SURPRISED!

[ricepig]

Hey, if one School feeds me steak and lobster and the other School feeds me hush puppies and catfish, everything being equal I'm going to the steak and lobster School.

You do know they eat more than once on their visit?

[bphi11ips]

Shouldn't of read this thread. Now craving catfish

Me, too.  And hushpuppies.  Piggfoot is right.  The bloodline and dark meat is what makes catfish fishy.  The white meat is about as good as freshwater fish gets, except walleye.  Cock of the Walk has always been my favorite because they use small, white filets.  Add  corn bread, turnip greens and pickled onions and you have a meal that will make you slap your mama.

To really appreciate what Arkansas has to offer student athletes, football players in particular, you have to tour the Fred Smith Football Center and the Jerry Jones Center. 

Tour for athletes starts at the FSC, which is just south of the stadium and is an impressive monolith from that viewpoint.  Recruits meet the equipment manager, the trainer and staff, see the meeting rooms, the weight room, the practice fields (indoors and out), etc.  Trophies, Arkansas All-Americans, etc., are scattered throughout the building.  The lockers are similar to NFL lockers, and the player lounge is furnished with overstuffed recliners, pool tables, a theater and speakers to pipe in music. 

The cherry on top is the Jerry Jones Center, catty cornered to the FSC.  The nutrition center is located here.  Imagine four years eating at Sunday brunch.  Academic support staff give the tour.  Football players have 8 hours of required study hall as freshmen.  This year the staff can say that 16 seniors from last year's class graduated in 3 1/2 years.  That is the goal, so a redshirt has an opportunity to earn a postgraduate degree on scholarship. They also can say that the football team has had the highest GPA in the SEC the last two years.  They tell the athletes and their parents that 67% of Fortune 500 companies have an office within 30 minutes of campus and that there are many opportunities for internships.  The business school is ranked 27th in the country.

Football players live in the Northwest Quad on top of the hill north of the stadium.  Each player has his own room and shares a common living area with three or four other players.  This isn't Humphreys or Pomfret. 

Put all of that together and you have a tour that blows most schools away.  Parents and players alike leave very impressed.  They may have reasons for choosing other programs, like distance from home, but facilities and academic support are not one of them.

[jkstock04]

Man I still find it sad people think the catfish hole is top notch food.

It's basically a tourist attraction for out of town people.

To the OP, I would say things like the facilities and stadium are mainly what the surprises are about. Also a packed loud weekend home crowd at Bud Walton makes a decent impression as well.

[Little Lady Back]

19K at BWA on Saturday was very impressive to the recruits.

Definitely! 

[hawgtime]

Me, too.  And hushpuppies.  Piggfoot is right.  The bloodline and dark meat is what makes catfish fishy.  The white meat is about as good as freshwater fish gets, except walleye.  Cock of the Walk has always been my favorite because they use small, white filets.  Add  corn bread, turnip greens and pickled onions and you have a meal that will make you slap your mama.

To really appreciate what Arkansas has to offer student athletes, football players in particular, you have to tour the Fred Smith Football Center and the Jerry Jones Center. 

Tour for athletes starts at the FSC, which is just south of the stadium and is an impressive monolith from that viewpoint.  Recruits meet the equipment manager, the trainer and staff, see the meeting rooms, the weight room, the practice fields (indoors and out), etc.  Trophies, Arkansas All-Americans, etc., are scattered throughout the building.  The lockers are similar to NFL lockers, and the player lounge is furnished with overstuffed recliners, pool tables, a theater and speakers to pipe in music. 

The cherry on top is the Jerry Jones Center, catty cornered to the FSC.  The nutrition center is located here.  Imagine four years eating at Sunday brunch.  Academic support staff give the tour.  Football players have 8 hours of required study hall as freshmen.  This year the staff can say that 16 seniors from last year's class graduated in 3 1/2 years.  That is the goal, so a redshirt has an opportunity to earn a postgraduate degree on scholarship. They also can say that the football team has had the highest GPA in the SEC the last two years.  They tell the athletes and their parents that 67% of Fortune 500 companies have an office within 30 minutes of campus and that there are many opportunities for internships.  The business school is ranked 27th in the country.

Football players live in the Northwest Quad on top of the hill north of the stadium.  Each player has his own room and shares a common living area with three or four other players.  This isn't Humphreys or Pomfret. 

Put all of that together and you have a tour that blows most schools away.  Parents and players alike leave very impressed.  They may have reasons for choosing other programs, like distance from home, but facilities and academic support are not one of them.

thanks, that was great.

do they get goodies like hoodies and such for their visit? what is allowed?

[SamBuckhart]

Glad they had a good time.  I like CH hush puppies too. Steak and ribs from Hermans is what me craves. Old HOG stuff is awesome.

[mhuff]

Yeah but my kids growing up would rather have hamburger than steak. I'm down for the lobster. Maybe our budget won't allow for five lobsters per player.

[Razorbackers]

The outside perception of Arkansas is a tough thing to overcome.

I used to work in the LR area at a company that had a whole bunch of out of staters. Not like, Oklahoma. People from NYC, Chicago, California, Cleveland, etc. They were really worried about moving to Arkansas. They were surprised at how much they enjoyed the nightlife and food in Little Rock, and how friendly everyone was.

I remember taking a truckload of them up to Fayetteville for that weekend event thing (forget the name) where they had the spring football game, and a home baseball series in the same weekend. We stayed 2 nights in Fayetteville and went to the baseball games and they had a blast, got nice and toasty in the outfield, hit Dickson both nights, met up with some of my friends and partied well into the night, had some great food.

They were SHOCKED at how nice Fayetteville was, and how big the school is, etc. Most of them got new jobs and went back towards their homes, but one of the guys, who came in from Seattle, now lives in NWA. And they all enjoyed their time in the state, except for the summers. They weren't prepared for the humidity lol.

[Cinco de Hogo]

But...did you find a school that feeds(mass)recruits steak and lobster?  One on one in some way I bet a lot of recruits at a lot of schools get treated to "steak and lobster", but not enmasse.

[Atlhogfan1]

We hear these comments every year from recruits. 

[Springfield_MO_Razorback]

19K at BWA on Saturday was very impressive to the recruits.

Yes, plus when the recruits came in to be seated the crowd gave them great recognition! A win always helps too.

[Oklahawg]

BPhi11ips, great post.

Cool for fans to know how the program is being packaged.

[The OTR]

I was invited here by someone who thought I might be able to provide some keen insights into the catfish debate. 

However, as soon as I read the post about gas station catfish I realized that none of the work I have done here matters, none of it sinks in, and the queen mother of NEA catfish, ricepig himself, has done nothing but muddy the waters, if you will, about the state's best catfish. I hold rice personally responsible for this and all other catfish threads. No one can get any traction as long as he's around spewing venom about the catfish hole and talking up gas station catfish. 

It is sad that he has so many followers, some of whom have already shown up here and made a mockery out of the great catfish debate while others will straggle in like zombies and go along with whatever he says.

I'm going to keep an eye on this thread but I'm through trying to educate the proletariat on the finer points of catfish.  That much I can guarantee.  It falls on deaf ears. 

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

I was invited here by someone who thought I might be able to provide some keen insights into the catfish debate. 

However, as soon as I read the post about gas station catfish I realized that none of the work I have done here matters, none of it sinks in, and the queen mother of NEA catfish, ricepig himself, has done nothing but muddy the waters, if you will, about the state's best catfish. I hold rice personally responsible for this and all other catfish threads. No one can get any traction as long as he's around spewing venom about the catfish hole and talking up gas station catfish. 

It is sad that he has so many followers, some of whom have already shown up here and made a mockery out of the great catfish debate while others will straggle in like zombies and go along with whatever he says.

I'm going to keep an eye on this thread but I'm through trying to educate the proletariat on the finer points of catfish.  That much I can guarantee.  It falls on deaf ears. 

While Skandar has many relatives (2) that can read and/or write; ((Yes He has a cousin who has the prettiest handwriting, but can't read a lick. Ex-1 "Altywho Massenaut?")); He only has 1 that can do both AND drive. So since Skandar has never had Mississippi, Alabama or Georgia catfish from a gas station he can only tell you how good The Catfish Hole is. It's "just OK"... BUT the fact that it's filled with the kind of rabid Hog fans that are common in "The Rest" of The State Of Arkansas it makes it an awesome sight for the "Mid West" Wally World transplant. I guess what I'm trying to say is "It's the most southern dining experience you can have north of Russellville, and since most Yankee's have never been past Ft. Smith They just don't know... So to keep from having his cousin swim to Tulsa and look for me ((They couldn't find Mississippi with a GPS, Bloodhound and an escort)) I will clarify ONCE MORE... Catfish Hole Grade... Food C+  Atmosphere A++++++ Woo Pig and a Happuh New Year.

[Boss Hog in the Arkansas]

Man I still find it sad people think the catfish hole is top notch food.

I went for the 1st time a couple months ago (day before the mizzou game). It wasn't bad, but I was a little disappointed because everyone had hyped it up to be the golden nectar of catfish.

[Cinco de Hogo]

I went for the 1st time a couple months ago (day before the mizzou game). It wasn't bad, but I was a little disappointed because everyone had hyped it up to be the golden nectar of catfish.

It's not the catfish! How many times does that have to be said.  Yes you can get good even better catfish a hundred places.  It's the atmosphere created especially for recruiting and I bet they serve better fish to the recruits than is normal.  As far as i'm concerned the fillets are why too thin.   However I think it would be very hard to get a normal "steak and lobster" place to create that atmosphere.   Also I bet most schools use "quaint"  places.

[The OTR]

Hey, if one School feeds me steak and lobster and the other School feeds me hush puppies and catfish, everything being equal I'm going to the steak and lobster School.

CBB got them hooked with catfish and fed them lobster after he got them here.  The boy knows food better than anyone this side of Meacham.

[ThisTeetsTaken]

You do know they eat more than once on their visit?

What do they eat?

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

CBB got them hooked with catfish and fed them lobster after he got them here.  The boy knows food better than anyone this side of Meacham.

I saw, with this super cyborg eye, Meacham eat two boogers and a scab; neither of which were his..! So I'm gonna have to call B.S. on this one.

[ricepig]

What do they eat?

I don't know what they are doing this year with BAC demolished and EIC being remodeled. They used to do a caterer steak dinner, I believe Pat still cooked them, in one of those. Depending on the numbers, they've eaten at Bordino's and Theo's, and even at Bielema's house. The kids and their families don't go hungry, lol.

[jvanhorn]

I did... Not impressed. I kid you not, there is food just as good at gas stations here in Mississippi.
The atmosphere with all of those Razorback fans is the key. Don't fool yourselves.

Mississippi has the best hot tamales on the planet--and there are some pretty darn good bbque places as well.  I have been to places in southern Arkansas that were just as ** that if you didn't know you would have no idea if you were in Mississippi or Arkansas. 

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

Mississippi has the best hot tamales on the planet--and there are some pretty darn good bbque places as well.  I have been to places in southern Arkansas that were just as ** that if you didn't know you would have no idea if you were in Mississippi or Arkansas. 

True nuff... West Helena has a Hot Tamale truck that'll knock your socks off too..

[MissippHog]

Mississippi has the best hot tamales on the planet--and there are some pretty darn good bbque places as well.  I have been to places in southern Arkansas that were just as ** that if you didn't know you would have no idea if you were in Mississippi or Arkansas.

I've lived most of my life in northern MS, but spent 7 years in the Delta.  Best eatin' I've had in my lifetime.  There's a reason why MS leads the country in obesity 

[nwahogfan1]

Man I still find it sad people think the catfish hole is top notch food.

It is all about what the kids like and what they want and not about what we want.  I would guess most kids would not like to sit down at a very formal steak and lobster place.  They love the festive atmosphere of the CH with all the cheering and Hog calls and such. 

Lets get over our selfs and let the kids have fun.

[pigture perfect]

It's the atmosphere. Period.


But it's time for a change. Give them boys some dang surf and turf

Surf and turf is not realistic. Most places that serve these type of meals don't have the crowd interaction you get from a laid back place like the CH. Yeah, you can change it up. Take them to AQ Chicken House or something every now and then. Give them a choice. But your average college athlete will not be able to afford luxury meals when you get to campus. By going local, non-chain, you are showing them the culture of the area.

[Razorbackers]

I did... Not impressed. I kid you not, there is food just as good at gas stations here in Mississippi.
The atmosphere with all of those Razorback fans is the key. Don't fool yourselves.

Catfish Hole is fine, but it doesn't crack my top 5 catfish places in Arkansas.

[NEA_HogFan]

Catfish Hole is fine, but it doesn't crack my top 5 catfish places in Arkansas.

Good catfish reataurants are a dome a dozen around here.

[Razorbackers]

Good catfish reataurants are a dome a dozen around here.

I'm from the russellville area, and we have 2 great ones and 2 pretty darn good ones around there.

Now I live in KC and catfish may as well be shark fin soup. Good luck finding it, and if you do, it's not farm raised, it's that frozen ponga stuff. asian catfish. Just not the same.

[PorkSoda]

It's the atmosphere. Period.


But it's time for a change. Give them boys some dang surf and turf

its arkansas. 

lobsters are the cockroach of the sea, and regardless arkansas is a long way from maine.

and name one texas athlete that hasn't had his fill of beef.

there is nothing "arkansas" about surf in turf

[Hoggish1]

Me, too.  And hushpuppies.  Piggfoot is right.  The bloodline and dark meat is what makes catfish fishy.  The white meat is about as good as freshwater fish gets, except walleye. Cock of the Walk has always been my favorite because they use small, white filets.  Add  corn bread, turnip greens and pickled onions and you have a meal that will make you slap your mama.

To really appreciate what Arkansas has to offer student athletes, football players in particular, you have to tour the Fred Smith Football Center and the Jerry Jones Center. 

Tour for athletes starts at the FSC, which is just south of the stadium and is an impressive monolith from that viewpoint.  Recruits meet the equipment manager, the trainer and staff, see the meeting rooms, the weight room, the practice fields (indoors and out), etc.  Trophies, Arkansas All-Americans, etc., are scattered throughout the building.  The lockers are similar to NFL lockers, and the player lounge is furnished with overstuffed recliners, pool tables, a theater and speakers to pipe in music. 

The cherry on top is the Jerry Jones Center, catty cornered to the FSC.  The nutrition center is located here.  Imagine four years eating at Sunday brunch.  Academic support staff give the tour.  Football players have 8 hours of required study hall as freshmen.  This year the staff can say that 16 seniors from last year's class graduated in 3 1/2 years.  That is the goal, so a redshirt has an opportunity to earn a postgraduate degree on scholarship. They also can say that the football team has had the highest GPA in the SEC the last two years.  They tell the athletes and their parents that 67% of Fortune 500 companies have an office within 30 minutes of campus and that there are many opportunities for internships.  The business school is ranked 27th in the country.

Football players live in the Northwest Quad on top of the hill north of the stadium.  Each player has his own room and shares a common living area with three or four other players.  This isn't Humphreys or Pomfret. 

Put all of that together and you have a tour that blows most schools away.  Parents and players alike leave very impressed.  They may have reasons for choosing other programs, like distance from home, but facilities and academic support are not one of them.

Great post bphi11ips.  Have you tried Flathead catfish?  No bloodline to cut out and better than Walleye!  AND this bad boy will take a lure and prefers live bait!

[Johnny Bobo]

I truly hesitate to agree with anything Skadner Jackson says, but I will concur on his opinion that ricepig is somewhat of a Catfish Tyrant on Hogville.


ricepig is the Marlin Hawkins of Arkansas catfish


that's not a complement


and none of you forget the "primo" catfish in SE Arkansas is farmed and imported from Vietnam

[ricepig]

I truly hesitate to agree with anything Skadner Jackson says, but I will concur on his opinion that ricepig is somewhat of a Catfish Tyrant on Hogville.


ricepig is the Marlin Hawkins of Arkansas catfish


that's not a complement


and none of you forget the "primo" catfish in SE Arkansas is farmed and imported from Vietnam

I thought for a minute you were calling me the Marlin Perkins of catfish...... "While I sit comfortably in the SUV, Jim struggles with the 736lb flathead catfish"....

[KlubhouseKonnected]

Good catfish reataurants are a dome a dozen around here.

Here being NEA? There are very few around here (here being "not NEA") that I enjoy. I love catfish but to me it's not a good catfish restaurant if I can't get the full spread of all the fixings with it

[bphi11ips]

Great post bphi11ips.  Have you tried Flathead catfish?  No bloodline to cut out and better than Walleye!  AND this bad boy will take a lure and prefers live bait!

Does a one-legged duck swim in circles?  I was raised on flathead fresh out of the Arkansas River between Rose City and England.  Never knew they don't have a bloodline, though.  Good eatin'. 

Nothing like a 15" walleye fileted fresh out of a Boundary Waters lake, though.  Fried up with a little Shore Lunch and beer.  Do yourself a favor and call The Outdoorsman Headquarters in International Falls and order 5 or 10 lbs. of Walleye filets.  They catch 'em fresh out of Rainy Lake and flash freeze 'em.  Will ship in dry ice and arrive on your doorstep just like they came out of your freezer.  Get some real wild rice and Shore Lunch (beer batter but better than what we have down South).  They may swap you for some flathead filets.  Worth a shot.  Here's a link:

https://m.facebook.com/outdoorsmanshq/

[Richard Davenport]

Is the Catfish Hole being utilized as it has in the past with our current staff? I know BB LOOOOVED him some Catfish Hole, but I was just interested to see if this new staff does the same.

I'll be very surprised if the new staff doesn't keep the CH tradition going. I think they were blown away by the first trip in Dec.

[Richard Davenport]

I did... Not impressed. I kid you not, there is food just as good at gas stations here in Mississippi.
The atmosphere with all of those Razorback fans is the key. Don't fool yourselves.

I think most people that have eaten at the CH would disagree. I'm not a big catfish guy but the best grilled chicken I've EVER had was from the CH and one of the best steaks I've ever had was from the CH.

[pigture perfect]

I like my catfish fresh from the river. Either the Arkansas River or White. It just taste like real fish. Not tasteless.

[cram224]

I think most people that have eaten at the CH would disagree. I'm not a big catfish guy but the best grilled chicken I've EVER had was from the CH and one of the best steaks I've ever had was from the CH.

I will second, "the best steaks I've ever had was from the CH".

[Razorbackers]

one of the best steaks I've ever had was from the CH.

[go hogues]

I spend a great deal of time in MS and until recently lived for the past 18 years in TX.  Most of those people still think Arkansas is way behind on facilities and is hick place to get ur lernin.  It doesn't help that we've been in the bottom tier of the SEC for many years, last two CBP years not withstanding.

I will never understand where the arrogance in MS comes from? They rank 50th in every good category and 1st in every bad. They are literally the worst but if you talk to anyone from there - it's New York, Paris, Milan, Mississippi. SMH

[Paul]

Does a one-legged duck swim in circles?  I was raised on flathead fresh out of the Arkansas River between Rose City and England.  Never knew they don't have a bloodline, though.  Good eatin'. 

Nothing like a 15" walleye fileted fresh out of a Boundary Waters lake, though.  Fried up with a little Shore Lunch and beer.  Do yourself a favor and call The Outdoorsman Headquarters in International Falls and order 5 or 10 lbs. of Walleye filets.  They catch 'em fresh out of Rainy Lake and flash freeze 'em.  Will ship in dry ice and arrive on your doorstep just like they came out of your freezer.  Get some real wild rice and Shore Lunch (beer batter but better than what we have down South).  They may swap you for some flathead filets.  Worth a shot.  Here's a link:

https://m.facebook.com/outdoorsmanshq/

Walleye is my favorite.  Used to go up to the Twin Cities(Fargo/Moorhead) every year & fish for Walleye & Northern Pike.  Crappie is what i keep in my freezer.

[KlubhouseKonnected]

Walleye is my favorite.  Used to go up to the Twin Cities(Fargo/Moorhead) every year & fish for Walleye & Northern Pike.  Crappie is what i keep in my freezer.

Frying up a big mess of crappie is hard to beat

[ricepig]

Frying up a big mess of crappie is hard to beat

We'd have to limit our recruits to only 5* if we served them fried crappie, I'm sure it's against NCAA rules to do such.

[WOOPIGDOOIE]

Frying up a big mess of crappie is hard to beat

[KlubhouseKonnected]

We'd have to limit our recruits to only 5* if we served them fried crappie, I'm sure it's against NCAA rules to do such.

First we catch the crappie, then we catch the 'cruits, (then we get the khakis) and then we got the power.

[bphi11ips]

Walleye is my favorite.  Used to go up to the Twin Cities(Fargo/Moorhead) every year & fish for Walleye & Northern Pike.  Crappie is what i keep in my freezer.

I like to catch 'em on a reef at dusk and have 'em in the pan by 9:00. But it's a lot cheaper to order 'em from Outdoorsman.

Crappie are good, but walleye are better. Catfish, too, if you cook 'em right.

[Cinco de Hogo]

I will never understand where the arrogance in MS comes from? They rank 50th in every good category and 1st in every bad. They are literally the worst but if you talk to anyone from there - it's New York, Paris, Milan, Mississippi. SMH

Well there is a reason so many great fiction writers come from Mississippi...

[NEA_HogFan]

I like to catch 'em on a reef at dusk and have 'em in the pan by 9:00. But it's a lot cheaper to order 'em from Outdoorsman.

Crappie are good, but walleye are better. Catfish, too, if you cook 'em right.

Bass is by far the best fried fish I've had. People will give you a lot of heck for keeping them and eating them though.

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

As Aunt Esther told Fred Sanford: "Don't you blaspheme up in here!!!"

It was



And ironically if you don't know that...

[immahog]

Hogville is the reason I was let down my first visit to the catfish whole I mean it's good but it's not even top 10 as far as places I've been with fish and hush puppies