# Scottie's on the River -- Chattanooga, Tennessee…read more
**A Beautiful Setting, Remarkable Potato Soup, and a Few Delightful Surprises**
There are restaurants one visits for the food, others for the atmosphere, and occasionally one discovers a place that manages to deliver both.
Scottie's on the River is one of those places.
Our party of four had traveled from Murfreesboro to spend the day exploring Chattanooga. By Monday afternoon, our sightseeing had given way to a more pressing consideration: lunch. As luck would have it, we arrived during happy hour.
The restaurant's setting is simply magnificent. Overlooking the Tennessee River, it offers the kind of waterfront ambiance one might expect to find in Paris, New York, San Francisco, or Los Angeles. The delightful difference? We didn't have to endure a ninety-minute wait for the privilege of being seated.
We settled in with a martini and margaritas, followed by a selection of fish and chips, hamburgers, and fried shrimp. Before our entrées arrived, we shared a bowl of potato soup, accompanied by cornbread and hush puppies.
The main courses were perfectly acceptable, though hardly extraordinary. My fried shrimp were fine, while the hamburger was a little on the dry side. Nothing particularly disappointing, but nothing that would have me planning a return visit, either.
**But the undisputed star of the afternoon was the potato soup.**
Imagine everything that makes a perfectly baked potato irresistible, transformed into a beautifully composed bowl of soup. It began with an inviting aroma that promised something special, followed by a rich, deeply satisfying flavor, a wonderfully balanced consistency, and a texture that was almost impossibly silky.
It is remarkable how often the simplest dishes reveal the greatest culinary skill. There is nowhere to hide behind elaborate presentations or exotic ingredients. Everything depends on technique, seasoning, balance, and execution.
This soup delivered on every count.
And then there were the hush puppies.
I must confess that my experience with this particular Southern delicacy has been somewhat limited. I am reasonably certain that no cardiologist would recommend making them a dietary staple. Then again, I hadn't come to Scottie's for a consultation on preventive medicine. I had come to enjoy a good meal.
And enjoy them I did. Absolutely delicious.
In fact, the potato soup and hush puppies alone would be sufficient reason for me to return.
Now, a small confession: I am something of a martini purist. My request for a stirred rather than shaken martini earned me a slightly puzzled look. The drink arrived a touch over-diluted, but without the slightest harshness and, most importantly, beautifully cold. It was garnished with two olives, however, and as martini folklore would have it, one olive is customary, three are generous, but two suggest the bartender may have taken a personal dislike to you. As I wasn't sitting at the bar, I chose not to take offense.
**And then there is that view.**
The Tennessee River provides a spectacular backdrop, lending the entire experience a sense of occasion. I would venture to say that the scenery alone accounts for a good 45 percent of the pleasure of dining here. Fortunately, the kitchen, particularly when it comes to soup and hush puppies, makes a persuasive case for the remaining 55 percent.
**My conclusion?**
Scottie's on the River offers a thoroughly enjoyable combination of good food, memorable surroundings, and the kind of relaxed atmosphere that makes an afternoon linger pleasantly in one's memory.
Was every detail absolutely flawless? No. But perfection is not always what makes a restaurant worth remembering. Sometimes it is a remarkable bowl of soup, an unexpected culinary discovery, good company, and a magnificent view.
I would happily recommend Scottie's to anyone within a 50-mile radius of Chattanooga.
And if your travels take you farther afield, I would suggest making the detour.
**Four well-deserved stars.**
