March of Dimes Signature Chef's Auction

Last night Dave and I had the privilege to attend the Knoxville March of Dimes Signature Chef's Auction along with a few of our co-workers from Tennessee National. We had a wonderful time looking at all the silent auction items and enjoying cocktails before being let into the main part of the convention center where the food was located.

There were 20 different food stations at this event! It was rather difficult to figure out where to start, luckily the program listed what each restaurant/chef's signature dish was so that helped us narrow down the options. We started at Carrabbas and while the book said they would have lobster ravioli, chicken Marsala and penne pomodoro I can't say we had any of that. We had

what I think was beef marsla (very good) and something fried and as I am sure you know, fried food is usually good and this was no exception. Our next stop was at The Orangery and it was by far our favorite of the night, their menu was also a little different from the book, but the roasted pork, sweet corn johnny cake, & roasted apples were a wonderful combination. The Partridge & Pear Restaurant was a spot I was looking forward toas well and they did not disappoint with their Beef Short Rib Ravioli, this was our #2 favorite.

We also stopped by Latitude 35 for the southern style shrimp and grits (ok); Chandler's Deli for mac & cheese, green beans and pulled pork (huge portions, but we still like M&M's better); Marble Slab Creamery had ice cream martinis, pumpkin ginger and chocolate amaretto, the pumpkin was the best in our book and excellent; Pelanchos for avocado stuffed with grilled steak wrapped in Monterrey Jack Cheese, lightly breaded and fried, also excellent; Regas Restaurant had braised Niman Ranch Pork Cheek marbella over morel mushroom mashed potatoes with a port wine, balsamic fig and olive reduction (this was good, but they only gave us one plate, so we were not very happy about that!); The Crown & Goose featured porcini dusted pork tenderloin on top of a pumpkin and butternut squash puree with pecan and walnut brittle, really good.

It was fun to walk around the convention center and check out the different restaurant booths and see what everyone had to offer. This event was a lot of fun, it's nice to go to an event and not just be served the same old food.  I am glad we had the opportunity to go and support the March of Dimes as well!