Flavors Update

If you read this blog, you know that Flavors Indian Cuisine is one of my favorites.  Well, that may be changing.  I went there a few weeks ago with my mom, and it was totally different.

I went during the week, instead of a weekend.  When I got there, there seemed to be a nice Indian couple running the place.  But there was a Hispanic server and the person who brought my food from the kitchen was Hispanic.  Usually it's Indian guys.

The food was not good.  The samosas were the same as normal, but I don't know if they make them on-site or just fry them on-site.  Same for the naan.  I got my normal Korma, which I love, and mom got Curry.  The Korma was really pale and I'd ordered it medium heat and there was no heat.  Mom's Curry was supposed to be medium, and she said parts of it were spicy and parts of it weren't.  It was very thin and you could see tomato pieces in it.  It didn't taste right either.

Anyway, I'm disappointed.

Havana Tropical Grill Restaurant

This place is located in Rogers, kind of on the NE corner of Walnut and 13th.  There's a Waffle Hut on the corner, and some kind of Rent-A-Center place, and then a little strip mall next door.  Havana is in that strip mall.

The place is nicely decorated with wood and kind of an Afro-Caribbean theme.  When you walk in, there's a bunch of tables.  The restaurant wraps around the side where there's a bar, and I didn't really see past that.   There were several TVs around the bar.

I was getting a little hungry when we arrived, about 4:30 pm on a Saturday.  And that means my blood sugar was dropping.  So I was a little annoyed by how loud the music was.  That's mostly just me - I carry earplugs for just that reason.  After a bit they turned it down.  Frank said it was probably loud because we got there during the lull time.

A young guy showed us to a table and gave us menus.  Then a woman came around to get our drink orders.  Guy delivered the drinks, and woman took our food order, and guy delivered the food.

The ice tea was okay, but not great.  Frank couldn't tell the difference, but he's not a connoisseur.  We ordered the Cuban Sampler and the Cilantro-Lime Shrimp.

Oh my god!  I've never had Cuban food before, but it was amazing!  The smells passing by our table were driving us nuts before we even got our food.

Here's the sampler:

Picadillo

Lechon Asado

Ropa Vieja

Black beans

Maduros (sweet plantains)

Here's my shrimp:

 Shrimp with lots of garlic

Black beans

Tostones (green plantains)

The food was incredible!  The spices were wonderfully done and melded well together.  The maduros plantains went perfect with Frank's dish, while the tostones were just right with mine.

We were supposed to meet up with friends, who ended up having to cancel.  So we'll probably be back with them really soon!  Overall, I'm going 4-1/2 stars.  The food was that good.  The pork in the sampler was outstanding.  I'm not sure what all of the spices are in Cuban food, but now I really want to find out!

Huong Que

This is a relatively new Vietnamese restaurant in Rogers. I cannot tell you how excited I am to have 4 freaking Vietnamese restaurants in Benton County!!! This one is on Dixieland, just north of Walnut. There's a strip mall with a few Hispanic markets, a panaderia, and an Asian market.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures, so it's just my words this time.

This place is located in the center of the strip mall. When you go in you can go right or left. To the right is the restaurant. To the left is pool and billiards, some machines (video poker?) and the beginnings of a karaoke area. They're still fairly new, and it looks like the left side isn't complete yet.

Now, this is a small restaurant in a strip mall. It's a little bare bones. There's tiled carpet and the walls are pretty bare. It's a long and narrowish space, with the cash register at the back, with a big TV over it. No music. There were some tables for 4 down the middle, most of them pushed together. Tables for 2 were spaced along each side wall. The tables had napkins in a dispenser, chopsticks, straws, and condiments.

There was a kid watching a baby at the cash register when we arrived, which definitely means a family-run restaurant. In my experience, that's a good thing! A lady came out and we grabbed a seat and got menus. I had heard there's a "secret" menu for Vietnamese customers. I asked, but it's not in English. She offered to translate, but we figured since it's our first time, we'd use the regular menu.

The menu is a bit small. It's got all the basics: pho, bun, sandwiches, spring rolls, etc. I got hot jasmine tea and Frank got iced jasmine. I ordered the spring rolls, but I asked if I could get fish sauce instead of peanut sauce. I got the bun, which came with grilled pork, pork skins, maybe pork belly, and a cut up egg roll. Slightly different from my normal bun. Frank got the pork soup.

The spring rolls were really good. And Oh My God, the fish sauce!!! Finally!!! The lady brought the fish sauce out in 2 bowls, and it had garlic and peppers in it. She asked if that was what I wanted and I was like Hell Yeah! Okay, I didn't say that out loud. But I could smell the fresh garlic in it and the sauce itself. When I've gotten fish sauce at Miss Saigon Pho and Pho Thanh, it just tasted really watery. This was exactly what I was looking for and I dipped my spring roll in it like a madwoman!

My bun came out in the bowl and was also really good. It had chopped up carrots, bean sprouts, and some chopped cucumbers. But no lettuce. I was actually kind of glad. I like the bun at Miss Saigon Pho, but it seems to have a ton of lettuce in it. I poured the rest of my fish sauce over my bun and I was in hog heaven.

Frank had the pork soup and it was what he calls his normal pho. It had many thick slices of pork loin, 4 shrimp, 4 pieces of squid, and 2 quail eggs. Plenty of noodles. Parsley, bean sprouts, and lime. Frank says, "There was no basil, but I didn't miss it." There were also "no fucking jalapenos." Frank doesn't like those in his veggies. He also didn't have to add fish sauce to the soup. Overall, it was yummy.

Overall, everything was yummy. The total bill was $24. Service was a little slow at times, but it was one woman running everything and checking the kitchen. And everyone was really friendly. We will definitely be back! I'm going 4 stars and right now this is my favorite Vietnamese place in Benton County.