Grub Scout: Diners may want to pig out on Razzleberry's homemade offerings

This was one of the rare instances when I paid a repeat visit to an eatery. Years ago, I tagged some brief remarks about what was then called Professor Razzleberry's Ice Cream Lab onto the end of a review I wrote for a neighboring Oak Ridge restaurant.

Since then, that restaurant has gone under, Razzleberry's has moved into that same space, and it has expanded beyond its original frozen fare into a full-service venue serving breakfast and lunch. That — and an insane love of ice cream — was enough to send The Grub Spouse and me back to Oak Ridge for a follow-up lunch visit.

Razzleberry's now has a lot more space to spread out in, but that has just meant more room to put all the pig decor and memorabilia. For those who have never been there, pigs are the driving theme of the restaurant, and they're packed into virtually every square inch of available space — on the walls, the shelves, the floor. We're talking hundreds and hundreds of pig figurines, pig dolls, plushy pigs, pig artwork and even an Arkansas Razorbacks hog helmet.

Owner Waldek Kaczocha serves breakfast on Saturdays only and offers a tempting lineup of beignets, crepes and an intriguing homemade pork and yam biscuit. For lunchers, the lineup runs the gamut from Louisiana gumbo and a spicy jerk pork sandwich to a German bologna sandwich and a smoked salmon Caesar sandwich wrap.

Other items include a pastrami Reuben, bratwurst and kraut, and a smoked liverwurst sandwich. I seriously considered trying a Rue Bourbon muffeletta sandwich but went instead for a sandwich made with Kaczocha's own homemade Polish sausage. The Spouse decided to try one of the daily specials, a Monte Cristo sandwich.

While we waited for our food, I browsed Razzleberry's international deli, which features a mind-boggling assortment of unique gourmet foods imported from around the world, many from Poland. Those with adventuresome palates could have a field day sampling the many exotic foods and drinks on the deli's shelves. And by the way, there is an actual deli where you can purchase bulk meats, including their Polish sausage and the always appetizing-sounding headcheese.

We were both quite pleased with our selections. My sausage sandwich was reminiscent of a Reuben in that it was served on toasted bread with kraut, and it was generously packed with slices of homemade sausage. The flavor of the meat itself was notable but not excessively spicy.

The Monte Cristo was also a winner with its ham and egg innards served on French toast and dusted with powdered sugar. The Spouse scraped off some of the excess sugar, but dunking the warm sandwich into syrup was a real palate pleaser.

Of course, we weren't going to get away without ice cream. Although their repertoire contains dozens and dozens of flavors, you'll find about 20 ice cream and sorbet varieties available on any given day, and they're all homemade. I tried the Black and White, a cookies-and-cream-based flavor with peanut butter cups, while The Spouse got the Chunky Monkey. The latter was not, in fact, chunky (like its Ben & Jerry's counterpart), but both flavors were still creamily delicious.

On the day we visited, they left the front door open to let the breeze flow through, and I could have done without a few unwelcome flies buzzing around our table. But overall, I found Razzleberry's food and ice cream offerings to be tasty pearls before swine.

© 2011, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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