The Blue Moose Burgers and Wings in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

During our wonderful four-day break this past weekend, we discovered a great place to eat in Pigoen forge that, in spite of our many trips there, we never even knew existed. The Blue Moose Burgers and Wings, situated in the Teaster Crossing Shopping Center, located off of Teaster Lane and Pigeon Forge Parkway, is a nice little sports-themed place that offers a nice ambience, and totally awesome burgers and wings.

Upon entering the Blue Moose, you see that the dim lighting and the tinted windows make this place very relaxing and comfortable (even with the squalling toddler seated a few booths away from us; thank GOD they left five minutes after we arrived!). There were several TV sets, all tuned to various sports networks, the Super Bowl on the front of everyone's brain. With the Tiffany lamps and the neon beer signs, I think it made the place feel very nice and romantic for our little mountain getaway!

Once again, we were greeted by a courteous, chatty hostess, who seated us quickly into a very nice, secluded booth. Our waiter was a courteous young man who took our order right the first time, and kept our glasses from drying out. We ordered a little of everything that night (it's a good thing we walked to the Blue Moose from our hotel, so we could walk all that great food off after we ate it!). Seroiusly, the sampler platter (they call it the Bonanza) is a great way to sample a little of different appetizers without having to go broke doing it!

They have a nice, classy bar that serves many different kinds of beer. You got the old standby's; Bud, Miller, and their light versions. Also, you have other great brewed beverage selections, such as Michelob, Amber Bock, Beck's, Heinekin, and Foster's, to name but just a few. And nothing goes great with a burger and wings like an ice cold draught beer, right from the keg into an ice cold mug!

However, there is quite a bit more to this little eatery than just burgers and wings. This mid-priced restaurant (costs about as much as O'Charlies and similar places) has many great entrees, such as their "Belly Buster" fish fry (ten ounces of beer-battered fried cod served with cole slaw and tartar sauce), a wonderful Chicken Quesadilla, Burgubdy sirloin steak, Penne Pasta Alfredo and Marinara, Chicken Stir Fry, and a wonderful chicken breast smothered in onions and mushrooms.

Avalable appetizers include French Fries, Bonanza Platter (Three mozzarella sticks, three tenders and onion rings with BBQ, marinara, and Texas sauce), Breaded Mushrooms (which are, as Peter Griffin would say, "Freakin' SWEET!"), Chicken Noodle and French Onion Soup, Chips and Salsa (Even better than the ones at Chili's), Their own Cream Cheese Jalapeno Poppers, Fried Calamari, Irish Nachos (Golden fries smothered in jalapeno cheese sauce, topped with bacon), Mozzerella Sticks, Nachos Supreme (Platter of crispy nachos topped with thee cheeses, diced tomatoes, olives, bacon, jalapenos, salsa and sour cream), Onion Rings (my wife's favorite), Potato Skins (MY favorite, topped with cheddar cheese and bacon), and spinach artichoke dip.

That not a big enough selection for ya? Then get a load of these salads: Buffalo Chicken Salad, Caesar Salads (avalable in Regular, Chicken, and Steak), a Chef's Salad, Chicken Tender Salad, Chunky Chicken Salad, and a Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad.

Even with all of these great American offerings, at the Blue Moose, it's all about the BURGERS AND WINGS!

Their great wings (at least on the caliber of Hooter's, in my opinion) come with your choice of a dry rub seasoning, or buffalo, bleu cheese, or ranch sauce, and come in plates of five or ten rather large wings (compared to the nationwide wing chains).

Their impressive selection of burgers are very tasty and made to order on a lightly toasted bun. You may order one "Buck Naked" (plain), their Bacon Cheeseburger, a Three Cheese Burger (with Swiss, American, and Provolone), the Patty Melt (Served on grilled rye with sautéed onions and Swiss cheese), Pizza Burger (topped with Provolone, Marinara and Pepperoni), Texan Burger (with Barbecue sauce, Jalapenos, and Monterrey Jack), Swiss Burger (with Swiss Cheese, sauteed onions, and Mushrooms), Roamin' Burger (with melted cheese, ham, salami, Italian dressing, onions, lettuce and tomato), and their signatur Blue Moose Burger (Melted cheddar, BBQ sauce, topped with onion rings).

Just a little hungry, then try a one of their many melts, like their BLT, Buffalo Chicken Sandwich (every bit as good as Hooters), Buffalo Chicken Wrap (for the carb-conscious among us), the Chicken Philly (Smothered in onions, mushrooms and Swiss cheese), Chicken Salad Deli Sandwich (Chicken Salad and Swiss with Lettuce and Tomato), Chicken Salad Melt, Chicken Salad Sandwich, Turkey and Ham Club Sandwich, Corned Beef Sandwich, French Dip (Roast Beef and Provolone with Au Jus), a Grilled Cheese, a Grilled Chicken, Meatball Sub (with melted Provolone), Monterrey Chicken Sandwich, and the good ol' Reuben (also available with Turkey), Steak Hogie, and Veggie Wrap.

Seroiously, what more can you ask for from a little ol' Mom & Pop eatery like this? No gimmicks or come-ons (a rarity in a tourist mecca like Pigeon Forge), just damn good food for a damn good price! If you and your significant other decide to take a little trip to the Smokies, it would definitely be worth your time to stop into the Blue Moose one night and order ANYTHING you might be in the mood for, because as they say in my neighborhood, "It's ALL good!"