Bud’s Bus Stop

II 1/2

815 S. School St.

Fayetteville

Drive Time:

5 minutes from downtown Fayetteville

Turnaround Time:

10 minutes for appetizers, 20 minutes for entrees

Two diverse cultures are clashing at Bud’s Bus Stop. The Korean restaurant turned barbecue joint is so culturally convergent that such a place could never exist in real life, except in the Mississippi Delta where Asian culture and barbecue go together like biscuits and gravy.

But here it is in the Ozark Mountains. In a building that a year and a half ago housed Arirang, a Korean restaurant, is Bud’s Bus Stop, which advertises “fine Southern food” served in the Asian dinnerware of its predecessor. The decor is still decidedly Oriental, although Jim Croce albums and old Esso uniforms decorate the walls. The only thing missing is chopsticks. But what self-respecting Southerner could eat barbecue with chopsticks?

We decided to try Bud’s after hearing about its vegetarian barbecue made from seitan (wheat gluten). Being meat eaters, though, we opted for a heavier lunch.

For an appetizer, we had beer-battered veggies with ranch and ranchero sauces ($2.25), which was tasty and unusual.

For entrees, we had the large barbecue pork sandwich with beans and potato salad ($5.25) and the one-quarter dark chicken meat plate with beans and coleslaw ($4.75).

The pork was average when compared to other barbecue places in town. The chicken was tender and good. Beans and coleslaw also got good reviews.

The waitress supplied us with three different sauces for our dining pleasure: Delta, Kansas City and spicy. Like the dartboard and the aquarium next to our booth, the sauces made the meal a bit more entertaining.

For dessert, we had peach cobbler. Not as good as mom used to make, though. n

5 stars-Perfection, 4-Excellent, 3-Good, 2-Fair, 1-Poor.