Lakeside Dining – Great Setting but…

Laurie and I recently spent a night in Hot Springs Arkansas… It was dinner time and I hadn’t researched the area for interesting restaurants, so I asked the person behind the counter at our motel what she would suggest.  She told us that there was a restaurant on the shore of Lake Hamilton that was very, very popular.

Given the information received, it was off for a bit of lakeside dining at Fisherman’s Wharf, situated adjacent to the Lake Hamilton Bridge.  The setting was very nice…boats passing by, early evening sunshine, etc. 

Fisherman’s Wharf was quite busy!  We had about a 20 minute wait before they could seat us.  We were seated about as far from the windows as possible but we weren’t here just for the scenery…

I went outside to take this photo of the very large open air dining area at the end of the Fisherman’s Wharf property.  It was just too hot for us to sit outside but the views from this vantage point were very nice.

Our entrées came with either this basic dinner salad, cole slaw or, as shown above, a broccoli salad.  While the brocolli salad showed some creativeness, both salads were OK, just about what one would expect for a salad served with a meal.  

We decided that we’d order an appetizer…and we spotted one of our favorites on the menu.  We ordered the Bang Bang Shrimp. ($9.95) While they were spicy enough, there was just too much sauce…and, worse yet…the shrimp were soggy…overcooked!

Other appetizers on the menu include Fried Clam Strips ($6.95); Fried Pickle Spears ($6.95); Spinach and Artichoke Dip ($9.95) and; Fried Okra ($6.95).  Oysters from the Raw Bar were at Market Price, while a half pound of Peel and Eat Shrimp was priced at $11.95.

For her entrée, Laurie ordered the jumbo Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Shrimp with rice pilaf. ($16.95) These were not as ‘jumbo’ as we might have expected…and for about $3.00 each, they weren’t that great either.

The dinner menu at Fisherman’s Wharf is fairly extensive.  Much of the focus was of course on seafood.  Options included: The Galley Catch Platter with shrimp on a skewer, broiled jumbos scallops and a broiled white fish ($23.95); Herb Crusted Tilapia and Coconut Shrimp ($19.95); Grilled Grouper Tacos ($14.95), and; Frog Legs ($15.95).

Steaks and chicken are also available.  A 16 oz. Ribeye Steak was one offering at $23.95.  The Grilled Chicken Breast was priced at $14.95.

I ordered the Admiral Byrd’s Fish and Shrimp with the rice pilaf. ($16.95) It was a good choice and I enjoyed my meal.  My second choice would have been the Pan Sautéed Grouper topped with a Dijon Cream Sauce, with Shrimp, Crab Meat and Asparagus. ($19.95)

As mentioned, we were disappointed with the appetizer and Laurie wasn’t impressed with her entrée.  In addition to these issues, we must add that service was slow and uneven, to say the least.  It was hard getting our server’s attention, (or even finding him), when we needed something.  Watching the servers in action was not like watching a finely choreographed dance recital.  There seemed to be a fair amount of confusion and wasted effort.  Pricing seemed a tad high…but the location probably justifies any extra cost.

Fisherman’s Wharf Restaurant is located at 5101 Central Avenue in Hot Springs Arkansas.  Phone: 501-525-7437.  Website: www.fishermanswharfhs.com.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave