Cherokee Restaurant

Double chile rellenos plate ↑, fish and chips ↓. 

*whispers* It wasn't very good. 

From where we sat at our table in the front far corner ↓↓↓.

The decor is an uninspired hodgepodge and so is the menu. Behind us is a false fireplace its sole purpose to provide a mantle upon which decorative objects are placed, none of them interesting. Behind that is a makeshift bookcase regrettably constructed of stacked bricks and thick broad boards standing upright in first apartment contradiction to all other design elements within sight.  Various books are arranged upon the boards, so banally May D&F  that one easily resists the usual urge to make out titles. 

Statuette of a pig holding up a menu. <snark> Now where would you ever see anything clever as that? </snark> 

The restaurant is located two blocks west of the Art Museum at the corner of 12th and Cherokee, thus the name.  The restaurant logo is an improbably tall lanky female indian sylph seductively presenting her back to the viewer. Somebody rendered this image in needlepoint (but couldn't be bothered with a background), framed it, and presented as art for the walls.  Floating shelves run the perimeter near the ceiling all loaded with incongruent tchotchkes and potted plastic plants.  Either plastic or they do a marvelous job of watering hard-to-reach insignificant plants in low-light situations. The distinguishing decorative feature of the interior space is a very well done set of hand-drawn portraits of long-term customers. Apparently another customer drew them all. How that worked out, I have no idea. They should have stuck with the portraits, they are that good, and ditched everything else. It would be more interesting and  a lot less dusting. 

The soft drink looked weak and then the waitress reported the fountain was kaput which wasn't at all surprising. The drink was replaced with the weakest iced tea I've ever had. I'm not complaining here, I'm describing. 

The place was packed when we got there, and noisy too, and then within forty-five minutes everybody suddenly disappeared. 

 The absence of design continuity implies a number of contributing impulses, either that or evidence of a disordered mind. It's a little bit depressing in a Mayberry RFD kind of way.  You might like it. Prices are moderate. I'm left with the impression that the place has a loyal following, so if you went there then maybe you would disregard my observations and become a loyal customer too. Outdoor seating available.