After doing a photo shoot at the old Courthouse in downtown Chattanooga, we simply walked across the street to Universal Joint Chattanooga. The first thing you notice about it is that it is in an old gas station. They have used the space beautifully. There is a large outside patio area, but it was too chilly on the day we were visiting, at least for us, there were several tables filled outside. We walked inside to find a sign informing us to seat ourselves. I love that because I can scope out the best lighting. We were able to grab a seat right be the window.
Our waiter arrived almost immediately and took our drink orders, beer for the hubs, water for me. As we looked over the menu, I kept changing my mind. So many things sounded good. I was torn between the Arugula and Mushroom Quesadilla, Blackened Tilapia Tacos, a U Joint Burger, and the Grilled Chicken and Arugula Salad. Since we had eaten kind of heavy for the past couple of days, we both chose the Grilled Chicken and Arugula Salad.
While we waited for our salads, I admired the rustic interior. Peeling paint and old wood added lots of charm, though all I could think about was how much I would love to photograph some of my food blog photos on the tables!
The salad was very pretty. It had sliced grilled chicken, arugula, dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, and pecans. The chicken was lightly seasoned and grilled perfectly – nice and moist. The toppings were just right, not too heavy. Actually the whole salad was perfectly proportioned. I finished it all and felt satisfied. The dressing was a light lemony dressing with very finely pickled red onions. My only suggestion for this salad would be that I would like to see the pickled red onions be more of a part of the salad, part of the toppings.
We were very pleased with our salad and will be back to try some of the other things I mentioned above!
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