Larry B's Rhythm Room

We stumbled across this gem tonight.. and wow Tuesdays is live Jazz night and they are really good. The cocktails are a little pricey but skillfully made.. I had the Jalapeno Shrimp and Grits and they were some of the best Ive ever had.. my wife had the Sea Bass, and she thought it was ok.. hence the 4 stars vs 5.. but man this place is worth going back especially great for a jaz, lover or a date when you really want to impress.. it was an upscale but not pretentious dining experience it was stunning and so unexpected.

First of all this place is extremely nice looking when you walk in, I honestly felt underdressed having just left the gym. The staff were really welcoming and friendly as well, but the food man was it great. I had been craving some chicken and waffles and they delivered! And with rum syrup how could I say no to that? I finished off my meal with some tiramisu and left extraordinarily happy. I would and already have recommended this place to people. I'm sure the next time I'm up that way I'll probably stop by again.

We came with our family, this time consisting of 7 people, to celebrate Fathers Day. Upon arrival, we had our car VALET PARKED, yes, you read that correctly, valet parked in Van Buren Arkansas. We walked in to check in and we discovered (having made our reservation two weeks ago) that we weren’t sitting where we asked to, while this appears to be a bother, thankfully the restaurant and entertainment made itself up for it our experience was top class. Our waitress who told us they were a little short staffed for that night kept us well taken care of and I was very pleased because it shows that they really care, and I observed the manager helping her staff keep everyone well fed and taken care of, this shows that the people really care about your experience. We ordered and are food came in good time, I had the Philly Cheese Steak, which had excellent flavor, however, if I were to change one thing, I would have trimmed more of the fat along the edge of the cut, but besides that, I was very pleased. We also shared dessert, their Chocolate Crème Brûlée and Lemon Pound cake were excellent, both were very flavorful and the cake was great for summer flavors. And through this all, the great, the brilliant, the prime entertainer, Mr. Larry B and his wife kept us very happy and entertained with songs from Micheal Jackson to George Strait, I was very pleased with his wide palate of musical tunes to sing along with his computerized accompaniment. When we ate, the place was 11 weeks from its first opening day, so I’m sure it’ll get even better. Good job Larry B, I will look forward to attending again.

Larry B’s is a fine dining eatery for NW Arkansas that mixes Southern Chicken and Waffles with ambience and class. Renown Chef James Thomas Sr., with a storied and exquisite Fianna Hills Country Club cooking background, has partnered with Larry B. to bring you the perfect match of great food and entertainment. Whether you are ordering the signature Chicken and Waffles, Crab Cake, or Grilled Chops, you will wipe your plate clean and truly enjoy the atmosphere. Chef-In-Training James Thomas Jr., namesake to the Chef, also does a great job of plating and ensuring each meal is great to the last bite. Not pricey, but food items are priced accordingly to the texture, ambience, and quality of ingredients! Make sure you place a reservation as Friday and Saturday nights can be packed from wall to wall! A must try for all NW Arkansas, Ft. Smith, and Van Buren residents! Enjoy!

Larry B’s has only been open 11 days so I’m taking that into consideration as I write this review.

Located in historic downtown Van Buren, they are located in a premium spot right on the corner. The restaurant was big, much bigger than I expected. The new paper called it a “5 Star”’restaurant so I had high expectations.

We went for dinner at 5:00 PM on a Wednesday and the place was empty. Understandable, a new restaurant and kind of early. We were seated promptly and our drink orders taken right away. We got our drinks and then didn’t see our server for another 10 minutes. When she came back she said: “Ooops, I was talking up front and forgot about you.” Ok, thanks for the honesty I guess?

Anyhow, on to the food:

Entree 1: Club Sandwich on a waffle. It looked good on the plate. Unfortunately, they didn’t follow the “no lettuce and no tomato” request. No biggie, we can pop those right off. The waffle was basically flavorless. I would described the sandwich as meat on waffle shaped bread. The bacon was very undercooked. All and all the sandwich was very underwhelming.

Entree 2: The famous chicken and waffles with rum syrup and a side squash dressing. The chicken was ok. Not the best fried chicken I’ve ever had and much like the waffle for the sandwich it was lacking any real flavor. I was pretty disappointed in this dish since I had pretty high hopes for it.

They definitely have some kinks to work out in terms of service. It was a little shaky.

I’ll give them some time to get their legs under them and then give in another go. Hopefully I’ll find a different experience the 2nd time around.