Fatboy's Pizza & Grill!

Martin, Kentucky

Welcome back, everyone!  I meant to assemble this review a couple weeks ago, but life interrupted my progress.  It happens, and I'm happy to bring you yet another restaurant review from right here in good ole Eastern Kentucky.  How did I end up in Martin, you may ask?  Why, to meet an old College friend at St. Joseph Hospital and pick up some Nintendo games she was nice enough to give me.  Why else??

You thought I was kidding, didn't you...

As awesome as it was to see an old friend and indulge in some nostalgicy goodness, she was running late for work, it was getting late in general, and it was still ridiculously cold.  So needless to say, our visit was cut short.  But, all was not lost.  It was getting to be supper time, and of course my wondering eyes noticed a sign on the way in.  I asked my friend if she had ever eaten there, with it being so close to her workplace.  She smiled and replied with a confident "yes", so I figured I would stop in, quell my hunger, and give the place a good dose of Hillbilly Stomp.  If you read my last review, then you seen how I rate my experiences.  I wont bother repeating the process, and I will review this establishment the same way.  If you want to see a detailed rundown of the process, head on back to my last review. 

It was around 7 p.m. when I arrived, and as soon as I walked through the door, I was immediately impressed with what I was seeing.  This place was spotless, and the smell of the food was nearly intoxicating.  I knew I was already going to be in for a treat.  I looked around before I proceeded any further, just to try to take everything in.

It looked a lot like this, only not blurry. 

As you can (kind of) see, this place is well maintained.  I was greeted by a lady by the name of Lisa who was acting as both bartender and server at that moment.  She was very nice and attentive right off the bat, and that's a wonderful way to start things off.  As always, I ordered my obligatory Mountain Dew, and began to peruse the menu, looking at everything they had to offer.

It looked something like this, only not blurry.

After several minutes of going back and forth, trying to choose between all the amazing sandwiches, pizzas, hot dogs, salads, burgers, fried chicken, and house specials that they offer, I finally came to a difficult decision.  I got the Mushroom and Swiss Burger with a side of Beer Battered Fries.  In the moments after I ordered, I looked around at what the other customers had ordered, and what people who were stopping in to pick up had ordered, and I started second guessing myself.  Everything that passed by me looked incredible, especially the pizza.  I remained strong, and stuck to my guns. 

Because the food is made to order, I knew it was going to take a few minutes for it to get done, so I decided to kill some time by looking around, checking out some of the decorations and what not.  This place was obviously named after the Harley Davidson Fatboy Motorcycle, because the decor was heavily decked out in Harley gear and memorabilia.  Even their restaurant logo itself is reminiscent of the classic and familiar Harley logo.  Very cool.  I then proceeded to my right, to check out the other section of the restaurant.  Yes, there's another section that we haven't even visited yet!  So, I make my way over in that direction, when I then spotted....the movie rental rack.

I bet you thought I was kidding AGAIN, didn't you...

I was kind of stunned.  In a good way.  How many places do you see renting movies these days, much less a restaurant doing so?  Quirky and awesome, I say.  Whether or not anyone actually rents them is a question that's still up in the air, but hey, even if no one does, how great is this regardless?  So, after I spent a few seconds musing over memories of video rental past (and admittedly scanning through their selections), I made my way over to the other section of the restaurant.  Again, it was obviously clean and well maintained.  The management of this place knows what they're doing, and how to run this type of business.  Check it out:

The second dining area.  Through the opening on the right is where we just came from.

The bar area, I really dig the lights!

A smaller corner stage area, and from what I understand, there's some mighty fine local talent that's played on that very spot.

I love the lighting and ambiance of this place, you just need to visit to see for yourself.

And, what tour could be complete without a visit to the restroom.  You can tell a lot about an establishment by how well their Johns are maintained.  The finger of judgement is often and rightfully over-critical when it comes to this sort of thing.

Men's room, right side wall.  There are no words.

Cleanliness:  As I've already stated, this place is very clean.  I actually tried looking for dirt, and honestly couldn't find any.  The tables and chairs were all wiped down, the center caddys were all stocked, the floors sparkled, and the men's room was virtually spotless and completely stocked.  The areas I could see behind the front bar (where I sat to eat) and what I could see of the kitchen area were very clean as well.  They deserve a medal.
Overall Cleanliness Score:  5/5





Ambiance:  The decor was very stylish with a combination of modern Americana and Harley Davidson memorabilia.  The was a huge concentration on the color red, which I thought looked great.  Red is an impact color, and it makes things easier to remember.  The lighting was nice, not too bright, not too dim.  Even though the restaurant was divided into two separate areas, it worked really well.  It didn't feel all that awkward or cramped, and seemed to have good air flow throughout.  The radio was playing what sounded to be 90s-2000s radio hits lightly in the background, as two large TVs were playing ESPN in the other area.  Very nice all around!
Overall Ambiance Score:  4.5/5







I received my food, hot and fresh, in about 10-11 minutes, with a bill of around 9 bucks.  I was too busy being impressed by everything else that I honestly lost track of the time.  The server brought it out to me promptly, along with a pop refill.  What I witnessed in front of me was, well.....

Perfection?

Heaven on a plate?

A MASTERPIECE WORTHY OF INFINITE PRAISE?!?!

I would have no problem referring to it as any of the above.  All kidding aside, it was one of the best burgers I've ever had.  It was Angus beef, cooked well done, hand-pattied, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, and as you can see, garnished with sauteed mushrooms, crispy bacon, grilled vidalia onions, and a cheese sauce that was amazing beyond description.  It was like a mixture of swiss, provolone, and white Mexican dipping cheese.  The burger was definitely large enough, as I could barely finish it, even as hungry as I was.  The fries were really good, just standard beer battered fries.  You can find them in most grocery store freezer aisles, and these were nice and flavorful with a crispy outside "shell" of flavor.  My Mt. Dew was very good and flavorful as well.  I considered dessert for about a millisecond, but decided against it as I feared my stomach exploding. 
The service was really good.  The server was very attentive, and could answer any questions immediately I had about the food.  She was very nice, and we chatted a little bit as I enjoyed my meal, and as she continued to clean and prepare to-go orders for incoming customers.  She was great, and according to her, had only been there a little over a week.  I couldn't tell at all. 

Overall Food Quality Score:  4.5/5

Overall Service Quality Score:  5/5






Fatboy's Pizza & Grill is a gem of an eatery, and it's located right in Martin over in Floyd County, Kentucky.  It was clean, well set up, well managed, with a friendly attentive staff, and outstanding food.  When you have the power to turn ordinary into extraordinary, then you've got a good thing going.  If you're over that way, do yourself a favor and drive the extra 35 seconds past the standard, stock fast food places and give this local business a spin.  You'll definitely not regret it.  I'll be returning soon, and I may give their pizza a try, or possibly one of their specials.  They have a Facebook page right here, so be sure to look them up! 

I give Fatboy's Pizza & Grill an aggregate total of:

4.5 Harley Boots!!!

Thanks for reading!  Check back soon for another review from "The Hillbilly Stomp"!

Mi Amigo's Delivers (in more ways than one)

Hindman, Knott County, Ky.

My oh my, where to begin?  First and foremost, if you're actually interested enough in what I have to say by  making it this far, then thank you so much for your interest and support!  It's much appreciated!  Secondly, if you're not from the good land of Knott County, then you have literally no idea what this establishment is going to mean for our local economy, or our overall demeanor.  It's a welcome addition to my home town, and "long overdue" doesn't even begin to put it into perspective.  Again, if you live here, you know exactly what I mean.  It brings me great pleasure for Mi Amigo's to be my very first official review for this blog, with many more to undoubtedly follow.


As long overdue as it may be, I have to try to remain objective enough to give an honest-to-goodness review of the establishment itself.  I can sit here and gush all day long about how much it's needed in the community, but if it fails to impress, then it's not going to do anyone any good.  So, let's get down to the nitty gritty, shall we?

Interior dining area.  Seats approx. 110 people.

The way this works, is I break the dining experience down into four categories, those being:
1. Food quality (taste, presentation, appearance, temperature, texture, affordability)
2. Ambiance (decor, music, lighting, feng shui, room temperature)
3. Cleanliness (self explanatory, applies to dining area, restrooms, foyer, parking area, etc.)
4. Service (punctuality, knowledge of menu items, attentiveness, friendliness, etc.)

I then award each category a possible 1 out of 5 rating, of course with 1 being lowest, 5 being highest.  I then tally the scores to give an aggregate total.  It's completely a matter of opinion, and my reflection may not necessarily reflect another's experience on a different day and time.  I feel I'm stern but fair in this aspect, and again, I will try to remain as objective and open minded as I possibly can.  For example, being in a close-knit, small town rural area, I may know some of these business owners. I will do everything in my power to make sure my relationship with them does not, in any way, interfere with the outcome of my assessments of these establishments.  I have also undoubtedly dined at many of these places in the past.  I will not let any past experiences, positive or negative, interfere with my current assessment.  But enough of the technical stuff.  You're ready for 'meant-n-taters' right?

  

My company and I arrived at the restaurant at approximately 4pm.  The weather has been absolutely dreadful for a week now, with record snowfall, freezing temps (it was warmer in Antarctica and Alaska than Eastern Kentucky this past week), and today with sleet, freezing rain, and abundant flooding due to melting snow.  Not exactly 'go out and eat' weather.  But, this place has been open for a little over a week now, and we figured it was time to indulge.  We weren't the only people who felt that way, because there were several other families eagerly waiting as well.  That level of patronage during what is typically the slowest part of a restaurant's day, combined with the aforementioned weather, is definitely a good sign to start off with.  We were greeted by a nice young lady, promptly seated, and the server took our drink orders almost immediately.  Here are what I had already gathered:

Cleanliness:  Mi Amigo's is very well maintained.  The floors throughout were swept and mopped, and even with the soggy weather, they were still clean and dry.  The tables and chairs were wiped down and clean as well.  The side stations were well organized, and the men's restroom was thoroughly clean and fully stocked.  The posted Health Department score was a 97%, with the only things mentioned being something about food labels, and nothing at all about actual cleanliness. 
Overall Cleanliness Score: 4.5/5

Ambiance:  This place is unapologetically stereotypical in its "Cheesy Mexican" motif.  Is that an issue?  Absolutely not!  I love it.  The interior paint is that off-yellow color that you often see in this type of place, with the booths and support beams inside a nice dull red color.  Very typical and not anything new in that department.  There are sombreros hanging about, with a very nice large wall clock behind the checkout station.  There are also large floor vases with different types of flowers and weeds in them, and large wooden cacti.  Yes, cacti.

 

There's two of them.  Cacti.

 
There's also some light salsa type music playing in the background at a nice volume, and the entire dining area, while it may appear a little cramped at first glance, it actually isn't.  You don't feel crowded at all.  The room temperature was a tad chilly, but with sub-zero temps and the sheer level of dampness in the air, that's to be expected.  There are also two large flat screen TVs on opposite corners of the restaurant for your viewing enjoyment.

Duke won. "Viewing enjoyment" being subjective, in this case.

Everything just seemed to compliment everything else in terms of the overall feel and appearance of this place.  The walls were a little bare, but that only means there's room to add more decor in the future if they so choose.
Overall Ambiance Score:  4.5/5


Food Quality and Service:
Our food was brought out fresh and hot, made to order, within 8 minutes.  Our drinks and the ever present free chips and salsa, within 2-3 minutes.  The server was very gracious, asking us if everything looked/tasted OK, and was very attentive with our drink refills, or anything else, really.  He was definitely on top of things.  I ordered what was awesomely called the "Hindman Special", which consisted of Mexican Rice, White Cheese Sauce, a choice of steak, chicken, or shrimp, and a side of two tortillas.  I went with steak, because steak.  The meat was tender and fantastic, the rice was plump, and the cheese sauce was very flavorful.  The tortillas were a little lukewarm, but still very tasty.  I ordered my obligatory Mountain Dew as a drink.  It was very good as well, but it could have been a little more flavorful.  It was almost as if they had the syrup hose turned down maybe one notch too much.  My mom and step-dad ordered the fried ice cream, and it was genuinely one of the best servings of that dish I'd ever had.  Very flavorful, rich ice cream.  My meal was $8.99, not including the drink.  A more than fair price for the quality of food and service I received.  Pretty standard prices in this area for a casual dining experience.

About 5 minutes in, and I wasn't exactly starving when I arrived.

We sat there and traded some funny stories and just basically enjoyed each others company for roughly two hours.  It flew by.  Our server was very professional, attentive, understanding, prompt, and most importantly, nice.  He made our experience very enjoyable, and we made sure to leave him a really good tip!
Overall Food Quality Score:  4.5/5

Overall Service Quality Score:  5/5



In the end, I really enjoyed Mi Amigo's.  I stated earlier that this place is a welcome addition to our community, and now that I've experienced what it has to offer, I definitely stand by that statement.  Is it mind blowing and life changing?  I guess not, it's pretty standard fare for a Mexican casual dining establishment, but that isn't a bad thing at all.  It's a wonderful place, and I award it an aggregate total of:

4.5 Sombreros!

Thanks for reading!  Check back soon for another review from "The Hillbilly Stomp"!