Lawless Eats
Eight seconds. That’s how long it takes for the smoky heat of Chandler’s hot barbecue sauce to work its way to your brain and set your soul on fire. According to Charles Chandler, the gracious owner of Chandler’s restaurant on Magnolia Avenue, his barbecue spare ribs are the best in the south, and though I’m no expert, I’m on his side.
Chandler’s is an East Knoxville staple, and on any given day you may run into Phil Fulmer, Pat Summit, Bill Haslam, or other Knoxville power-brokers deciding Knoxville’s fate over some fried chicken. This week, I lunched next to a Tennessee Supreme Court justice chowing down on some barbecue. With their summer-weight business suits, polished shoes, and gospel music playing in the background, it could have been a scene straight out of All the King’s Men.
