If you like hamburgers, you probably want to try Litton's Market and Restaurant in North Knoxville. A local landmark in Fountain City, this small restaurant has been known to serve a mean hamburger. In previous years and again this year, the Knoxville News Sentinel has given the East Tennessee's "best hamburger" award to Litton's. And there's a reason for this award.
A Litton's hamburger is not a your typical, fast food burger. The Litton burger is made from U.S.D.A. choice top round only that is ground fresh daily. If you've ever traveled abroad, you may have longed for a thick, juicy, American burger like I did. In fact, the day I left to study abroad in Wales, I made sure that Litton's would be where I ate my last meal in the states. Why? Because I knew I would not find another burger quite as good as a Litton's burger for a long time. After 3 1/2 months traveling in Europe, I was correct.
I am not alone in my love of the Litton's burger. Just read some of the reviews from Litton's customers. The restaurant received an overall 4.5 out of 5 stars, and nearly everyone commented on the great tasting burgers. For example, one yahoo.com reviewer says, "The hamburgers are amazing and the workers are so welcoming and helpful! All of the food is made in house! The cookies are the best. It is family owned. They are there for their customers and actually care about you. Great family atmosphere."
Burgers are not the only thing Litton's has to offer. Their menu includes sandwiches, blue plate lunches, salads and market favorites such as steak and fresh fish. The chicken salad sandwich is one of my personal favorites, as well as another yahoo.com reviewer's. She writes, "My husband has been addicted to Litton's for years. I'm not a big red-meat eater, but they do have a good cheeseburger and an excellent chicken salad sandwhich."
The bakery cannot be overlooked, which offers a variety of desserts sold in whole or single servings. Their moist, red velvet cake topped with real cream cheese icing is a very popular choice. Their big chocolate chip cookies are also worth trying.
In addition to the food, the Litton's atmosphere is a special experience. It is a family-owned restaurant, so there is a charming character to the place. It is somewhat reminiscent of a 1950s diner. When inside, customers find that it is a small, laid back restaurant that makes you feel welcome and at home. All the waiters and waitresses are very friendly and express strong 'southern hospitality.' There is an old, glass bottle coke machine in the front. Most all the tables display old, local advertisements from the Fountain City area.
If you decide to try Litton's however, make sure you are prepared to wait if you go during peak lunch and dinnertime hours. There is often a line because it is a popular, but small restaurant. If you arrive and there is a wait, you or a waitress will write your name on an old chalkboard to add your party to the list.
Although the Litton's menu may not offer everything and lacks the variety of other restaurants, what is on the menu is done right. While other restaurants may offer many different choices, there may not necessarily be anything special offered. If you are going to Litton's though, you know that their burgers are going to be the best around.
For more opinions on Litton's restaurant, take a look at some more customer reviews. Most all reviews praise this little treasure in Fountain City. If you visit Litton's, please leave comments on your experience.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
In the newsroom
I was excited about visiting the Knoxville News Sentinel last Tuesday. I had never been there before, and I thought it was about time I learned more about my hometown's newspaper.
Unfortunately, I got lost and was a little late getting there. But the receptionist at the welcome desk was very helpful and called someone to come meet me downstairs.
Jack Lail, managing editor of multimedia, introduced himself and showed me up to the newsroom. I looked around as we walked past cubicles. I noticed some desks were filled with papers, as if someone had been diligently researching for a story. I also noticed one desk had examples of 'good headlines' posted. In the hall, front page stories from the past were hanging on the walls. One was about the atomic bomb, which had been developed in nearby in Oak Ridge. It was interesting to see how the News Sentinel had covered so many historical events.
When we found the rest of the class, everyone was listening to Tom Chester, the deputy managing editor of multimedia. Chester spoke about how using multimedia is important to the success of a news site. He said they are working on ways to attract more and more people to their site by adding more interactive multimedia. Instead of just taking stories from the newspaper and posting them onto the site, news sites need to be more interactive to allow viewers to discuss and comment on the news. According to an article on itnews.com, multimedia sites are receiving more traffic than news and media sites.
Lail, Chester, and other News Sentinel online producers agreed that to be competitive with other news sites, it is necessary to be interactive. According to an article on iCommons.org, Guardian.co.uk is at the top of the list of the 10 best multimedia news sites.
Chester and Lail also commented on how much technology has changed since they first began. Lail reflected on the time when typewriters were still used. Before cell phones, Chester said he used to have pay phone numbers memorized, so that he could contact whoever was on the scene of an event. Now, cell phones and other technology help make newsgathering much faster and convenient.
Overall, knoxnews.com seems to be a fairly interactive site. Compared to other multimedia sites, it does have a long way to go. The site could use more user-contributed content like videos and editorials. But besides that, I think it is a good site for a smaller city like Knoxville.
After visiting the Knoxville News Sentinel, I have learned that technology is constantly changing and, in order to be competitive, you have to learn as you go. Lail and the online producers emphasized this fact. They said that whatever you are learning now may change in a short amount of time. But you just have to keep learning and writing.
Unfortunately, I got lost and was a little late getting there. But the receptionist at the welcome desk was very helpful and called someone to come meet me downstairs.
Jack Lail, managing editor of multimedia, introduced himself and showed me up to the newsroom. I looked around as we walked past cubicles. I noticed some desks were filled with papers, as if someone had been diligently researching for a story. I also noticed one desk had examples of 'good headlines' posted. In the hall, front page stories from the past were hanging on the walls. One was about the atomic bomb, which had been developed in nearby in Oak Ridge. It was interesting to see how the News Sentinel had covered so many historical events.
When we found the rest of the class, everyone was listening to Tom Chester, the deputy managing editor of multimedia. Chester spoke about how using multimedia is important to the success of a news site. He said they are working on ways to attract more and more people to their site by adding more interactive multimedia. Instead of just taking stories from the newspaper and posting them onto the site, news sites need to be more interactive to allow viewers to discuss and comment on the news. According to an article on itnews.com, multimedia sites are receiving more traffic than news and media sites.
Lail, Chester, and other News Sentinel online producers agreed that to be competitive with other news sites, it is necessary to be interactive. According to an article on iCommons.org, Guardian.co.uk is at the top of the list of the 10 best multimedia news sites.
Chester and Lail also commented on how much technology has changed since they first began. Lail reflected on the time when typewriters were still used. Before cell phones, Chester said he used to have pay phone numbers memorized, so that he could contact whoever was on the scene of an event. Now, cell phones and other technology help make newsgathering much faster and convenient.
Overall, knoxnews.com seems to be a fairly interactive site. Compared to other multimedia sites, it does have a long way to go. The site could use more user-contributed content like videos and editorials. But besides that, I think it is a good site for a smaller city like Knoxville.
After visiting the Knoxville News Sentinel, I have learned that technology is constantly changing and, in order to be competitive, you have to learn as you go. Lail and the online producers emphasized this fact. They said that whatever you are learning now may change in a short amount of time. But you just have to keep learning and writing.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Is news a conversation?
"Is news a conversation?" is a question journalists must consider today. I personally feel that the answer is yes, with some exceptions. I do not think all user-contributed content should be included in news stories, but I do think some is useful, if not essential.
I found the webcast titled, "It's a Conversation, Stupid," very enlightening. Several executive editors and producers spoke about their websites and how they are opening them up to their audiences. I agree with the idea that in order to attract more viewers, news sites must interact with their users. Those who do not utilize user-driven content are missing out on a great opportunity.
If a user wants to contribute information, why not consider what they have to offer? After all, they may be allowing you to use important information for free. This is a great advantage.
Also, users may have content that only they could obtain. A user may have been in the right place at the right time and caught a news worthy event on camera. I think it would be foolish not to use such rare footage that a user may have.
For example, it was important to allow users to contribute information after the Virginia Tech shootings. Many stories on this event included user-generated content, such as videos and pictures. This was helpful because the journalists themselves could not have been there exactly when the shootings occurred. Only the students, faculty and victims saw what really happened that terrible day.
I think it is also helpful to allow users to post comments on stories. Many people feel the need to express themselves and how certain events have affected them. Especially after an emotionally upsetting event such as the Virginia Tech shootings, it may be beneficial to allow users to express what they are going through.
Although I do think user-generated content is a good thing, I also think there should be some restrictions. I don't think news sites should publish absolutely anything users contribute. Content that is unreliable should be omitted. Also, if the user's content lacks newsworthiness or may be offensive or harmful to viewers, it should not be published.
But besides those restrictions, I think everything else should be considered part of the news. I think that news is and should be a conversation, that brings the most information to the most people possible.
I found the webcast titled, "It's a Conversation, Stupid," very enlightening. Several executive editors and producers spoke about their websites and how they are opening them up to their audiences. I agree with the idea that in order to attract more viewers, news sites must interact with their users. Those who do not utilize user-driven content are missing out on a great opportunity.
If a user wants to contribute information, why not consider what they have to offer? After all, they may be allowing you to use important information for free. This is a great advantage.
Also, users may have content that only they could obtain. A user may have been in the right place at the right time and caught a news worthy event on camera. I think it would be foolish not to use such rare footage that a user may have.
For example, it was important to allow users to contribute information after the Virginia Tech shootings. Many stories on this event included user-generated content, such as videos and pictures. This was helpful because the journalists themselves could not have been there exactly when the shootings occurred. Only the students, faculty and victims saw what really happened that terrible day.
I think it is also helpful to allow users to post comments on stories. Many people feel the need to express themselves and how certain events have affected them. Especially after an emotionally upsetting event such as the Virginia Tech shootings, it may be beneficial to allow users to express what they are going through.
Although I do think user-generated content is a good thing, I also think there should be some restrictions. I don't think news sites should publish absolutely anything users contribute. Content that is unreliable should be omitted. Also, if the user's content lacks newsworthiness or may be offensive or harmful to viewers, it should not be published.
But besides those restrictions, I think everything else should be considered part of the news. I think that news is and should be a conversation, that brings the most information to the most people possible.
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