Bentonville, Arkansas: Doe's? Don't!

Doe's Eat Place
2806 S Walton Blvd
Bentonville, AR 72712
Phone: (479) 254-8081
Website: doesnwa.com

Prices: $$$$

There are so many things wrong with Doe's, I am having difficulty finding any positives ...

Tamales and Chili - $10

1) The salad was soggy

2) The tamales were bland and overpriced ($10 for 6), the chili boring

3) You cannot order a steak under 1 1/2 to 2 pounds for one person unless you want to pay $33 for an 8 ounce filet mignon. I went without a steak because I could not eat 24 ounces of meat and refuse to pay $66 a pound for a steak. The smallest steak porterhouse, sirloin, or t-bone you can get is 1 1/2 to 2 pounds and they refuse to sell anything smaller. How many people can eat 24-32 ounces of meat in one sitting? 

4) The gumbo was disgusting. Tomatoes, okra, and hot dogs instead of andouille sausage ... barf!

5) $7 for a 14 ounce beer, $8 for a well drink ... in Arkansas ... really?

6) The menu is extremely limited. They have steak, shrimp, tamales, something they call gumbo and corn and crab bisque (which they are always out of apparently) ... that's it!

On the positive side, I tried some of the French fries and they were hot and decent. Our server was also friendly and efficient. Otherwise, I saw few redeeming qualities in this roadside dive in Walmart's hometown.

CombatCritic Gives Doe's Eating Place 2 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

UPDATE: After my review was posted on Yelp, the business owner, Matt Huson, left a very unprofessional public comment attacking me personally and defaming my character for my less than stellar review:

10/31/2015  Just to clarify a few things.  We are leaving this reply public so that you can decide for yourself of the validity of the review.

First and foremost we do sell only 100% USDA Prime Beef, but you are lying about the prices.  Our most expensive steak is $24 per lb. NOT $66 per lb..  Since you are blatantly lying about that I will allow readers to decide if they trust the rest of your scathing and shady review.  

And as a Gumbo connoisseur, I'm very surprised that you mistake andouille sausage as "hot dogs".
Maybe sizzler would be a more suiting place for your refined tongue.   We get that we are not for everyone, but to lie and make assumptions as you have is not disliking our food, it's ridiculous.

Owner/Management is always on staff and happy to answer any questions or concerns our customers may have.  If you were having a bad experience we are happy to help, as it is our job.

To which I replied:

Dear Matt,

First, in regard to your unprofessional and insulting comment:  

"Our most expensive steak is $24 per lb. NOT $66 per lb..  Since you are blatantly lying about that I will allow readers to decide if they trust the rest of your scathing and shady review",  

you need to brush up on your math Matt. Here's a word problem for you ...

Q: If an 8 ounce petite filet mignon costs $33 and there are 16 ounces in a pound, how much per pound is a petite filet?

A: $66 per pound

Am I a liar sir? Do the math if are able.

Second, in reply to your comment:

"and as a Gumbo connoisseur, I'm very surprised that you mistake andouille sausage as hot dogs", 

I apologize. Your "andouille sausage" merely looks and tastes like hot dogs as I and the rest of my party of 16 agreed. Our mistake. We still could not finish more than half of the disgusting concoction, "andouille sausage" or not.

Finally, about the "Sizzler" comment (yes, it is a proper noun and is capitalized), I have no response to such a absurd, vengeful, and unprofessional comment.

I am a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, combat Veteran, and disabled Veteran and I do not appreciate you or anybody else calling me a liar and insulting my character. My review was not a personal attack on you or your establishment, merely my opinion about my experience on one particular evening. I am sorry that you cannot accept constructive criticism well and must resort to vicious personal attacks on your customers when you receive a negative review. 

I am not new at this and have tens of thousands of faithful readers who enjoy my detailed and objective reviews here, on my blogs, and elsewhere. Think about incorporating feedback, positive and negative, into your business plan rather than biting the hand that feeds you my friend.

Respectfully,

Chris S aka CombatCritic

Matt Huson, obviously not the nicest or most intelligent guy in Bentonville (or the planet for that matter), then responded: 

"Now they will know you lie"

As the say, the proof is in the picture:

Petite Filet - $32 (Now $33) Per Half-Pound (8 Ounces Matt)

Here is a recent Yelp review on Doe's Eat Place from another customer:

"... there are a few things like the gumbo that a person might want to avoid. 

The gumbo was not much more than tomato soup with some okra and hot dogs cut up.  I showed our server several full bowls of gumbo that had hardly been touched and was told "some people like it, some don't." 

Tamales are pretty flat until you light them up with the chili sauce that is provided.  By the way - the chili will also light you up.

Service was okay - overall a bit pricey for what they deliver."

Rick H. 

Cape Girardeau, MO 

2 Star Rating (Out of 5) - 10/28/2015

I will not respond further to Matt's unprofessional and vengeful banter and will let you decide for yourself who is more credible ...

Matt Huson - "Owner" of Doe's Eat Place

Or ...

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - "Super Foodie"

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Doe's Eat Place

Title: Doe's? Don't!

Key Words: Doe's Eating Place, Doe's, doe, does, eating, place, steak, shrimp, bar, dive, Bentonville, AR, Arkansas, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor

Translation: "Tango-Uniform" - Tits Up (Dead)

St Joseph, MO: Give The Hi-Ho The Heave-Ho If Hungry In St Joe

Hi-Ho Bar And Grill
1817 Frederick Avenue
Saint Joseph, MO 64501
Phone: (816) 233-7363
Website: hiho-stjoe.com
Prices: $$$$

Across the street from the equally mediocre Il Lazzarone you will find the Hi-Ho Bar and Grill. Again, Yelp reviewers raved about the food here, so we gave it a try. What a disappointment! It seems as though low expectations have become the norm among many customers in the region because I am continuously shocked by how appalling food and service turn out to be at places with four and five-star ratings (out of five). The highlight here was the nice guy behind the bar. The lowlights were the food, the prices, and his rude, blonde, female companion.

The companion, a young, blonde woman in her twenties, worked behind the bar and as a server. When we first arrived, I had to get out of her way as she forced her way past me to get to a table, no "excuse me", nothing. Then, after I noticed that a couple of drunk guys had turned the TV I was watching the National League Division Series between the Cubs and the Cardinals on away from me (so they could watch it - again, without asking), I asked her if I could please continue watching the game we had taken that table specifically to see. She said: "well, they've been at that table all day", to which I replied "so?". She finally went over and turned the TV back in our direction after rolling her eyes. She then ignored us for 15 minutes until the nice guy behind the bar came over to take our order.

We almost left at that point and probably should have looking back, but decided to stay and ordered a few different things to sample the menu. As appetizers, we had a beef "slider" with cheese ($3.58) and a deep-fried beef taco ($2.79). The slider was a tiny piece of frozen meat with American cheese between two tiny bun halves, that was it. Hardly worth the price. The taco was in a greasy flour tortilla, was otherwise not bad, but overpriced by $.29 to $.79. 

For our mains, we had a patty melt with onion rings ($8.99) and a Cuban sandwich with fries ($9.49). The patty melt's beef patty was small, there was hardly any cheese, the onions were almost raw (not "grilled"), and the onion rings tasted of fish because the frier obviously had not been cleaned in quite a while. The Cuban tasted decent, but there was not nearly enough meat or cheese and the fries were "OK".

Overall, the service was sketchy, the food mediocre at best, the prices too high, and the value just not there. 

CombatCritic Gives Hi-Ho Bar And Grill 3 out of 10 Bombs ... More Bombs Are Better!

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - "Super Foodie"

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: Give The Hi-Ho The Heave-Ho If Hungry In St Joe

Key Words: Hi-Ho Bar And Grill, Hi-Ho, bar, grill, St Joseph, MO, Missouri, beer, food, restaurant, dive, rude, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor