It wasn’t long ago we used to refer to the Tri-Cities as the “Quad-Cities.” As a disc jockey working for WQUT in the early eighties, this was part of our radio dialog when we refered to the mountains of Northeast Tennessee which included, Bristol, Kingsport, Johnson City and (at that time) Elizabethton.
Pronounced “E-l-is-ah-beth-ton,” this small town rests on the eastern border of Tennessee and is the county seat for Carter County. It’s home to Sycamore Shoals, Watauga Lake, The Covered Bridge and a wonderful community that hosts an antique car show every Saturday night and a new restaurant – Carter on Main that deserves a taste as you venture around the region.
I’ve been driving to Elizabethton to a lot recently and I was vaguely aware of the antique car show every Saturday night in the center of downtown. My friends, Jared Bentley, Lance McCloud and Lance Williams were performing their first gig as ‘Myra Lee’ at this new restaurant and before I could find the place, I found myself in the center of a downtown cruise-in.
It’s really kind of cool. Some people might bitch because they can’t get from here to there, but I went ahead and parked the Jeep at the far west side of town, grabbed my camera and decided to find the restaurant on foot and shoot some photos along the way.
As I started walking across the railroad tracks, a pale yellow and white ’57 Chevy was parked catty-corned at the entrance and most everyone that brings an antique car has their ride parked along both sides of the 4-lane city district. There are two lanes open down the middle and you can drive right down the center as slow as you like to catch a glimpse of these shiny, metal relics from days gone by.
Most of their owners sit in nearby lawn chairs with their coolers and some have matching t-shirts that say Corvette or this or that. The speakers in the downtown corridors are piping some 50s-music and it’s nice to see business owners with their doors open. Kingsport and other areas in the region try to have downtown events, but for some reason, these after-hours events are never that important to stay open for. Not in Elizabethton.
The cars started to thin out by the time I made it to the Elk River bridge that crosses over Elizabethton’s signature landmark. The historic Covered Bridge is a real-world postcard. I’ve visited this spot so many times over the years and was surprised to see the step-waterfall has been dug out and it appears, the park around the bridge has some new plans.
That waterfall added a splendor to park around the Covered Bridge. I remember walking bare-foot out into the river with rushing water about mid-calf. On hot summer days, you would see lots of kids strolling across too and I guess that might have been the rub – insurance and liablity. I’ll always miss the way it used to sound though because those steps made a river sound beautiful.
I wasn’t real sure where Carter on Main was located. Steve Thompson told me about catching Perry Robbins at this place a few weeks ago, so it was familiar, but I still had no idea.
Turns out the place is right near Elizabethton’s most interesting landmarks. It’s located on 218 Elk Avenue and that puts it right past the Covered Bridge, and a bit beyond the Veterans Memorial – an obelisk that stands in the center of a circle – right across from the old and new Carter County Courthouse.
Carter on Main is a 200-plus year cirmson home in Elizabethton recently opened by Gary Conrad. It’s a stately Georgian mansion with big oak, sycamores, maples and other trees that lumber over a backyard that’s been turned into a outdoor dining area. As I walked in past the ivy and the shade from this summer day, the romance of this place is memorable. They have about 20 tables outside on the decks, verandas and stone walkways. The filtered light from the evening sunset was the perfect compliment to the fountains and chatter of squirrels and songbirds that makes this place like no other with exception of the Troutdale.
There’s some semblance between Carter on Main and The Troutdale in Bristol. They are both elegant old Victorian homes and both offer a delightful menu. I saw lots of seafood and pastas on this menu and decided on the Walnut Crusted Trout. the only difference was the style. Troutdale has a more formal flair while Carter on Main gets the nod for casual elegance. There was nothing wrong with a pair of shorts or a summer dress on this hot July night.
Jared and the “Lance Brothers” were positioned in a gazebo outside the back yard dining area. The manager stepped into the small outdoor bar and he described to me that that the gazebo was built after their fire on New Year’s Eve.
Lance McCloud was taking a break from their gig and he told me that they were supposed to play that night, but a fire broke down in their kitchen and the damage was so bad the restaurant took close to six-months to get back in shape. That’s when they decided to go ahead and expand the backyard dining area and the new gazebo. He invited me inside to take a look, but I never made it that far and was more intrigued with the outdoor ambience as he explained he was planning on bringing in some wrought-iron to add a more French Quarter look to the balconies.
I really enjoyed my dinner and more importantly the music. As I topped off my dinner with some cheesecake, I listened to one of the most inspiring new voices sing a never-ending collection of original music. Jared is a terrific songwriter with a elqouence and personality that is intelligent, approachable and holds your attention with distinction. Their music was a little strained by the minature sound system they were running through, but the acoustic play and genuine minstrel quality of their music was a good compliment for the summer elegance from this back patio at Carter on Main.
It was close to 10.30 before I said goodbye and the long walk back through downtown was quiet. The lights were still buzzing, the music was still playing from the outside speaks, but the cars had all but vanished some time ago, headed back to their garage. Barber shopes, furniture store, blinking traffic lights. Restaurants, For Rent signs and another Saturday night – downtown in Elizabethton. I’ll be back.