Fun in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and One Sweet Engagement!

This past weekend my son, Chandler, decided to propose to his girlfriend of seven years, Cadie. I knew he was planning the proposal, as I had gone shopping with him for the ring the weekend after Thanksgiving. It was fun watching him pick out the perfect ring for his perfect girl, and even more fun to see him exclaim with excitement, "That's the one!"

We had planned a weekend in Chattanooga, and I'm so glad we did. It was the perfect getaway for our little family holiday. So much so, my usually introverted, home-loving children requested we make a trip like this one a yearly tradition, much to my happy surprise.

After being much delayed by Atlanta traffic, we made a later reservation at our original restaurant of choice, Hennen's, a steak house with some of the best wine and steak I've ever eaten. I'm so glad we decided to go ahead and have a late dinner. I can't believe I forgot to snap photos of our food, as every bite was as pretty as it was divine. The photo featured was pulled from their website.

Our server was a little half-Italian man who would say things like, "No, you don't want to order that. You'll order this. I bring it to you!" He was like something out of a movie. A sweet soul who showed us pictures of his homeland, and taught my son about the importance of understanding the body of a wine, and what food to drink it with. If I lived closer to Chattanooga, I would eat here frequently just so he could wait on me.

We began with appetizers, salad and soup. The Lobster Bisque was so velvety and buttery, Paula Deen would've been proud. I ordered vinaigrette dressing with my salad, but the waiter insisted he bring me ranch instead. He wasn't wrong. It was the best ranch dressing I'd ever had, and it made each bite of my salad taste like a swim through a perfectly balanced buttermilk river. Chandler argued the Ceasar Salad was even better. For appetizer we had salmon crostini and calamari. I'll admit, after reading that some restaurants legally use swine buttholes and intestines as calamari in the United States, I have been weary of them. I'm not a fan of chitlins, not from any animal. However, these were the real deal and tasted fantastic and tender once I sprinkled a little lemon juice on them. The salmon had a dill base with a buttered bread crust, and also tasted perfectly balanced with a sprinkle of lemon.

For the main course, my daughter, Caryn, ordered Chicken Parmigiano, while Cadie ordered steak with shrimp skewers and asparagus, and Chandler ordered a bone-in steak. I went with the filet steak, and we all agreed mine was the best. It was so tender you could cut it with a fork, and the wide array of sauces available to top it made me oh-so-happy. Each dish had perfectly cooked pasta or potatoes, and the wine our waiter suggested for me was on point. I don't drink often, but if I do have a glass, I want those calories to be worth it. It must taste good. I'd only ever had wine this good in Atlanta about a year ago when I discovered Moscato d'Asti. This wine, Caposaldo, was very similar and even better I think. It was very affordable, but hit just the right notes between sparkly, dry and sweet. In fact, it had me feeling so happy, we finished off the night by sharing a Creme Brûlée.

Next, we walked our very full bellies down to Walnut Bridge. This bridge was built in 1891 and is one of the longest pedestrian, pet-friendly bridges in the world. Chandler had determined ahead of time it would be the perfect spot for him to propose, with its lights and the perfect view of the city. I had scarves, gloves and hats ready for us in case it was cold over the water. Fortunately, it wasn't that cold and we didn't need them much.

I've never seen a young lady so happy and grateful as Cadie was when she saw him drop to one knee. I've never been so thankful to see my prayers answered. Chandler had asked for God to send him one girl at a young age ... someone he could spend his whole life with and grow up with. He didn't want to date a lot of different girls. He just wanted one. We prayed together when he was in the sixth grade, per his request, and he met Cadie just four years or so later. They've been like Mutt & Jeff every since. Fun Side Note: Mutt & Jeff were the first comics to successfully run on a daily basis in the early 1900's. I'm hoping Chandler and Cadie also have that same streak of luck. His dad and I haven't had that kind of luck, so I know we're both praying he breaks the curse! Haha :)

We crashed at the riverfront Springhill Suites by Marriott hotel, and before we went to sleep Chandler had decided already where we were going to eat breakfast. I don't know how he was thinking about food after that meal we had had. But, I am so glad he got his sister to do some research online and found a highly-rated, Food Network worthy place to chow down: Maple Street Biscuit Company.

Saturday morning we slept in a bit and made our way downtown to stand in line for what was supposed to be the best biscuits this side of the Mississippi. I won't say it was the best breakfast I've ever had, but it was the best chicken biscuit I've ever had. I got The Squawking Goat (pictured), featuring a flaky biscuit topped with battered chicken strips, toasted goat cheese and a sweet-not-spicy pepper jelly. Naturally, my daughter decided what I ordered was more for her flavor palate, and we traded, leaving me with The Farmer, a biscuit topped with bacon, cheese, apple butter and chicken strips. I can't complain, it was very good, but The Squawking Goat was featured on The Food Network television show for a reason. It had a similar flavor profile to the Korean Corn Dogs we've had at Ponce City Market in the past, and it was utterly delectable. I must really love my kiddo to pass up a meal like that! That pepper jelly with the goat cheese made for one memorable bite!

We did a little shopping at an indoor mall, which I admittedly have missed since outdoor malls have become a thing, and then we headed over to Lookout Mountain and Rock City Gardens. Cadie had never seen Rock City, and it had been a decade since Chandler and Caryn had visited. It was especially neat this year because we went close to sunset, and the Christmas lights filled the park with so much twinkling joy. For those with young children, they had photo ops with Santa, hot cocoa, comforting German foods, and more.

I'll never forget the first time I visited Rock City. I figured it would be just another tourist trap. I was so wrong! It's a wonderful place to take the family for a holiday, albeit legitimately dangerous for small rambunctious children (child leash recommended) ... and they even have a Starbucks just outside the gate for parents needing an extra jolt.

They even had a Build-A-Bear type workshop where my teenager just had to spend some of her Christmas money on a black and white kitten dressed in a bright yellow duck bath towel and slippers. I love that she's still a kid at heart.

We were hungry after all of the twists and turns of the colorful adventure, so we went to the Urban Stack, a Chattanooga restaurant known for its burgers. The wait was long, but I quite enjoyed by kale salad and bowl of chili, while the kids stuffed their faces with mile-high stacks of beef, toppings and artisan bread.

When we got back to the hotel, I was talking to the guys at the front desk about the cookies I had in the room with no milk. Without missing a beat one of them hopped over to the kitchen and gave us four cartons of the milk they had reserved for the continental breakfast the next morning. I have been waiting for YEARS to have an excuse to order cookies from Haley Cakes and Cookies in Austin, Texas, and the engagement had been the perfect excuse. They were fresh, beautiful, and the perfect end to our eventful day.

We thought about going to the Tennessee Aquarium Sunday morning, but we were all exhausted, and I suspected the lines would be long. So, we opted instead to eat breakfast (can you tell we're foodies?) and run, so to speak, all the way back home to crawl on our sofas and watch Netflix.

Before departing Chattanooga, we stopped in at City Cafe Diner (Carter Street location) another highly recommended place with a dessert display case that would rival any you'd see in Manhattan's Little Italy. Well, except for Ferrara's. No one can compete with Ferrara's! But, City Cafe did have some really eye pleasing cannoli's. Wish I would've had room to try them. I could barely breathe by the time we ate this last meal. They had endless awards on the walls of the dessert accolades they'd accumulated over the years. The menu was so thick, and featured about every type of food you could imagine.

While beautiful and well prepared, each of us at the table agreed the savory foods we ate lacked flavor. We had to add salt and pepper to almost everything, and the chocolate silk pie crust we shared had a luscious crust, but the filling could've used more of a punch of chocolate flavor. When we got in the car Caryn complained the food was lacking in flavor and seasoning.

Disclaimer: I will admit we have been spoiled by my mom, the best southern cook in 10 states, so it's hard to find anything that can live up to her cooking. Most people would love City Cafe, and that was evident by the very long line we waited in to get a seat.

All-in-all, I'd say our 1st year of traveling for Christmas with this grateful mom was a success (even if I did gain five pounds in one weekend). Next year we might need to join a gym. Merry Christmas!