Puleo's Grille

You’re never too old to stop learning! For those of you that are not of Italian descent, we’ve put together a list of popular Italian food terms for you. Practice them, and impress your friends and family the next time you come in to Puleo’s Grille order

A

Aceto: vinegar

Aglio: garlic (”gli” is pronounced “yee”)

Aglio e olio: garlic and oil

Al dente: firm (literally means “to the tooth”)

Amaretto: a sweet liqueur flavored with almonds

Anisette: a colorless liqueur flavor with anise

Antipasto: literally ‘before the meal’

Arborio: a medium-grain rice used for making risotto

Arancia: orange

B

Balsamico:  an aged Italian vinegar

Basilico: basil

Biscotti: literally ‘twice cooked,’ it refers to all kinds of cookies

Bistecca: beefsteak

Brodo: broth

Bruschetta: toasted bread served with various toppings

Buongustaio: gourmet

C

Cacciatore: hunter’s style

Calamari: squid

Cannellini: white kidney beans

Cannoli: filled pastry tubes

Capocollo: a hot spiced ham

Capperi: capers

Carciofi: artichokes

Carne: meat

Cipolle: onions

D

Dolce: sweet

Dolci: sweets and pastries

F

Fagioli: beans

Festa: holiday

Fico: fig

Filetto: fillet

Formaggio: cheese

Fra diavolo: literally ‘of the devil’ (very spicy!)

Fragole: strawberries

Fritto: fried

Frutta: fruit

Frutti di mare: seafood

Funghi: mushrooms

G

Gamberetti: shrimp

Gnocchi: dumplings eaten with a sauce or in broth

Granchio: crab

Griglia: grill

Grissini: breadsticks

I

Imbottita: stuffed

L

Lenticchie: lentils

Limone: lemon

M

Maiale: pork

Manicotti: baked pasta tubes with a filling

Manzo: beef

Marinara: a plain tomato sauce

Marsala: a rich brown fortified wine

Mascarpone: creamy, soft, mild cheese

Minestrone: thick mixed vegetable soup

Mozzarella: a pure white soft cheese

N

Natale: Christmas

Nocciole: hazelnuts

Noce Moscata: nutmeg

O

Olio: oil

Olio di oliva: olive oil

P

Pancetta: salt-cured pork, unsmoked bacon

Pane: bread

Pangrattato: bread crumbs

Panna: cream

Panna Cotta: literally ‘cooked cream,’ served for dessert

Panna montata: whipped cream

Parmigiano: a hard cow’s milk cheese

Pasqua: Easter

Pasticcio: pie, pastry, or cake

Pesto: a sauce from mashed ingredients, usually basil

Piccante: spicy

Pignoli: pine nuts

Piselli: peas

Pollo: chicken

Polpette: meatballs

Pomodori: tomatoes

Porcini: meaty wild mushrooms

Primavera: springtime

Provolone: a straw-white cheese, sometimes smoked

R

Ragu: meat sauce for pasta

Ricotta: a fresh, mild cheese

Riso: rice

Risotto: rice cooked and stirred with broth until creamy

Romano: a hard Pecorino cheese

Rustico: country-style

S

Salsa: sauce

Salsiccia: sausage

Salso: salt

Saltari: sauteed

Scaloppine: thinly sliced meat

Sedani: celery

Stufato: stew

Sugo di carne: meat sauce

T

Tonno: tuna

Torta: tart

U

Uove: eggs

Uva: grapes

V

Verdure: green vegetables

Vitello: veal (calf)

Z

Zenzero: ginger

Zeppole: a fried pastry

Zucca: squash

Zuppa: soup

I’m writing to you to absolutely RAVE on a few of the Puleo’s Grille employees. The smile still hasn’t left my face and the event was over 2 weeks ago! I’m not sure where you found them, perhaps they got mixed up in the line of people signing up for the mission field, because they were an absolute God send and performed miracles at my wedding reception.

At first we were thinking we’re going to have a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) reception, complete with picnic fare and cheap luau doo-dads, possibly Papa Johns pizza or buckets of chicken and cole slaw from KFC, maybe some form of deli meat from Kroger. I was really thrilled at the prospect you can imagine, but we at least wanted to have food that we would enjoy… “at least” being the key phrase.

My fiance finally sensed a disturbance in the force, got on board with the idea that this wasn’t going to make us happy, looking back years from now at our “kegger wedding” sans the keg, so he indulged me and we met with a caterer through the church. With less people sending in affirmative RSVPs (must have been the tough choice between our nuptials and Chelsea Clinton’s) there was actually a glint of hope that we could afford a bit more “class” on our budget.

The gentleman was nice enough, certainly an unknown, and in budget – I’m sure he may have been adequate, but then again maybe not, and even so, who wants an “adequate” caterer for their wedding?! As we approached the deadline for deciding on which way to go, we pressed people to give us a yes or no, and ended up with 15 stragglers, and even at a paltry $6 a plate, we’re talking another almost 100 bucks! At this point I thought we really had the license to open back up discussions and explore other options, and naturally Puleo’s was right at the top of our list.

I had known Kurt for over 20 years when I first noticed what magical blue eyes he has, and I don’t think it’s irrelevant that I was noshing on Puleo’s Chocolate Lasagna at the time. It was my first taste of Puleo’s, and I was an instant addict. In fact, when I was updating the children on the quest for reception food, and told my teenage daughter that we were really hoping to get Puleo’s, she said, “Oooh! The place with the Chocolate Lasagna?!” We’ve been talking about it for years whenever any chocolate or dessert discussion happens, and for us in our circles, it happens a LOT.

So back to the wedding, I was somewhat discouraged by the catering menu – the prices seemed a bit out of reach, but I wasn’t going to give up easily. Thank God for Lori Dagnan!! If she had been abrupt or slow or rude or “in the box” thinking, we would have ended the fantasy there, but she was NONE of the above I’m happy to say!

She was kind and courteous, helpful and hopeful. She could feel how much I wanted to make this happen, and she seemed to want it too.

She worked diligently with Ben, the chef, to think outside of the box and come up with a menu plan that was sure to please (not that I’ve ever had a bad meal at Puleo’s), filling for our guests, and fit our budget.

Recognizing that most dishes are “king sized” portions, Ben suggested cutting up servings, so our guests could sample a variety of the signature Puleo’s dishes. This really was a stroke of genius, in my opinion, especially since the choice of what to not have is so hard! The servings were perfect, not too big, but not so small that it felt like we were eating appetizers. They also counseled us on what dishes would “stretch” more than others, so I do believe they came up with the perfect menu. In fact, I asked my fiance, if he had the complete Puleo’s spread at his disposal on our wedding day,what would he put on his plate, and Lori managed to get everything he imagined.

However, food selection was just the tip of the iceberg.

When I thought about what I would want on my plate, it’s probably no surprise that I was laser focused on the Chocolate Lasagna, and while I knew that a wedding cake of the Chocolate Lasagna was unrealistic, we did manage to get two scrumptious pieces – one for the cake table top “tier” and the other for the head table, a real “icing on the cake” type moment. Woo hoo!!

Another obstacle that Lori conquered with ease was the clean up. Now that we had real food from a really classy restaurant, we certainly couldn’t serve it on paper plates with plastic utensils! This is where Lori recruited Kathy to be a full service dream filler. Naturally Puleo’s would come in and set up the food and take it down, but who was going to wash the dishes? Kathy had agreed to take on the side job of staying after the catering part and clean up as well – this was yet another stroke of genius, and really clinched my lifelong devotion to Puleo’s, and yet the story doesn’t stop there….

Not only did we have Kathy there for serving and clean up, Lori there, in very classy black attire, to smile, work out wrinkles and assist wherever (I’m not even sure of all she did, but I know things were waaay too smooth for her not to have been working magic the whole time) but as a totally unexpected and totally appreciated bonus, Ben was there in his full chef regalia. I swear, and no disrespect to the ladies, but when Bobbie Flay is in the house, you get bonus kudos for class and elegance, and Ben certainly made that impact for us. All I can say is WOW!

One final note, and I think this falls into the category of Lori and Ben’s magic, but my decorations had been “difficult” to put it lightly. Friday night decorating with the wedding party was a disaster. On Saturday, my gals and I came back in and tried to undo and redo much of what was done on Friday, but we ran out of time and patience. When we left the hall, a typical, “unclassy” church basement, we had too few “sparkle” lights hung to leave the fluorescents off, and with the fluorescents turned on, the entire effect of low lighting and sparkle lights was quite simply lost. We also had candles on all of the tables, but I was resigned to the fact that it would look like cheap DIY decorations in a church basement… but somewhere in the mix, they decided to monkey with the 17 light switches in the church basement and come up with the perfect combination that made my dream come true. I could have stood there for hours and not figured out to turn on the dimmer switch across the stage, chandelier in the back, and just the side overheads for the food and cake tables. It was absolutely amazing, and I will be forever grateful.

In short (too late) Lori, Ben and Kathy epitomized service, and professionalism, ingenuity and going that extra mile. In a time when many companies are suffering apathetic service levels and we, as the general public, are coming to expect things to go wrong, Puleo’s floated deftly to the top as the cream always rises. Even my mother-in-law said that she would recommend Puleo’s to everyone who has a special event, and she has probably not uttered a compliment in about 20 years!!

Hats off to Lori Dagnan, Ben Gill and Kathy for incredible work and an awesome experience.

Sincerely,

Suzie Jedlicka

Wow, it’s that time again! Parents scrambling around to get everything on their children’s supply list, new clothes, new shoes, books… it can be taxing! Not to mention draining on your wallet – have you noticed all the new supplies expected? No matter what grade your children are going into, the list seems to grow each year. Now with computers playing a normal role in the classroom you have to look for things they didn’t even have when you were in school! And so it goes…

Well, you already know about our Kids Eat Free menu. BUT we want to help you continue to save, so we’re extending our Kids Eat Free Menu to help your family ease back into the school year.

Come in and enjoy this great promotion EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK! No one but Puleo’s has such a great deal. Happy school shopping!

Knoxville’s Best Restaurant now offers upscale catering – a total service for the most discriminating Host or Hostess!

• Weddings
• Fund raisers
• Board meetings
• Yacht parties

Offering the finest in party planning and cuisine, we do it all using your expectations as our guide. Through the services of Puleo’s Grille Catering, you’ll have access to all the invaluable amenities of a first class event… from start to finish; our experienced team is able to take care of every detail.

Delicious food, beautiful flowers, entertainment, photography, equipment rentals, specialty items… all with a personal touch!

We have fun spreads like a Pasta Station (Alfredo, Spaghetti and Meatballs, or Chicken Penne Pasta), a Carving Station (Roasted Turkey, Pork Tenderloin, Beef Roast, or Beef Tenderloin carved to order), Mirror and Tray Presentation (Smoked Salmon, assorted Canapes, Assorted cheeses and fruits, Crackers and spreads), and Party Favorites (Spicy Buffalo Wings, BBQ Chicken Breasts, BBQ Pulled Pork, or Baby Back Ribs).

Sample Hors D’Oeuvres include Fruit kebabs served with Amaretto dipping sauce, Soy Ginger Tuna with Pickled Ginger & Wasabi,Crab stuffed Mushrooms, Mini Egg Rolls with Sweet & Sour sauce, and soups such as the elegant Tomato dill & baby shrimp or the classic Red & White bean Chili

Try the traditional Caesar or Mixed green salad, or go daring with our Spinach salad with pecans and strawberry ginger dressing.

Entrees include favorites such as Shrimp & Grits, Stuffed Seafood Ravioli, and of course Nona’s Lasagne!  For the beef lovers, we offer Slow roasted Prime Rib with horseradish cream sauce.

Don’t forget dessert! Choose from the Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse, decadent Cheesecake squares, Florida Key Lime tarts, our famous Chocolate Lasagna bites, and much more!

Contact Our Catering Specialist for your event TODAY!

865-531-6338

You’ve been patient enough, here’s the skinny on our new menu items!!

A new Southern Comfort addition:

Barbecue Platter

Hickory smoked, slow roasted, pulled barbecue pork platter served with french fries and Napa slaw. Also available as a sandwich!

You’ve enjoyed them, now see them officially on the menu…

Combo Platters

Choose any two entrees and one side item or house salad for one great price!

And the star of our new menu…

Rattlesnake Prime Rib

Slow roasted prime rib hickory grilled and coated with our special rattlesnake seasoning and topped with Boursin cheese.

Come and try our new items, and let us know what you think on our Facebook page or Twitter feed!

Here at Puleo’s Grille we LOVE for our customers, fans, followers, and FRIENDS to feel right at home and be completely satisfied with their dining experience!

We’ve put together a fun customer survey for you so that we can help serve you better. Won’t you take this survey, and encourage everyone in your social networks to take it as well?

Access the survey here.

If you’re a fan of our Wine Tasting at Deane Hill, you’re going to LOVE this!

We’re proud to host our first ever Tour of Italy Wine Dinner: a four-course meal featuring a different wine with each course! On Thursday, July 22 at 6:30 pm, 60 people will break bread together in the back dining area of our Deane Hill location.

We’ll start the evening with the summertime classic Caprese Salad, served with Batasiolo Gavi, followed by the famous Nona’s Lasagne served with Strozzi Chianti, a natural Tuscan choice for any pasta dish.

Sound decadent and filling? You may want to pace yourself, as with any good Italian gathering. Next you’ll be enjoying our Chicken Piccata with Fontanafredda Barbera, which scored 90 points from Wine & Spirits Magazine: “A vibrant and youthful barbera with fresh plum and cherry flavors, this feels balanced and cool. An everyday red to enjoy.”

Loosen that belt buckle, because you don’t want to be too full to enjoy our Cannoli AND Chocolate Lasagna, complemented with Fantinel Prosecco, which is lighter than Champagne, uncomplicated, and the perfect way to end any meal!

All of this for only $25.00 per person!!

The bad news, friends, is that this Thursday’s premiere Tour of Italy Wine Dinner is SOLD OUT. So why did we tempt you? Because if you like the idea, or if you are joining us and love the experience, we’d like to make this a monthly event at Puleo’s Deane Hill.

Just tell us your opinion on our Facebook page! If we get enough feedback, we’ll consider making it monthly!

You recently read about some of our healthier menu items. Puleo’s takes fitness and nutrition seriously, and we have just partnered with Trill Fitness to raise money for Juvenile Diabetes.

Owner Trillia Newbell has opened registration for the Trilla Fitness Marathon Challenge, which was created to assist Knoxville, surrounding areas, and online clients in taking up the challenge one step at a time to better health and fitness and staying committed to it! The challenge will also provide funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

The Marathon consists of  three workouts per week for nine weeks, totaling 26 workouts. There is a small $20 registration fee, and the net proceeds go to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Puleo’s Grille is thrilled to partner with Trilla and this wonderful cause. To learn more about her amazing story, you can watch this video from WBIR’s Your Story segment and visit the Trill Fitness website. Get social with Trilla on Twitter and Facebook to help keep you motivated and tweet or post your progress on our Facebook wall, too! We’ll see you at the challenge!

I went to Puleo’s for dinner with my young son the other evening, to enjoy the Kids Eat Free promotion and a small glass or two of wine for Mom with dinner  First and foremost, the staff was extremely accommodating to our needs. My son had two distinct special seating requirements: to be in a corner away from noisy doors and kitchens due to sensory issues, and also he had brought his Nintendo DSi to keep him occupied and it needed to charge. We were immediately sat in a quiet corner with an outlet on the wall  - I was told the only outlet available. Wonderful!

The server was extremely attentive and was quick to make wine recommendations for me. Once we ordered, I had another special needs request for the kids’ entree: “please no herbs sprinkled over the pasta, if he sees green he will freak”. It wasn’t a problem at all.

The bread was just as it should be, crusty on the outside and soft and warm in the middle. This happy Italian dipped the bread in the fine Extra Virgin Olive Oil available at each table. When the meals came, my son loved the penne in white sauce so much he asked me to start making it at home. As for me, I order Greek Chicken Salad every single place I go, because I love it, but none has compared to the one I ate at Puleo’s. The chicken was grilled to perfection, it was served to my request with no croutons or onions, there was the perfect amount of feta cheese, the olives were tasty and the dressing was just right. Usually when I eat a salad such as this anywhere else, there is a large percentage left behind, as I eat the tastiest parts first and leave the lettuce “filler” in my bowl. Not at Puleo’s. Every single bite of that salad was as tasty as the last, and I finished it.

My son got a delightful sundae for dessert and I splurged on a half order of the Hazelnut Mousse Pie. Oh my goodness! It was decadent but not too filling. Usually desserts like that make one feel as if they had a bocce ball set in their stomach afterward! The detail that put me over the edge and into dessert ecstasy was the hint of coconut mixed in with the chocolate sauce that’s strategically drizzled over the dish itself. Heaven! As a healthy eater in general, it was good to splurge and still feel relatively light, yet satisfied.

I can’t wait to go back, though it will be hard to branch out and try different dishes on the menu when my experience was a 15 out 10 stars!