By Casey Brown, 2013
Nestled on top of a little hill on the outskirts of Murphy is a little wooden building that blends with the mountain scenery with a bar straight the tropics. This clash of cultures is known as Doyle’s Cedar Hill Restaurant and Tiki Bar.
Since the night was relatively warm for an October evening, we opted to sit outside in the tiki bar. Entering the patio area, we were skeptical. What is a tiki bar doing in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains? I was concerned that the tropical motif in the middle of the mountains would feel too contrived, but aside from the bright red Hawaiian shirts all the servers wore, the atmosphere did not feel too out of place.
The metal slates with beer logos and the broken surf boards hung up added to the tiki bar style but did not feel uncomfortably foreign in the mountains. White Christmas lights strung from the rafters felt homey and for the necessary hint of Southern culture, the water was served to us in Mason jars.
We started our meal with an appetizer of fried green tomatoes. Not usually one for starters, I gave them a try anyway, and was pleasantly surprised. The tomatoes were sweeter than I would have guessed, but the crisp bread crust curbed the taste.
For dinner, I had the Brasstown Patty Melt, a half pound beef patty with Swiss cheese on rye bread. The patty was thick and pink, but surprisingly soft as you bit into it, the kind of soft that melted into your mouth. The Swiss added a mild zing to it, and it was aided by my personal addition of ketchup and mustard. On the side was a your standard, square-cut French fries, but another side option was the delicious, homemade kettle chips.
What the tiki bar of Doyle’s Cedar Hill Restaurant lacks in mountain décor is made up in mountain-paced atmosphere. Servers and patrons alike were in no rush, enjoying beers and appetizers while catching up and waiting for the night’s live performance. No one was in a rush to get his or her food. It was the slower, more savory atmosphere that you would expect to get in the mountains.
Overall, Doyle’s Cedar Hill Restaurant and Tiki Bar is a great place for groups of friends or couples to go for a get together full of eating and catching up in a cool but comforting outdoor atmosphere.