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STIR, the newest Chattanooga restaurant by SquareOne Holdings, is now open at the Chattanooga Choo Choo in a freshly refur-

bished space that weaves a modern, urban aesthetic into the historic remnants of the iconic terminal station.

“It’s like getting the band back together,” says President and Founder Allen Corey, who along with several other key players at STIR were formerly with Craftworks Restaurants & Breweries, Inc.

STIR is the first new restaurant to open in the renovated hotel. The archi-tectural integrity of the building has been retained. It features high ceilings, exposed brick, and large windows allow-ing plenty of natural light.

With ‘New American’ styling for its lunch and dinner menus, the restaurant offers about 30 seasonal items made from locally sourced ingredients with a bold contemporary spin. STIR’s casual-hip atmosphere is a great place to expe-rience the best made-from-scratch gour-met plates and fresh premium oysters at a dedicated raw bar. Ingredients come predominately from farms and vendors within 100 miles of Chattanooga through the restaurants partner, Harvested Here.

Customers can expect to see menu items such as wild-caught salmon cakes topped with citrus dill yogurt sauce, garnished with pickled shaved fennel and red onions. There will also be seared shrimp and scallop white cheddar maca-roni and cheese, vegan oven-roasted root vegetables, and grilled chicken caprese.

The bar atmosphere also is heighten-ing the customers experience with puri-

fied, artisanal ice that has been hand-cut to complement each one of its unique craft cocktails. The ice chef will use a Clineball brand ice machine to turn the purified water into crystal-clear, 300-pound blocks of ice. The ice will be sawed, chipped, and shaved into eight different cocktail-cooling shapes and sizes.

Cocktail recipes were created in partnership with world renowned bartender and 20-year veteran Gary Crunkleton from a selec-tion of more than 350 spirits. Included in the menu are vari-ous ice creams, desserts, coffee, and bakery items from the following local partner-ships: Clumpies, Fleetwood Coffee, Niedlov’s, and The Hot Chocolatier.

Indoor seating accommo-dates up to 200 guests, and outdoor seating up to 100 guests in the Chattanooga Choo Choo’s newly renovated space. Along the bar, patrons sit facing high arching windows and the oyster bar features a long community table. Private parties can accommodate up to 40 guests in the “Kabooze Room” and an additional 40 on the private terrace.

This original structure dates back to 1908. The renovation best expresses the authentic character of the old terminal station via the 5,300 square-foot restaurant. —staff

Visit stirchattanooga.com

All About The Inventive,The Artisan and The Local

Allen Corey, Fletcher Thompson, and Robert Werk on opening day.

In the Southwest corner of the Choo Choo terminal building, the entrance to STIR faces Market Street.

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