Joes Bistro

My Girl friend and I had the pleasure of eating at "Joe's Bistro" the other night. 3061 North College Avenue - Fiesta Square - Fayetteville, Arkansas 72703. 479)443-JOES (5637). http://www.eatatjoesbistro.com/ . Upon arrival we were greeted and immediately seated at a Boothe of our choice by our Hostess/Server. There were approximately 4-5 other couples in the main dinning area of the restaurant enjoying their meal as were seated. There was also a private party going on in the private dinning room. One of the first things my Girl friend noticed and complemented about, was the decor. Which was in very good taste, and made you feel at home and welcome. After we had ordered our drinks, came the hard part. What to order for the main course. Everything on the menu sounded so good. First, an appetizer. We ordered the "Sauteed Butterfly "Shrimp & Shitake Mushrooms" . You cannot imagine how good that appetizer was unless you go there and order it yourself. Next, after several minutes and several return visits from our Hostess to ask us if we needed anything or if we were ready to order, (took us a long time to decide) we finally decided. My friend ordered the "Fettuccine Alfredo" in a white sauce. I, the "Meat Lasagna" with a side of those great Shitake' Mushrooms sauteed in butter. (tell me you are not getting hungry just reading this ?) Served first were fresh House salads with homemade dressings. My Girl friend "Ranch". I, "Balsamic Vinaigrette". Also served with the meal was fresh Italian Bread. Guys, if you want to impress your Girl friend, your parents, your in-laws, or anyone who eats, this is the place to take them. You will not be sorry. Not to hard on the wallet either. All meals were competitively priced. I have eaten food in Italian chain restaurants that did not even come close to the great taste of "Joe's Bistro" and charged alot more. They have a Beer and a Large Wine selection, as well as a full bar. I am going to list http://www.eatatjoesbistro.com/ as one of my favorite places to eat on my Blog site. Review based on service, food, atmosphere, and price.
Rating = Excellent

Chili's Grill & Bar

On Saturday evening before we went to the "Green Door",(See post below) we stopped off at "Chili's", www.chilis.com ,772 E Millsap Rd, Fayetteville, AR 72703,(479) 521-9921, to eat. When we got there the place was packed, because "Chili's" is a pretty good place to eat. However on this evening, not so much. We were however met with charm and a smile by the Hostess. Seated right away, by our waiter who was prompt,friendly, and took our order immediately.
My friend and I ordered two appetizers. One, the "Awesome Blossom", which if you have ever eaten at Chili's you know it is a deep fried onion. Usually pretty good. It is my girlfriends favorite. Not so this time. Over cooked. Second, we ordered the "Triple Dipper".
Which consists of picking your three favorites. Ours, Southwestern egg rolls, Boneless Buffalo Chicken, Artichoke/Spinach Dip with chips. The Awesome Blossom was brought first. Which was over cooked. Approx. 20-25 minutes later "Triple Dipper" appetizer was brought.
Over cooked. The Southwest Egg rolls were a hardened dark crispy brown. Not very appetizing. The chips (which are usually a favorite of ours) were greasy and chewy. And way too long of a wait. Now I am not sure where the blame should be given. Was it the cook ? or was it the waiter who left it under the heat lamp too long ? Your comments are welcome. We have ate many times at different "Chili's" in Arkansas, Texas, Florida. All have been pretty good. This one ? maybe just a bad or off night. All of the staff were pleasant and accommodating. All of them seem to be enjoying their job. However the pricing of these items are too expensive in my opinion to be served any other way than correct and satisfactory to the customer. Oh yeah one more thing. Is it just me, or is "Chili's" menu almost identical to "Applebees" ???
Rating = Not So Much

The Green Door

Very Cool Place !
The Green Door is a kind of simple little place located in the Evelyn Hills Shopping Center at, (479) 575-0111, 1404 N College Ave, Fayetteville, AR 72703. You would never know how much talent is behind that Green Door if you do not enter. I suggest you do and soon. If you have not checked out this place you really need to. They have all types of LIVE music. The band that was playing that night was "ZAC", which is a blues band and very talented. Zac the lead singer played some of my favorite Blues Tunes. I will be returning for sure when he is in the house. Some of my friends came down with me, one of them my friend,the other a Blues player himself. They both loved the band. The bar itself is a full bar. Plenty of room and tables without being overcrowded. A great dance floor where lots of people were "Shaking Their Money Maker" to the Blues. The service was great. There was only one waitress, but she was able to handle all of the customers with a smile. The crowd was cool. Everyone friendly. Good atomosphere. If I were you I would give "The Green Door" a call (479-575-0111) and find out when your favorite type of live music is playing and I would check this place out as soon as possible. The night we went (Saturday) there was a $5.00 cover, but well worth it. I can see "The Green Door" becoming one of my favorite places to go to listen to LIVE music.
Rating = Very Good

Tire Tracks of Fayetteville

There is one other business which I must tell you about. I had a friend who had a flat tire on Friday eveing. No problem, buy another. Well I myself got on the phone and called almost every tire dealer in the phone books Yellow Pages to try and find this specific tire. Turns out its kinda rare. No one really carries them on the shelf. Its one of those low profiles that come on upper end cars. All of the tire dealers stated that they could order it, but would not be in till Monday or Tuesday. My friend panicked because of a important family meeting on Sunday she could not miss. The last place I called was,
Tire Tracks(479)443-4000, 800 S School Ave, Fayetteville, AR. They agreed that this particular tire was not carried on the shelves often. But, they did have some slightly used ones that had come off a wrecked car. Great! I'll take it, be there Saturday morning, I told them. When I arrived they pulled the car right in. I then went to the counter to pay for the tire and got a suprise. A new tire of this size was anywhere from $100.00 to $125.00. The tire they put on which looked new to me cost $40.00 because it was used. Plus they gave me a 30 day warranty good at any "Tire Tracks" store. By the time I was done paying for it, the Tire Tech in the shop came into the lobby and said." your car is ready" Guess what ? They are my new Tire store.
Rating = Excellent

Mama Z's in Tontitown

Went to lunch this last weekend at Mama Z's Cafe 357 West Henri De Tonti BlvdTontitown, AR 72770. This is the very first time I have eaten there. Now this place is known for their Italian Food. Maybe thats where I went wrong ? Could be. Upon arrival I noticed the place was packed. Good sign. I was then seated in a bad place. Although there were other tables, I was seated at the table closest to the hallway which leads to the restrooms. (not good) When someong did need to use the restroom, because of over crowding of table placement, as they tried to walk by the table I was seated at, they had to turn sideways to get by, thus brushing their body up against my table. Upon opening the Menu, I noticed that the prices of their Italian Dinners were comparable or even higher than that of a well known Italian major chain restaurant. Now this might be where I went wrong. I ordered the cheapest thing on the Menu. Why ? because they say to truly test a restaurant, "if the cheapest thing on the menu is good, you can't go wrong with the most expensive". What I ordered was the Hamburger meal. Now the fresh cut homemade french fries were very good. The hamburger bun was fresh. The Hamburger Pattie was fresh. All of these individually tasted good. But when all put together, it seemed to have no taste. Just plain, too plain. But that is probably my own fault since I did not order one of their signature Italian dishes. However the service was very good. But the Menu a little pricey for the type of restaurant, atmosphere, and overcrowding of tables being too close together. I will return to Mama Z's. I will order a signature Italian dinner which they are supposedly famous for, and I will let you know. Taking all of the above into consideration,
Rating = Not So Much