — breaded catfish, blackened tilapia and fried shrimp. The Go Fish section offers fresh catches of the day, prepared blackened or grilled and served with lemon butter, Cajun cream or mango salsa. Items range from tilapia and trout to salmon and sea bass.

The Spouse ordered herb-crusted tilapia from the Specialties section, which also features pesto mahi-mahi, crab cakes, trout almandine and snow crab legs. All specialty entrees come with a bottomless house salad and a choice of side, and The Spouse went with grilled zucchini.

I found blackened scallops lurking in the Surf & Turf section, which also includes sirloin steaks, Florentine chicken, broiled lobster tails and several steak-and-seafood combos. These also come with salad and a side, and I went with rice pilaf as my accompaniment.

Our salads — served from a common bowl, a la Olive Garden — were tossed with a vinaigrette dressing and were a satisfactory intermediate course. Our entrees were delivered in a timely manner and struck me as being fair portions, given our respective entree prices of $11.99 and $14.99.

The tilapia was successful in delivering fishy flavor that wasn’t overwhelmed by the herb breading. The grilled zucchini was well prepared and a solid side item. My eight scallops were medium in size and, again, struck a proper balance between spiciness and that wonderful scallop flavor. The Cajun cream sauce that accompanied the scallops didn’t quite have the impact I expected, but the seasonings on the scallops themselves were more than enough to make diners take notice. We finished our meal with a wonderful Key lime pie that had The Spouse threatening to come back for a repeat taste.

The food at Marlin & Ray’s didn’t have me raving, but considering that fresh-seafood options in the Knoxville area are limited, I think seafood lovers should take the bait on this one at least once.

© 2011, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
Want to use this article? Click here for options!

© 2011 Knoxville.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.