EATING OUT IN SILOAM SPRINGS, ARKANSAS

EATING OUT IN SILOAM SPRINGS, ARKANSAS

Everyone seems to enjoy getting out of the house occasionally, and having a meal in a nice restaurant with friends or family. Well if you live in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, get ready for a gastronomical binge on the Bad Side. Say you friends drop in from New York City, Los Angles, Miami, Seattle, Billings, Salt Lake City, or Phoenix and you want to take them out for some good old southern hospitality.

As the wise guy said, “Forget about it!” That’s right forget about it. Siloam Springs though the guidance and inspirational wisdom (insert your word here) of the City Council ---- SUCKS. There are no good and I use that word loosely good place to eat in this town. Ask anyone during a conversation what they miss most or think that we need here in Siloam Springs, and I will bet you they will say a good place to eat. Now don’t get me wrong there are some good places to eat in the town, like say Cathy’s Corner out of U.S. Hwy 412 East, but I mean how many monstrous Big Al Burgers, piles of hand cut French fries, and slices of Coconut Cream can a person eat. To top it off there not open in the evening. They are open for breakfast and lunch, but they are not open for dinner or supper, as it is known as down here in the South. You can not beat they breakfast for consistency in quality, and quantity with thick a slab of smoked ham, eggs, hash browns or grits, and mountainous biscuits all puffed up and swimming in creamy home made gravy. Wash all of this down with a cup that never seems to run dry of freshly brewed steaming hot coffee. You can get out of there for less than ten dollars with about any meal.

Any Thursday one need only “pucky” (A southern colloquiums meaning to slide, mosey, waddle, go, or wander, or get some times spelled git) east about a mile and a half further down the highway from Cathy’s Corner just passed the Wal-Mart Super Center to the Cattle Sale Barn. Only once a week on Thursday starting about eleven or so you can made a mad dash across the front lot to the café inside the sale barn. One needs to disregard the ambient aroma of cattle feces that permeates the air surrounding the sale barn, and out over the parking lot. Hold your breath and sprint hastily towards the front door of the café side-steeping ambeer stains on the sidewalk. Ruck up and tolerate that moment of lung burning ammonia that causes your eyes to blink as the aroma of cow urine rides on the breeze. Let your mind be free as you fast step across that gaveled lot that leads to a gastronomical southern meal of bliss featuring giant Chicken Fried Steaks smoothed in home made cream gravy sitting atop a plate garnished with mashed potatoes, fresh green salad, and a side dish of either fried Okra, Lima Beans, Corn, or mixed vegetables. A fresh glass of perpetually full iced tea and a hot roll or sliced white bread round out the meal. All served up by a friend little girl who has a smile on her face and giggle in her voice for about six dollars.

Outside of these two restaurants Siloam Springs, Arkansas has the run of the mill Hardee‘s, McDonalds Hamburger, Long Johns Silver, Sonic Drive Inn, Arby’s Roast Beef, Taco Bell, Taco Tico, Taco something else, Eureka Pizza, Mazzios Pizza, Pizza Hut, Domino’s Pizza, Jim’s Razorback Pizza, and Barnett Dairy Hamburgers or what every it is called. There is Subway Subs, Quiznos Subs, and Fatiga’s Subs and Sandwiches which are so damn good that you will die for one. Kentucky Fired Chicken, Popeyes Chicken Shack, and a new fast food drive through chicken eatery, but I can’t remember their name. So listen you can only eat at these fast food bucket for so long before your totally burnt out or so damn fat you can get in your car to drive down to the store. We have some home grown wantabee restaurants like Hunan Village, and the New China Restaurant with its quote, “Authentic Chinese Buffet,” and La Huerta Mexican Restaurant. The two Chinese themed restaurants, and La Huerta’s Mexican Restaurant aren’t too bad but get old after more that one visit a week.

A Sunday after church crowd beats a path to the Callahan’s Steak House on the main drag of U.S. 412 highway so that they can let everyone know their cool. In my opinion I personally think this cowboy slash western what ever motif restaurant is over done, over priced, and not to my liking at all. If a decent steak house comes into town this place will fold up like a cheap deck of wet playing cards. This leaves Goomba’s Catfish Cove, and the Italian Grille & Steakhouse. Goomba’s is just north of the intersection of 412 and the main drag going to historic as the city fathers like to call it downtown. It is about one hundred yards north of the intersection in a small shopping center just off Mt. Olive Street. It is also about 900 miles from the nearest port of call to named a “cove’, and ran by a upstate New York woman who could be from a long line of Goomba’s. The catfish is good, the hush puppies hot, cold salad fresh, French fries crisp, prices are more than fair and decent. I never have figured out their hours however, and I tire of cat fish real quick.

This leaves us with the Italian Grille & Steakhouse out on U.S. 412 West near the Oklahoma slash Arkansas state line. This is strictly my opinion and my experience with this restaurant, and is not meant to be a guide line for your edification. I will say that I have not found anyone during conversations on eateries in the City of Siloam Springs, Arkansas that have had anything better to say about this establishment. The first time I ate there I thought well it is new and they need to get the bugs out of the system; Maybe new cooks, maybe new menu, etc., etc. What the food did not do the bill did when it came. I looked at the price of the two steak dinners, and almost chocked. I noticed that the woman with me had not eaten much of her food and asked her if she was alright? She said she did not feel hungry. I apologized and told her my steak was not real good. The baked potato was stone cold, the hot roll cold, and harder than a rock in my opinion. The salad, and the ranch dressing sucked the big one in my opinion. So what did I do? About a year later I made the mistaken of going back and eating there again. I will never, never, never every eat there even if the food is free.

So here goes. One (1) is the worst, ten (10) is the best
FAST FOOD Restaurants lumped together: Hardee‘s, McDonalds Hamburger, Long Johns Silver, Sonic Drive Inn, Arby’s Roast Beef, Taco Bell, Taco Tico, Taco something else,
Value = 4
Service = 5
Quantity = 4
Taste = 4
Over all score = 4.25 (about what it is everywhere else.)
Stand out in the crowd …………. McDonalds for getting it right, Arby’s Roast Beef for cleaning up their restaurant and building a new store.
Loser …………… Long John Silver. Sell one thing and cut the prices; it would help.

Eureka Pizza, Mazzios Pizza, Pizza Hut, Domino’s Pizza, Jim’s Razorback Pizza
Value = 5
Service = 6
Quantity = 4
Taste = 9
Over all score = 6.0
Stand out in the crowd …………. Domino’s for finally making a decent pizza, and having the best prices in town.
Loser …………… Eureka for the buy one get two free misleading advertisement.

Subway Subs, Quiznos Subs, and Fatiga’s Subs and Sandwiches.
Value = 7
Service = 7
Quantity = 8
Taste = 9
Over all score = 7.25
Stand out in the crowd …………. Fatiga’s for making the best damn sub around.
Loser …………… None really.

Kentucky Fired Chicken, Popeyes Chicken Shack, Zagbees
Value = 4
Service = 5
Quantity = 4
Taste = 7
Over all score = 5.0
Stand out in the crowd …………. None as far as I am concerned.
Loser …………… How many legs and wings are there on a chicken anyway?

Hunan Village, and the New China Restaurant with its quote, “Authentic Chinese Buffet,” and La Huerta Mexican Restaurant, Goomba’s Catfish Cove, and Cathy’s Corner
Value = 7
Service = 8
Quantity = 9
Taste = 8
Over all score = 8.00
Stand out in the crowd …………. La Huerta Mexican Restaurant. Good food at a decent price, good service, fresh, clean, and friendly atmosphere.
Loser …………… Both Chinese Restaurants for not staying open longer in the evening.

I saved the last for last.
Callahan’s Steak House, and the Italian Grille & Steakhouse.
Value = 3 (I would give one of these place a minus 2 if possible, but I digress)
Service = 6 (Callahan’s)
Quantity = 5 (Guess which one. You could pile food up on the plate until it fell off the plate, and it would still be nasty)
Taste = 5 (please)
Over all score = 5.0 (An I am being kind)
Stand out in the crowd …………. Callahan‘s Steak House for having young good looking girls who at least smile and make eye contact with you.
Loser …………… In my opinion anyone who goes and spends their time, or money at the Italian Grille & Steakhouse. The sign out front reads all you can eat. Hahahahahahahahahahaha

Triton Moreno, and that is my opinion.