Meal-Atta-Glance: Ribeye at Rib Eye Steakhouse

Rib Eye Steakhouse

1400 Highway 71
Fort Smith, AR 72901-8470
479.646.0933

We’re starting this post in a bad position, a defensive one. But here goes.

Dear Restaurants of the World & Greater Fort Smith Area: If you insist on having dim, romantic lighting, fine. But be aware you’re going to get dim, unromantic pictures. We’re sorry about this, really, but there’s not much we can do. Since it’s hard enough to whip out the camera at the dinner table without raising suspicions, we can’t exactly set up a photo studio with reflective panels and stand lighting. So, no matter how delicious and attractive your food may be, we can’t guarantee our Fort Smith Eats photos of it won’t turn out looking like they were art directed by someone more accustomed to making adult movies in their basement, circa 1971. We do our best, but there’s only so much we can do to eliminate that dark, shag-carpeted vibe.

That brings us to today’s restaurant, Rib Eye Steakhouse, which may indeed have been last decorated in 1971. We like Rib Eye, and we can tell you how to get there fine. What we may not be able to do is tell you how to get back to your table if you venture forth to the restroom.

The place is a labyrinth. You’ve got your open-style dining rooms in the front, but if you find yourself following the server back past the aisles of booths, up the ramp, around the corner and through the windy corridors in which they have hidden surprised diners into every nook and cranny, you’d best build some time into your evening itinerary for finding your way back out of the place. Take breadcrumbs. (They looked older to be sure, but we think in one dark corner we may have even stumbled on Amelia Earhart and Jimmy Hoffa having dinner).

This, for instance is one of the tables we found along the way, in a private walled-off booth/stall.

Thank the good Lord for the placemats and tableware, or this might look like a police interrogation room from a movie. Wait, is that Batman in the shadows? He's sneaky.

We truly don’t mean to dis on Rib Eye. It’s been a beloved Fort Smith institution for many years, and there are a number of excellent reasons for its longevity.

Expert Pics: Your Photos, Our Blog, Winter Yum

We’ve been a little slow on our blogging lately, and for that, we profusely apologize. We ARE still eating all over Fort Smith, at every place awesome as well as the not-so, all in the name of research. (It’s tedious. You all believe that, doncha?)

In the meantime before our next Official Blog Post (which is coming SOON), here’s a quick — but YUMMY — Expert Pics post. (You may recall our previous Expert Pics posts: Snow Pics, Thanksgiving Pics, and our inaugural your-pics-our-blog post. )

We have said it before and we’ll say it again: You guys are the true experts, and we thank you for sharing your own yummy experiences. Keep the twipics coming!!

via @PLady100, Philly, Cali, and bagel rice tempura rolls from Shoguns.