If you are looking for a restaurant with an upbeat, casual atmosphere and an extensive and eclectic menu for breakfast or lunch, try the Bluegrass Grill at 55 East Main Street. The restaurant was opened a little over a year ago by owners Father Jonas and Joan Marie Worsham, who have brought their flair for healthy, homemade food and extensive restaurant experience to Chattanooga’s Southside.
Aside from serving up soulful food, the Worshams have an interesting background in restaurants and people. Father Jonas, a priest in the Orthodox Church in America, and Joan Marie, a baker by trade, have spent many years devoted to mission work and opening churches. In 1988, the couple decided to put their culinary skills to work in order to help supplement their income and help finance missions. They worked at their first restaurant, Brother Juniper’s, in Atlanta. After great success, they opened their own award-winning restaurants in Memphis and Charlottesville, Virginia. The restaurant business is a family affair, and the four Worsham children—Paul, Greg, Nina, and Ben—can often be seen helping alongside their parents.
The Bluegrass Grill offers a huge selection of breakfast items, which are served all day long. There are several great scrambled-egg combinations to choose from. I sampled the eggs with mozzarella cheese, spinach, green peppers, onions, and tomatoes, which was colorful as well as delicious. It came with a choice of grits or home fries, and a biscuit or toast (your choice of homemade white, wheat, five-grain or whole wheat raisin).
The home fries—boiled red potatoes sautéed with garlic and onion—are wonderful; they would have made a great meal on their own. In fact, in response to customer requests, home fries have been added to the menu with a variety of delicious toppings: black beans, Swiss cheese or tofu, green onions and salsa, or chorizo, green peppers, green onion and cheddar cheese, with the optional addition of jalapenos, chipotle sauce, mushrooms, feta, or gyro meat.
The biscuits were excellent. The Worshams have developed a more healthful version of this favorite, made with half whole wheat flour, half white flour, and buttermilk. This biscuit-loving Southerner was more than satisfied with their buttery flavor.
Another item on the menu that you must try is the Corned Beef Hash. While I envisioned a less-than delicious version that I had heretofore experienced, the Bluegrass Grill’s version was very different. It included the home fries described above, big chunks of corned beef, topped with green onions, spices, Swiss cheese and an egg cooked to your liking. I chose an over-easy egg, and the creaminess of the egg really combined well with the rest of the ingredients to make a dish unlike any I have tasted before - definitely a winner. For vegans and vegetarians, this dish can be prepared with your choice of tofu or Portobello mushrooms and veggies, such as spinach, onions, peppers, and tomatoes.
An entire page of the menu is devoted to omelets. Diners may create or chose from many creative concoctions, such as the Spanakopita Omelet (fresh spinach, feta, mozzarella and Greek spices), the Pesto Omelet (pesto, fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese), or Joan Marie’s Special Omelet (herbed cream cheese, spinach, Swiss cheese and tomatoes). Omelets also come with a choice of grits or home fries and biscuits or toast.
Father Jonas and Joan Marie also make homemade granola, served with milk, soymilk, or homemade yogurt. I tasted the granola, topped with yogurt and fresh berries, and it was incredible. The menu also includes oatmeal, French toast (made with your choice of bread), blintzes, and pancakes (buttermilk or honey wheat). These looked wonderful, but will have to wait for another visit for me to taste.
The lunch menu includes salads, homemade soups, and sandwiches. Salads include delicious descriptions, such as the Greek Salad (lettuce, spinach, tomato, feta, pepperocinis, Greek olives and Zadzeke dressing), and a Smoked Salmon Salad with shaved Parmesan cheese on baby greens with tomatoes and sweet peppers. In addition to the Vegetarian Black Bean Chili, there is a freshly made Soup of the Day on the menu.
The sandwiches are served on fresh bread made daily by Father Jonas. We tasted Joan Marie’s “Special,” fresh spinach, spicy cream cheese, lettuce, tomato and Swiss cheese on toasted whole wheat raisin bread (which she recommended) - it was a fabulous blend of tastes. We also had the Gyros on Pita, which is gyros meat with tomatoes and onions, topped with their homemade Zadzeke dressing on a homemade pita. The Zadzeke dressing is made from cucumbers and Greek spices and gives a wonderfully fresh taste to the sandwich. Other items on the sandwich menu include a Grilled Portobello Mushroom sandwich, Corned Beef and Swiss, and Grilled Reuben. There is also Pesto Pizza, made by topping freshly baked pita bread with basil, garlic, fresh tomatoes and mozzarella.
Father Jonas does the day-to-day baking, while Joan Marie specializes in desserts. They offer a variety of delicious homemade muffins (cranberry or blueberry), cinnamon rolls, cookies, cobblers, and baklava. The baklava was very good, with a very strong cinnamon taste and not as sweet as some.
The Bluegrass Grill offers catering for breakfast or luncheon meetings. It also offers a “Greek Feast,” a custom-prepared five-course evening meal (for a minimum of 15 people) which includes appetizer, soup, salad, main course and dessert.
Heaven to the taste buds and light on the wallet, I left satisfied by the restaurant’s homemade and healthy fare. Nestled at 55 East Main Street, the Bluegrass Grill is open Tuesday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. and Saturday from 6:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Their phone number is (423) 752-4020.