Wizard Needs Food Badly: Grab N’ Go At Dish T’ Pass

  • Monday, July 11, 2016
  • Paquita Maria Sanchez

Lionel and I were packing our bags for a short summer trip out of town yesterday afternoon. We were so busy rushing around, doing last minute laundry, searching for phone chargers, and making sure everything was in order for the cat sitter, that by the time we finally sat down to relax, we realized we’d forgotten the most important thing of all—dinner!

Lucky for us, we weren’t far away from a new place in town to grab a quick bite. The restaurant is called Dish T’ Pass, and it’s located on the 1st floor of The 300 apartment building across the street from the downtown YMCA.

Dish T’ Pass offers catering and a cooking school, as well as a cafe. There is a small patio outside the building that’s shaded by trees and has a great friendly feel. The restaurant has some shelving, a few coolers, and a freezer, all stocked with ready-to-go items that can either be eaten immediately or require heating in a microwave or oven.

The most interesting thing about the place, in my opinion, is that it has more of the feel of a classy convenience store than a restaurant. Though people can sometimes be found sitting outside enjoying a pastry and a coffee, they also carry a small selection of basic home goods, like toilet paper and dish soap.

It seems extremely useful for the people who live in the building or perhaps are coming home from the YMCA. We had stopped by once or twice before and tried their sandwiches and salads, which were very good, but this time we thought we might get a little more adventurous.

Lionel and I decided to get a few items to split, so we chose vegetable lasagna ($12), buffalo wings ($9), caprese salad ($4.50), and a Rice Krispie treat covered in chocolate ($2). We also each got a can of beer. His was a Lovebird ($3) and mine a Rolling Rock ($2).

As with everything we’ve tried from Dish T’ Pass, the food was good. It’s clear that the ingredients are fresh and that high quality. There’s a home-cooked kind of taste that you don’t typically find when eating out. I particularly liked the caprese salad, but Lionel was raving over the lasagna.

My biggest complaint is simply the price. Each time I go, I think things seem reasonable, but by the time I get to the cash register I’m a bit surprised. After tax, it cost over $35 for two entrees, one small side, a Rice Krispie, and two cans of beer. The portions, though not meager, aren’t generous—we were both still a bit hungry when we’d finished eating.

At a restaurant where I sit down, am waited on, and have my food come out hot and ready, the price doesn’t seem too far off—though I think I’d still be a bit disappointed in the portions. And a $12 entree with no side? Maybe I’d be more than a bit disappointed.

Even more so, though, at Dish T’ Pass the whole premise is that after I choose my food and pay for it I carry it to my car, drive it home, cook it, eat it in my own dining room, and then have dishes to do. (There’s a lot to be said for not having dishes to do. And the containers from Dish T’ Pass, in my experience, have all either been flimsy plastic or metal, making microwaving them a problem.)

Overall, Lionel and I have really enjoyed the food. And we are certainly the kind of people generally prefer to eat at home while watching Netflix or playing a game. However, for the prices as they stand, we unfortunately couldn’t stop by Dish T’ Pass very frequently.

But on a Tuesday evening when you don’t want to cook—and also accidentally left detergent off the grocery list the other day—it’s a real life saver.

Location: 300 W 6th Street, Chattanooga, Tn 37402

Hours: M-F 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.

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