Restaurant: Mermaids
Location: 1815 N Green Acres Road
Party of: 2
Time: 8 pm-ish
Preamble Ramble
I fist visited Mermaids a couple of years ago, and well to be honest I was not impressed. I can remember it being okay, but not great. Now, I don't know what's happened between that visit and my recent visit, but the restaurant gods have smiled upon this establishment.
Food for Thought
We had the fried oysters for an appetizers, mostly because I was craving oysters and because I could have beat up my dining partner should he balk at the idea of oysters as an appetizer. I wish he would have balked. The oysters were a little on the bland side to me. The sauce needed more kick. They weren't bad, just not great. All entrees come with a salad, and well, it was salad. Nothing fancy, but it was fresh.
I decided on the blackened grouper with shrimp cream sauce for my meal and I was so completely not disappointed. It was wonderful. The grouper was cooked to perfection and the sauce was just bold enough to stand out on its own, but not so bold it crowded out the flavor of the grouper. In other words, it rocked.
My dining partner had the special and it was swordfish with a sauce and I can't remember what the heck the name of the sauce is. But it should be named something like "Oh my god, what's in this sauce because it's the best thing I've ever eaten in my whole entire life." Perhaps that's a tad too wordy for a sauce, but this stuff was seriously awesome. I wanted to lick my fellow diner's plate, but I do have a few manners when I'm out in public.
Bottoms Up
I had water, and amazingly enough, it tasted just like water. Crazy, huh? Diner #2 had coffee, and he liked the coffee. And he just doesn't like any ol' coffee. It has to be pretty darn good for him to say he liked it. They also have quite the wine and beer list. Maybe a non-drinker like myself doesn't make for a very good restaurant reviewer, but you gotta take what you can get, right?
Wait a Minute
The service here was impeccable. Not intrusive, but definitely there when you need them. They were also extremely pleasant.
Tally Ho
Atmosphere - 4.3 scalloped, silver sporks. Very low light and can be romantic as long as you don't look directly at the huge mural on the wall. Maybe it's just me, but some of the mermaids on it are a little creepy. One of them even looks mad, and no one wants to have an angry mermaid staring at them while they eat.
Music - I don't remember any music, which means either there wasn't any, or it was so low it was not noticeable, or I have some severe short-term memory loss.
Food - 4.7 golden sporks that look like King Neptune's trident.
Staff - 5 sporks decorated with sparkly Mermaid scales.
Chance of Returning - 49 units of "damn that's some good sauce."
Sweet Tea: Unsure about the iced tea as I didn't order any.
Dollars Spent: Roughly 50 dollars.
11.25.2007
8.18.2007
80s Flashbacks and Totally Awesome Food!
Restaurant: Waffle Hut
Location: Hwy 412, Springdale, AR
Date: 9.8.07
Time: 11.30 in the am
Party of: Two
Preamble Ramble
Ignore the giant burnt waffle with the pale blob of butter that sits atop of their sign. Also ignore the broken glass on the front doorway. And, while you're at it, you might as well ignore the 80s decor, the plethora of fake plants and the chicken curtains. Maybe they were cows. I'm almost positive they were sporting some type of farm animal. Anyway, that's not what you came for, remember? No, what you came for is the homemade breakfast that you're about to feast on.
Food for Thought
I decided on the 2 egg breakfast with ham which comes with hash browns. I ordered my eggs over-medium and you know what? For maybe the third time in my entire life, I received perfectly cooked over-medium eggs. The ham was what breakfast ham should be: thick, flavorful and with just enough browning to allow the sweetness to come through. Even the hash browns were good, and I don't even like hash browns. Maybe because most places you get them they're usually a gooey lump of grease and potatoes. But, not these. They were perfectly crisp on the outside and dare I say it? They were fluffy in the middle. Who knew you could have fluffy hash browns?
My dining partner had the waffle with bacon and biscuits and gravy. I was fortunate enough to receive a bite of these waffles and well, they don't call this place Waffle Hut for nothin'. Once again, I have to use the word fluffy. It pains me to have to use it, but that's the only way to describe these waffles. Crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside. And with just the right amount of vanilla added to not be overpowering, these are some of the best waffles around. The bacon was declared the best ever eaten in a restaurant. The biscuits and gravy were declared awesome. The gravy had a full-bodied taste and the biscuits were, dammit all, they were fluffy. How many fluffy things can one restaurant serve? It's like they've cornered the market on fluffy goodness.
Bottoms Up
I had the hot tea. Served with a pot of hot water, with the tea bag on the side. Just like I like it. I want to be able to make the tea in my own cup. I don't want the tea bag in the pot of water. Maybe I'm just weird like that. The tea wasn't great. Maybe not even good. But it was okay. Okay enough that I'd order it again, simply because I love hot tea in the morning.
Diner 2 had coffee. It was described as having a good flavor, not great but pretty darn good for diner coffee.
Wait a Minute
The wait staff is fabulous. Especially if you get Grandma. Because sometimes she gets a tad confused as to who is sitting where, and well, I just think it's sweet. And I think it's awesome that she's still working. So, you just rock on with your bad self, Grams. Since the restaurant is one of those where the cooking area is right beside the seating area (think Waffle House), the wait staff is always handy. And the cook? This man has got it goin' on. He can plunk out breakfast faster than, well some really good simile that I can't think of right now. Yeah. He's that fast.
Tally Ho
Atmosphere - 4 circa 1983 acid washed sporks with tiny little leg warmers.
Music - 1/2 of a used plastic spork with a missing prong. The television is always set to CMT, and as we at NWA Eats don't like the country music, well it's just another part of the dining experience we ignore.
Food - 4 1/2 aluminum sporks. Shiny aluminum. Very, very shiny.
Staff - 5 denim coated sporks that have been attacked by a BeDazzler.
Chance of Returning - 36 units of pure fluffiness.
Sweet Tea: Unsure about the iced tea as I haven't ordered it, yet.
Dollars Spent: Less than 20 bucks.
We'll Have Big Fun on the Bayou
Restaurant: Lyn D's Cajun Gypsy Cafe
Location: 535 W Poplar, Fayetteville, AR
Date Visited: 8.18.07
Time: 6:38 in the pm
Party of: Three
Preamble Ramble
With a little help from friend, I've recently discovered Lyn D's. I get by with a little help from my friends, yeah....anyway. Lyn D's is worth discovering. Even if the food should happen to be mediocre, where else can you go eat where there's a turtle tank to your right and a Christmas tree embellished with crawfish lights and Mardi Gras beads to your left? The good news is, the food is not mediocre.
Food for Thought
This was my third visit here and it was as good as the first two. I decided to order off the a la carte menu and decided on a bowl of the Brew and a shrimp etouffee pistolette sandwich. The Brew is actually bisque. Darn good bisque with shrimp, crawfish, chunks of potato and a spicy kick that isn't so bold it crowds out the sweetness of the cream. What I'm trying to say is, the Brew totally rocks.
Diner #2 ordered the sampler platter. It is shrimp etouffee, jambalya, boudin, fried shrimp, a crawcritter (like a crab cake only made with crawfish, potato salad, a garlic pistolette and a slice of lemon pound cake. Everything was declared excellent except for the potato salad (too much sweet pickle).
Diner #3 ordered the chicken nugget dinner which comes with fries, a garlic pistolette and a slice of pound cake. She stated that the chicken nuggets were awesome and the Coke very fizzy. High praise from a six year old.
Bottoms Up
Any self-respecting Cajun restaurant should have sweet tea, and Lyn's doesn't disappoint. My first visit, it did take me awhile to figure out that when I was handed an empty glass I was supposed to get the tea myself. There is a table set up along side the back wall and it has an ice bucket, a pitcher of sweet tea, a pitcher of unsweetened tea and a jug of water. The sweet tea is almost perfect, and the do-it-yourself tea table makes you feel like you're at a family dinner. Only there's a lot less fighting.
Wait a Minute
The wait staff is minimal by design. Orders are placed at the window when you first walk through the door. You grab a seat, preferably next to the turtle tank, and within 10 - 20 minutes, you've got your food. The wait staff is easily found as they are in and out of the kitchen delivering Cajun magic to the tables.
Tally Ho
Atmosphere: 4 Alligator Skin Sporks - C'mon, there's live turtles in a tank and a Christmas tree. In August. The decor is pure N'awlins kitsch, and if the atmosphere was any more relaxed, you'd need a pillow.
Music: 1 Pair of rabbit ears -There's no music, just a television tuned into the Weather Channel.
Food: 4 Golden Sporks - You'd be hard-pressed to find Cajun food this good so far away from Cajunland.
Staff: 5 Silver Sporks with Smiley Face Stickers - Everyone there is happy. I think they must keep their own special "Brew" in the back.
Chance of Returning: 256 Aieee's
Sweet Tea: Some of the best in town. And for you non-tea drinkers, there is also the regular round of soft drinks, lemonade, beer and wine.
Dollars Spent: Around 32
I will definitely be spending more time at Lyn's. The only issue is that it's a small place, with very minimal parking. You can park in the lot next door, just make sure you it's the one east of the restaurant. If you park in the west lot, you'll be paying a tow bill. Also, the hours are a bit random. Tues - Fri 10:30 am - 2 pm, Tues - Thur 5pm - 8 pm and Fri & Sat. 5pm - 9pm.
But it's all worth it. I gar-ohn-tee.
Location: 535 W Poplar, Fayetteville, AR
Date Visited: 8.18.07
Time: 6:38 in the pm
Party of: Three
Preamble Ramble
With a little help from friend, I've recently discovered Lyn D's. I get by with a little help from my friends, yeah....anyway. Lyn D's is worth discovering. Even if the food should happen to be mediocre, where else can you go eat where there's a turtle tank to your right and a Christmas tree embellished with crawfish lights and Mardi Gras beads to your left? The good news is, the food is not mediocre.
Food for Thought
This was my third visit here and it was as good as the first two. I decided to order off the a la carte menu and decided on a bowl of the Brew and a shrimp etouffee pistolette sandwich. The Brew is actually bisque. Darn good bisque with shrimp, crawfish, chunks of potato and a spicy kick that isn't so bold it crowds out the sweetness of the cream. What I'm trying to say is, the Brew totally rocks.
Diner #2 ordered the sampler platter. It is shrimp etouffee, jambalya, boudin, fried shrimp, a crawcritter (like a crab cake only made with crawfish, potato salad, a garlic pistolette and a slice of lemon pound cake. Everything was declared excellent except for the potato salad (too much sweet pickle).
Diner #3 ordered the chicken nugget dinner which comes with fries, a garlic pistolette and a slice of pound cake. She stated that the chicken nuggets were awesome and the Coke very fizzy. High praise from a six year old.
Bottoms Up
Any self-respecting Cajun restaurant should have sweet tea, and Lyn's doesn't disappoint. My first visit, it did take me awhile to figure out that when I was handed an empty glass I was supposed to get the tea myself. There is a table set up along side the back wall and it has an ice bucket, a pitcher of sweet tea, a pitcher of unsweetened tea and a jug of water. The sweet tea is almost perfect, and the do-it-yourself tea table makes you feel like you're at a family dinner. Only there's a lot less fighting.
Wait a Minute
The wait staff is minimal by design. Orders are placed at the window when you first walk through the door. You grab a seat, preferably next to the turtle tank, and within 10 - 20 minutes, you've got your food. The wait staff is easily found as they are in and out of the kitchen delivering Cajun magic to the tables.
Tally Ho
Atmosphere: 4 Alligator Skin Sporks - C'mon, there's live turtles in a tank and a Christmas tree. In August. The decor is pure N'awlins kitsch, and if the atmosphere was any more relaxed, you'd need a pillow.
Music: 1 Pair of rabbit ears -There's no music, just a television tuned into the Weather Channel.
Food: 4 Golden Sporks - You'd be hard-pressed to find Cajun food this good so far away from Cajunland.
Staff: 5 Silver Sporks with Smiley Face Stickers - Everyone there is happy. I think they must keep their own special "Brew" in the back.
Chance of Returning: 256 Aieee's
Sweet Tea: Some of the best in town. And for you non-tea drinkers, there is also the regular round of soft drinks, lemonade, beer and wine.
Dollars Spent: Around 32
I will definitely be spending more time at Lyn's. The only issue is that it's a small place, with very minimal parking. You can park in the lot next door, just make sure you it's the one east of the restaurant. If you park in the west lot, you'll be paying a tow bill. Also, the hours are a bit random. Tues - Fri 10:30 am - 2 pm, Tues - Thur 5pm - 8 pm and Fri & Sat. 5pm - 9pm.
But it's all worth it. I gar-ohn-tee.
8.14.2007
Maybe A Little Too Common
Restaurant: Common Grounds
Location: Fayetteville, AR
Date visited: 8.12.07
Time: 11:30ish in the a.m.
Party of: 2
Preamble Ramble
I have visited Common Grounds on several occasions, and it's always been one of my favorite places. But the past two visits have been disappointing. The previous time before Sunday's visit was disappointing, but tolerable. That time we were told that there would be about a 45 minute wait on our food (it was more like 25), and the food wasn't up to par, but I'm a firm believer in second chances.
Sunday they had their second chance and failed miserably. We were once again told that there would be a 45 minute wait on our food, but I didn't believe them. I should have. Oh Lawdy! I should have. It was more than 45 minutes. And I'm not real fond of waiting 45 minutes for anything.
Food for Thought
My dining partner ordered his usual - which has the name Buddha in it, but I can't remember what the heck it is. The Screaming Buddha? Laughing Buddha? Bubbling Buddha? I'm not even sure what Buddha has to do with it. It is a plate of scrambled eggs, a sausage roll, country ham, seasoned potatoes and a biscuit with gravy. Well, he received all of it but the biscuit, and it took around 10 minutes for him to get one. I ordered a sausage roll, seasoned potatoes and a slice o' country ham. Well, it seems that someone in the kitchen needs to know the difference between ham you've taken out of an Oscar Mayer package and country ham. Country ham is thick, has a bone in it and you can actually see the grain of the meat. Lunch meat ham is thin, somewhat slimy and looks like pink marble. As though it should be a sink surround in a 1950s bathroom.
And the sausage roll! Egad! That's right...I said egad. Usually the sausage rolls are my favorite part of brunch. They're filled with sausage, puff pastry and cheesy goodness. But not this time. They were definitely sausage with a smidgen of cheese and then some unidentified dough-like rectangles. They were more like baked balls of sausage, and who wants baked sausage balls for Sunday brunch?
Bottoms Up
I can say that my Earl Gray tea was delightful, but I'm not sure how one could screw up a teabag. My partner-in-dine (how bad is that?) had an espresso to start and was told that he could get some java at the coffee bar, but he wasn't given a bigger cup. When he decided that a miniature cup of coffee was better than none, he discovered that he had a choice of the Snickerdoodle coffee or he could go with the Snickerdoodle coffee. Unfortunately, he happens to detest flavored coffees.
Wait a Minute
We were told by our almost non-existent waitress that the reason there was a wait on the food was because the kitchen was too small. I find this odd, because I've visited this establishment before and have never had a 45 minute wait on my food. Is the kitchen shrinking? I think maybe someone's in the kitchen with Dinah and they don't know how to cook.
To our waitress' credit, she did the best she could. They were obviously short of wait staff, as she also had the tables on the patio, and seeing as how we were not on the patio, this did not aid us in receiving much service. She was very friendly, though, and mentioned that we should feel free to grab one of the newspapers to read while we were waiting. She should have just given us some yarn and about 10 skeins of wool and I could have knitted a sweater. And I don't even know how to knit. But it was so cold in there, I needed a sweater. I think they figured that if people were frozen to death, it would be harder for them to go to a different restaurant.
Tally Ho
Atmosphere: Five Golden Sporks - Artwork on the walls from local artists, sofas for lounging, a beautiful bar and dim enough lights that should you be hungover, you will not find yourself blinded by the light, although you may be revved up like a deuce.
Food: 1 Greasy Plastic Spork with a missing tine.
Staff: 4 Silver Sporks: They were understaffed, but doing the best they could.
Chance of Returning: 123 snowballs in hell
Sweet Tea: Non-existent
Dollars Spent: 19 and some change
I, being of slightly sound mind, do solemnly swear that I will not return to Common Grounds until they get their groove back, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be soon. Please, Common Grounds people, get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged.
Location: Fayetteville, AR
Date visited: 8.12.07
Time: 11:30ish in the a.m.
Party of: 2
Preamble Ramble
I have visited Common Grounds on several occasions, and it's always been one of my favorite places. But the past two visits have been disappointing. The previous time before Sunday's visit was disappointing, but tolerable. That time we were told that there would be about a 45 minute wait on our food (it was more like 25), and the food wasn't up to par, but I'm a firm believer in second chances.
Sunday they had their second chance and failed miserably. We were once again told that there would be a 45 minute wait on our food, but I didn't believe them. I should have. Oh Lawdy! I should have. It was more than 45 minutes. And I'm not real fond of waiting 45 minutes for anything.
Food for Thought
My dining partner ordered his usual - which has the name Buddha in it, but I can't remember what the heck it is. The Screaming Buddha? Laughing Buddha? Bubbling Buddha? I'm not even sure what Buddha has to do with it. It is a plate of scrambled eggs, a sausage roll, country ham, seasoned potatoes and a biscuit with gravy. Well, he received all of it but the biscuit, and it took around 10 minutes for him to get one. I ordered a sausage roll, seasoned potatoes and a slice o' country ham. Well, it seems that someone in the kitchen needs to know the difference between ham you've taken out of an Oscar Mayer package and country ham. Country ham is thick, has a bone in it and you can actually see the grain of the meat. Lunch meat ham is thin, somewhat slimy and looks like pink marble. As though it should be a sink surround in a 1950s bathroom.
And the sausage roll! Egad! That's right...I said egad. Usually the sausage rolls are my favorite part of brunch. They're filled with sausage, puff pastry and cheesy goodness. But not this time. They were definitely sausage with a smidgen of cheese and then some unidentified dough-like rectangles. They were more like baked balls of sausage, and who wants baked sausage balls for Sunday brunch?
Bottoms Up
I can say that my Earl Gray tea was delightful, but I'm not sure how one could screw up a teabag. My partner-in-dine (how bad is that?) had an espresso to start and was told that he could get some java at the coffee bar, but he wasn't given a bigger cup. When he decided that a miniature cup of coffee was better than none, he discovered that he had a choice of the Snickerdoodle coffee or he could go with the Snickerdoodle coffee. Unfortunately, he happens to detest flavored coffees.
Wait a Minute
We were told by our almost non-existent waitress that the reason there was a wait on the food was because the kitchen was too small. I find this odd, because I've visited this establishment before and have never had a 45 minute wait on my food. Is the kitchen shrinking? I think maybe someone's in the kitchen with Dinah and they don't know how to cook.
To our waitress' credit, she did the best she could. They were obviously short of wait staff, as she also had the tables on the patio, and seeing as how we were not on the patio, this did not aid us in receiving much service. She was very friendly, though, and mentioned that we should feel free to grab one of the newspapers to read while we were waiting. She should have just given us some yarn and about 10 skeins of wool and I could have knitted a sweater. And I don't even know how to knit. But it was so cold in there, I needed a sweater. I think they figured that if people were frozen to death, it would be harder for them to go to a different restaurant.
Tally Ho
Atmosphere: Five Golden Sporks - Artwork on the walls from local artists, sofas for lounging, a beautiful bar and dim enough lights that should you be hungover, you will not find yourself blinded by the light, although you may be revved up like a deuce.
Food: 1 Greasy Plastic Spork with a missing tine.
Staff: 4 Silver Sporks: They were understaffed, but doing the best they could.
Chance of Returning: 123 snowballs in hell
Sweet Tea: Non-existent
Dollars Spent: 19 and some change
I, being of slightly sound mind, do solemnly swear that I will not return to Common Grounds until they get their groove back, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be soon. Please, Common Grounds people, get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged.
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