Food Review: Nothing Fancy

The Arka Tech checked out one of Russellville’s popular food vendors — Nothing Fancy

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$6.49 BBQ Sandwich with fries and water

By Sam Hoisington

Nothing Fancy is located inside of City Mall and decorated in a very eclectic fashion. However, the food leaves something more to be desired. I decided on the barbecue sandwich, an order of fries, and a water. The sandwich was small and the helping of fries was rather underwhelming too. The quality of the food reminded me of an elementary school cafeteria. I expected something unique from Nothing Fancy, but I suppose I should have believed the name.

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$5.90 Fancy burger with chips and water

By Ashley Pearson

Nothing Fancy is true to its name. As I stood in line waiting to order I noticed there were signs taped up everywhere. Some signs noted that there had been changes in prices or said certain foods were available on special days. The menu was quite interesting. The left side contained every day average American food like burgers and fries while the right side listed Vietnamese dishes.  It was a simple burger and it eased my hunger, though I wish the bacon had been more flavorful.

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$5.99 Cheeseburger with fries and a coke

By Jesse Griffiths

My experience with Nothing Fancy got off to a promising start with a friendly staff and interesting menu.  But after a long wait, I was treated to a meal not much better than anything I could have gotten at a fast food joint for half the price.  The cheeseburger I ordered was filling and tasted decent, but the fries were bland and difficult to finish.  I would go back to Nothing Fancy to try their Asian food, but there is nothing drawing me back for more of the American style food.

Al’s Cheesecake Reviewed

The Arka Tech checked out one of Russellville’s newest food vendors — Al’s Cheesecake.

$5 chili cheese sausage combo

Sam Hoisington, Web Editor

Full disclosure: I’ve been to Al’s before, and I liked it. But our objective was to find a cheap meal, and I did it. A meal combo containing a chili cheese sausage on bun, can of Dr Pepper and a bag of Fritos came to a low sum of $5. The sausage was hefty and left me feeling full. The owners hail from Minnesota, and their sausages reminded me of my time spent in neighboring Wisconsin, famous for its brat culture. I had to eat it with a fork and knife because it was so messy, which is a mark of a good meal if you ask me.

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$5 New York cheesecake with water

Sierra Murphy, News Editor

This foodie was tripped up a bit by the homemade cheesecake that can be found at Al’s Cheesecake off Parkway and Weir Road. I sampled the traditional, New York cheesecake with homemade strawberry and blueberry sauce and was quite surprised. The cheesecake was fluffy, the crust was buttery and between the two there was a perfect balance between the tart of the cheesecake and the sugar of the crust.
Upon further questioning, I f​ound out Al and Barbara, owners of Al’s Cheesecake, offer pumpkin cheesecake in the fall and fruit flavored cheesecakes in the spring. I’m thinking about taking advantage of pre-ordering service.

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$3.50 hot dog and water

Claudia Hall, Opinions Editor

This was my first visit to Al’s Cheesecake. I’ve passed by on my way to Wal-Mart multiple times but have never stopped to check it out. I wasn’t aware that Al’s had more than just cheesecake, so I was pleasantly surprised. I ordered a hot dog and a water, which totaled to a simple $3.50. I was expecting a typical stadium dog but was again surprised.
The hot dog was 100 percent beef, and the bun was not flimsy. Because the hot dog was a quarter pounder, I needed nothing more than the dog and a bottle of water. I will most definitely be returning in the near future.

Photos by Claudia Hall/The Arka Tech