Eat It: April 28

Cajun additions subtract from joint’s menu

By Rachel Birdsell

TFW Contributing Writer

Boar’s Nest BBQ
www.facebook.com/boarsnestbbq
479-443-4152
1189 Steamboat Drive
Fayetteville

Preamble Ramble

I hadn’t been to Boar’s Nest since they relocated around the corner to Steamboat Drive. Their menu expanded with the move, and they’ve now thrown some Cajun dishes on there. After eating lunch there the other day, I think they should have stuck to their old menu.

Food for Thought

I decided that rather than barbecue, I would try some Cajun. I ordered the crawfish po’ boy, fries and a side order of crawfish etouffee. I’m not sure why I felt the need to overdose on crawfish.

When I picked up the po’ boy, instead of fried crawfish, I was surprised to find some kind of crawfish chowder or ragu in between the bread. I don’t know what it was supposed to be. It was crawfish, mushrooms and a large amount of parmesan cheese in a whitish colored sauce. I wouldn’t use the word “appetizing” to describe it. In fact, it looked like that po’ boy had too much to drink the night before. I actually sniffed it before I took a bite.

There’s a really good chance that it was the worst thing I’ve ever eaten at a restaurant. The only reason I took more than one bite was because I was trying to figure out what was in it so I could describe it to you guys. I’m still not sure how to describe it without using really inappropriate words. I strongly suspect the po’ boy filling was from a can. And, much like Arkansas has been the past week, the sandwich was extremely soggy.

Then I took a bite of the etouffee. Justin Wilson would have slapped whoever dared to call this stuff Cajun. (For those of you too young to know who Justin Wilson was, substitute Emeril Lagasse.) The etouffee ties with the po’ boy as the worst thing I’ve ever eaten at a restaurant. I can say that there was generous amount of crawfish in it. Unfortunately, the crawfish was swimming in a sauce that was weak, bland and also tasted like the majority of its life was spent inside a can.

You know how I normally bitch about frozen French fries being served at a restaurant? The frozen fries were the best thing on my plate. Compared to the sandwich and etouffee, the fries were delectable. If it wasn’t for them I would have walked away as hungry as I was when I sat down.

The Sporkcast

(1-5 sporks)

Atmosphere: 3 tarnished aluminum sporks with bent tines. The atmosphere at Boar’s Nest is more bar and less restaurant. If you like to watch TV while you eat, you’re in luck because there’s a television at every booth. And the music. Dear gods, the music! It was so loud that everyone had to talk over it. We were all pretty much just sitting there yelling at each other. It sounded like the dining room at a retirement home.

Food: 2 sad little sporks from a rusty can. The fries and the sweet tea are the only reason the food managed to score even 2 sporks. The food was so bad, I was embarrassed for them.

Staff: 3 sporks sporting Daisy Dukes and cowboy boots. My server seemed a little aggravated that she had to wait on me. Maybe she was just having a bad day, but it seemed as though she had to force herself to be even mildly pleasant. It took 30 minutes after ordering to get my food. I could understand a 30 minute wait if the place was packed, but there were only a few other tables occupied. Then it took me 15 minutes and a different server to get my check.

Dollars spent: Entirely too many.

Chance of returning: If you want a place to go knock back a few beers and watch the game, you might find Boar’s Nest to be your home away from home. I don’t drink beer and I don’t watch sports, so I have no reason to ever go back. Ever. Not even on a dare.

If you know of a great eating place, drop me a line at rabirdsell@gmail.com. I’ll check it out and let you know what I think.