My parents gave us free tickets to the Museum of Discovery and we had a blast!!! Thanks mom and dad! We love ya’ll so much!

After exploring and playing to our hearts content, we were getting a bit hungry. We decided that we need to stop eating sushi every time we go to Little Rock and try something new. After all, who doesn’t enjoy trying out new restaurants?

We’ve never eaten at the Flying Fish, but have heard good things about it. We decided to give it a go.

Parking

There is limited parking, so plan on parking in a lot and walking, unless God chooses to bless you at the perfect moment with a great parking place.

Location

The Flying Fish is conveniently located in the Rivermarket. It’s a great place to eat at after you’ve done whatever at the Rivermarket. It’s located on President Clinton Avenue.

First Impressions

Walking down the sidewalk of the Rivermarket, nothing jumps out about the Flying Fish that would make us choose it over anything else, except the fact that we wanted to eat it and it was pretty close to the Museum of Discovery (our attraction of the day).

I took a few snapshots of the outside of the building, but didn’t notice the motors until I really started looking at what I was taking pictures of (does this happen to anyone else?). The motors were pretty cool, but there are a few missing….The analytical side of me wonders are the missing motors done on purpose or were they stolen? Did they fall?

Through the window, we saw the vinyl checkered tablecloths that screamed casual and family-friendly. I love that they have a container with menus outside the restaurant. New Orleans does this at a few places, and it’s super great to be able to look at a menu without the pressure of standing in line (what do we get? what do we get?).

We walk in and paused momentarily because we didn’t know if we seat ourselves or wait on someone to seat us….this is stressful people! At least put a sign on the door or something to let the anxiety-ridden ones know what to do (oh dear, oh dear!!!!). After seeing the longish line, we used our common sense and figured we ordered first then sat.

I had complete sensory-overload. This happens to me quite often when I’m in a new place and there is a lot of noise or things to look at or both. I tend to just withdraw into myself, and take in. I, above all things, want to feel safe in an atmosphere. I felt safe, but there was so much to take in that I felt stressed. I felt pressure under making up my mind as to what I wanted and to order in a timely manner. At least if we had a waiter, we can tell them to come back in a few moments (as we often do to peruse the menu). If you have anxiety like me, you will experience sensory-overload and I would advise you to look over the paper menu in order to determine what you want before you go to the line (which we did but still felt the pressure of ordering the perfect item). For those of you that have no clue what I’m talking about, stand in line and order as you normally would.

Selection of food?

The paper menu was different from the menu board inside. Many of the items on the paper menu were not on the board, like oysters.

 

Typical wait time

We stood in line for about 5 minutes, looking at our menu. We ordered and it took about 60-90 seconds. Our buzzer went off in about 12 minutes. Not too bad for yummy food.

Staff? Friendly, efficient, courteous, and knowledgeable waiter and waitresses?

The guy at the counter that took our order seemed to speak fluent English and calmly and quickly gave us what we wanted. He was not rude but not overly friendly either.

Seating arrangements

The restaurant had three separate dining areas. It was like a U shape. We chose a table right beside the kitchen. The kitchen was open and you could watch the staff cook which is nice to see how they are handling the food. Most of the tables were either two tops or four tops. We chose a four top and it was comfortable. We were sitting next to the wall, and put our sweet baby boy, David, next to the table on the opposite site, because he’s so little. If we were to sit on the other side of the table, it would’ve been a squeeze. I’m sorry, but I like to have space when I eat and just about everything else. Unlike elsewhere in the world, I truly abide by the “give me three feet circumference” around me as personal space. If you get too close to me, it’s a little creepy.

Quantity and quality of food

Jay and I ordered a plate of mud bugs, oysters on the half shell, and a shrimp po boy. David, our sweet 8 year old, ordered a chicken tender kids basket and calamari (he loves the stuff). If money were no issue, we would really like to taste one bite of everything, but the only item I did regret not ordering were the frog legs. I’ve only had them once (or maybe twice), but I love to eat anything that is hard to get elsewhere…..rocky mountain oysters anyone? The quantity of food was just right for our American tastes.

 

Beverage selection? Wine list? Bar?

When you walk in to the ordering area, there were about four or five beverage fridges for cooling beer, wine, and sodas.  They had a great selection, but we aren’t beer drinkers. Jay doesn’t drink at all. I drink wine with every meal while we are out or a margarita. I had an 18 ounce margarita here and it was ok (it was no El Sol). Now for those of you that don’t drink, don’t get turned off. I’m a Christian girl that just likes a glass of wine and / or a margarita with my meal. (If you have a problem with alcohol, please seek help.) Their menu didn’t specify that they had margaritas on the rocks no salt (my preference), only frozen margaritas (of which I had two).  They were great!

Children’s menu?

The children’s menu was called “Kids Boat” and had the following: kids burger, 1 catfish filet, 2 jumbo shrimp, 2 chicken strips, and a chicken sandwich. The boat that the kids meal came in was pretty cool. Also, there was a hangman and tic tac toe paper that was available with crayons that David and I used. It was a great way to pass the time waiting on our food.

David’s meal came with two chicken strips, french fries, and prepackaged animal crackers. Look at the cute boat!!

 

 

Our food…

First up, was the calamari. It was top five that we’ve had outside of an Italian restaurant. It came with two sauces. One was a tartar sauce and the other was a curry aioli. I preferred the tartar sauce. Jay preferred cocktail sauce that he got from their sauce bar. On the sauce bar, they had lemons, onions, ketchup, cocktail sauce, and tartar sauce.

Next we had oysters. Oh my goodness. They were so delicious!! We ate them on saltine crackers, topped with an oyster, cocktail sauce, and horseradish. Our sinuses were so clear after eating this. I would go here next time just for the oysters. I think I dreamed about them last night….

We next had the shrimp po boy. It was very good. Jay loved the way they flattened the shrimp so it was easier to eat. When you order, make sure you say shrimp po boy snappy, and the whole kitchen crew yells SNAPPY! It’s startling and lovely. Snappy = spicy. Bland is bad, spice is good. This came with tartar sauce and cocktail sauce. I didn’t use any extra sauces, Jay used extra ketchup. The hushpuppies were tasty as were the fries. No complaints here.

We also had mud bugs. Now I’ve never in my life eaten a mud bug. I was excited to suck some brain juice and eat a bug that’s been in the mud.

Jay teaches me out to eat the mud bug. First, twist the tail off from the body.

Then you take the first two segments of the tail shell off.

Pinch the middle of the tail, and pull the meat out. Enjoy!

Dessert menu? Made in-house?

We ordered a pecan fried pie a la mode, banana pudding, and bread pudding. The bread pudding and fried pie were definitely made in house. The banana pudding we aren’t sure if it was made in house. The bread pudding was very good (I almost didn’t share). The pecan fried pie was also very good. I don’t like banana pudding so I didn’t eat it. Jay said it was good, not the best but not the worst.

Pictured above is the pecan fried pie. There was a very bright green Heineken light behind us, which gave everything an oh so lovely lime green look.

This was the bread pudding. Jay definitely makes it better, but it was really tasty.

The banana pudding Jay had (stupid green light)…

Reservations available? Required?

We didn’t ask if reservations were available. We are going to assume that they are not available. Think of Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans. I’m pretty sure they don’t do reservations. They may, but I don’t think that is this type of restaurant.

Takeaway Available?

Takeaways were available, but we didn’t order any. It’s known as take out in the South, or “to go”. I like to call them takeaways. Makes me sound so worldly methinks.

Prices?

We ordered a kids chicken tender, calamari, oysters on a half shell, mud bugs, a shrimp po boy, three drinks, and three desserts. It was a little over 90 bucks. You decide. Is it too much? We would definitely go there again, if that means anything to you.

Acoustics? Music?

There was music, but I don’t recall what type of music was playing. I honestly don’t listen to secular music. I listen to preaching on the way to work to prepare my mind to love the children and see them the way God sees them (so I can restrain myself when they completely disrespect me). The music wasn’t anything I would be offended by from what I remember. There was a comfortable level of chatter and it wasn’t too loud or too quiet.

Attractive décor? Well-kept and updated?

The decor was fishyness. There were tackleboxes on the wall, motors on the outside wall, mounted fish all over the place, pictures of people catching different fish, and numerous neon beer signs. There was a lot going on for the decor. It was a lot to take in. If you have ADD, you will be entertained for hours…

 Sanitation

There were bus boys (and girls) constantly busing tables, sweeping floors, and making sure everything is tidy. The kitchen staff seemed as if they were abiding by all sanitation rules. We noticed nothing that caused alarm.

Bathroom cleanliness?

Jay and David didn’t use the restroom, but I did. The bathroom was a single stall and it wasn’t noticeably dirty. It was adequate. We have used restrooms (for a fee of course) in Paris, France, and nothing in the states have quite compared with this.

Type of payments (credit cards, checks) accepted?

We paid with our debit card, but I’m sure they accepted checks (do people really use these anymore?). Cash is king in the restaurant business, but debit cards are queens.

Atmosphere? Romantic setting? Family setting? Singles hangout?

The atmosphere is family-friendly. David and I played tic tac toe and hangman. I saw families there, and I saw couples there. I think it is a perfect first date or family meal place to eat. I wouldn’t eat here for a special anniversary or anything but for a good seafood meal, we would definitely recommend eating here.

We will definitely be back. I didn’t care for the mud bugs, but at least now I know what they taste like. I asked David if he would ever go back and he said “I would!” He loved the chicken strips. When we do return, I will be ordering the oysters times two. If Valerie is with us, it will e more. She loves them!