STIR artfully combines the vibes of an oyster bar, scratch-made food, and a by-the-stadium watering hole.
It’s hard to keep up with developments in the Old City. With the baseball/soccer stadium set to open next spring, STIR is the newest, snazziest, and largest pre- and post-game destination, located on the ground floor of the Stockyard Lofts. “When did that go up?” asked a member of our party, innocently enough.
The original STIR restaurant, known for its scratch-made dishes, oyster bar, craft cocktails, and artisanal ice, opened in Chattanooga seven years ago in the former Choo-Choo train station. The owners incorporated Americana railroad design elements from the old station and included them in the Charlotte and Raleigh locations. The Old City location combines rustic and urban design, using seasoned barn wood on the walls, black and white tile, antique iron ice tongs and picks (more about this later) alongside more industrial-style seating and lighting.
The generous bar faces an impressive bar bottle display, tall enough that it is accessed with two rolling library ladders. Bar patrons get a front row seat to the work of Kyle Diamond, an Oak Ridge native who regularly shucks between 500 and 1,000 oysters a night. He learned his craft from Scott “Shuck Norris” Graves, a national shucking contest winner. “Our house specialty James River oyster is the hardest to shuck,” says Diamond, “It has a thicker shell, so you use more effort, more force.” Answering an oft-heard question, he grins, “I have not seen a pearl.”
General Manager Myrandia Hankal grew up in McMinnville, started working at Shoney’s at 16, moved on to Ruby Tuesday, and went to Tennessee Tech for restaurant management. She opened seven locations (including Knoxville) in her 13 years with Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, then jumped to the Chattanooga STIR.
“It reignited my passion and fire for real food,” she explains. “Everything we do, we make within our four walls.” When the Knoxville STIR opened in July 2023, she was all in.
In all, STIR seats 235 inside and another 165 on the two outside patios, with garage doors that open to expand the space, and Hankal manages the place like the experienced pro she is.
STIR is known for craft cocktails served with “artisanal ice,” a process that takes a 300-pound block and creates a variety of shapes, from shaved and chipped ice to perfect cubes and spheres. Because the water is ultra-filtered, the 3-inch sphere in our drink was clear enough to read the menu through it. This filtering process and size of the cube means the ice melts very slowly, preventing dilution.
Hankal loves the ice sphere in the STIR Old Fashioned. “It’s a pre-Prohibition style Old-Fashioned,” she explains, “we use Marasca cherries muddled with an orange quarter and stirred with Four Roses bourbon over ice. It’s perfect.”
Not to disrespect the Old Fashioned, but the No. 1 drink on the menu is the Wild Moon Child, a composition of vodka, lime cordial, strawberry syrup, Aperol, and lemon juice. Be careful with this one, it can sneak up on you! Lastly, be sure to try the Austin Mule, a new twist on the classic that uses a ginger cordial and fresh lime juice.
If you love oysters, you will delight in the range of choices here. The selection is lavish, including a classic dozen House Oysters (raw or steamed with cocktail, horseradish, and mignonette sauce), Oysters Rockefeller (with spinach, shallots, lemon, sambuca, and Parmesan cheese), and Char-Broiled Oysters (with lemon, scampi butter, shallots, red pepper flakes, and Parmesan).
True aficionados may opt for the Specialty Oysters, a premium rotating selection, fresh daily, subject to availability. We savored Malpeque oysters from Prince Edward Island, Canada; Blue Mimotos from Massachusetts; and Blue Points from Long Island Sound off New York.
A nice addition here is the Cold Bar Platter which combines oysters with steamed shrimp, spicy tuna crostini, and the usual accompaniments. If you want to stay with seafood, try the STIR seafood tower featuring rotating seasonal selections. We think this will be a game-day favorite.
Mid-meal, we met Executive Chef Esteban Mejia who hails from a town three hours north of Mexico City. He worked for 20 years at Cheddar’s, where he met Hankal. He jumped to STIR because he values the made-from- scratch kitchen philosophy.
The appetizer menu is an abundance of riches, ranging from crab cakes, truffle fries, and steak sliders to fish tacos or a Chef’s Board of charcuterie favorites. We loved the Spicy Tuna Bites with tobiko roe, cucumbers, furikake, sriracha wonton crisps, and pineapple sweet chili. One of the top appetizers IS the Cheeseburger Egg Rolls, which combine the satisfying crunch of an egg roll with a savory filling of ground beef, cheddar, American cheese, pickles, and red onion.
Be sure not to miss STIR’s crab bisque – it is in a class by itself, with a special blend of crab, cream, sherry, basil oil, crostini, and celery leaves. Said Hankal, “We have had people from Maine who’ve said, ‘I thought I’d had crab bisque, but it wasn’t as good as yours.’”
Four of the most popular entrées showcase the scratch approach of fine food, prepared well. The Lobster & Shrimp White Cheddar Mac & Cheese combines a healthy serving of cavatappi pasta, lobster and shrimp with asparagus, lemon oil, breadcrumbs, and micro greens. The Sesame Steak Bowl marries sesame soy-marinated sirloin, pickled kale, edamame, julienne carrots, marinated cucumbers, green onions, and rice cake with a fried egg.
The chicken Piccata begins with a sizable chicken breast of chicken that is pounded thin, brined for 24 hours, then lightly breaded and pan seared and served with capers, white wine, farro, and roasted vegetables. Steak frites is a classic preparation of marinated sirloin served with hand-cut fries, and house-made steak sauce.
STIR offers a wide variety of salads and sandwiches, perfect for an afternoon meal. You can eat lightly with the STIR chop salad or go all-in with the steakhouse burger. Don’t forget the truffle fries. They are outstanding, and you’ll burn the calories cheering for the Knox One side.
The dessert menu rotates, but our evening ended with an especially creamy Maple Bourbon Crème Brulee and a Matcha Green Tea Cheesecake on a crust of saltine crackers and butter and topped with whipped cream and macerated berries.
STIR is an energetic addition to the Old City and a fun and tasty downtown option.