[slideshow_deploy id=’23998′]
Though I had never been to Bell Street Burritos, I knew that the restaurant that replaced it had a lot to live up to. Unfortunately, “Bob” did not rise to the occasion.
According to its menu, Bob (as in kabob) is “a healthy, portable, yummy concept for the people.” All of the food is served on a stick and is designed to be eaten on the go, which makes sense, considering the eatery is located in The Irwin Street Market at the end of the BeltLine. Diners have the option of ordering off the menu consisting of eleven bobs (ranging from $4.50 to $6.50 per bob), creating your own “ThingamaBob” ($6.50) or having a BobDog ($5; a sausage on a stick). Your bob can be accompanied by one of four sides ($1.25 or $2). And while the concept may seem appealing, the food is not.
We ordered the “GuidoBob,” an Italian-style kabob with meatballs, mozzarella and roasted red peppers, and the “CowboyBob,” a Wild West-themed bob with steak, potatoes, cheddar cheese and bacon, topped with their homemade ranch dressing. Both the meatballs and steak were dry, and the CowboyBob was so drenched in ranch that I couldn’t taste any other flavors. The sweet potato fries, however, were the one redeeming aspect of the meal. They were perfectly crispy and nicely seasoned.
Not only were the bobs messy and unappetizing, some of the names and descriptions were in poor taste. For example, the term “Guido” (as in the GuidoBob) was originally a demeaning term describing Italian Americans. Also, the “JerkBob” (with Jamaican jerk chicken) is described as a “dreadlock Rasta of a Bob.” Needless to say this depiction of the kabob is neither politically correct nor particularly appealing (who wants to eat dreadlocks?).
The layout of the restaurant was also awkward. Most people who walked in were confused as to what they were supposed to do: order at the counter, or sit down and wait to be served? The correct answer was to order at the counter, which was manned by one staff member, whose job it was to take orders, serve the food, bus tables, and run into Jake’s (the ice cream store in the other part of the building) to fill up cups with soda, because Bob’s soda machine was out of order. This led to an extremely long wait (at least 15 minutes) between when the first kabob was brought to us and the second one was delivered. Personally, I prefer to eat at the same time as my lunch companion, but that wasn’t possible.
Luckily, we were able to end our meal on a high note with some “Kenya AA” (coffee flavored) ice cream from Jake’s. Next time I think I’ll skip the meal and move straight to dessert.
