Every martini drinker has his or her ideas about what makes one perfect — or even good. My colleague Scott Bird likes his made with Grey Goose or Belvedere vodka garnished with a twist of lemon or lime in the summer and with olives in the winter. “And a proper martini should be stirred, not shaken,” Scott insists, “despite what James Bond says!”
Stirring the drink produces fewer ice crystals, which will dilute the beverage. But it also takes longer, which causes many bartenders to opt for shaking, a quicker chilling method.
Being the martini fans that we are, Scott and I set out to find the best martinis in Knoxville. We had to set some parameters, of course. We would go to about a dozen places that we thought should have good martinis and we would order a Grey Goose martini, up, with blue cheese-stuffed olives. I would get mine “dirty” (meaning with a little olive juice added in) but Scott would not.
“There’s a big debate about whether a vodka martini even qualifies,” Scott allowed. “But for me, it does.” I agreed.
We also decided to judge the “martini experience” in addition to the actual liquid that was in the glass. This meant that glassware was important, as well as the ambiance in the bar. We rated them on a scale of 1 to 10. I averaged our scores for the final ranking. (Scott’s a harder grader than I am!) A note to our friends in law enforcement: we made it a rule to taste only one martini per night. We thought that would be more fair to the establishments — and keep us out of trouble!
What we found were some very good martinis. Only one was actually less than good, but only one was truly “excellent.” Four were deemed “passable.” And six we judged to be “good martinis.” So I present you, valued Blue Streak readers, with the results of our months of research. Hey, somebody has to do it!
The disappointing martini
Ruth’s Chris Steak House. Surprisingly, this is where we had the most disappointing martini. We love the bar at Ruth’s Chris Steak House, especially at happy hour when you can get great deals on drinks and appetizers. We love the food at Ruth’s Chris. We love the staff and find them friendly and engaging. But these martinis were just “off.” The problem? The olives. They tasted very peppery and garlicky. Not briny, as “normal” olives are. When we mentioned this to our server, he nodded and said he’s been hearing that a lot — since the chain changed to a new kind of olive.
“Well, why don’t you go out and get some decent olives?” I asked. He said that doing that would require a whole complicated process, much as if the Knoxville restaurant decided to get its steaks from somewhere other than the corporate supplier.
So, sadly, we gave the martinis there a combined 6.75. (But note, even though we complained, we did manage to drink them. During our whole research project, there never was a martini left unconsumed!)
Passable martinis
Bistro at the Bijou. This is the Blue Streak’s favorite restaurant. (Click here for a post about that.) And I think they make one of the best Bloody Marys in town. But we rated the martinis just 7.5. Scott said his had too much vermouth. I had a different issue. Mine had kind of an oil slick on top of it. We speculated that that could have been caused by the cheese in the olives. But we didn’t encounter that issue with those from other places — and they all had cheese-stuffed olives.
Sapphire. Scott found his to be “cleaner” than the one he had at Bistro at the Bijou. “There’s not as much vermouth,” he noted. “It’s like I’m drinking really cold vodka.” As for me, mine wasn’t dirty enough and I had to ask the bartender to add more olive juice. We gave our martinis a combined rating of 7.75. A note about flavored martinis: Sapphire has a lot of them. Our friend (and Moxley Carmichael’s CFO) Shaun Fulco Hyver joined us and ordered a martini called a Southern Peach. She liked it.
Echo Bistro and Wine Bar. We enjoyed our super full martinis prepared by bartender Robin Russell. I have dubbed really full martinis “lean and sips” because that’s what you want to do instead of picking them up and spilling the precious nectar! That would apply especially to these martinis — they cost $11.25 each. To be fair, Chef Seth Simmerman sent us each a delicious lagniappe — a fried scallop with tomato jam. So I’m not really complaining about the price. We loved that the glassware was super thin — much better to sip from than the serviceable glasses we had been served at previous stops. But Scott didn’t like the design of the glass. It had a hollow circle in the stem, a fact he deemed “too Pier One-ish!” (I told you he was a hard grader!) We gave Echo’s martini a passable 7.875.
Knox Mason. Knox Mason probably has the best food of any eatery in Knoxville right now. It came in second on our favorite restaurants list. Chef Matt Gallaher has a hit on his hands. And bartender Robert Stevens is one of the best around. But here’s our major beef with the martinis — they are tiny! Seriously tiny! But, it was very “drinkable,” according to Scott, which, from him, is a compliment. We thought the bar itself was fun with a lot of personality. And we loved the cheese in the olives. Some of the best we had. We gave it a collective 7.875. (Get bigger glasses!)
Good martinis
Cru Bistro and Wine Bar. The one downtown. Following Knox Mason, we found the martini servings to be huge! Whereas Scott said his had too much vermouth in it and the dreaded ice crystals, I loved mine. Another positive: Whereas when we started our research project, it was freezing cold, as evidenced by Shaun’s attire in the Sapphire segment, by the time we got to Cru, it was patio weather. In fact, it was the first evening that folks could use the patios. Definitely a plus in the ambiance department. We tried not to let that influence our scores. Our combined score for Cru’s martinis: 8.25. Yum.
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar: “This is very much what I expect to get when I order a martini,” Scott remarked. From him, it was a compliment. I agreed the martini was good. Although, speaking only for myself, Turkey Creek is an awful long way to drive for a martini! We gave Fleming’s martini a good grade: 8.25.
Northshore Brasserie: Located near Scott’s house, this is his “go-to” place for martinis. We both had very good martinis the night we visited. The glassware was better than average because it was a little thinner than that at many other places. We gave the martinis at the Brasserie a combined 8.375. Nothing wrong with that.
Chesapeake’s: This is located near my residence and is my normal “go-to” martini place. I love the little sidecar they give you and the fact that they put it in an ice bath to keep it really freezing cold. And bartender Jim Burgin, a seasoned pro, is one of the few who stirred our martinis instead of shaking them. So, no ice crystals. And, another bonus point for having real hand-stuffed olives — you could definitely tell. My martini was delicious, cold and just the right amount of dirty. Our combined score for Chesapeake’s: 8.375.
The Grill at Highlands Row: Scott really liked the taste of the martini at The Grill at Highlands Row. The glasses were thin and there were no ice crystals. Big pluses for him. “Most drinkable,” he said after a taste. Meaning it was smooth. But the atmosphere is not soothing in the tiny bar there. So we had to shave a little off for the “environment” or, as Scott called it, “the martini experience.” Still, if you are thirsty for a good martini, head over there. Our combined score: 8.5.
Shuck Raw Bar downtown: One problem with Shuck’s martini — no blue cheese. But they did have feta, which they stuffed into the olives at our request. Guess what: I liked it even better. Scott was mildly disappointed because of the darned ice crystals (again, I don’t care!), but we love the atmosphere in Shuck’s bar and found the “experience” to be a good one. Another good score: 8.5.
Great martini
Bistro by the Tracks: Scott and I agreed, Bistro by the Tracks had the best martinis. The glasses were beautiful: thin and elegant. “I loved the presentation,” Scott said. “And the atmosphere was so pleasant, I couldn’t disregard it.” I had to agree. Our drinking companion, Johnna Easter, described the bar as “very comfortable.” The martinis themselves were near perfection. If we didn’t have our “one martini” rule, I feel quite sure we would have immediately ordered another!
OK, there you have it! How do you feel about our ratings? Where do you get your favorite martini?
What a fun read! I’m not necessarily a martini drinker, but I may have to try a few of the high scorers. Thanks for doing such hard research! 🙂
This was a fun post! Thanks for asking me to join at Sapphire. It was 80 below zero that night (or at least it felt like it). It’s a tough job but someone has to do it. You all did a great job!
Thanks, Natalie: It seemed like a good community service that needed to be done.
Shaun: Thanks for helping out. Scott and I needed the encouragement of friends to get us through this demanding task.
What a fun post!!! I’m definitely a fan of flavored martinis myself!!! In particular I love anything Key Lime, and two of my favorites are at Brazeiros and The Downtown Grill & Brewery! However, I must note that the best Key Lime martini I ever had was in Key West, FL (not surprising I know)!
Necessary community service, indeed!! Would have loved to go along! We all appreciate your “sacrifice,” Cynthia and Scott!!
Christine: We are going to Key West next month and I will definitely try one of those.
Allyn: Yes, Scott and I are givers.
Chesapeake’s is one of my favorites–I’m sure proximity (!) and the expert martini-making of Jim, Dave, & the rest of the staff are factors. But I have to agree with you & Scott that the martini at Bistro by the Tracks was delicious. Thanks for inviting Johnna & me to join you.
Try as I might, I do not have an affinity for olives. And yet, this blog post made me very thirsty! If I’m going to try to find my first best martini, I’ll start at the top of this list, that’s for sure.
I love martinis and really appreciate the thorough research project. My favorite is a Grey Goose martini so Scott is my kind of guy. I’m looking forward to trying them all…over time of course.
Sullivan’s on Northshore has a great Bombay Sapphire martini. Can’t beat their happy hour. Will be trying your top picks soon!
The proportions need to be 9:1. At least that’s how John Fox made them and I try to make them the same way. I’m very unusual. Prefer Bacardi white rum to gin or vodka. I discovered a long time ago rum is easier on the tummy.
Gay: Thanks for joining us! It was fun.
Lauren: Let me know what you think after you try them. You could try Scott’s idea of getting a martini with a lemon or lime twist.
Jackie: Please report back on what you think when you go to our top picks!
Terry: We definitely will try Sullivan’s. Thanks for suggestion.
Georgiana: Never thought of a rum martini! Do you mix vermouth with it? Surely you don’t put olives in!
Loved this post, Cynthia. In defense of Knox Mason, The trend in New York is toward smaller retro barware. Knox Mason is just on the cutting edge! Maybe a sidecar is the solution?
As for my favorite in Knoxville, it’s made by the cocktail master himself, Peter Acly.
Thanks, Melinda. Great info. Maybe a sidecar is the answer. Good thought. I will have to try to get Peter to make me a martini!
What a fun adventure (not to mention a helpful guide!) — thank you so much for letting me be a part of the fun! 🙂
Michael: We loved having you! And thanks for pointing out our error when we accidentally visited one of the establishments twice! You can tell who was drinking and who wasn’t!
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