RSS
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Artist Corner: Crossville, TN
Editor’s note: this restaurant has closed.
A few weekends ago we spent some time in Crossville, TN. It is a nice weekend trip because it is only about 2 hours outside of Nashville. A brief description of Crossville is in order so our readers can fully appreciate our finding of this little cafe.
Crossville is a small size town, based around golf courses and mostly known for the numbers of people who decide to retire there in order to settle down in the mountains and experience 4 seasons. There are few restaurants in the town, chain or otherwise, so finding a good cup of joe was quite the adventure.
By sheer luck, we stumbled upon this tiny gem of a place in the middle of the historic downtown area. We were looking for a place to warm up in between jaunts to local antique shops, as it had been raining all day. I believe we came around 2:30 on a Saturday, so we were in fear that they might be closing and not serve us, however we were warmly welcomed. The first sight we saw upon entering the cafe was a couple engaged in a game of chess. They seemed completely relaxed and ‘settled in’ as their activity had been chosen for waiting out the rainy weather.
We found that The Artist Corner offered a full “Barista Menu,” with lattes, espresso, chai, various teas, smoothies, and even beer! Among the group, we sampled the homemade ginger tea, a macchiato, and the dragon well tea. We were overall very happy with our choices, and I was particularly impressed that the tea was not bagged or even in a tea ball, but brewed before being served to me!
The homemade ginger tea proved to be too overpowering for our tastebuds, but I have a feeling that tea made with fresh ginger is still maybe just something that American palates must acquire a taste for.
The next (and to me the most exciting thing) that we discovered is that this cafe is owned by an artist who has not only decorated the walls of the restaurant with his works, but he has painted the concrete floors of each room with his interpretation of a famous work of art! Strangely, we walked through the 3 rooms saying things like, “look at this part” and “this piece was done in 2004,” all while admiring the floor!
The kitchen was unfortunately no longer serving food at the time we visited, so we plan to return on another trip to sample the cuisine. The Artist Corner serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and the whole menu is available on their website, which is a must visit for art lovers. It has various links to artist’s works and features some of the work of the owner, Eric Buechel. The Artist Corner is owned by an artist, and therefore this cafe also functions as a location to buy art supplies, as well as an art school and gallery.
The food menu includes these tempting offerings: Eggs Hassarde (Canadian Bacon, Poached Eggs, Tomatoes, Sliced &Kept Warm English Muffins, Split & Toasted, with Hollandaise Sauce, Marchand de Vin Sauce and Cayenne Pepper), International Burgers (Swiss, French, Spanish, and Arabic) and Duck a l’Orange.
If you’re in the middle of enduring the long drive down I-40 across Tennessee, The Artist Corner is a nice break to take in the journey, even if you only want a nice cup of coffee– you’ll experience visual delights.
The Artist Corner
52 N. Main St.
Crossville, TN 38555
(931) 456-3636
Closed Sundays and Mondays
Tues and Weds 8am-5pm
Thurs and Fri 8am-8pm
Sat 8 am-3pm
www.theartistcorneronline.com
Share
Subscribe to RSS Feed
Subscribe via Email
Follow Me on Twitter
Amy Beth — October 23, 2009 @ 7:47 pm
Thanks for this review. I visit Crossvile every once in while and it is nice to know about places like this!
Did you visit Stonehaus Winery while you were in Crossville?
Adam — October 30, 2009 @ 9:39 am
Yeah, we did: get as many free samples of fudge as you can. That alone is well-worth the trip.
The wine isn't anything special, and they claimed to have Tennessee grapes which was not the case. I also know some locals who don't think much of the winery.