Friday Food Review

Since arriving in Bentonville, AR., my mate and I have done a lot of dining out. I thought I'd share my impressions of some of the restaurants we've tried:

Bentonville, AR Restaurants

Pepper Jacks - Fast food Mexican - My mate and I were hungry for mexican food and happened upon Pepper Jack's. What a lucky find for us! We shared a burrito made with a basil tomato tortilla and grilled veggies, and an order of nacho's. The burrito was quite possibly the best I've ever had, the servings are huge, and the service excellent. You can't beat the prices, either. I used to think Moes was the best in franchise mexican fare, but Pepper Jack's beats them, hands down."

Simon's Pancake House - This place reminds me of the small town diners I grew up with. The decor is definitely not high-class, but who cares? The menu is simple, but the food is great, and you can't beat the prices or service. You get a real family feel here.

Dennys Restaurant - I love the decor of this classic dinner. The service left a little to be desired. I had the hash brown potato's with tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, and over-easy eggs, which was yummy. My mate had the silver dollar pancakes, and hash brown potato's, which he said were very good, nice and crispy (the potato's, not the pancakes).

Maria's Mexican Restaurant - My mate and I have mixed opinions about this restaurant. I enjoyed it for the most part. He wasn't so impressed. I love their chips and salsa, in fact, I'd rate their salsa as the best. It wasn't spicy enough for him. I had the chile relano's, one of my favorite dishes, and wasn't disappointed with it. I didn't care for their Spanish rice, but their refried beans were the best I've had in a restaurant. My mate had the variety enchiladas, and was disappointed that the red and green sauces were mixed together. I have no complaint about the prices or the service, which was excellent, by the way.

Sonic Drive-In - My mate and I are vegetarians, so the only thing on the menu that we've tried are the banana splits. My first visit, and I have no complaints.

Jimmy John's Gourmet Subs - Jimmy John's is always good! In my experience, they use the freshest of ingredients, and their potato chips are the best. My favorite chip flavor is the salt and vinegar, my mate prefers the jalapeno flavor. We first discovered this franchise in a suburb of Minneapolis, Minn., and have found them in 5 other states since. The quality is consistent, where ever they are. Excellent subs, service and price. What more could you ask for?

Johnny Carino's Italian Restaurant - We had lunch here yesterday. At 12:05, the parking lot was packed, and we were afraid that there would be a long wait for a table. Fortunately, that wasn't the case. I ordered an Italian Creme Soda, vanilla flavor, which was excellent. My mate ordered lemonade, and wasn't impressed, it tasted very watered down. I ordered the angel hair pasta with artichokes, which proved to be a lovely, light dish. My mate had the eggplant Parmesan which he declared was equally delicious. I have to admit, my favorite part of the whole meal was the bread, hot, fresh, and oh so yummy. The service was efficient and fast. The only complaint that I have was about the tomato balsamic vinaigrette I had on my salad. I'm a balsamic vinegar addict, this dressing had no balsamic flavor that I could detect, a real disappointment. Never the less, we'll be back.

Abuelo's Mexican Food Embassy - This franchise happens to be one of my mates favorite Mexican restaurants. I love the one located in Lubbock, TX. I'm not so impressed by the food in this branch. The CHILE RELLENO was adequate, the rice was good, but the beans were too dry for my taste. The service was very good, and the prices are competitive. I can't remember what my mate has ordered, but he had no complaints.