Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Riverbend Seafood, they might have to go catch it first

If you're looking for a speedy meal, it isn't going to happen at Riverbend Seafood in the K-Mart shopping center. A nice man sitting behind me probably described it best when he asked me, "You think they've got to catch them before they cook them?"

Despite the long wait, over 30 minutes, our food was fresh, hot and delicious, minus the coleslaw which tasted like rotten cabbage and mayonnaise all mixed together. But, fortunately I waited to try it last, or I might not have been able to stomach the rest of it.

Only two people were working the day of my visit, which were a server/cashier and a cook who apparently wasn't very happy about another customer complaining that she didn't receive enough food. Although we couldn't see the argument, I could hear it from our booth - it ended with the cook remaking the order.

With only one cook making food that requires individual battering and dropping in grease (I.E. fish, onion rings, shrimp and such), it only makes sense that our order took 30 minutes. If one were to try to drop it all in at once, it would get stuck together and not cook well. Making good fried food is tedious, especially with one person cooking. The tedious work was well worth it, the onion rings were freshly battered and among the crunchiest, best-tasting I've ever had.

I also had a catfish fillet sandwich which was only $3 and the onion rings were $1. But, of course they get you on the drink which totaled my meal right at $6. Which is still a good price for the food, but you can expect slow service, from the kitchen, not the waitress, who kept my tea filled during my hour-long stay.

There wasn't a drink fountain so don't expect free refills, unless you get sweet tea, and it's certainly sweet. Our waitress was friendly for the most part, even though she had a very obvious problem with the cook. I'd probably go back if I had a lot of time to waste, but I'd definitely take my fishing rod to help catch the fish and speed things up. It might take all day to catch a grouper in that holding pond.


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