It was almost 6 p.m. when we pulled up the narrow rocky driveway to park at King Tut's Grill, located at 4132 Martin Mill Pike.

As a non-cultured eater I was eager to have my first Egyptian food experience at the little place voted Best Middle-Eastern eatery in 2008 by Metropulse.

Mo, the store owner, came out the back door just as my friends and I emerged from my car. "Hello, hello," he said, pausing to greet us and then walking to the adjacent parking lot to meet someone else.

I was careful to balance my black heels on the uneven ground as my friends and I walked towards the front of the restaurant. We laughed at the unbelievably small size of the building, wondering how many tables could actually fit inside.

As we neared the door, we looked to our left and saw Mo embrace what seemed to be a long-time-gone best friend in a loud, happy hug.

A customer had to open the door for us after a few of our attempts to get inside the non-budging door, and my anticipation of what I would see quickly led to ample acceptance once we found ourselves in the living room sized dining area.

At first glance, it felt homey. Lights were corded around the top of the room, signs filled up the walls and a "Happy Birthday" sign was strung across the bar area.

We took a booth at our own will and were promptly asked our drink preferences. About five minutes after ordering, we were presented with large, heavy flower vases, three and a half times taller than a chapstick but perhaps not as functional: both hands were needed to take a drink!

As we looked through the menu the room filled up quickly, and we were happy to have been there first to secure a comfortable spot. There were perhaps two feet between our booth and the narrow table next to us. By the end of the night all of the tables had been filled, mostly with groups of old friends and middle-aged wine-drinkers and drunken Budweiser bottle-stackers, who amused Mo enough for him to try his own hand at it.

About ten minutes after giving us our vases, Mo sat down at the available edge of the cushioned red booth bench to write down our orders: an Egyptian Sampler to split and Grilled Fish with roasted potatoes and green beans for my friend.   

We were given an ample amount of time to wait for our meals, and I spent it eyeing the humongous Greek salads that most everyone was ordering-the simple proof that Mo's initial pitch of "We have the best Greek salad" wasn't just a form of advertising. The seemingly bountiful mixture came in a large porcelain bowl and appeared to be taller than the bowl was wide. The table next to us ordered it and split it four ways.

"This is my favorite place in Knoxville...by a large margin," I overheard one of the customers say. Most of the reviews on the internet will undoubtedly back up his statement, and I believe the customer flow when we went was also testimony. Often someone would walk through the front door and Mo would greet them exuberantly, pleased to see yet another returning customer.

The decorations that had at first caught my eye definitely gave the place personality, but "tacky" could be used interchangeably with "offbeat". A deer head, disco balls, hoola hoop, frying pan clock, and all of those one-liner signs such as "Danger: Men Cooking" contributed to a borderline gaudy atmosphere.

 "Part two," Mo said, as he slid over another plate of the long awaited sampler, followed by the last item: a pasta looking item known as koshari that had rice, lentils, chickpeas, macaroni noodles, and some sort of salsa.

We started eating and much too soon did I realize the insignificant portion sizes-I think we had overlooked that the almost $18 meal was an appetizer.  

On plate number one: falafel, a dish of brown beans, and a portion of cold veggie salad that included cucumbers, onion, and tomato.

On plate number two: baba ghanoush, hummus, and stuffed grape leaves known as dolma in a creamy yogurt sauce.

Each plate came with six triangles of pita bread, which were soft and thick...I could have substituted an entire dinner for just those and the hummus, which I preferred to the baba ghanoush (a Middle Eastern eggplant dip).

The delicious falafel was crisp on the outside but spongy on the inside-it reminded me of an American hush puppy.

The beans and veggies were my least favorite, the former having a weak flavor and the latter having too strong of a cucumber taste for my personal preference.

The stuffed grape leaves sure were interesting-impossible to cut with a fork, they were mushy on the inside and had a sweet, powerful taste. Although they were served in yogurt, I didn't recognize the taste.

The koshari was also a quick downer, with no real distinct flavor.

I eyed my friend's Americanized plate as I scraped for whatever was left of the falafel. His roasted potatoes, fish, and green beans looked better than what you could order at Cracker Barrel, the homiest restaurant I know of. He said it was good, but soon talked of getting Arby's or a milkshake as a second meal.

The portions just didn't cut it for any of us.

As we were getting ready to leave, I looked towards the front of the room and saw one of the customers wearing a glitzy gold pharaoh's hat. As legend has it, Mo enjoys having fun with his guests...

That could also be why we were jolted several times to what sounded like breaking glass-we finally realized the source of the problem was a beer bottle pyramid, with Mo as a chief aid.

We told Mo we were done and he said, "pay at front please"-we handed him a credit card and he bluntly responded, "no cards, cash or check only please." Wow! Good thing my friend had cash on him.

We walked out both front doors (screen and regular) and drove back down the random road until we hit Henley street-civilization!

From all the customer reviews online, I expected to have a very memorable dining experience. Unfortunately, the food is not what I remember most, but rather the crowded eating area, those cheap signs that remind me of an overstocked souvenir shop, and perhaps most disappointing the rather impersonal behavior of Mo. True, his out-of-place greeting was pleasurable, but the larger groups (sensibly) stole his famous attention. I just think he could have dropped by for a simple, "how's your meal?"

On the bright side, the soft glow of the low restaurant lighting boosted the overall atmosphere and my taste buds did happily latch on to the falafel and pita bread especially.

I would recommend it to someone who enjoys Middle Eastern food, because I can attest to its literal home-made freshness. And if you don't mind the décor, the place could actually be quite cozy. (For those couples out there, Saturday nights are listed as "romantic nights" in the menu-candlelight and a rose for the lady.)  

King Tut's Grill did boast an overall friendly atmosphere, and it's worth the trip out there if you're ready for whatever Mo may (or may not) have in store for you. Just make sure to bring cash or a check, and get there early for a nice booth.