Bentonville Downtown is LIT

I used to work in Bville back when the downtown was non-existent.  I haven't worked in Bville for a long time so I hadn't been to the downtown area for about 10 years until recently when I went there to see my bros in HONEYJACK do a show.  Lots of stuff down there now and a good portion of them have fries so.....

The HoneyJack boyz were loading in and sound checking (making annoying noises, saying "one two, one two" over and over again, etc.) so I slid on over to Oven & Tap to check out their offerings.  I was alone which always makes me feel like a creep so I sat at the bar.

The place looks like every bar/restaurant in Dallas from 1998. I know this is a weird shot, but everyone in the main dining room was looking at me like a creep so this is all you get.

Good beer selection.  I suggest the Bell's Two Hearted Ale.

Hmmm.  Salt and Vinegar Potatoes roasted in the 800 degree wood fired oven.

I know what you're thinking:
YOU: "Gibby!  Those aren't fries!  They're oven baked!"
GIBBY:  "Yeah, but-
YOU:  "You always complain about stuff like sweet potato fries and onion rings and stuff like that not being 'real' fries and here you are eating this baked stuff!"
GIBBY:  "Yeah but-
YOU:  "That's it!  I'm never reading your piece of crap hypocrite blog again!  You're just like all the other french fry bloggers out there-you talk a big game but when it comes to-"
GIBBY:  *I hang up

Man you guys are brutal.  Anyhoo, this is what was delivered.

NICE.

I'll tell ya that 800 degrees puts a fry-like hurt on those potatoes.  So good.

Fluffy inside.  And the combo of the slightly caramelized skin mixed with the salt and vinegar was awesome.  The Two Hearted Ale is also a perfect pairing I might add.

Six bucks for these is a joke.  The pics don't really show the actual volume of this serving.  This much would easily feed 4 people.  In fact I took 3/4 of them back to the HoneyJack boys and they wolfed em down.  DO IT X 100.

I was feeling pretty good about Bville at this point so I decided to try out this fish place that was within smelling distance of the club called Flying Fish.

It's a chain based out of TX with like 11 locations that all have this kitschy kind of old school diner vibe.  Fits right in with downtown Bville.

Yo fries are kinda steep in this joint.  They must be awesome!  And why are there so many hyphens in "corn on the cob"?

Hmm.  Straight out the freezer bag.  Cooked okay.

But no flavor.  Usually at a fish fry place they used the same oil for everything and the fries soak up some of the flavors.  Not so here.  I ate like 5 and packed them up and gave them to the HoneyJack boys as well.  I should have tried these before the Oven & Tap ones.

It was almost showtime but my buddies Sluggo and Jen told me I absolutely HAD TO try the fries at the Pressroom.  So off we went.

Oh great.  Did everyone in Bville use the same architect/designer?  Dallas 1998 again.  Okay I guess.

The first strike was that they were out of Bell's Two Hearted Ale.  Boo.  The second strike is that someone in the kitchen accidentally dropped a pickle or something into the fancy-schmancy water bottle that was brought to our table.  I complained to the waitress and she was all like "it's supposed to be there" and I was like "nuh uh!".

Sluggo and Jen calmed me down by telling me that indeed people in Bville like weird stuff floating in their water.  It takes all kinds I guess.

The fries there are called "frites" and they're $4.00.  They come with some fancy aioli.  Looked pretty good.

Tasted really good.   Skin-on with lots of depth to the flavor.  By the way, have I ever mentioned that fresh, chilled ketchup makes a HUGE difference?  Note to all you restaurant owners out there.

Totally NOM.  DO IT.

I gotta say if you're looking for some fries and you live in Bville, you are in luck.  I was pretty fat and happy while the boys played.

Actually, I'm fat and happy all the time.