Restaurant Week in Knoxville; Questions answered

I've gotten a few questions about my experience with Restaurant Week in Knoxville last year. Let me try to address some of them here. If you have any more questions don't hesitate to shoot me an email at youvebeenreviewed@gmail.com.

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Knoxville.
Isn't it pretty?

Reservations

Most of the questions seem to center around the need for reservations. The restaurants that we visited strongly suggested reserving a table in advance. 

We went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse and The Melting Pot and I would say that advance arrangements for a table are absolutely the way to go. OpenTable is an online reservation system that many eateries use. Otherwise, you need to phone the restaurant directly.

How busy was it?
We opted for roughly the same time of day for both restaurants. This was in hopes that going at an off-peak time would give us time to enjoy dinner before the rush. The plan worked. Ruth's Chris Steakhouse was the slower of the two restaurants that we tried. However; I would say that business was brisk by the time we left. The Melting Pot was very busy at the time we arrived and later. 

Peak versus off-peak

Definitely try to book for off-peak. I firmly believe that it's the way to go.

Is the menu worth the price?
I would say that the menu is worth the cost for the restaurants that we tried. Each business is different so I have no way to compare any place except the two that we tried.

Would you do it again?
Absolutely! I'm trying to figure out where to go. There are so many good choices. Hubby and I have been able to whittle the list down to about 30 or so places to try. 

It supports charity.

No one has asked me about it yet but I want to remind everyone anyway. At least $5 of every meal is donated to the Second Harvest Food Bank. The work they do includes Knoxville and 18 counties in all. Supporting them is a no-brainer. 

If you can't help during Knoxville Restaurant Week (which also helps bring tourism dollars to our area and promote jobs) then maybe you can make a small online donation. As Knoxville Restaurant Week demonstrates, even $5 is enough to make a big difference.