Authored By Sean Phipps
This week, Monica and I met up with M.C. and Doug (and their six-week-old infant boy, Campbell) for a midweek bite at Universal Joint at 532 Lookout St. It’s been 4-years since I’d written about one of Chattanooga’s best hangouts and I thought it could use a refresher. Do we have any “UJ” fans in the house? That’s what everybody calls it. I haven’t heard the stuffy “Universal Joint” in a long time. Sometimes it takes a few years for a new restaurant to get a nickname. I refer to the Pickle Barrel as just “the barrel,” The Social as “Sooshies” and, as everybody knows, Easy Bistro is “EB Troyo’s Oyster Smackhouse.” The last time I wrote about Universal Joint was in April of 2014. The restaurant opened in 2013 in the former PURE gas station that sat vacant for a while. Once opened, UJ is credited as helping to strengthen the connection between downtown and UTC’s campus. When Jefferson’s came to the area, college students had more of a reason to hang out closer to the downtown footprint. I lived on High Street for several years and UJ was a weekly necessity for me. I could swing in on my way home from work, order some wings to-go and have a craft beer while I waited. If it was hot, I’d drink one of those Chattanooga Whiskey slushies. This go around, we had a great meal with friends and got to hang out with a cute baby. That’s not a bad way to spend a Wednesday night. 
Atmosphere/service Universal Joint can be extremely crowded on weekend nights. Thursday nights are also busy due to the Kickball leagues. I believe Go Kickball still holds their after-party celebrations following games. If you arrive like we did — at 5:30 p.m. — you’re not going to have a problem finding a seat. MC, Doug and Campbell were already inside when we walked in. Our meeting was one of those last-minute, “sure, why not?” kind of things that happen when faced with the option of cooking or going out with friends. I’ll bet we choose going out with friends 80 percent of the time. The porch, though one of the best mingling spots in Chattanooga, was way too hot for humans and definitely too hot for an infant. Only a few people were outside when we arrived and they were underneath the shade at the central high-top. I’m in awe of Doug and MC’s poise as new parents. They took him to the Chattanooga Roller Girls game on Saturday afternoon and had no problems being out and about whenever they wanted. There were some sleepless nights, sure, fever dreams of bending reality, but the early difficult part is over, they said. Now, he’s just too cute for words. We ordered a round of beers to start the night. Monica ordered a Hutton & Smith Promenade and I got something that I don’t remember that was almost gone but then it wasn’t. The server thought it had gone off the rotation tap, but he surprised me with it instead. How nice! I pretend to know or care about beer, but I really don’t. I know that a “dark beer” (porters, stouts) gives me a headache, so I stick with lagers, pale ales and the occasional IPA. Whatever I had was pretty good, but it’s gone now. Like all Hutton & Smith offerings, the Promenade is excellent. You can’t go wrong. 
The Food Universal Joint has great food. I’m a big fan of everything I’ve tried, but they make the some of my favorite lemon pepper wings in the city. Monica and MC are huge fans of the tots as a side. I always get fries, especially UJ’s which are better than those Ore-Ida crinkle-cut cotton balls most places offer. Campbell is 6-months old and could not yet eat fried potato products, apparently. I’m sorry for trying. Monica ordered the B.A.T. with bacon, arugula (hence the ‘a’) and tomato. The cheese was pimento and it’s actually a really tasty version of pimento cheese. Flying Squirrel has some of my favorite pimento cheese. They serve it with bacon jam and bread. It’s to die for. The ladies at Dish T’Pass make a killer homemade version, too. I’m going to be dreaming of bright orange fluff tonight. Doug ordered a brisket Philly (On Texas Toast) with tots; MC had the gyro with tots — which she calls “surprisingly good” — and I rounded out the table with a sleeper of a turkey burger w. swiss and a side of fries. I remember ordering a turkey burger on a whim one night and I’m still trying to figure out how they get the meat to be so juicy. My attempts at turkey burgers are hockey pucks, but this one juicy and you’d never know it was the turkey instead of beef. It might be slightly drier than ground beef, but at least it’s not like beef jerky. I would never hesitate to order a turkey burger from UJ. 
Monica’s sandwich was delicious. She enjoyed half at the table and the other half for lunch today. It was even better heated up. Doug and MC also enjoyed their meals. MC is always searching for a good gyro in town. She knows about 2 Crazy Greeks, but we also recommended she try the enormous gyros at Olive Branch in East Ridge. Would we go back? Universal Joint is the place to go to socialize with multiple friends. I’m not sure it’s a great date night place because it can get loud. But maybe talking isn’t your thing? The good news is that if the date goes poorly you’ll probably find someone nearby that you know. I’ve never had a bad time at UJ unless it’s something I brought to the night. If you want a good beer and a great bite, UJ is the perfect place. I can’t wait to go back ... and I probably will this week. The opinions expressed in this column belong solely to the author, not Nooga.com or its employees.
