Hugo’s Gets Four Stars (Business Lunch)

Hugo’s
25 1/2 N. Block Ave.
Fayetteville

4 stars

We did a prelude to the Independence Bowl back in December with a couple of University of Missouri grads to get a flavor for the game and enjoy one of our favorite sandwiches in Northwest Arkansas – the Derek’s Special.

The Derek’s ($5.75) is a marinated chicken breast with Swiss cheese, bacon and honey mustard dressing on a kaiser roll with tomato and lettuce. It comes with chips, and the combination is a winner.

If we left it off our annual Best & Worst food items lists in December, we’ve been sorely mistaken because there’s not a better tasting bang for the bun in this area.

By now, we know the University of Arkansas ate the Tigers lunch, 27-14, back on Dec. 31. But it would have been a different story if Mizzou could have handled the Hogs like our guests did their dinners.

Suffice it to say, they choked down their food faster than the Tigers choked on the field.

The girlie Mizzou grad in our group had the fresh mushroom crepes ($5), a dish made with white wine and sour cream to which she also added spinach. This rankled our manly UM alum who feared such a dainty dish would have raised more than a few eyebrows back at The Heidelberg in Columbia, Mo.

He ordered the chopped sirloin ($6.50), a charbroiled steak served with homemade french fries and a house salad. He raved about what a bargain the meal was, and it’s true for a quick and cheap lunch Hugo’s chopped sirloin is a delicacy.

“I like coming here because this is really a good value,” he said.

We all had iced teas and agreed the service was good. Hugo’s is one of the best places in Fayetteville for ambiance and to take in some local history, or to hear the latest hot gossip.

The Derek’s fan in our group has at one time or another had virtually everything on Hugo’s menu. Several of his bosom buddies are raving fans of Hugo’s famous Blue Moon Burger ($5.50), a melted blue-cheese extravaganza.

He’s not much on blue cheese, but Hugo’s Smokey Cheddar Burger ($5.50) is well worth the bath that is required after eating it.

The menu features a variety of interesting beverages, including San Pellegrino sparklin mineral water ($2.25) and café au lait ($1.80). But it was at dessert that we saw just how eclectic our neighbors to the north really are.

The girlie Tiger ordered grasshopper crepes ($4.50), crepes filled with mint ice cream and covered with home-made hot fudge sauce. Us men stuck with the pecan pie ($2.75), but it wasn’t long before we were all swapping bites and laughing about our green lips.

Hugo’s isn’t a world renowned restaurant that’s going to pack in the big city snobs. But it’s a darn good place to have a tasty and fun lunch — even with a couple of Mizzou fans.