If you are looking for a special place to experience fine dining with a unique Western flavor, try the Bald Headed Bistro in Cleveland, Tennessee. Attention to detail, from the beautifully designed restaurant to the incredible service, has resulted in an establishment that is worth the drive from anywhere in the Chattanooga region.
When you walk into the main dining room of the Bistro, you feel as if you are somewhere west of the Mississippi. In fact, owner Allan Jones worked with the designer of his favorite restaurant in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to create this warm and inviting “wild west” atmosphere.
In keeping with the western theme, the Bistro is primarily known for its beef, but the menu includes everything from wood-fired pizza to several seafood dishes. In addition to the wonderful food, the restaurant was honored with the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2007, which means that its wine list was recognized as one of the best in the world.
The service at the Bistro is first class. Our server was always there to clear a plate or replace a fork as needed. Most impressive, all dishes were served simultaneously at the table. In other words, there was a server for each person at the table to deliver the fare at the same time to everyone. Not so hard for the two of us at our table, but we noticed that this was the method of service even at tables with large parties. Another impressive detail was that the plates were always warm for the warm food and cool for the cool food.
For our first course, my friend and I were served Crab Bisque, which was incredibly flavorful and full of fresh lump crab meat. We also had the BHB Crab Cake, served with a fresh herb puree and a red curry sauce. The Crab Cake was mostly crab meat, wonderfully seasoned with very little breading. We also ordered seared Ahi Tuna crusted with wasabi-coated sesame seeds and served with spicy western coleslaw and wasabi cream sauce. This is usually one of my favorites, and I wasn’t disappointed – it was delicious.
Next we were served a salad course which included the Fall Green Salad, a wonderful seasonal salad of fresh greens with yellow and red grape tomatoes, roasted pumpkin seeds, micro greens and dried cranberries. The micro greens were especially good. These greens are grown just beyond the sprouted stage so that they are crunchy and very good. We also had the Bibb Lettuce, Goat Cheese and Strawberry salad, featuring buttery lettuce and fresh strawberries mixed with spicy-coated pecans and fresh goat cheese, dressed with a strawberry-balsamic vinaigrette. A specialty of the Bistro, and a favorite of the owner, is the BHB Chopped Salad which is chopped cucumbers, Benton’s Bacon (which is from the Benton Bacon Company and known for its special flavor), artichokes, boiled eggs, Sweetwater Valley Cheddar cheese, and lettuce mixed with pepper-parmesan dressing and topped with crispy fried onions.
For our main course, we were first treated to a taste of the Kobe filet of beef. The Kobe filet was indescribably tender and delicious. It could literally be easily cut with the side of my fork, and it almost melted in my mouth. According to owner Allan Jones, the Bistro is the only restaurant in Tennessee that offers true Kobe beef from Japan. Kobe beef is world-renown for its flavor and tenderness. It is beef from a certain breed of cattle raised according to strict tradition in Japan which includes a very special diet and massage. If you order the Kobe, you receive a copy of the certificate that verifies that it is indeed Japanese Kobe.
We were also served the BHB Wild Game Platter, which included elk tenderloin, Kentucky bison filet, and fried quail breast, served with chipotle remoulade, juniper berry-cranberry sauce, and fingerling potatoes. The elk was very tender with a delicate taste, and the bison was also good with a firmer texture and stronger flavor though quite tasty. The fried quail was also very tasty with a light crispy batter.
We then tasted the Pan Asian Surf and Turf – rotisserie tenderloin and grilled strip sirloin, topped with shitake mushroom compote, sesame grilled scallops, tempura shrimp, and potato cakes, accompanied by soy ginger and wasabi cream dipping sauces. This was excellent. The rotisserie tenderloin is a signature dish that is seasoned with a dry rub and then cooked on the rotisserie over fire. The meat was tender and delicious.
Another entrée we tried was the Southwestern Grouper and Shrimp. This dish had a beautiful presentation – a thick piece of seasoned sautéed grouper and extra large shrimp, served with spinach and artichoke ragout and mushrooms, topped with sun-dried tomato sauce and buttermilk blue cheese. This dish was as scrumptious as it was beautiful.
For dessert, we sampled four delectable sweets. For the chocolate and nut lover, the Jack Daniels Pecan Pie has the goodness of traditional Southern pecan pie plus chocolate and Jack Daniels. This was my personal favorite, although they were all yummy. My friend’s favorite was the Peanut Butter Pie, an incredibly creamy peanut filling in a chocolate crust. For dark chocolate lovers, the Dark Chocolate Torte was excellent, and the Crème Brulee was incredible.
The Bald Headed Bistro is located at 201 W. Keith Street SW in the Village Green Town Center. In addition to the main dining room, it offers private dining rooms that are available for parties of 20 to 100. There is also a patio available for outdoor seating. The Bistro also provides catering at any level of service needed. The telephone number is 423-472-6000, and the web site is www.baldheadedbistro.com.