1402 SE Shane Ln, Bentonville MAP
Food Quality: ***
Cleanliness : ***
Service : **
Variety : ***1/2
Price : $ (cheap)
Vegetarian options : Yes
Busy! at lunch time, it was nearly 30 min from the time we walked in until we were eating. The food was good, the menu has a lot of variety, and the staff seemed to dance smoothly through the busy dining room. It was obvious they had worked together quite a while. Although I didn't see it on the menu, I saw a dish go by with what looked like a mole sauce, one of my favorite ways to judge a Mexican restaurant (along with their carnitas).
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Restaurant Review - Hapa's Hawaiian Grill
2910 South Walton Blvd MAP
Food Quality: ***
Cleanliness : **1/2
Service : **
Variety : **
Price : $ (cheap)
Vegetarian options : No
Basically, pork and rice. But... very good quality and portions for the price. The meat is grilled fresh with your order. They offer a lunch special with 2 types of meat - pork chop-style and pulled pork style - with a teriyaki sauce, cole slaw and a macaroni salad. They also offer a smaller "rice bowl" with only steamed rice and meat.
Only open for lunch, so it can get a little crowded. It's a simple place, with good and simple food - who would have thought there could be a Hawaiian restaurant in the middle of Arkansas? The newspaper article mounted on the wall states that the term 'hapa' was originally a derogatory term for a person who is half-Asian, but the owners and counter people could apparently care less; they seem happy just to have our business.
Food Quality: ***
Cleanliness : **1/2
Service : **
Variety : **
Price : $ (cheap)
Vegetarian options : No
Basically, pork and rice. But... very good quality and portions for the price. The meat is grilled fresh with your order. They offer a lunch special with 2 types of meat - pork chop-style and pulled pork style - with a teriyaki sauce, cole slaw and a macaroni salad. They also offer a smaller "rice bowl" with only steamed rice and meat.
Only open for lunch, so it can get a little crowded. It's a simple place, with good and simple food - who would have thought there could be a Hawaiian restaurant in the middle of Arkansas? The newspaper article mounted on the wall states that the term 'hapa' was originally a derogatory term for a person who is half-Asian, but the owners and counter people could apparently care less; they seem happy just to have our business.
Restaurant Review - Smokin' Joe's Ribhouse
1204 South Walton Blvd MAP
Food Quality: **1/2
Cleanliness : ***
Service : ***1/2
Variety : **
Price : $ (cheap)
Vegetarian options : No
Tucked away along the west side of the busy road, this place is easy to miss. The parking lot is first-come-first-served, too! On a rainy day it could be quite muddy, if you know what I mean.
Inside, you will definitely a place for down-home southern-style cooking. There are several different meat choices - chicken, beef, pork, sausage. The lunch special is typically one of the meats and two sides for around $7. Among our group of 4 we had black-eyed peas, fried okra, mashed potatoes, french fries and baked beans (good!). The portions are generous but not huge. Of course, there is an abundance of sweet tea, too.
The service was friendly and accomodating; two of our group were vegetarians who brought food back from an outside restaurant, and the staff happily allowed them to do so. A benchmark of southern hospitality! The far dining room was a little on the cold side, though.
It's probably worth mentioning the wall full of awards for Best Barbeque and Best Catering in Bentonville - the place has won nearly every year for a decade.
Food Quality: **1/2
Cleanliness : ***
Service : ***1/2
Variety : **
Price : $ (cheap)
Vegetarian options : No
Tucked away along the west side of the busy road, this place is easy to miss. The parking lot is first-come-first-served, too! On a rainy day it could be quite muddy, if you know what I mean.
Inside, you will definitely a place for down-home southern-style cooking. There are several different meat choices - chicken, beef, pork, sausage. The lunch special is typically one of the meats and two sides for around $7. Among our group of 4 we had black-eyed peas, fried okra, mashed potatoes, french fries and baked beans (good!). The portions are generous but not huge. Of course, there is an abundance of sweet tea, too.
The service was friendly and accomodating; two of our group were vegetarians who brought food back from an outside restaurant, and the staff happily allowed them to do so. A benchmark of southern hospitality! The far dining room was a little on the cold side, though.
It's probably worth mentioning the wall full of awards for Best Barbeque and Best Catering in Bentonville - the place has won nearly every year for a decade.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Gym/Fitness Club options
Those of us staying at the Homewood Suites realize that the finess room there is fairly small and has few options beyond the very basics - 2 treadmills, 1 bike and 1 stepper machine. There are a couple benches and dumbbell weight pairs up to 30 lb.
Here are some options that I've found so far:
Fuse Fitness
This place, which is only about 1/2 mile from the hotel, is very slick and clean, and will certainly appeal to those who are used to high-tech, modern facilities. Because we're staying at a Hilton property, we can get the following special deals - $15/day per daily visit or $54.50 per month corporate membership. The latter is probably the best deal if you're going to visit more than once per week. If you're interested, ask for Susan Cleghorn, the membership director, and tell her you're with the IBM team staying at Homewood.
World Gym
Another option is World Gym, which has a $5/day deal through the hotel. Ask at the front desk of the hotel, and the clerk will hook you up with a card that you present at the gym. It's obvious that this is a really good deal for you, and not so much for the gym. It is designed for those who will only come here occasionally; continued use of this discount over many weeks will probably result in the gym asking you not to use it anymore. World Gym is much different than Fuse - it's old school, with older equipment, some of which is actually broken. They were playing XM Radio's "Lucy" (90's alternative) on the gym speakers, which I liked. They have a sauna, but that may be the only luxury. I didn't mind the place at all.
Here are some options that I've found so far:
Fuse Fitness
This place, which is only about 1/2 mile from the hotel, is very slick and clean, and will certainly appeal to those who are used to high-tech, modern facilities. Because we're staying at a Hilton property, we can get the following special deals - $15/day per daily visit or $54.50 per month corporate membership. The latter is probably the best deal if you're going to visit more than once per week. If you're interested, ask for Susan Cleghorn, the membership director, and tell her you're with the IBM team staying at Homewood.
World Gym
Another option is World Gym, which has a $5/day deal through the hotel. Ask at the front desk of the hotel, and the clerk will hook you up with a card that you present at the gym. It's obvious that this is a really good deal for you, and not so much for the gym. It is designed for those who will only come here occasionally; continued use of this discount over many weeks will probably result in the gym asking you not to use it anymore. World Gym is much different than Fuse - it's old school, with older equipment, some of which is actually broken. They were playing XM Radio's "Lucy" (90's alternative) on the gym speakers, which I liked. They have a sauna, but that may be the only luxury. I didn't mind the place at all.
Restaurant Review - "Kobe Japanese Restaurant"
1311 S. Walton Blvd MAP
Food Quality: ***1/2
Cleanliness : ****
Service : ***1/2
Variety : ****
Price : $ (cheap)
Vegetarian options : Yes
This place was a great find. It's tucked into a converted fast-food restaurant of some sort (the drive-thru is now a parking spot!) in the same parking lot as the Shell gas station. But don't let the location fool you - inside, yo'd never know you were next to a gas station.
Lunch is definitely a good deal. The 2-item "lunch box" costs $8.95, and contains miso soup, a salad, edamame, rice (steamed or fried) and two choices from over a dozen combinations of sushi, sashimi, tempura, teriyaki, california rolls, and several others. The large piece of salmon that comes with the salmon teriyaki would cost $8.95 alone in a restaurant like Cheesecake Factory or California Pizza Kitchen. The 4-piece sushi choice is salmon, tuna, shrimp and cod. Again, those 4 pieces alone might cost $8.95 at a chain, but here I also got a very nice selection of tempura shrimp and vegetables. The tempura was a little heavier than I like.
On another occasion, I went with the 8-piece spicy tuna roll and 4-piece sushi, and again the value for the quality and price is among the best I've ever had.
Definitely highly recommended!
Food Quality: ***1/2
Cleanliness : ****
Service : ***1/2
Variety : ****
Price : $ (cheap)
Vegetarian options : Yes
This place was a great find. It's tucked into a converted fast-food restaurant of some sort (the drive-thru is now a parking spot!) in the same parking lot as the Shell gas station. But don't let the location fool you - inside, yo'd never know you were next to a gas station.
Lunch is definitely a good deal. The 2-item "lunch box" costs $8.95, and contains miso soup, a salad, edamame, rice (steamed or fried) and two choices from over a dozen combinations of sushi, sashimi, tempura, teriyaki, california rolls, and several others. The large piece of salmon that comes with the salmon teriyaki would cost $8.95 alone in a restaurant like Cheesecake Factory or California Pizza Kitchen. The 4-piece sushi choice is salmon, tuna, shrimp and cod. Again, those 4 pieces alone might cost $8.95 at a chain, but here I also got a very nice selection of tempura shrimp and vegetables. The tempura was a little heavier than I like.
On another occasion, I went with the 8-piece spicy tuna roll and 4-piece sushi, and again the value for the quality and price is among the best I've ever had.
Definitely highly recommended!
Restaurant Review - "A Taste of Thai II"
Address: 2106 S. Walton Blvd #A, Bentonville MAP
Food Quality: ***1/2
Cleanliness : ***
Service : ***1/2
Variety : ***
Price : $ (cheap)
Vegetarian options : Yes
Spicy options : 1 to 5
Dinner late on a Tuesday evening near closing time was very good. The hostess and waiter were very attentive, explained menu choices and recommended vegetarian dishes for those who asked. Three of us shared three dishes - Green Curry, Pad Thai and a vegetarian dish of vegetables and rice, a variation from the menu. The fact that they were willing to deviate from the menu at that hour is an indication of their good service. The green curry was excellent, and the spiciness of 4 was still very tasty. The Pad Thai portion was very large.
Lunch during the week was a different experience - hurried, service was a little slower and not as attentive - but the food was still very good. The Red Curry at 4 was spicier than the Green at 4, and the Pa Nang curry was 4-star.
Food Quality: ***1/2
Cleanliness : ***
Service : ***1/2
Variety : ***
Price : $ (cheap)
Vegetarian options : Yes
Spicy options : 1 to 5
Dinner late on a Tuesday evening near closing time was very good. The hostess and waiter were very attentive, explained menu choices and recommended vegetarian dishes for those who asked. Three of us shared three dishes - Green Curry, Pad Thai and a vegetarian dish of vegetables and rice, a variation from the menu. The fact that they were willing to deviate from the menu at that hour is an indication of their good service. The green curry was excellent, and the spiciness of 4 was still very tasty. The Pad Thai portion was very large.
Lunch during the week was a different experience - hurried, service was a little slower and not as attentive - but the food was still very good. The Red Curry at 4 was spicier than the Green at 4, and the Pa Nang curry was 4-star.
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I'll use this blog to capture thoughts about Bentonville, reviews of restaurants, fitness facilities, culture and other (hopefully) useful what-not that I hope my colleagues will find entertaining. Comments are highly encouraged!
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