The wife and I visited La Stick in Eureka Springs over Labor Day weekend. After reading the numerous reviews, my wife was very excited about eating at La Stick. However, the experience was not good. And although we can have debates about palettes, my review will focus on the basics of restaurants and cooking and why La Stick misfired at every step. I usually don't write bad reviews, but this restaurant got me for over $300. I tipped well, didn't eat much, regretted the choice of not walking out after the first course, and immediately began writing this review.
See review on Google for additional comments.
Comments on the food
1. First Course was Lamb Corn Dog. Four Lamb Meatballs were stuck together and covered with a corn dog batter with a small amount of mustard sauce. Most folks are aware that lamb can be pretty gamey. I know of several tricks to tone down the gaminess, and I confidently say none were used by La Stick in preparing the lamb. As the server dropped off the first course, she invited us to "enjoy your dish with all our senses." My wife leaned in to cut into the corn shield encasing the lamb meatballs for her first bite. As she cut, a plume of game stench erupted into her face. Gag! What a start! The corn dog (how is this a review of a fine dining restaurant) did have a sauce. But the sauce was so salty it was inedible. I think it was Dijon mustard mixed with a powdered béarnaise sauce. Unbalanced tastes missing sweet and sour, smack you in the face gamey stench. Not a good start. At this point, I almost walked out, but I love my wife, and she wanted to stay, so I stayed.
2. Second Course was Duck Confit on a mixed-greed Salad. Yep warm protein on a cold salad, complete with a cold plate. But here is the real kicker, my wife and I didn't get a duck. There is no way what I was served was anything remotely close to duck. It was pulled pork! We asked the server twice, "what is the protein?" and she confidently said it was a duck. My wife later said we must have received someone's substitution. This gets back to the lighting. It was so dark not even the servers could see to make sure folks received the correct proteins. So how was the pork? "dry and unseasoned." How was the salad? "warm ." Was it balanced? Probably the most balanced dish of the night due to the vegetables and salad dressing.
3. Third Course was Cold Soup. COLD TOMATO SOUP. I paid money to be served cold tomato soup. Not Gazpacho. Not Vichyssoise. It was Cold Tomato Basil Soup. And I got a lake of it. It was served with a cold breadstick because the breadstick was placed on top of the cold bowl holding the cold tomato basil soup. I have no proof, but there must have been some empty Costco Tomato Basil Soup boxes in the trash the following morning. Was it balanced? No. It was soup. Just soup. Open a box of Costco tomato basil soup, pour it into a bowl, and stick it in the fridge; BOOM! You can eat like you are at La Stick too.
4. Fourth course and the highlight of the evening. Fruit Cup Sorbet! Woo Hoo, Something Edible!
5. Fifth Course Deconstructed Lobster Mac and Cheese Pot Pie Fried In Duck Fat with Truffle Oil. Truffle oil is one of those things that you think is cool, but it ruins almost everything you try to put it on. Google "Truffle Oil Good or bad". The dish we were served was bathed in truffle oil. You could smell it before the plate reached the table. The cavatappi pasta "the Mac" was dry, with no bechamel creaminess, and obviously not cooked in salted water. It reeked of truffle oil and was alleged to have cheese, but I didn't find or taste any. The lobster was not fried in duck fat; it was baked in an oven and not seasoned. I don't know what the puff pastry was up to at the bottom of the plate, but it wasn't adding anything. Overall, A baked Lobster tail, with some poorly cooked pasta covered in truffle oil and served on a puff pastry. No balance. No sweet. No Sour. No umami. Just bland pasta and cooked unseasoned lobster and smack you in the face truffle oil stench.
6. Sixth and final course, almost three hours from the start. Peanut butter and Jelly Crème Brulé. It was ice cold, didn't contain any fresh fruit, was obviously prepared well in advance (no crunchy top), and a huge portion. Oh well. If I want to take a bath in custard, I know where to come.
I went to the restroom once and tried to peek into the kitchen. Looking at kitchens is a pastime of mine. Some are scary, and some are kind of cool. I didn't see a kitchen at La Stick. It could be because it was on a different floor, but I wouldn't be surprised if most of their food prep is off-site.
All in all, not a good outing. I'm never going back. If you are considering going, just keep in mind it's not going to be as good as the social media campaign makes it out to be. Consider instead visiting the Grotto or Rogues Manor. It will save you money. It will taste better. And it will be more like a normal restaurant experience. read more