It’s time to rub to the Rib Room

review by Peter Lewis

While I’ve been lobbied with quite regularity to check out the cuisine at another Cajun style operation on Garrison Avenue, it will have to wait another week. Your evening’s focus should be on the original purveyor of fine swampy sustenance from the nether regions of Louisiana: Landry’s.

I’ve often been quick to recommend this fine establishment for their large selection of beer and discerning musical palate, it is time to visit again their fine selection of food. But, as always, before one is able to eat, one must indeed drink. On this particular evening it is high time you tried a special little concoction of the house: a delightful combination of Rogue Hazelnut Brown Ale and Young’s Double Chocolate Stout. It is a mirthful mix.

With the dark delight dripping down to your throat, take a look at the menu. It’s simple and  straightforward. The best mates and menus are always thus. There will be no fancy frills flustering the eye or the heart.

There are those who steer clear of the Cajun cuisine for fear of spiciness. This is an unnecessary (not to mention tragic) step to make as a diner. If you’re fearful of our spicy pals, try the Creole chicken (I’m told anything with “Creole” before the dish will be mild).  You’ll be snacking on chunks of chicken comfortably nestled on a bed of rice with a side of corn as a chaperone.

Friendly with the spice? Opt for the blackened chicken instead. It comes packing a punch, but it’s a damn tasty one and it can hit me anytime.

What to do after your meal? Tip the hell out of that friendly staff down there at Landry’s. They deserve it. 

Once you settled that, mosey easterly a few blocks. It is the much anticipated grand opening of Neumeier’s Rib Room and Beer Garden. If you haven’t heard about it yet, you’ve been spending too much time in Pulaski County. With the beloved Klocks playing their wide array of cover tunes, the buildup seems to have reached a fever pitch.  There will be countless souls rubbing all sorts of body parts against one another as the crowd will surely be doing their best efforts to twist, shake, and grind the week away. If you loathe hoi polloi, either drink enough where it doesn’t matter or steer clear because the 800 block of Garrison Avenue will be swinging. Show time is 9 p.m. and there is a $10 admission.

DELICIOUS CULTURAL OVERLAP
For a different approach to your evening meal, check out Shogun at 5810 Rogers Ave. This Japanese steakhouse is a great place to unwind after work. If you are an astute diner, you’ll notice some “peculiarities” in the service staff. Unfortunately I’m not quite as discerning nor droll as a dear friend who, via text message, unveiled an accurate description of the dining experience as such: “the only Chinese owned restaurant in town employing  Hispanic chefs and offering authentic Japanese cuisine.” While not exactly George Carlin (in both humor or offensiveness), it raises an interesting and comic point: how does one determine “authenticity” in our gender bending and overlapping cultural age?

Perhaps it’s better to leave the possible answers to that question to the all-knowing pundits with a penchant for puking piercing phonetics on prime time and instead focus on the experience itself.

You’ll be seated around a teppanyaki grill (to refer to it has a “hibachi” is, in common parlance, an accepted misnomer). What follows is a tried and true formula practiced across the nation in many similar restaurants. With a chef preparing your food with a bit of forced flare, it’s the closest thing the area has to “dinner theater.” Though the performance of your “personal” chef is rather trite, the food is quite good.

While I’m particularly fond of the steak and shrimp at Shogun, I was recently introduced to the delights of their own version of the classic lobster/steak “surf & turf” combination.  So much so that I will readily recommend it to you, dear reader. However, most often it seems that everyone is quick to order rice (steamed or fried) at Shogun. I say, buck that. Go with the noodles. Of course, I love to buck. So, while you might be hesitant to buck a trend, I’m fairly certain that bucking can be good for you. And, in this particular instance, I assure you that you won’t be let down by bucking this particular trend.

(An issue that is always encountered while dining at Shogun is one of timing. Invariably you’ll receive the parts of your meal on a staggered basis. While you can simply take it as it comes, there is also a trick around this for those who would prefer to eat the parts as a whole. If you happen to order rice, simply turn the bowl upside down on your plate and leave it there. This will keep the rice enclosed on all sides and help ensure that it retains its heat).

After dinner? I thought I’d already laid this out for you: all roads lead to Rom … er, Neumeier’s! 

They’ll be packing them in to be sure, so if you didn’t send advance scouts or are uncomfortable with the sweating body parts of a stranger protruding into and on top of your personal space, it might be best to find a back up plan. If I were creating a contingency plan it would include two things: bourbon (Makers) and the newly reopened Old Town at 5th and Garrison.

Know your Peter
Born and raised in Fort Smith, Peter Lewis is a graduate of the University of Texas. Prior to returning to the Fort Smith area, Peter spent a year as a bartender living abroad and traveling. He’s also a frequent contributor to Half Broke Hotel. Peter has given it a lot of thought, and, well, he’s really not convinced that one is the loneliest number.

Contact Peter at [email protected]