Review No. 16: Bob’s Grill
1112 Oak Street
(501) 329-9760
10.3 percent finished with reviews of Conway restaurants
The Situation
She Said: It was the first Monday of Ruud’s retirement, and I was skipping my morning workout and Monday fast because I felt like I was getting a cold (again!). This seemed like a great day for Eat It, Conway! to do a breakfast review, and it was time for us to visit this Conway institution. We’ve lived here 13 years, and we’ve never eaten breakfast or lunch here.
He Said: So I woke up on a Monday morning with no one to tell me what to do! And then my wife told me we were going to go review Bob’s Grill.
Ambiance
She Said: I walked in and instantly felt at home. It has the look and feel of so many of the small-town diners in Kansas and South Dakota I was taken to as a child. Except it’s HUGE. It just goes and goes and goes, back, actually to a rear parking lot in case you don’t want to futz with parallel parking downtown. We were invited to seat ourselves and found a snuggly booth along the west wall. I love the local art for sale along the walls, the white boards with the daily specials (Blue Plate specials, grill specials and the fried pies of the day). You can also find these boards in photos on Bob’s Grill’s Facebook page. They open at 5 a.m. every day of the week, and when we arrived after 9 a.m., there was energy here, but the place wasn’t full, as it is so big.
He Said: It definitely has that small-town diner feel, but there are lots of tables. The center of the large room has several very long tables, designed for large parties. These were not occupied at breakfast time when we went, but I can imagine a large early morning coffee klatch there, reviewing all the town gossip before starting the day in downtown Conway.
Drinks
She Said: I rather expected that watered down coffee you get at chain breakfast places (which shall remain nameless), but what I got was delicious and strong. I admit I made a cup of coffee at home before we left because I like my coffee how I like it: a double espresso with half and half. But I was very happy with the cup of coffee I got here, and next time, I won’t feel the need to prepare with my own brew before I go. I also ordered a “small” glass of grapefruit juice, and I’m glad I got a small. At many restaurants and diners, this would be a medium or a large.
He Said: I’m not so big on coffee, but I do like a variety of juices, and I got the “medium” size grapefruit juice. Not sure what the large would look like, but proportionally I’d guess it would be in one of those 82-ounce glasses.
Food
She Said: Since I was fighting a cold, I went for the calories with impunity. I have a weakness for French toast, and while I thought briefly about one of the breakfast combinations or the delicious looking breakfast sandwiches, I knew this old favorite was going to be my choice. I asked for turkey bacon, and the waitress said they don’t have that, but she could give me a side of turkey. I threw caution to the wind and went with the bacon. I only like bacon if it is extra crispy, and honestly, in most restaurants, I order extra crispy bacon and never get it. But here, it was thick-cut and very, very crispy. Delicious! The egg was a perfect medium-fried egg, as well. But the French toast. Oh, my friends! The French toast was fantastic. It’s got to be the best in Conway. I happened to mention it to the waitress who picked up our plates, and she told me that they use Texas toast, which they dip in pancake batter before it is cooked. It has a light, cinnamon taste, which comes from that batter. I will probably dream of this French toast, and I will be ordering it again soon.
He Said: Breakfast can be challenging for somebody trying to stay low-fat, since pretty much everything worth eating at breakfast is either full of eggs, butter or meat (i.e, pork or bacon), and/or is deep fried. A lot of places have low-fat options but these consist of cereal, some fruit, and some yogurt, all of which you could just go buy at a grocery store (since there’s no preparation involved), and eat at home for less than a quarter of what it costs in a restaurant.
So it’s always a great joy to find a place that will make egg-white (or even Egg Beaters) omelets. And Bob’s is one of those wonderful places. I was able to get an egg-white omelet with tomatoes, peppers and mushroom (and no cheese), and it was delicious. I also took a shot and tried the hash browns: potatoes have no fat but these were fried. But I found them to be fluffy and not too deep fried, with no sign of excess oil, so they were a relatively healthy splurge for me. I also got four slices of delicious rye toast. All in all, the breakfast was terrific.
Service
She Said: I stole some of your hashbrowns, Ruud, and they were not greasy in taste or texture. Getting on with things, the service here was stellar. We had a “team” of waitresses for our main servers—I think one of them was in training. We were newbies to a place that probably hosts a lot of veterans, but we never felt unwelcome or out of the insiders’ loop. The menus are on the tables, and you seat yourself, but they came to us right away to ask about our drink orders, and they answered all of our questions patiently and gave us options when they didn’t have what we wanted (turkey bacon). A number of different people checked in on us along with our main servers. And I probably got offered coffee refills 10 times in the hour or so we were there.
One thing I really, really liked was that when I thanked our waitress, she said, “You’re welcome” instead of “no problem.” I know it’s a little thing, but it always rubs me the wrong way when someone is waiting on me in a restaurant or store and says, “No problem!” when I thank them. I guess I figured it was no problem, since it’s his or her job. “You’re welcome” is so much nicer, more hospitable and gracious.
He Said: What she said. Service was friendly and professional, and attentive without being intrusive. And Jones, you don’t have to thank me for going with you. “No problem,” I say.
What We Got and What We Paid: Egg-white omelet with tomato, peppers, mushrooms, hash browns and rye toast, along with French toast, bacon and a side egg, coffee, a medium grapefruit juice and a small grapefruit juice for $25.76.
Rating
She Said: Best French toast in Conway, so I’ll be back to this friendly place for breakfast as soon as I can!
He Said: You won’t have to drag me back. Especially if you’re buying. Thanks, by the way—now that I’m on a fixed income, it helps if I can get by without paying…
So…He Said and She Said: Go here for the diner experience and get delicious food with healthy options from friendly staffers.