Golden Dragon Buffet

What the heck has happened with Chinese buffets?  Twenty years ago you didn't see things like prime rib, pizza, potato skins, macaroni & cheese, and SALAD sittin around with the general's chicken.  Ice cream was a nice addition, sure, but chicken wings and ribs?  WTF?

Of course, there is one inexplicable addition to the buffets I have seen recently that I can't disparage.  Ah, yes, delicious french fries.  I noticed some recently in Springdale at the Golden Dragon Buffet.

The dining area of this joint is swank.  Check those modernistical light thingys up there!

Chandeliers over the buffet?  But of course!

Heh heh.  The sign said "Dinner Rolls".  FANCY!

OMG!!!  This is what all football watching game food should look like.  This platter was like 8 pounds of (what the locals call) arkies!  Nom nom nom!

Perfect size, perfectly cooked, nice seasoning.

Hard to figure what an order of just fries off the buffet would cost, but the fact that you can eat as many as you want kinda negates the quantity vs. price aspect anyway.

10 out of 10.  Plus they have ice cream.  All you can eat. 
P.S.  I ate like 50.  Don't tell my wife.  Or the Grunion.

Willie James Restaurant & Pub

I heard about this place cause they brew their own beer.  I know, I know, this is a fry blog, but when eating fries, it's important to cleanse the palate liberally with beer.  Anyhoo, they also have fries so there you go.  Nice things first:  The building is beautiful. 

They have a huge indoor patio (is that a thing?) where bands play.

And they have those big oaky rafter thingys.  Pretty cool.

The fries and the beer are another matter.
***Hold on.  I just decided to kill this review.  I don't want to spend a bunch of time (and waste yours) writing about how the fries are meh, and how the service is rotten, and how the house-brewed beer is ridiculously bad.  I decided I would just provide you a link to the Yelp reviews.


1 out of 10 (but only cause they actually serve fries).

21c Museum Hotel

Bentonville has this fancy-schmancy hotel now called 21c.  Last weekend a bunch of us old parenty types decided to wreck their day and take a bunch of kids there to check it out.  Basically, it's an expensive hotel with a bunch of weird modern art all over the place.  Perfect for toddlers.  I didn't manage to get any pictures of the art cause I was keeping the Grunion from destroying everything.

The bar has a bunch of $10 drinks, and also $5 fries.  I was expecting to be fleeced.

This is what arrived.  WHA?  Perfectly cooked fresh cut fries with a tasteful, but not overbearing array of seasonings?

And in a skillet, no less!  How dare they?  Even the ketchup was fresh and cold.  Nice.

Big props to the schmancy 21c.  The fries are top notch, even at $5.

10 out of 10.  Do it.

Macaw Landing Grill/Tulsa Zoo

Generally, Zoos/Aquariums/Amusement Parks/Museums have pretty pedestrian fry offerings.  I figure it's cause they all use the same food distributor (cheap).  The Macaw Landing Grille (oooh...it must be fancy cause it has an "e" on the end) is certainly no exception.

The Grunion demanded that we sit outside.  Not just because it was 90 degrees, but also because there was the added fun of getting hassled by one of the Canadian geese moochers on the patio.

Faux skin-on cheapo foodservice fries on a corrugated cardboard tray.  I felt like I was in elementary school again.

Meh.  Double/Triple meh.  And also 4 bucks (which I don't actually mind cause the zoo needs money to stay open).

6 out of 10.  Good zoo though.

The Angus Jack Redemption

---UPDATED---
A few weeks after I reviewed Angus Jack, I received an astonishing email from a guy named Justin (who I assume works in some sort of management capacity for Angus Jack).  I call the email astonishing because in this day and age in 'Merica, it's more typical that criticism is met with rage.  Not so, here.  Justin acknowledged the shortcomings during my visit, and let me know that things had changed.  Impressive and commendable.

So I went back.  I fully expected the fries to still suck, and was not at all looking forward to blasting the joint again after they had reached out in earnest.

I ordered a burger and a separate order of fries to stay incognito in case the invitation was a trick to kill me.  I imagined that my picture was posted all over the kitchen with the words "Kill this fatty on sight" written on it.  ONLY 5 MINUTES later this is what was delivered to the table.

They were a totally different from the kind of fries they had before!  Hot, crispy, tasty!  They are almost like a cross between a 1/4" cut fry and a steak fry.

The price is still too high ($2.99) in my opinion, but these are 1000 times better than they were before.  8 out of 10. 

Ban lifted!  Angus Jack is definitely worth a visit.

P.S.  My buddy Jack wanted me to specifically mention that the drive through is operational as well.


***PREVIOUS REVIEW FOR YOUR INFORMATION ONLY***
A new business called Angus Jack opened up today where the Rockin Chicken used to be on 412 in Springdale.  It seems to be kind of trendy to include in your signage that you have "fresh cut fries".

Other than the signage, the place looks exactly the same on the inside as when it was the Rockin Chicken.  And that is the only neutral/positive comment for this review.

First of all, an order of fries in $2.49.  I have been around the fry-block, and that is a bunch of dough for some fries at what is essentially a fast food joint.  Remember that I just used the term "fast food" cause it will be important later.  Okay, one order of fries and a medium drink, please.  Note the time on the receipt: 11:51.

If you make me do this at a restaurant, I hate you.  Especially if you are a burger joint.  JUST INVEST IN DAMN KETCHUP BOTTLES.  I hate trying to carry these stupid things, and they make a mess.

I took a picture of the booth to remind me to tell you that the seat was really sticky.  I know, I know, some cleaning products can leave vinyl feeling sticky, but it's still gross.  Not a strike, but close.

And then we waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

After about 20 minutes, we realized that the place was falling apart.  Orders were screwed up, they were taking WAY TOO LONG, people were complaining, etc.  It's kind of baffling considering they only have like 10 things on the menu and it wasn't really that busy.  The owner/manager eventually PARKED HIS CAR IN THE DRIVE THRU so people couldn't use it.  Great move.  Maybe the speaker was broken or something, but it seems like something you would have checked before you opened.

Dang, I only ordered fries.  How could they take this long?

I'm not exaggerating here.  At 12:32 pm, AFTER 41 MINUTES this is what was delivered to me.  Greasy, slimy, undercooked grossness.

Not sure what the little black stringy thing is there.

To call these things fries is as ridiculous as calling me a marathon runner.  I have sampled a good many fries in a great many places, and I can say without a doubt that these are absolutely the worst fries I have ever experienced.  I have never bitten into an abscess, but this particular fry here approximated the experience.

This is my buddy Jeff's face after trying the fries.

This is what I left on the table.  I (maybe) ate three of them.

Instead of giving this place a rating, I am instead going to issue a heartfelt plea to all of you to never, ever, under any circumstances eat the fries at Angus Jack.  As a matter of fact, stay away from the place altogether.  They suck, and they are not likely to get any better based on the way we saw the management fielding complaints from customers.  Normally I wouldn't even do a review for a place this bad (giving them publicity) but they are so bad this is really more of a public service announcement.  It should be illegal for this place to sell fries, much less brag about them with their signage.

The Bleu Monkey

The Bleu Monkey (yes, that's the way they spell it) in Springdale is one of those buildings that has been a bunch of different joints over the years.  I think when it originally opened it was called Armadillo Grill. 

Anyhoo, now it's called Bleu Monkey and it is straight up fancified.

All neon blue and stuff.

The fries are $1.95 and come wrapped in a package like a present!

Lightly battered.  Hard to tell if they are foodservice supplied, but they are GOOD.

Hot and crispy.  Could have used a little salt.

Overall, AWESOME.  10 out of 10.
Extra points for the weird rice pyramids.

The Burger Shack

Every so often, a cocky new fry kid comes to town. And they are usually at least semi-cautious with their fry bragging.  Not so with newcomers The Burger Shack on MLK in Fayetteville.  They are straight up smack talkin!  They mention their fries right on the sign!

 AND IN HUGE LETTERS ON THE SIDE OF THE BUILDING!

Oh it is SO on.

The inside looks like a beach bar.  Burger Shack.  Get it?

There's even a cabana-looking thing where the waiters make milkshakes.

What's with the thing where places are putting the potato boxes on display in the front of the restaurant these days?  5 Guys Burgers does this too.  Weird trend.

Whoa!  Free peanuts while you wait!  Sweet.  Unstrike one...

Their frying setup looked promising.  The baskets on the left were in some water (possibly brine), and it looked like there were two different fryers with two different temperatures of oil.

$2.49 for a "medium" paper boat of fries.  Too many to count, but definitely a strike for price vs. quantity.

The upside: GOOD!  Crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

There was a seasoning on them, but we couldn't make out what it was.

To be fair, their bold signage mentions that the fries are fresh cut.  That is true.  I'll give them that.  If their signs said "Fresh Cut GOOD Fries" I would agree.  If their signs said "Fresh Cut GREAT Fries" I would disagree.

8 out of 10.

P.S.    I put like 60 peanuts in my pockets while I was waiting.
P.P.S. Amy said their milkshakes are really good but I don't care about milkshakes.

Nomad's Natural Plate Food Truck

I have long since lost my ability to remain functionally appropriate after a few beers, and I like to avoid making a fool of myself in public.  For this reason, I rarely go out on Dickson Street (the main bar section of Fayetteville for those of you who don't know) any more unless it's a special occasion.  This past Saturday was a special occasion (a reunion show by the Paper Hearts), so I was down on Dickson with the Bandit.

On our way home, the Bandit demanded food from the Nomad's food truck.  I was in no condition to interact with strangers.

NOMAD's GUY: Hi, what can I get you?
GIBBY:  It's....it's..prime time penguins....snarlffffttt!
NOMAD's GUY: Whoa.

The Bandit quickly stepped in to interpret.
BANDIT:  He says he wants fries.  Do you have fries?
NOMAD's GUY:  Yes.  We have pita fries and regular fries.
BANDIT:  Which fries do you want, Gibby?
GIBBY: Yaaawwwr!  I saw something!  Review!  Review!
BANDIT:  Just give us an order of both.  And a falafel (I didn't agree to the falafel).

Both the pita fries and the regular fries were 3 bucks.  Kinda steep.  The kid put everything in one box, which depressed me since I knew the fry count would be low.

The pita fries were interesting.  Pita bread chopped into funny shapes and deep fried.  Kinda meh, but the tzatziki sauce made them okay (not great).

The regular fries were quite good.  They are basically the same fries you get at the local Greek joint.  Since they aren't technically potatoes I won't give them a score.  Good seasoning.  Outta the freezer bag, but hot and tasty.  Amount was bad for 3 bucks though.  7 out of 10.

The Bandit ate the falafel.  She said it was good, but she's a vegetarian so what does she know?