Dowd?s Catfish House Earns Four Stars

3105 NE 11th St.

Bentonville

Nestled in the backyard of the upscale office centers in Benton County is the newest good ol’ boy catfish restaurant on the block. And this is a good one.

Although it was our first visit to Dowd’s Catfish House, we were made to feel like a regular customer by the staff.

Grandpa Dowd personally walked around to each table to shake hands with the guests as if they had come over for a Sunday dinner following church service. If we had taken pictures of the family, we’re quite sure he would have taken the time to hear about every branch on the family tree.

The twosome that met at Dowd’s this day had a positive attitude long before the main meal arrived. Dowd’s understands that to some people the food simply tastes better when the service is excellent.

“What impressed me the most was the personal service,” said one diner. “The atmosphere was great. Heck, [Grandpa Dowd] even met me at the door and already knew who I was coming to eat with because he had talked to the guy I was meeting.”

In fact, you can learn about the Dowd family while waiting on the main course. The menu even has a photograph of great Grandpa Dowd and his 118-pound catfish he caught out of the Red River using the noodling technique.

There is also a Dowd’s Catfish House in Neosho, Mo., on U.S. Highway 59.

Before our main courses arrived, we feasted on the hush puppies, pinto beans, french fries and a tomato relish tray.

“They brought you plenty, and it was plenty good,” said one diner.

The tomato relish was particularly tasty, and we were pleased to learn you can purchase the Dowd’s relish in jars at the front entrance.

One diner selected a lunch special ($6) that consisted of a good portion of chicken strips, baked potato and cole slaw. He called the meal “very good.”

The second diner went for the “regular catch” ($9), which was more than the large fellow needed for lunch. It consisted of several catfish fillets. He decided to take the french fries and cole slaw. The fries were nice and thick.

“The catfish was very good,” said the diner. “I especially liked the fact that you didn’t have to bite through the grease to get to the meat. It was about as light as fried catfish can be.”

Other menu items include jumbo fried shrimp, popcorn shrimp, boiled shrimp, steaks, crab legs and a regular sandwich menu.

For dessert, you can take your pick of keylime pie or strawberry, blueberry, blackberry or cherry cheesecake ($2.25 each).

“I enjoyed it greatly,” said one diner. “I will recommend it to other folks.”