The location is gorgeous. We came for an early dinner. The food was fabulous. We had the artichoke dip appetizer, the pork chop, and the fish (grouper) tacos. We topped it off with a slice of the pecan pie. Everything was wonderful, and the service was excellent. Just a really nice experience, and we will be coming back. Can't wait! read more

This was our first experience at Aspire. We had driven by a few times on the way to Norris Lake, but we were finally in town (not in our swim gear), so we decided to check it out (knowing NOTHING about this place). We were in T-shirts and jeans, so not fancy at all, but while the space itself presented as "fine dining", the vibe was casual and welcoming. We didn't feel out of place at all, and as the after-work crowd started showing up, there was a wide variety of guests. And honestly - after understanding why this place was built- it seems that's exactly how they want it. All welcome. But don't get me wrong - casual dress or not - this place spared no expense! It's a beautiful building, and you have an outstanding view from any seat in the house! The bathrooms are even gorgeous! After exploring all the seating areas, we opted to sit at the bar. Brandon was our mixologist that day, and he was really great! All of our cocktails (The Jade Martini, The Tulip) were well made, and the off-menu cocktails he whipped up were equally as good. Love when they want to get creative. He had good recommendations for food. He was also training someone new and had a great attitude toward them, which was nice to see. Food (Ribs, Pork Chop, Salad, Soup) was all good. I'd get any of them again. And those Boursin mashed potatoes ... addictive. We even tried dessert (Strawberry shortcake). I was hoping for a more delicate, airy shortcake, but overall it was decent, but I'll try something else next time. I felt everything was priced fairly and was comparable to other places in Oak Ridge offering less desirable dishes. So we will be back for sure! I'm excited to know there is 22 miles of hiking trails and pups are welcome on the patio! Sounds like a post-hike win-win there! Plus, they have some live music nights I think we'd like to check out! Overall, super happy this place is here! I hope the next visit is just as good!. read more

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We'd been wanting to try this place since it opened, and it definitely lived up to the hype! We came for a late lunch and made reservations, which I highly recommend. We picked a beautiful day and sat upstairs--the view is phenomenal! We were celebrating our anniversary, and it was such a sweet surprise to find a little card waiting for us at the table. We started with the Colonel Cigars appetizer, and they were delicious! Just a heads-up--they only come with three. Our server made great recommendations. I ordered the grilled pork chop with the cherry demi-glaze, and it was outstanding. I paired it with sweet potato fries and a side salad. My husband had the grilled blackened grouper with mashed potatoes and a side salad. It was excellent, though the portion was a bit small for the price. One of our favorite parts of the meal was the homemade dressings and sauces. The horseradish Caesar dressing was incredible! We both cleaned our plates and thoroughly enjoyed our experience. It's also a great place to take a stroll before or after your meal, making for a perfect outing. I highly recommend giving this place a try! read more

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There is a lot to say about this place, so buckle in. We moved to the Oak Ridge Tennessee area recently, and we are just diving in to the local food scene. Tonight's choice...The Pearl. It is a short 15 minute drive along a beautiful river from where we currently live. It was gorgeous. This entire area of Tennessee is just breathtaking. When we arrived in the parking lot, I was moved by how the restaurant blended seamlessly into the park that surrounds it. They even had luxury golf carts at the ready if you didn't want to walk up the hill to the restaurant. What a nice touch. We were kindly greeted by the hosts and promptly seated in a very comfortable booth with an outstanding view of the landscape outside. There is also an ample patio if you choose to dine alfresco. This place is obviously upscale, but it was nice to see a variety of dress. The atmosphere was friendly and inviting. I am always a bit anxious meeting the server for the evening. I have been to many nicer restaurants where the server hung on me like an over-sized suit. That can really take away from an otherwise lovely meal. Not today. Meet my new friend, Nik. He was extremely well versed in the offerings on the entire menu. He made thoughtful suggestions presented in a kind and sincere delivery. He was extremely attentive the entire meal. My unsweetened iced tea never reached the halfway point before Nik had a fresh one at the ready. This was some of the best table service I have EVER experienced. He will be requested time and time again as we plan to return often. Let's get to the food. We started with the grouper bites as our appetizer. Nik explained how the fish was so amazingly fresh even though we are no where near the ocean. The quality was outstanding. I highly recommend this starter. One last thing about the freshness of the fish. A couple of years ago, my wife and I had the opportunity to go on a bucket list trip to the St. Regis in the Maldives. We caught grouper on a fishing excursion and it was prepared by the master chefs at St. Regis. The grouper we had tonight was just as good if not better than that delightful meal in the Maldives. Please, give it a try. I had the bone in pork chop and my wife had the salmon. Both entrees were absolutely fantastic. It was one of those meals where you wished the evening wouldn't end. I am looking forward to trying absolutely everything on the menu. I have a feeling that each dish will bring great satisfaction. So, Nik...have any good suggestions for dessert? Silly question. Another perfect pairing to our outstanding meal...dry cherry bourbon pecan pie. Scratch made heaven on a plate. I could go on and on. If you made it this far into this never ending review, you have done well. Go eat here. Ask for Nik. Take a suggestion or two and have an amazing evening. read more

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HH & I loved our dinner here!!! Hungry Hubby (HH) can be a hard one to impress, however our server & the food did exactly that!! The special drinks for Christmas were amazing! Can't wait to go back!!! read more

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3.5 / 5. We came with our son and dined inside - we have been trying to get here for a while (we visit Aspire park often). The inside is really pretty and I love that the museum feature was nearby to distract our 2.5 YO. The restrooms and inside were clean as well. The staff at the entrance we've had some struggles with. Weeks before this attempt we decided not to try and go on home based on the response we got when we walked in to ask about availability. This round we had a lot of delays with our server and observed a lot of tables either waiting on food or waiting to pay - with some more patient than I'd thought they'd be. We didn't protest at the time because we were through with waiting to wrap up. Not sure if it was the time of day or dinner rush, but everything was just out of rhythm on the food. The fish appetizer and sides of fries were okay, but the burgers, bacon and mac & cheese really should have been sent back. But with a little one we couldn't wait for a redo. We may try it again (everyone deserves grace in business sometimes) but this trip was just "meh". read more

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From the moment we walked in, The Pearl at Aspire impressed us with its warm, high-class atmosphere--refined, inviting, and absolutely worthy of a fine-dining reputation. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought I was at a high-end San Francisco eatery. There were many highlights, but the star performer of the evening was our server, Kyle, who was superb in every possible way. Attentive without hovering, personable without forcing it, and incredibly knowledgeable. His recommendations were spot-on and made the entire experience feel tailored and special. We were never rushed and enjoyed a relaxing and memorable 2-hour repast. I ordered the Bone-In Pork Chop--a 10 oz thick-cut chop brined in sweet tea and finished on the grill with a dried cherry Marsala demi. Outstanding!! It was succulent, juicy, and unbelievably tender--truly one of the best-prepared pork chops I've had anywhere. My sides were just as exceptional. The rustic brown butter mashed potatoes were creamy, rich, and beautifully balanced, while the bacon Brussels sprouts were a revelation--small, tender, perfectly roasted bite-sized deliciousness. Every element of the plate showed care and beautiful plating skill. And as if the evening couldn't get any better, we finished our meal with the Bourbon Dried Cherry Pecan Pie--truly a slice of heaven. Bourbon-marinated sweet cherries and roasted pecans nestled in a perfectly flaky crust, all topped with a cloud of fresh whipped cream. Every bite a delectable memory I'll be savoring for a long time. Between the atmosphere, the food, and the top-tier service, The Pear delivered a tremendous dining experience from start to finish. I'll definitely be back--and soon. read more

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The grounds and restaurant are beautiful. Floor to ceiling glass windows and patio and roof top seating. We were sat at a booth by the bar. Waitress was nice but juggling food customers and helping at the bar so we did have to wait some. Food arrived and looked stunning. Steak was under cooked ordered medium got mid rare. We had soup but was not provided a spoon. Brussel sprouts were cold, not even mild warmness to them. One member in the group ordered shrimp skewers and she didn't get her meal when the rest was delivered. After 10 min we flagged down a passing manager who said he would check on it. A few minutes later the waitress appears with the meal .. also with cold brussel sprouts. This place has amazing potential but no matter how pretty the location or food if it's not hot and tasty then it's not good. For a meal that was $150 I expected more honestly. read more

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The Pearl is a fairly new restaurant to us (first timers going today) located right outside a bike park. While the food was good, the overall vibe felt a bit mismatched for the crowd. Most people are coming straight from the bike park -- very casual and often with kids -- yet The Pearl has a fine dining atmosphere with classical music, cloth napkins, and a polished, upscale feel. It's a beautiful space, but many families (including ours) had kids who weren't quite ready for a full sit-down experience, and this was the only food option available. A more casual option nearby, like a sports bar, would make a lot of sense for this location. As for the food, we had mixed experiences. First of all, the menu was ginormous! I feel like they would have done better with a smaller range of options so that they could perfect the offerings. My husband didn't enjoy the chipotle chicken tacos (they were on the spicy side) but I loved the seasonal lobster bisque and the wedge salad with added chicken. We started with the spinach artichoke dip, which was good and served with thick pita bread triangles. Kids meals were $10 and came with a good side and drink, which felt fair. Desserts looked great, but we didn't order any this time. Overall, good food and a beautiful restaurant -- just a slightly unexpected fit for the bike park crowd. read more

Beautiful and impressive place with excellent food. Staff was amazing. We will return.

Beautiful location! The food was decent for a park. The fish tacos were good and the kids were excited about there being a little truck with ice cream. They ran out of waffle cones, but they were ok with cake cones. Our server was nice too. Overall I would give the food 4/5. I would eat here again since the park is amazing, but I wouldn't go out of my way to come here if I wasn't hiking or kayaking or something out here. read more

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Great location didn't make a reservation who knew Clinton TN was such a happening place. So ate in the upstairs bar. Service was good especially considering our waitress was also the bartender for the main restaurant food was tasty and served hot, I don't like lukewarm food. An Elton John limited edition piano gave an elegant feel to the area. Definitely would eat there again. read more

A fellow teacher friend and I met at Aspire Park recently, for a walk and lunch. It's such a beautiful place! We walked the paths and enjoyed all the wildflowers, before making our way to The Pearl for lunch. The restaurant is stunning - definitely an upscale, sophisticated vibe. We had a reservation and were seated quickly. I chose the short rib tacos for my meal, and my friend selected the chicken salad sandwich. We were both pleased! Service was on point! We'll definitely be back. The Pearl makes for a unique dining experience for sure! read more

We love this restaurant for lunch when coming to Aspire . Yummy food and nice service. Very convenient that it's close to the playground, for those who come with kids . read more

The Pearl - Caprese salad - Desserts Near Me - Clinton, Tennessee

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We celebrated our wedding anniversary at Aspire. It was our first time here and we couldn't have picked a more special spot. We were seated in a booth next to the bar. Our waiter Brandon took great care of us, always on top of refilling our drinks and getting our food out quickly. We started our feast with the spinach artichoke dip. I liked how Aspire's take on the dip was served with pita chips. It was delicious and the perfect appetizer. For our mains, I had the pork tacos and my better half had the burger and fries. The pork tacos were good, but maybe not seasoned enough for me. I originally wanted the short rib tacos, but as their menu changed two days before, they had taken them off the menu. And for dessert, we settled on the strawberry shortcake which came out with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was the perfect way to end our special day. And then, Brandon, brought out yet another dessert for us on the house!! It was the cotton candy and put the biggest smile on my face as it reminds me of my native Ukraine and always getting cotton candy in the park. Brandon, thank you and hats off to you for going the extra mile for us!! We will certainly be back. read more

Please, chef, stop over salting!!! We can add our own IF necessary. Not everyone likes that much or can have that much. THANK YOU!! read more

It was a pretty good dining experience for a buffet. Cost was VERY EXPENSIVE! Our late lunch buffet for four adults was $270 that included four drinks(tea, lemonade, etc.) and one cocktail. Price did include a tip that was not so much given the buffet format. We went with a group for mother's day. They ran late seating us for our reservation. We all had the buffet. Drinks were very slow to arrive and refill. Plates were not cleared often enough. Plates piled up on the table. Food quality was way better than your average buffet. Salmon, pork medallions, chicken, roast beef were all very good. Mashed potatoes and gravy are great. Green beans and others are good but many vegetable items don't keep well in buffet trays. Roast beef was juicy and very flavorful. The outside space is incredible with table service, play ground, zip line, hiking, mountain biking track, lake access for kayaking, paddle boats, etc. Ambiance is good. Dining room was packed but not too noisy. I would try it another time on the regular menu. read more

It's been almost a year since I've been to this place and what a change !! A drastically bad change to say the least ! Our waiter spent 5-10 minutes spewing about the menu even after I told him I was familiar with the place and have been there many times . Furthermore I mentioned that it was happy hour & he confirmed that indeed it was and there were reduced prices on most of what we ordered. When we got our food it was literally 1/2 of what they served last year ! The side salad was tiny, and the soup my husband ordered was a tiny portion served in a shallow bowl ... by the time we were finished our waiter delivered the drinks he forgot ! So... suffering through this waiter & small portions we finally got the bill & he overcharged $8 because I guess he forgot it was happy hour .. meanwhile the bill was over $70!!! Ridiculous ! The thrill is gone and another place I was once excited about has vanished! read more

If the Pearl aspires to be a fine dining experience, they have a long way to go. Simple things like having to ask for silverware, appetiser and salad plates left on the table and a long wait for a drink and then they were out of limes. But the steak was excellent. likely will not return. read more

Food 4.5/5 - The Pearl at Aspire was a great restaurant. The food was speedy, flavorful and delicious. I bone-in pork-chop, French fries chicken pasta were my favorite items. Lost .5 because I wished the Brussels pouts were flash fried or crispy. Overall, great food. Would love to try other menu items! Service/ Ambiance 5/5 - We had a table of 12 for a birthday party and they were great with reservations and service. Our waiter was helpful picking menu items, patient with older customers and great with refills of drinks. The Christmas display behind was added a great atmosphere/experience. read more

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We enjoyed lunch in the air conditioned dining room after playing on the playground. The service was very friendly but slow. We liked the food especially the Churchill cigars and pizza. The place was mostly clean aside from crayon on the tables but I imagine that's scrubbed off at the end of the night. The bathrooms were very clean and there a little inside information area with some fun stuff for kids. We will definitely eat here again when we come to enjoy the grounds. read more

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If you haven't had the baked brie have you actually eaten at The Pearl??? The service is really phenomenal. The restaurant is absolutely stunning. If you haven't been, you should go. read more

Maybe my expectations were too high, but I was not impressed. I didn't see anything overly exciting on the menu so I Just ended up ordering a hamburger, which came out undercooked. My husband got the burger with pimento cheese and his was cooked fine. Tried a bite of his and I'd call it average at best. The potato soup was fine, but again average. Deviled eggs were below average (lacked flavor, tasted like a plain hard boiled egg and not even a good one). The staff was friendly but the food was nothing at all to rave about. Just based off this one experience and a few other reviews I just read, if The Pearl is going to make it, they're going to have to make some changes. I am not a picky eater and there are very few places that would cause me to write a negative review, but I have no plans to return. read more

The setting is beautiful. Happy hour outside great prices. Dinner upstairs at a window table. Service from Ysland outstanding. Both the grouper and ribeye and our sides were excellent. They made our anniversary special. Worth the drive. Hope the restaurant is busy enough to survive for a long time. read more

We visited for a work dinner and have to compliment our server, Jordan. She was hilarious, fun, and on point with recommendations and order instructions. All the food was cooked well and seasoned perfectly. But at the end, it was Jordan who made our experience so much fun. read more

We visited the restaurant yesterday after walking the park. They told us a 30 min wait and we were seated in 15 mins, which was nice. We had lunch and both ordered the burgers. Both burgers had a nice charbroiled flavor, but both came out very dry and the patties were small. One of us had the broccoli and it had zero seasoning or butter, was literally just steamed and no butter was provided. The other side was a salad, it was a $2 upgrade and was decent, but tiny. It wasn't the quality we expected from such a place and we love the park surrounding, but wouldn't recommend the restaurant after this visit. The server was great btw. read more

Lovely ambience but the food was subpar. The soup was delicious but for the price I expected better. The service was fast and the staff were very kind. Will definitely be going back but more for drinks and the park and less of the food. read more

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This was our first time eating here and we were very excited to learn they were hosting an Easter lunch/dinner buffet. Sadly, we were disappointed in the food and the cafeteria style dining. I excepted a little more ambience. The meats were extremely dry especially, the salmon (except the beef). Also, the Mac and cheese and other dishes which is a kids favorite was spicy. I love spicy, but when hosting a family holiday you really need to accommodate for the kids. read more

We've eaten at the Pearl twice this past week. JT surprised me by taking me there to eat & see the lights. We enjoyed it so much, we took my in laws there two days later. The deviled eggs are serviceable, but the grouper bites are the bomb! We also had the grouper entree & the bone-in pork chop. Both were so yummy. The pork chop was juicy & smoky and the Cherry Marsala Demi glaze made it. Grouper was seared perfectly & the remoulade added a tangy touch. We had dirty mashed potatoes & Brussels sprouts. Both were very good. We enjoyed peanut butter pie for dessert. It was a rich & sweet finish. The first night, we sat near the bar & the second we were upstairs. We preferred downstairs. Our upstairs server, Kaylee, had such a great personality & did a terrific job. They haven't been open long & there's a lot to be worked out. The kitchen is downstairs, so all the food has to be taken upstairs using the elevator that guests also have to use. It's a lot on the servers. Why there isn't a dumb waiter or something is beyond me. We had a fun time & the lights were just fantastic. read more

This is an interesting place. First, the good things. The park itself (Aspire) is really beautiful and actually drew us from Knoxville to have a look around. If you like hiking or biking, it's definitely a must visit, we will return in the spring to take it all in when it's a bit warmer. As for the dining, well, there is definitely room for improvement. The service was fine once you get things sorted out a bit, it's kind of confusing because there are outdoor tables that you can presumably sit at and eat lunch if you are visiting the park, but they are also seated for the restaurant, so it's not that intuitive. We wound up sitting at the bar, where we received good service from the girl working there, though it was a little comical because she didn't seem able to reach far enough across the bar to hand us our drinks. The food was....mid. I had a ribeye and my wife had the salmon. We aren't really complainers, but the cook temp was off (both a bit overdone). Not really a big deal, the place is super nice. I would just say that when you have choices like Fleming's, Conner's or the Chop House in similar price ranges (we dropped around $120, with a two glasses of wine and after tip) it would be hard to put this place in the regular rotation. We considered doing the Christmas light walk, but I think it was like another $50-60 to do it, so we passed. All in all, it's an interesting place. I think the guy that owns it built a statue of himself out front which is definitely unique to say the least! We will be back to enjoy the park's amenities in the future! read more

We had 6:00 reservations, didn't not get seated till 7:00p. We watched to waiters collide and water go all over the guest. Ordered appetizers and one main dish. Main dish arrived first (risotto). This dish was Luke warm only flavor was white wine very disappointed. Appetizers came next. Bake Brie was delicious, pimento cheese bits were just ok. Service appears untrained and like a really bad circus. This restaurant has so much potential. No heaters outside or fire pits in seating areas. We also did the lights which I feel is over priced for you to walk through lights. Hot chocolate was 3.54 for a small, and it was all the way down by the water. The lights are beautiful and dance floor was cool. I mean you can get a large hot chocolate at Weigles for less! read more

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Food was delicious. Riley was our waiter, he was super great and attentive. Made our visit even more special. Thank you for the great service. read more

Was a great meal for Thanksgiving. At first we were seared downstairs which is all glass walls/doors and was very chilly and we could almost feel a breeze. We asked about upstairs and although they tried to persuade us to stay where we were upon insistence that reseated us upstairs and it was delightful. Very good service and the food was great. Good wine list as well but we had to get the main wine list vs the Thanksgiving meal wine list. read more

The food was mediocre at best. I ordered a medium well steak, but it came out rare. The water had visible floaties, and both of my mixed drinks came out with gnats in them. Definitely not the dining experience I expected from such a classy looking place. read more

I got the burger I had a family member get the pork chop they said it was the best they ever had. The waiter was very nice. They had a live band playing. read more

The Pearl - A burger with fries and mac and cheese - Desserts Near Me - Clinton, Tennessee

This is a beautiful restaurant, bar and party rental space on the edge of a tremendous public park. I'm sure the folks in Clinton are grateful for such a venue. We drove from North Knoxville to give it a try. To start, the ArtDeco detailing is very classic, and I especially appreciated the light fixtures the look like glowing pearls. Speaking of those light fixtures, y'all need to DIM IT DOWN. It was WAY too bright in the dining room and also in the bar upstairs. Our server was very kind and did a fine job. The food was mediocre, however. My friend and I had the risotto, and while the flavor was good, it was not cooked enough. Her husband ordered a chicken pasta entree which he had had once before on a previous visit. He said that there was not much flavor or seasoning on the dish as compared to the last time he ordered it. My husband had a steak and he said that it was fine. All that said, we're happy to have a restaurant of this caliber on this side of town, so we're going to give it a bit longer to work through the kinks and then we plan on trying it again. read more

For such a nice atmosphere and setting, the food needs some serious work if this restaurant is going to make it. I hope the owner makes some changes on food quality or chef because the restaurant has so much potential. Don't make the mistake like us and expect high-quality food if you come here. Expect Chilis/Applebee's quality or worse, not a more upscale food quality. The Brussels sprouts tasted like a frozen bag of Birds Eye vegetables. Half of our food came out cold. Asparagus was so loaded with salt, it was inedible. One dish of chicken was completely tough and the other under cooked. Service was just okay. read more

We love everything about this restaurant and the park. The food was delicious and my kids loved the atmosphere. read more

The Pearl - Desserts Near Me - Clinton, Tennessee

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We loved the park and wanted to love the Pearl but we felt like the restaurant needed to up its game a notch or 2. We went in and had reservations. We were seated promptly but our server never showed so after about 30 minutes we had to flag someone down. Once they found our server he was polite and did a fair job. Our food was ok. We had the salmon and grilled chicken . Salmon was great but chicken was pretty tough. The atmosphere is beautiful but the flow of traffic from the side door was loud and distracting. People were coming in through the restaurant to go to the bathroom instead of entering through the main door. Our table just happened to be in the thoroughfare so it was somewhat chaotic. What we expected to be a relaxing dinner at the end of a nice afternoon in the aspire park turned out to be a disappointing. I hope they do well because I love the concept. We will give it another chance but will request seating away from the side door. The menu is a mix of what I would consider fine dining with some casual food. Lots of unsupervised kids roaming in and out of the restaurant itself from outside was nerve racking. Hopefully our next trip will be less stressful. read more

I really wanted to like this place. The ambiance is nice, classy but not pompous, the wait staff was pleasant. Some of the food was very good, the kids had the chicken fingers. They were delicious but if you have a kid with texture issues, the batter was thick on these. The fruit was a bit under ripe and a little bit sour. I had the Brie as an app, it was cold. My daughter had a chicken sandwich and it was burnt. Why they sent it out that way is beyond me. I also had the short rib tacos, they would have been good of they had been warm. The onions on them were more raw than not. Since they are still pretty new, I'll give them another try, but I can't recommend them at the moment. Oh the last thing is that it took a long time to get food. read more