Adam & Eats: The ‘New Peter’ takes us to George’s

Editor’s note: Adam Brandt is a graduate from the Cobra Kai School of Culinary Callousness, where he received their highest award, the Red Apron of Merciless Eating. Aside from eating and talking about eating, he makes pots, paintings, prints, books, photographs, and generally, a big mess. He has been the studio assistant at Mudpuppy Pottery for almost nine years and is attending a local university in a desperate attempt to earn a biology degree. Feel free to give him a hard time.

When I was asked to take the reigns of the food wagon for The City Wire, the hardest part of my job was to find someplace that Peter Lewis didn’t review. Jeez, the guy has eaten everywhere.

I started by digging through The City Wire archives, making a list of places Peter ate, and then cross referencing that list with one I compiled using our local yellow pages. I know what you are thinking, and yes, someone still uses the phonebook for something other than making an impromptu child seat at the dinner table.

Hours later, I had compiled a pretty hefty collection of places that interested me and don’t, in my opinion, get enough press.

The journey begins at a staple of the Fort Smith food scene, George’s Restaurant. Everyone loves George’s and for good reason. George’s is the one restaurant in Fort Smith every newcomer to the area is told they should visit. The food there is not life changing, but it is relatively inexpensive and consistent.

The reason we love George’s so much is not so much the food, but the environment. It is like a throw back to a better time; a time when men still opened car doors and pulled chairs out for their wives and girlfriends. It is a place where people still get together for daily coffee to discuss the happenings in their busy lives. It is a place where family and friends still come first and costumer service isn’t a good business practice, but a way of life. In the course of a meal you will probably witness the boss coming out from behind the counter and talking to the regulars, not to check on their dining experience, but to check on them and their families.

If you have not eaten at George’s in years, like myself, you’ll found yourself wondering why it has taken so long to return. After finding the table of your choice, your waitress will promptly appear and you will be struck by some oddity that you can’t put your finger on at first. It dawned on me about half way through my meal that she was genuinely happy to be there. Years of fake smiles and forced politeness has conditioned us as eaters to expect this type of treatment from wait staff who only smile and say please and thank you in order to compensate their humble pay with the tip money we leave on the table.

This is not the case at George’s. My waitress (sadly, I cannot remember her name) took great pleasure in doing her job well. She was very forthcoming with information about popular dishes and her personal favorites. After waving off her first suggestion of George’s Cheese Steak, due to reasons far too ridiculous to mention, I opted for George’s Patty Melt on rye with fried onions, mayo, and a healthy (or rather unhealthy, considering I ate them all) helping of their famous french fries.

After taking the first bite of my Patty Melt, I was deeply saddened that it had taken me 28 years to think of putting a Patty Melt on rye. Maybe the food there is life changing after all. I know that from here on out, if I am given the option for a Patty Melt on rye, I am taking it.

The only down side to the whole dining experience was that the amazing amount of food that was given for a such a nominal price was cold by the time I got to the final bites. Don’t fret friends. I know, deep in my heart, that if asked, they would have gladly reheated it.

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Adam also has this thing called Sandwich Control.