Whoopie Pies? Chocolate cookie-cakes filled with crisco-y goodness???

My mom used to make those up in NW Illinois, and no one I've ever met since has heard of them except for a Mennonite guy I knew in college. Now I'm more excited than ever about the S&W.

Liver, on the other hand, is about the only thing I can't eat, no matter how thin it's sliced. Really, you should have made two separate posts about this. Thinner? That picture looks like the entire organ.

Went there last night with several generations of local family, the oldest of which all had fond memories of the original S&W.

We were all kind of underwhelmed.
The food was good, but unimaginative and overpriced.
Individual items seem reasonably priced, but its the a-la-carte sides that get you. You order a 25$ steak, and get just that. No salad, no sides. A steak on a plate (which was very good by the way). With salad and sides, your dinner approaches 40$, and is no better than what you can get nearby for 20$.

If they're going to go that route they need a much more imaginative menu.
As it is, its a "period piece" of a restaurant. Great for taking out of towners to, given the wonderful restoration, but ultimately it won't make it without offering either more interesting cuisine or cutting prices.

Also, 6.95$ for a bottle of beer? Not gonna survive on that.

I hope they wake up. Its a fantastic restoration and a great addition to downtown. Every town should have something like this and only a few do.

-Sugarfatpie (AKA Alex Pulsipher)

"X-Rays are a hoax."-Lord Kelvin

I visited the S&W for dinner the other night and was very pleased with the excellent renovations which have been done on the property. However, I miss the fact that it is no longer a cafeteria. I tend to agree with sugarfatpie as I was also underwhelmed. It seemed a bit over priced to me and the food lacked imagination.

I really think a nice cafeteria would be a huge success in Downtown Knoxville. I know the S&W was a success in my day. I can recall having lunch at the S&W every time I had a chance. There was a sign about halfway down the stairs (which lead to the serving line) that read "YOU ARE LESS THAN SIX MINUTES FROM BEING SERVED." You picked up your tray and literally breezed through the serving line. A skilled staff of servers dished up some of the best "home cooked" food in the city....several meats and vegetables to choose from. Delicious salads and button popping deserts were also available along the line.

The food was worth "writing home about" and the service was unmatched anywhere in town. Porters were waiting at the cash register to take your tray and escort you to your table. They would efficiently set all of the dishes you had selected onto the table and, during the course of the meal, would provide fresh tea or coffee whenever needed. The meals were reasonably priced and someone on a limited budget could get a nourishing and filling meal without going bankrupt. The real key to the success of the old S&W was volume and darn good food. Plain and simple. They served hundreds of people each day and made a pretty good living at that location.

Those were the days. The S&W is now more upscale with a bar on both levels. The meals are, in my opinion, a bit over priced, and not as good as one might hope for. I have serious doubts that the S&W will survive long unless some changes are made. It isn't that I want to turn back the clock and return to the 1950's but rather re-capture the essence of what the S&W once was to the citizens of Knoxville. It was a place where folks could take their children to have a healthy meal. The kids were then rewarded with movies and cartoons which were available after they had finished their meals. A place where the secretary or businessman could grab a great lunch for a reasonable price and still make it back to work on time. A place where folks went after church on Sunday or before a movie at the Tennessee Theater on Saturday night. I remember the lady who played the organ while we ate. She could play just about any song you could name and was happy to do so. I must admit I miss my old S&W.

Come to think of it maybe I do want to turn back the clock just a little bit. Having dinner the other night at the S&W seemed to open the flood gates of my memory and I must admit I miss the way it once was.

I wish the new owners the very best of luck with their restaurant and I shall be eternally grateful that they had the foresight and energy to restore the S&W and make it available to the public once again. I certainly don't want to see their business fail....I want them to become a huge success. Just because I miss the old days does not mean I don't recognize the changing times and changing tastes in downtown restaurants.

I lived in Knoxville for the first 27 years of my life and cannot remember ever going to the S&W. Yes, I did spend a lot of time downtown. Maybe because we had a big family, six kids, and couldn't afford it. I'll have to ask Mom. My main restaurant experience memories are the UT Faculty Club (they had a great buffet) and Lazy Susan (all you can eat).

I am a little curious about how reasonable the prices were back in the day. I have been to a few cafeterias and the food always ends up being more expensive than I expect. You get a little of this, a little of that, by the time you are done, it's expensive.

Lucky for me I have no expectations. I really look forward to visiting the new S&W. I've eaten at the Northshore Brasserie and it was exceptional.

..."country cooking" is higher than Cracker Barrel, the steaks are higher than O'Charley's, and the seafood is higher than Red Lobster.

I'm sensitive to the price issue, but anyone should factor in a deep discount to endure the generica hell of those places. Not to mention the quality (or lack thereof) of their food.

Interesting discussion re. prices, menu, etc. I think part of S&W's challenge may be the perception of "S&W Cafeteria" v. "S&W Grand." It's no longer a cafeteria, it's a restaurant. Here's a comparison between the Regas menu and the S&W menu:

The menus are so different it's hard to compare. But to me, the prices are about the same for similar dishes. Regas is more of a "traditional" restaurant with classic offerings (including lobster tail). S&W Grand seems like more of a "fusion" restaurant with updated and (to me) more creative offerings. S&W is a little more casual, and also caters to lunch business with sandwiches and such, whereas Regas is more focused on dinner and fine dining. But I think it's fair to compare them given their location and what they are trying to be. And S&W compares very favorably in that regard, at least on paper.

And I'm not dissing Regas. I like the place, and have always had great food there and never a bad experience, going back almost 50 years. It's a Knoxville tradition. I'm looking forward to the same for the S&W Grand. And Knoxville is lucky to have these two great restaurants downtown.

No offense intended, Tamara, but the atmosphere differences between those examples and S&W really are extreme and counts for a lot in the menu prices. I think real estate prices downtown are crazy, but people are living there again (hurray!) and that's where S&W is doing business.

Too, I'd pick the S&W atmosphere any day over Regas. I can't remember whether I saw TeeVees at the S&W, but I'd be forgiving of a small one or two. Why is it that so many restaurants insist on plastering their walls with TV screens?! They are way too common and very distracting. TV is what you have to do at home when you can't go out and have a special experience. There is nothing special about TV.

I think all of us, as citizens of K-town, are extremely grateful and happy that the S&W is operational once again. I am pleased that someone had the good sense and dollars necessary to save this landmark property. They have rolled the dice and invested much sweat and treasure into this project and I know everyone wishes them every success.

Just because I (and others) have drifted back into the past does not mean we are blind to the future of this fine restaurant. I agree with RS, lets all give them a fair chance to succeed and let's try to patronize them as much as possible in order to assure that success.

I'm rooting for them and I plan to eat there again as soon as possible. But please be patient with those of us who remember the S&W the way it once was. Who knows, someday. when your son is all grown up and the S&W has transformed itself once again to reflect the changing times, he may look at you and say, "Gosh, Dad, do you remember when we used to come here for a great sandwich before taking in a movie at the Tennessee? I really miss the way it once was, don't you?" And, you'll probably say, "Yes. It's a great restaurant, Son, but what happened to the $13.00 meals?"

Each generation seems to have its own special set of memories. The OLD S&W fits into that category for me....a special set of memories from a time (long past) when I went there with my Dad. Sorry if my postings seemed negative. It was not my intention. I guess I was just day dreaming about the people and the places I miss so much. I take comfort knowing that a whole new generation now has the chance to accumulate memories surrounding the S&W.

And, thanks for the copy of the menu. I think it will prove very helpful to everyone who has not yet had a chance to dine at the new S&W. Three cheers for the NEW S&W...may they last a million years!!

The S&W is not a cafeteria. We can and should talk about what it is, and even what it was. But not what it isn't. That's not fair. These people are taking the next step and I admire them greatly. If you want Cracker Barrel, go for it.

Well, it seems to have been "PRed" as a throwback to the old S&W, and I think that may be where the disappointment is greatest. Not in the food, their prices, or the service, but in the fact that apparently some customers were expecting more of the "old" S&W.

Those days are gone forever, in both style and substance, and in a lot of ways for the better, but I don't think those longing for a little more of the past are necessarily wrong, I think their disappointment may be a little misdirected.

Remember (no pun intended), and this from an old Blue Circle boy, our fond memories are really less about the places we've gone than they are about the people we shared them with and the feelings we felt.

The buildings and businesses, usually, tend to last a little longer (or can be restored) unlike the people and events that we really miss about those days.

The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present.
President Abraham Lincoln 1862

Today's News Sentinel has a story about Ramsey's Cafeteria announcing it is closing. Catering may continue.

Who opens a downtown restaurant these days with no vegetarian options whatsoever? On the plus side, it will save me the trouble of being underwhelmed. The renovation is very nice even if I wasn't here before to remember it.