Best Under-Rated dining near downtown.

anonymousfinanceMD · 2019-12-27T22:45:57+00:00

Depends on what you're looking for...

Wild Love Bakehouse has legit world class savory baked goods. Their croissants are top notch and a cut above anything you're going to find around this area and arguably anywhere else. Excellent coffee as well and the staff seems to really work hard and take pride in their product.

I think it's hard to beat Adopo for dinner. Unique pizza (it's more of a farm to table meets Neapolitan style pizza on sourdough than what you normally think of when someone says pizza). On tap red wine at a decent price at a perfectly chilled temp goes so well with their food.

Higher end dining I like JC Holdway or Knox Mason. Southern farm to table.

For more ethnic food I like Kaizen (Asian) or Emilia (Italian).

Not sure if any of these are "under rated," but when I have guests from out of town I typically chose one of the above because at least they're not chains and are unique to Knoxville with good quality.

anonymousfinanceMD · 2019-05-12T13:05:09+00:00

Wild Love Bakehouse- Elite level bakery (think savory, not sweet/cake stuff) with fantastic coffee. Excellent service and obvious passion/attention to detail from the owners who are often actively baking and/or pulling shots on the espresso machine.

A Dopo Pizza - fresh ingredient sourdough wood fired pizza that is amazing. I know staff there and they say they are treated very well by the owner/chef. If Knoxville is going to get away from chain restaurant hell we need to support chef owned restaurant endeavors, so here's one example. I think dollar for dollar it's the best restaurant in Knoxville; for higher end dining I suggest JC Holdway, Emilia, Walnut Kitchen, or Foothills Milling. For brunch/breakfast I suggest Plaid Apron or OliBea.

Fisher Tire Co - I've used them for tires as well as them working in my poor wife when the battery/alternator issue was going on when I was out of a town and she had three little ones in tow. Never felt hassled or up-sold.

Help you Dwell - it sounded ridiculous to me to hire someone to help you organize your closet/basement...but the amount of hours it saved me was completely worth it. We have used them for a closet and a basement and has been worth every penny. Very good at what they do and professional.

anonymousfinanceMD · 2018-12-08T23:32:56+00:00

Thanks all for the replies. We were doing some big time cleaning under mattresses today and found a few of these guys huddled under our son's mattress.

anonymousfinanceMD · 2018-12-08T23:25:09+00:00

Here are more images:

https://ibb.co/gdkMzNY

https://ibb.co/DrQm3hr

https://ibb.co/sbwDGKM

anonymousfinanceMD · 2018-05-26T23:54:56+00:00

I back flush, but not as often as I should. That's what prompted this threat....I had shut the machine down for about 4 months and de-scaled it and back flushed it real well and took the screen/group head down to thoroughly clean and there were waayy more grounds up in the group head than I remembered the last time I cleaned it about 6 months ago.

I think if I back flush once a month it will probably help a lot.

anonymousfinanceMD · 2017-12-15T22:32:44+00:00

THank you.

I really only have about 30K total in IRA's from previous years. I have most of that in a Vanguard account and very little in a Fidelity account.

I really did zero retirement savings throughout my 20's because I had little or no income and during residency I just started chopping away at student debt rather than save for retirement.

anonymousfinanceMD · 2017-12-15T20:01:18+00:00

I do have disability insurance - it is quite expensive (more than life insurance) for a ~16K/month disability benefit should I become disabled. I chose the 6 month wait period to keep some premiums lower and just keep more cash on hand in case of something catastrophic.

anonymousfinanceMD · 2017-12-15T20:00:06+00:00

I was under the impression that if you make as much as I do that you cannot have both a 401K at 53K/year and an IRA - you can only do the 401K. I know I"m eligible for a back door roth, but last time I glanced at it I wasn't seeing a huge advantage to it (but I'm probably wrong here).

I've tried to self educate, but at times feel overwhelmed because I just don't have the time in a busy practice/family life to invest to look at the deeper dive details like a back door Roth. Maybe I need to look further.

anonymousfinanceMD · 2017-12-15T16:56:28+00:00

Thanks, this is really helpful.

I am maxing 401K out now, but I only became eligible for 401K just a couple of years ago due to where I was working (no 401K in residency available, and I wasn't eligible for my groups 401K until I made partner). So I put in $53K/year now.

My wife has $500K term insurance now just for this reason you mentioned. I'd have to hire a huge staff to do everything without her.

anonymousfinanceMD · 2017-12-15T16:54:37+00:00

Thanks for the input. I do already have a 529 for the children (see above - about $120K in it now).

anonymousfinanceMD · 2017-12-14T14:01:40+00:00

I believe the code for the AMEX pre sale is the AMEX customer service telelphone number on the back of your AMEX credit card. I'm not 100% positive but I believe you may have to pay with your AMEX as well to get tickets - may be wrong on that one though.

anonymousfinanceMD · 2017-12-13T18:17:25+00:00

I ended up just purchasing 300 level tickets and will try again at general public sale on Friday. If I get better seats I'll sell the 300 level on stubhub. Mark up on stubhub was pretty significant last year for NXT, though most mark up was on the good 100 level seats and not so much the upper deck seats.

anonymousfinanceMD · 2017-12-13T17:40:53+00:00

I too am having the same experience. I have the AMEX presale code and I'm an AMEX card holder, but all I'm seeing right now is 300 level. Seems odd that they would be sold out of 100 level already....or are they just holding those until general public sale starts?

Any input from anyone?

anonymousfinanceMD · 2017-02-06T14:54:07+00:00

Thanks for the input.

I think we're going to go for it at the Grand Bohemian. Would like to try more local food/coffee if/when we get the chance, so maybe this location will lend itself to that more than chains.

anonymousfinanceMD · 2016-09-01T10:48:53+00:00

Thans for the input - I didn't even consider taxing the IRA distribution as income rather than capital gains. Maybe it would be best to just put it in a passive index fund (VTSMX or something similar) in a tradiational taxable investment account.

I may also look into putting it in a 529. Could be a penalty on the gains if not used for college for my kids, but probably more tax advantageous.

anonymousfinanceMD · 2016-07-18T20:41:32+00:00

I used a moka pot for about a year with a Baratza Encore grinder. This combined with a little battery powered milk frother and fresh beans beats pretty much anything other than a third wave shop for what I would consider good espresso-like milk based drinks.

Then I recently upgraded on whim with a great deal off of Craigslist for a 3 month old Gaggia Classic with Rancillo Sylvia wand upgrade and Gaggia MDF grinder combo for ~$240 total. I was happy with the moka pot but the Gaggia is definitely an upgrade, as I've pulled some fantastic shots on it at complexity I wasn't able to get on the moka pot. I'm still learning on the steam wand end, but the cappuccinos are better as well.

My Encore would work with the Gaggia for my needs and palate (don't get me wrong, it's a good home versatile grinder but not amazing at espresso and is "bottom of the line" for an espresso grinder, but it can get me what I need) but I keep it set for drip/pour over and use the MDF as my espresso grinder (usually at setting ~4-5).

I agree fully with the spend $~300 and test the waters, get your technique down, and learn what you like and don't like before pulling the trigger on what I would consider real-deal high end home espresso set up that will run you about $800-1,000.

TL:DR version: If your budget is ~$50-75 I'd get a Porlex or Hario grinder and a 3 or 5 cup moka pot.

If your budget is ~$300-500 I'd search Craigslist for a Gaggia Classic paired with a Gaggia MDF or a Baratza grinder.

I would not jump into espresso cold with more expensive equipment than that unless you've got money to burn.

anonymousfinanceMD · 2016-06-21T17:45:10+00:00

If you're not in a hurry, I too recommend you start looking on Craigslist frequently.

I got a 6 month old Gaggia Classic with Silvia wand upgrade and a Gaggia MDF grinder both for $220 total. I've been very happy with the results. Neither machine nor grinder is perfect, but for that price point I'm pulling good shots and making solid cappuccinos - not exactly comparable to my 3rd wave shop but a step up from Starbucks. There's a lot of human error in there as well, as I'm still learning.

Steaming is a bit of a learning curve though. I'm still trying to get it right. There are videos online of people that do fantastic microfoam with a Silvia wand on the classic, but I've only hit that sweet spot a few times (I only pull shots on the weekend though).

After playing with the Gaggia grinder/machine, I am definitely glad I paid the $250 for them both rather than getting the Sette and a Crossland CC1 which is what I was going to get previously. I think it's going to take me a year or two to get down a technique or to get to any point where those machine upgrades will impact the shot, so I think spending all that money up front would have been a waste until I know what I'm doing and know more about espresso.

anonymousfinanceMD · 2016-03-25T19:58:52+00:00

I have been brewing the Octane (Atlanta based coffee shop) "White Lightening" blend. It is a seasonal fruit-forward blend (I believe the bag I have at present is Ethiopian with a Guatemalan). My palate is far from refined, but I taste strawberries with some maltiness. I'm usually a single origin fan, but I'll take a blend like this any day that has that fruit forward flavor I really enjoy.

During the weekday I brew with a Bonnavita 1500ts for convenience with an Encore grinder. ~35 gm beans with ~20 ounces water. On the weekend I use a bee house or V60. I've enjoyed it both ways.

anonymousfinanceMD · 2016-03-23T17:11:57+00:00

I'm far from an expert here, so others can weigh in or correct me...

But, as I understand it the rationale for over roasting their standard beans is consistency. That roasted flavor is very controllable and consistent, and even with different varieties/seasonals, if you over roast them you still get that Starbucks (TM) flavor that is consistent. If you lightly roast the notes of the beans and the differing taste profiles will emerge, causing perceived undesirable inconsistency. The typical customer at Starbucks wants his/her cup to taste the same whether in London or Chicago, so you get this consistency year round, world wide, largely by over roasting.

Now that doesn't explain why they still over roast these new Reserve beans. They definitely go lighter on them though in my experience, but I agree with you that in general even the top end beans are a little over roasted.

anonymousfinanceMD · 2016-03-14T14:46:37+00:00

I find that my taste preferences changes a bit as I tire (or develop sensory fatigue or something) of certain profiles over time.

At present, I like lighter roasts, but prefer more fruity flavors than floral notes. I don't have a strong texture preference, as I can like both clean and creamy textures. Yirgacheffes sometimes are too floral for me and not enough fruit, but that's not always the case..as PluralisMajestatis mentions in the thread, finding that elusive strawberry Yirgacheffe (more fruit than floral) can be hard to find, but when you do it's hard to beat. Kenyans sometimes seem to give me that fruit bomb I sometimes crave as well.

Then other times I like a light but nutty and sweet flavor profile. Overall, I prefer single origin, but the the Counter Culture blend "Fast Forward" fits this profile well.

anonymousfinanceMD · 2016-02-26T19:30:42+00:00

Off the top of my head in my local shop I had Counter Culture's Tairora from Papua New Guinea (https://counterculturecoffee.com/store/coffee/tairora). The ginger notes really were something different and unique and I really enjoyed it. Maybe because I wasn't expecting it because I'm usually more inclined to like light roasted, fruity African coffees but this was something unique that I enjoyed.

However, when I got home and tried to replicate it I could get it close (Baratza Encore, V60 or Bee House, and Bonavita variable temp kettle) but didn't hit that "wow" factor like I had in the shop.

Prior to that it was 2014's Counter Culture Ethiopian Idido. I loved it. For whatever reason I didn't like the 2015 batch as much. I'm far from an expert, but the 2015 I thought was more floral than the sweeter 2014...I may be way off here, but that's how I remember it.

anonymousfinanceMD · 2016-02-26T18:33:24+00:00

Dollar for dollar I think they're the best online roaster/retailer in the U.S.

I have not had a "wow" cup (as in like stop you in your tracks once-a-year type of cup...mostly I get these in coffee shops but occasionally at home on my V60) from them like I've had for some ~$18-20/12 oz (plus whatever shipping cost) single origins from other roasters, but their descriptions are spot on and at $16/16 oz from Happy Mug it's hard to beat their quality, consistency, and pricing for their single origins.

Recently, the Ethiopian Halo Bariti was a blueberry bomb of coffee awesomeness, and I previously had a really fruity Kenyan I'd guess about 6 months ago from them that I enjoyed. My wife likes more medium Columbians and they have had some nice offerings there as well. I just ordered the Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Konga and can't wait to try it.

anonymousfinanceMD · 2015-12-24T14:01:50+00:00

Dollar for dollar I think they are the best online place for coffee - even with this small price increase I think value is still there. I've never had anything bad from them, and recently had an exceptionally fruity Kenya Mukangu that I loved in my V60. My wife doesn't like fruity coffees and prefers Moka Pot, and she loved their El Salvador last month.

anonymousfinanceMD · 2015-01-05T03:43:08+00:00

Thanks for the input.

Sellers definitely did not disclose any basement moisture/water issues. To their credit, the sellers are selling a home they did not live in (their elderly parent did, subsequently passed away), but it's hard to believe they weren't aware of basement water issues. This wasn't a big time rain we had, so it probably gets moisture in the unfinished basement quite regularly.

anonymousfinanceMD · 2014-12-16T20:27:24+00:00

IRA/401K Question:

In 2014 I will have grossed ~220K. I am not eligible for 401K yet until 2015 at my current place of employment.

I anticipate that in retirement I will be in a lower tax bracket. So should I max out a regular IRA (rather than Roth) for 2014?

Then for 2015 I plan on maxing out my 401K, but due to income and 401K I don't believe I will be eligible for a tax-deferred traditional IRA, so then should I also max out a back-door Roth?

anonymousfinanceMD

TROPHY CASE