Steak & Seafood Restaurants

Steak and seafood have shared a menu for as long as Americans have gone out for a nice dinner, and in a town hundreds of miles from salt water the pairing is practical as much as traditional. Beef can be handled locally. Fish has to be brought in fresh and brought in often, and the kitchens that take that seriously are the ones worth an evening.

Expect the beef cut on site rather than portioned somewhere else and shipped in, and expect fire to be part of it. On the water side, expect oysters and crab cakes alongside fresh rainbow trout, which is the fish that actually belongs on a Smokies menu. Full bars, real wine lists, and rooms that run darker and quieter than the rest of the Parkway.

This is the dressiest end of the Pigeon Forge dining guide, though do not read that as stuffy. There are kids menus on these tables. Seating still runs on walk-ins, waitlists and call-ahead rather than a reservation book, so turning up at seven on a Saturday in July means waiting. Call first, or eat early.

Why go: Beef cut on site and finished over fire, oysters, crab cakes and fresh rainbow trout.