Having lived and worked in Maumelle for a few years, at a time when there were limited options beyond fast food for lunching out, I always get a little curmudgeon-y when I see a new restaurant open up. Back in my day, we had to be hungry uphill both ways in the snow or something. Kids (and adults) these days have all kinds of options.
Add to those choices Burger Fix, which makes a bittersweet entrance to the local eatery scene in that it takes the place of another independent restaurant, custom stir-fry establishment Woka Woka, whose name was always good for a laugh, particularly if you’re down with The Muppets. After a minor remodel, the burger joint opened its doors in the same space on Club Manor Drive a month or so ago.
I say the remodel is minor because very little appears to have changed on the surface. Orders are still placed at a register immediately to the left from the front door. Where before vast stretches of buffet lined up ingredients to toss into the stir fry bowl now sits a salad bar (yes, a salad bar at a burger joint — and a substantial one at that). The “take a number, grab a drink and have a seat” setup still remains, in which customers come grab their order when their number is called. Though this process was still audible over the ambient noise, it could be amplified by a mic, and I wouldn’t complain. Tables, chairs, even color scheme is much as I remember from the establishment’s past life also remain.
However, one big difference is that one wall of the place has largely been cleared of clutter to serve as a screen for a ceiling mounted projector. The result: a picture about 10 feet diagonal. It, along with two smaller flatscreens at the front and back of the place, was tuned to ESPN on my visit, and with the high definition picture, one can easily savor the idea of catching a Hogs game on this monster. Rumor has it (on the restaurant’s Facebook page) that the screen will also lend itself to 3-D movie nights and XBox tournaments.
Of course, the most obvious alteration in the transition from Woka Woka to Burger Fix is the menu. Instead of meats and veggies tossed up with a starch of choice, the new place serves up classic American fare: burgers, chicken sandwiches, tenders and wings. And that’s about it, aside from the aforementioned ginormous, all-you-can-eat salad bar ($7.49), which we understand offers more than 30 items.
That same sort of diversity doesn’t really apply to the rest of the menu, but, to be fair, one could argue a lot of different variables can be changed to create a significant range of flavors. For instance, the burger in regular ($4.25) or jumbo ($5.50) can get any or all of the usual treatment — pickles, lettuce, onion, tomato, mustard and mayo — with jalapeno slices or ketchup all as freebies. Four cheese choices are all 50 cents each, grilled onions or mushrooms a quarter and bacon 80 cents. Ditto for the chicken sandwich ($5.50), which comes grilled. Either can be made into a basket to include fries for a few bucks more.
On the tenders and wings side, it’s all in the sauces. For the wings, which come in a range of quantities from six ($4.99) to 100 (price not listed), there’s the traditional buffalo, the hotter chili buffalo and the hottest habanero buffalo. Alternatively, there’s also barbecue, Asian, Cajun and lemon pepper. The smallest baskets offer up to two sauce choices, the larger ones up to four. The tenders, sized in orders of three ($4.79), five ($5.99) or seven ($7.99), offer the same sauce varieties, though served on the side. Again, either can be made into a basket to get those fries.
Beyond those core options, there are also fried shrimp baskets and some limited appetizers, either cheese sticks or potato chips. For those not going the basket route, fries or onion rings can be ordered as a side for $2.99 or $4.99, respectively. The menu also offers soup, as well as kid-sized baskets of burgers and tenders and also a corn dog for $2.50 or $3. Four fried pie options ($3.99), served with ice cream, round it all out.
Extensive? No, but not expensive either. And there’s enough there that repeat trips don’t have to always include the same thing. And that’s good, particularly for those who remember those olden days of dining in the area.
THE DISH: OUR REVIEW
Ten-wing basket ($10.79): First off, kudos for offering a 10-wing (or even six-wing) basket with two flavor options. I always appreciate variety, especially in lower count options, and you don’t always see splits offered on less than a dozen wings. I chose the middle of the road chili buffalo and Cajun options, split evenly. The buffalo was spicy as advertised, but not nose-running, eyes-watering spicy. I’d say it might push it for some, but people who really liked to be scorched may want to consider the habanero plunge. For the savory crowd, the Cajun is a beautiful mix of spices. Heavy on the pepper — and, I think, rosemary — and really enjoyable. Don’t make the mistake of thinking Cajun means it’ll burn your tongue off. It won’t, and you’ll be glad for it. The fries come thin and crisp, as they should be. (sw)
Small burger ($4.25): The central Arkansas area is currently witnessing an explosion among ... well, let’s call them handcrafted, prepared-with-love burger joints. Some of them are old timers, some of them are upscale, some of them are chains, but they all rescue the burger from the lowly, fast-food desert it has inhabited for years. Enter Burger Fix into this category, if you couldn’t tell by the name.
The cheeseburger at Burger Fix (there’s an added charge of 50 cents for one of four types of cheese) is a little on the skinny side for a regular burger, but it packs a beefy, juicy flavor that is not too heavy on the seasoning. The cheese was somewhat lost in the taste of the burger, and the added jalapenos were pickled, instead of sliced, which cut down on their heat value. Even with those shortcomings, the Burger Fix burger is a welcomed addition to the central Arkansas burger map. (ss)
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RESTAURANT INFO:
LOCATION: 1800 Club Manor Drive, Maumelle
PHONE: (501) 803-9251
WEBSITE: http://www.facebook.com/BurgerFix
DINING HOURS: Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 4 p.m.-9 p.m.; Friday 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 4 p.m.-10 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
PRICES: $4.25-$11.99
ALCOHOL: None
IN A NUTSHELL: The latest dining establishment on the Maumelle scene sticks to American classics like burgers, wings and the hefty, all-you-can-eat salad bar. You can pretty much expect to have a burger any way you like it, and the wings didn’t disappoint, either. For those looking for a fryer-free lunch option, the salad bar has more than 30 items. Burger Fix hopes to draw in sports fans and video gamers with a ceiling-mounted projector.