JJ?s in Rogers Livens up Lunch (Food Review)

JJ’s Grill ‘n Chill
4500 W. Walnut, Ste. 3
Rogers
(479) 372-4460

4.5 Forks

Cuisine: Texas American
Noise level: Way On Up There
Overall Ambiance: Honky-Tonk
Price range: $7 to $14
Time: 45 minutes
Open since: November 2008

We finally found where they moved the party — it’s at JJ’s in Rogers.

When our two reviewers ducked inside one recent weekday for lunch, they were surprised by the number of patrons scarfing down the midday meal in this faux roadhouse. There wasn’t a wait for a table, but it was close to being that packed.

It was a far cry from other recent lunches the two have been at. One reviewer said it was like stepping back in time to 2004.

The pair were seated in the middle of the dinning room, which is surrounded by flat-screen TVs playing every manner of sporting event imaginable. They saw people they knew and were able to make some of those important connections a business crowd would expect to make.

The male reviewer speculated on the reason for the congregation: the waitstaff. Though JJ’s isn’t anywhere near a gentleman’s club, the waitresses all sported bare legs and cowboy boots (the two Js in the logo are frequently portrayed as boots). He wasn’t personally offended, but thought some female patrons and his co-workers might be by this blatant ploy.

Then he began to notice surrounding tables. Not many, but a few, had no males in the party at all, so he decided to hold his judgment until the food came.

The menu is fairly straightforward at JJ’s, filled with familiar fare like salads, wraps, sandwiches, burgers and a few larger entrée items, like tuna steak and pork chops (both $14).

One reviewer, hankerin’ for some beef, ordered off the “Grillin'” section of the menu and ended up with the JJ’s World-Famous Cheeseburger ($7). The burger was grilled to perfection and stacked on a bun with lettuce, tomato, sautéed onions and melted cheese. It also came topped with a special sauce that reminded her of the tasty sauce spread on the buns at In-N-Out Burger on the west coast. She boldly declared it one of the top cheeseburgers she’s ever had.

She opted for the homemade potato chips on the side, which she said were deliciously seasoned and a perfect accompaniment to the burger.

The second reviewer opted for the Philly Cheese Steak ($8) off the “Samaches” section with a side of the hand-cut french fries. The Philly was packed with thinly cut ribeye steak and “just enough” peppers, onions and mushrooms. The bun wasn’t soggy, as frequently happens with a good Philly, but all the taste was at the table. The meat was tender and lean, and it was one of the best Philly’s he’d ever had.

He loves fries; they are a weakness, he said, and JJ’s are some of the best in the market. There’s only one other place he knows of that makes them like that (an old guard Fayetteville stand-by downtown). He polished off the entire basket, to the last crumb, and he couldn’t remember doing that any time recently.

In the end, he decided that while the JJ’s waitstaff might entice some reluctant lunch-goers, the opportunity to network, the light-hearted atmosphere and genuinely good lip-smackin’ food would keep them coming back.

Both reviewers are planning trips back to try other “thangs” on the JJ’s menu. One already has his eye on the Hickory Burger and the Grilled Chicken Chipolte Wrap (both $8), and he can’t wait to sink his teeth into the onion rings ($3).

Whatever that vibe is that makes a place successful, a place people want to be, JJ’s has it. We hope it’s around for a long time.