Wrought Iron Grill
Eat Arkansas reader Rummy files an opening day report on The Wrought Iron Grill, the new restaurant next door to the Clinton Gift Shop.
The menu isn't exciting (mostly burgers, chicken fried steak, misc. fried foods, etc.), but we wanted to get out & support them on their first night. Unfortunately, the restaurant is in the basement with no view & no atmosphere. It was filled with diner style tables & chairs. Given the cool location, I was hoping for a little more style. We were the only customers when we arrived & the waiter seemed really nervous. The jitters were awkward, but again, we wanted to be supportive. We decided to try the homemade pork egg roles for an appetizer as they are highlighted on the menu. Knowing it was their first night, we kept it simple with burgers for dinner. The egg roles were ok, but nothing special. They were served with a super sweet sauce that seemed to come from a jar. The burgers came after 30 excruciating minutes of listening to the owner's unattended kids clanging cups & silver ware on a nearby table. If ever you should hire a baby sitter, opening night of your restaurant would be that night. The clanging, coupled with the loud 70's rock music, left us wiped out. As we asked for our dinners to go, the owner apologized for his kids (saying they wouldn't always be there, except his wife had to be at the restaurant tonight to make her egg roles). I really do wish these new business owners well, but I can't see myself going to either of these restaurants [the comment came in our item about the Hop] for an enjoyable dinner. For bar food in a cool atmosphere, I'll stick to Rumba (1/2 price Tapas on Tues). As for the burgers, we were so disappointed with the whole experience that we wound up going to Iriana's for a reliable dinner.
Comments
Rummy,
You are preaching to the choir, dear friend:
"I know I'm going to sound like a scrooge, but do we really need another run-of-the-mill burger joint in the heart of the River Market?"
No, damnit, we don't. Does anyone ever take a look around (and I'm really not trying to offend anyone here) and draw a correlation between AR being the 4th most obese state in the country and the restaurant food that typifies every county from one state line to the next? Chain restaurants make my brain hurt.
I know the obesity dilemma is not limited to AR, but it's a real problem. I seriously cannot understand how (some) people have such apathetic tendencies towards their eating habits. I think it's really sad.
I'd like to see lighter lunch options- like soups, salads, sandwiches, etc... the stuff my favorite, but sadly departed Farmer's Daughter- that place was great: home grown, organic and fresh as cut grass in the summer. The food scene downtown is so homogeneous; I totally hear what you're saying. I'd love to support some of the local restaurants in the River Market and in fact, I've often complained that it seemed counterproductive to keep it closed on Sundays. But everywhere I consider for lunch gives my body pangs of guilt. I can't eat crap like pizza and burgers all the time and feel OK w/ myself for doing so. Blvd is great, but the prices are a little out of my reach.
Thanks for the review of Wrought Iron Grill, Rummy. Sounds annoyingly boring, fried and familiar. Zzzzzz...
I'll stick to my PB & J sandwiches and vegetarian soup for lunch.
Posted by: JenJens![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/eatarkansas/nav-commenters.gif)
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March 11, 2008 11:25 AM
I am saddened that the promising home-made pork egg roles were automatically slathered with an overly sweet sauce. That seems to be another problem with a lot of places ... too much sauce that is way too strong for the dish.
I was really hoping for something interesting and intriguing or at least with a clear concept. Oh, well. I am at odds with many people looking for the new restaurants because lighter-fare is my downfall. I eat food. A lot of food for my size. If I am stuck with lighter fare, 60 to 90 minutes after I am done, I have to hunt something else down to eat.
I don't know why we are stuck in a repeat of the same concepts and chains over and over again. Perhaps that will change as we grow a more discerning palette in the city.
Posted by: Joel![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/eatarkansas/nav-commenters.gif)
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March 11, 2008 12:52 PM