As my colleague Steve Cavendish told you last month,
Smokin Thighshas been working hard to open their new bricks-and-mortar location at 611 Wedgewood Ave. While original plans were to open in August, they finally fired up the smoker on Labor Day, which I have to say is about as close to a projected opening date for a restaurant that I can recall. Early reports are that crowds have been overflowing the restaurant and the parking lot (there's a gravel lot in back, btw) ever since the opening day. And that's before thousands of people stream by the front door over the next week on the way to the Tennessee State Fair.
Owner Matthew Carney has converted the former original location of Judge Bean's into a no-nonsense eatery with a hyper-focused menu that revolves around smoked chicken in many permutations. There's no fryer in the kitchen, so don't even look for fries on the menu. What you will find is the Smokin Thighs truck roster of thighs, wings and legs offered with a wide selection of sauces, rubs and toppings, plus a list of sides that features gourmet mac-and-cheese in various forms.
New to the menu are chicken burgers made from ground smoked chicken as opposed to the expected breast filet. Carney says these have been a hit over the first week, and the Flying Hawaiian I tried was delicious, topped with grilled pineapple, slaw, tomatoes and teriyaki sauce. (Hey, I used to live in California, so I miss option to have pineapple on everything.)
Other additions that ST's food truck fans will encounter include a Chicken Wedge Salad, Chicken Nachos, a Loaded Baked Potato Salad and sides of spicy beans with bits of smoked chicken added and a simple dish called "Pile O' Corn." For diners with a big appetite, Smokin Thighs offers a Dump Truck O' Wings, which is literally served in the bed of a large Tonka toy dump truck.
Currently, the bar serves only high-grav beers and liquor, but regular beer (which requires a different permit) is hopefully coming soon. The bar focuses on the white-hot trend of moonshine, with almost every commercially available brand and flavor of white lightning stocked behind the bar. Smokin Thighs features a moonshine drink of the day plus flights of 'shines in the event that you want to compare six different tastes of peach or apple 'shine side by side. While that might not be everybody's cup of tea (they've got sweet tea flavored 'shine, too), there are also plenty of other more conventional spirits for the moonshine-averse.
The bright and cheery dining room was designed with windows that can be opened up all the way across the front of the building once the weather moderates a bit, and one whole wall of the restaurant is lined with eight high-def television screens that Carney promises will show football games all weekend.
A cool autumn breeze coming through the windows, football games and a truck full of wings? Count me in! If you visit and get a chance to try more of the menu, let us know what you think in the comments below.
Smokin' Thighs
611 Wedgewood Ave.
(615) 601-2582
Carry-out is available.
Can we eat it? Yes we can!
