where to eat in Fayetteville, AR?

[maomonk]

Hey everybody,

I'll be passing through Fayetteville, AR and I'm looking for some food suggestions. Thanks.

[Lan4Dawg]

Herman's Rib House, what a dump, but the food is actually pretty good. Do not go there on the Fr/ Sat of a home Ark football game however as you will be waiting hours for a table.

[erraticninja]

wow, this is where i am living right now and previously have lived here for a while, my choices would be:

hugo's (on the square) good wine list, good beer selection, good crepes, good cheese board, pretty good sandwiches and burgers.

bordinos (off dickson) and jose's were good. jose's is decent tex-mex. bordino's was good italian. have been since i moved back. the resson i say WAS good is

picasso's pizza. (on highway 16e) probably one of my picks. not the greatest atmosphere (which the other three above have) as it is in a strip mall type building. but the guy who opened it is formerly the head chef of bordino's and cia trained. pizza is good but the thing that sets this apart is the pastas and the fact that the chef will do things not on the menu. portobello lasagna with pesto and bechmel is GREAT, the caprese salad is really good. beer and wine list is small but decent. service is variable.

as far as other picks, coffee, breakfast, burger joints etc or if you need directions to any of the places listed above or have any questions let me know.

[joiei]

I had a memorable meal at James at the Mill in Springdale, just north of Fayetteville. And there is a motel attached, so you only have to stagger to your bed. There is a very good Farmer's market in Fayetteville on Saturday mornings around the main square in town.

[erraticninja]

i had forgotten about james at the mill. it used to be amazing. i don't know if it is still as good as i had moved away. i will have to make it a point to go there and check it out again. here is the web site : http://www.jamesatthemill.com/

also another place that has amazing food but i have also had hit and miss experience with is Uncle Gaylords. I believe the owner and head chef just opened another place together but i'll have to find out the name for it and report back. and Gaylords has great breakfast. Also if you can excuse the frat boy atmosphere Ozark Brewing Company has decent food and good beer.

but i would probably recommend james at the mill for the best combo of food and atmosphere.

[erraticninja]

also just found out that Miles James latest (james at the mill's head chef who has won several awards apparantly) resturant has opened. It's called Ella in Carnal Hall Inn (on the University Campus) and it's northern italian. it's walk in only at 100 tables until sep 1. just letting you know about the newest place. should try to go and report back soon.

[joiei]

Thanks for the head's up. Maybe I will go over the weekend after labor day.

[maomonk]

thanks for the suggestions y'all!

[joiei]

I had lunch at Ella's at the new Inn at Canell Hall on the campus of U of A ( is that soueee I hear?) Not bad, the service was a bit loose. The decorations are not all up yet but the central columns in the middle of the room were visually interesting. The food was not as good or as interesting as James at the Mill. Chef Miles James runs the kitchen at both places. I had the bruscetta sampler, nothing new or exciting. Then the turkey sandwich on house flatbread. Nice flavor, the fries that were served with it were fresh, but not quite cooked all the way, the spice seasoning was good and different. It tasted like it had some chili powder in it. I will go back, it is only fair since they had been open less than a week.

Before leaving NW-A, I checked out the Market Foods in Springdale. They are opening a market here in Tulsa. It is a copy of Eatzi's with a few additional details. The coffee bar with fireplace and two internet stations was interesting. The selections were adequate, The cheese counter needs a ton of work, mostly grocery store boring cheeses.

Northwest ARkansas has tons of potential, considering all the wal-mart monies there now. Lots of new everything everywhere including the chain restaurants. Fayetteville seemed to have more local restaurants than further north.

[Jonesin]

In defense of Ella's: This restaurant is the training ground for the Hospitality and Restaurant Management program at the U of A, so the quality of service will not be on par with James at the Mill (which has servers and management that have been in the business for decades). Here's a segment from the September issue of Little Rock's Active Years magazine:

The academic connection between the Inn at Carnall Hall, Ella’s Restaurant (named for the University’s first female faculty member) and the Hospitality and Restaurant Management program is a match made in heaven, according to Mary Warnock, Director of the School of Human Environmental Sciences. The ten year old program currently has approximately 40 students enrolled but is expected to grow by leaps and bounds with the new facility.

     “Students will attend hospitality classes right on campus at Carnall Hall and have access to a professional chef [Restaurant Manager Miles James of James at the Mill] and one of the best hoteliers in the state [inn General Manager John Delap].”  On top of all those assets, they’ll have hands-on learning options such as internships, on-site employment and study abroad.  “It’s the best of every world.”

So, if you go expecting a flawless dining experience, you might be disappointed. But if you go expecting decent food and a nice atmosphere, everything will be dandy.

Oh yeah...uh...topic? Bordino's. Try the duck if it's still on the menu; it's the best I've ever had.

Edited August 31, 2003 by Jonesin (log)

[mikey]

Jonesin- welcome to eGullet. It's been lonely here in Little Rock.

[Meechie]

Hey thanks! Glad to be here. I've actually been lurking for a while and thought I'd better start contributing. We need representation!

[erraticninja]

Oh yeah...uh...topic? Bordino's. Try the duck if it's still on the menu; it's the best I've ever had.

how long has it been since you've had bordino's. i know within the last two years (i'll have to ask when) the head chef and sous chef and a few others left bordino's. I am just wondering if the quality has gone down since then as I had moved away from fayetteville and now I am back but have not been to bordino's since moving back.

[Meechie]

This was a few months ago -- April if I remember correctly. We went to see David Sedaris at the Walton Arts Center and had a fantastic dinner afterward. It was the first time I had been, but my boyfriend has been there several times (big Razorback fan, he is). He said it was one of the best meals he'd ever had there.

[erraticninja]

This was a few months ago -- April if I remember correctly.

that's great. I'm glad the quality didn't suffer when chef Juan left. I will have to add bordino's to my list of places to go out when we start eating at real resturants again (and not just doing takeaway as we have a 5 month old and we aren't ready to leave her at the gp's).

[Laughing Goddess]

Have to add to the rec's for Bordino's. The new chef, Chrissie, is CIA-trained. Had a fabulous mushroom-truffle risotto there earlier there this year, and the pastas I've tried were great too.

Duck, huh? I love duck, but haven't tried hers yet. Maybe tomorrow night.

[robirdstx]

DH and I will be in Fayetteville this month - any current recommendations for lunch or dinner?

[kayb]

Been a while since I was up there, and when I was, I was actually in Bentonville, some 20 miles north. James at the Mill is still there, still excellent, from what I hear. AQ Chicken House, just up the road in Springdale, does all sorts of things with chicken, and it's pretty doggoned good; it's an institution. Herman's Rib House is still there, decent but doesn't make me say "Wow!". I can't remember which highway it's on, but Venetian Inn is another institution in the realm of Italian food up there, as was Mary Maestri's until it got shut down for non-payment of taxes, and I haven't heard that it's reopened. There used to be a place in Bentonville, Fred's Hickory Inn, that, if it's still there, is worth the 30-minute drive for the smoked prime rib, which was perhaps one of the most sublime pieces of meat I've ever consumed.

Coming any further into the state? If you get as far as Russellville, Little Rock or Hot Springs, I have some good recommendations for you.

[robirdstx]

Thanks kayb. James at the Mill looks very tempting.

We won't be heading over your way this time, but will definitely ask for your recommendations next time we are.

[joiei]

Probably the best new place in NW Arkansas, and Lordy there are a bunch of them, is 28 Springs in Siloam Springs. It is a Chef Miles James property. It is in old downtown Siloam Springs so you have to get off highway 412 and go downtown. He is doing great and fun things in a place almost forgotten in time. I consider the hour and a half drive each way worth it.

And if your passing through the area by all means go see the new Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville. Thank goodness the Walmart money to build it was so well spent. The collection is amazing and the building and siting are spectacular. The restaurant at the museum is okay the setting is much better. You can always go eat at the Tusk and Trotter like 6 blocks away.