Bentonville, AR: Fred's Is Still Good, But Needs Improvement

Fred’s Hickory Inn

1502 N. Walton Blvd

Bentonville, AR 72712

Phone number (479) 273-3303

Website: fredshickoryinn.net

We returned for our Spring 2016 golf outing and to Fred's, where we eat two nights in a row every trip as stipulated by the event dictators, I mean organizers. Anywho, these two visits were a bit different. On a Friday and Saturday night, when Fred's should have been packed to the gills as they were in the Spring, you could shoot a cannon through the place without hitting a soul.

Katlin, our server both nights, was superb. Friendly, efficient, and from Chicago, she went above and beyond with one exception (to follow). I had the lasagna again on night one, coming with a side salad which was small, but fresh with romaine and a couple cherry tomato halves with bleu cheese dressing on the side, that was it, plain, simple and underwhelming. The lasagna was as good and bigger than I remember. A few of my buddies ordered it on night two after seeing mine and inquiring about the quality, all raving about the great size and flavor.

The problem arose on night two with my order of Grilled Chicken ($14). Coming with a side of my choice, I chose spaghetti Bolognese once again because someone on night one had said how good it was and had to see for myself if it was better than 4 months earlier. It was not. First, the grilled chicken consisted of a single half of a breast for $14, not a (full) "breast" as the menu indicated. It was small, overwhelmed by the side dish, but grilled well, tender and tasty. The Bolognese sauce had not been sitting in a warmer for hours as it had last time and it was fresh, but it was not like any Bolognese I have ever had. There was little if any ground beef to be found and I was not the only one to notice it. Big chunks of tomato, little seasoning, no milk or pancetta (bacon) and very little meat, not a traditional Bolognese (my Italian mother-in-law who lives in Naples, Italy calls it "Ragu"), not even close.

When we brought our disappointment to Katlin's attention, she quickly ran to the back to get us more of the meatless sauce, but that did not help and even after sharing our dismay with the quality of the extra sauce, all that she said was "they didn't use much meat today I guess". That was an understatement. For a large group that eats at Fred's four times a year, spending close to $4000.00 on food and drink and tipping very, very well, I would think there would have been an apology and possibly an offer of a complimentary dessert or some other form of remorse. There was not.

Again, nice place, decent prices, good food, although a very limited menu, and very good service. Katlin was big hit with the boys and I am sure she made out quite well in the tip department. The general manager recognized me from our last visit (and review), but never stopped by to greet us, ask how our meals were or apologize for the terrible Bolognese, which I found a bit odd, particularly for a group that drops $600 to $1,000 per visit.

CombatCritic Downgrades Fred's Hickory Inn To 6 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better! 

Six Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





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Read Chris S.'s review of Fred's Hickory Inn on Yelp

Title: Bentonville, AR: Fred's Is Still Good, But Needs Improvement

Key Words: Fred's Hickory Inn, Fred's, Fred, hickory, inn, Bentonville, Arkansas, Bella Vista, bella, vista, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

Translation for Civilians: G2G = "Good To Go"

Bella Vista, AR: "Fred's" Is Back In Business And They Mean "Business"!

Fred’s Hickory Inn

1502 N. Walton Blvd
Bentonville, AR 72712
Phone; (479) 273-3303
Website: fredshickoryinn.net

I will update this review in more detail as time allows, but I wanted to get it on the books ASAP.

Great place, very good food, excellent service and fair prices.

They accommodated our 20-person group without a flinch, just like we were a party of 4 dropping in for dinner. The drinks and food came post haste and with not just a smile, but a story or two and some good humored jabs from our server.

Excellent barbecue, they also have steaks, seafood, and pasta dishes, although their Bolognese sauce on the side of spaghetti I had was the primary reason for the one-star downgrade. On night two I had the lasagna which was pretty good, not quite like my mom, grandma, mother-in-law, and Zia Gina make, but not bad.

Prices range from $14-$35+ for dinner entrees, including soup or salad and a side or two, very fair for food and service of this caliber.

CombatCritic Gives Fred's Hickory Inn A Very Respectable 8 Bombs Out Of 10 And A Thumbs-Up ... More Bombs Are Better ... See You In The Fall Y'All! 

Eight Bombs Equates To:

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Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

TripAdvisor - Top Contributor

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





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Title: "Fred's" Is Back In Business And They Mean "Business"!

Key Words: Fred's Hickory Inn, Fred's, Freds, hickory, inn, Bella Vista, AR, Bentonville, Arkansas, barbecue, BarBQ, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu review, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Zomato

Translation for Civilians: WTFO! = "What-The-Fuck ... Over!"

WTFO! - Muy Bueno ... OLÉ!

El Pueblito

1705 Forest Hills Boulevard
Bella Vista, AR 72715
Phone: (479) 855-2324

Website: El-Pueblito's Facebook Page

Prices: $$$$

A medium size place with booths and tables, El Pueblito was busy on a Friday night but they managed to make room for our party of 16 when we decided to change restaurants last minute while on a golf outing in Bella Vista.

The chips were nothing special, but the salsa was good, particularly the hot sauce which is, like at most Mexican restaurants, available upon request. I ordered a small guacamole ($1.99) which was as big as a $4-$5 order at many other restaurants. It was not the best I have had, but was good and a very good value.

They had 99 cent drafts and $4.99 16 ounce margaritas on special, so I went with the margarita, one on the rocks and one blended, both with the requisite salt. They were both good, but I preferred the blended variety.

For dinner, I chose the ala carte carne asada tacos ($1.99 each) and cheese and onion enchiladas (also $1.99 each). The tacos came wrapped individually in aluminum foil and the warm corn tortillas were filled with small strips of the marinated beef. Adding some of the guacamole I had ordered and  salsa, the only thing missing was some pico de gallo. The enchilada sauce was obviously homemade and delicious, the best I have had in recent memory, and there was plenty of cheese and onions. Both the tacos and enchiladas were an excellent value being $1-$2 less than ala carte items at many of the places I frequent in Kansas.

They even had a mariachi band that night, not the best I have heard, but a nice touch which added to the ambience of the experience. The food was very good although I did see a hard shell taco which looked like the pre-fab shells so many poor restaurants serve, but the food I had was excellent. After eating mediocre Mexican food in Lawrence for two years, El Pueblito was a breath of fresh air on our trip to northwestern Arkansas.

CombatCritic Gives El Pueblito 8 Out Of 10 Bombs For Good Food At Very Reasonable Prices ... More Bombs Are Better!

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 
El Pueblito
Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)
Zomato - "Super Foodie"

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Title: Muy Bueno ... OLÉ!

Key Words: El Pueblito, el, pueblito, Mexican, taco, Bella Vista, Arkansas, AR, margarita, enchilada, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor

Translation: "WTFO!" - What The F#&@ - Over!

BOHICA - Chicago-Style Pizza ... NOT!

Gusano's

19 Cunningham Corner

Bella Vista, AR 72714

Phone: (479) 876-6969

Website: gusanospizza.com
Prices: $$$$

Having lived in Chicago, and Naples, Italy, I am a bit spoiled and know good pizza when I shove it in my pie hole. I only had a beer and a calzone, so my experience was limited, but the "Chicago-style pizza" I saw looked nothing like any deep dish pizza I have ever had in Chicago and their prices are kinda high (see below).

A very noisy place, our waitress pounced on us for an order before we even had a chance to look at the menu or the mini 20-page flip chart with specials, happy hour deals, drinks, and appetizers listed. $1 off draft beer on Thursday night, I had a Sam Adams Octoberfest which was lukewarm. A good English ale should be room temperature, a Sam Adams should not.

The Fork Is Bigger Than Their $8 Pizza!

I refuse to pay nearly $13 for a ten inch pizza, so I was going to try their Italian roast beef sandwich, a Chicago tradition, but when I asked if it came with fries the server told me "we don't have French fries, only chips". Because you cannot eat an Italian roast beef without fries, I went with my third choice, a calzone. The calzone was ten bucks and nothing special. Not big by any stretch, there was too much sauce inside along with the sausage, pepperoni and mozzarella. It also came with ranch dressing (see photo above), an Italian staple ... NOT!

Our server never did come back to see if we needed anything else despite my attempts to catch her eye so I could get a different, possibly cold, beer. If this place rates 5 stars, Yelp needs to expand their rating system to 10 for real Chicago pizza joints like Pizano's and Pizzeria Uno. No bang-for-the-buck here folks.

CombatCritic Gives Gusano's 4 Bombs Out Of 10 ... That's 2 Stars On A 5-Star Scale ... More Bombs Are Better!

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - "Super Foodie"

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Gusano's

Title: Chicago-Style Pizza ... NOT!

Key Words: Gusano's, Chicago, Chicago-style, pizza, pizzeria, deep, dish, Bella Vista, AR, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor

Translation: "BOHICA" - Bend Over, Here It Comes Again