Pam said that Bass Pro reminded her of a casino, and indeed it does that have that self-contained-village vibe. Everything seems absolutely separate from the outside world and there’s no sense of time.
This suspended quality extends to Uncle Buck’s Fish Bowl, which is designed to make diners feel like they are dining under water in a fish bowl complete with fish …
and a mermaid …
— the occasionally jarring clunk of the bowling bowls hitting the lanes, notwithstanding …
The sense of timelessness is interrupted by the very real line snaking around the corner of Uncle Buck’s. On the day we were there, after 1 p.m. on a Wednesday, it took about 20 minutes to get seated.
It seemed that there was plenty of seating, and I suspect that the restaurant isn’t fully staffed. We sat at the bar, and there was some tiny confusion about who should be taking our order, which was ultimately written down on a cocktail napkin.
I ordered a caesar salad ($6), which was good. There are a few other vegetarian options — a Margherita flatbread and cheese and veggie pizzas.
More intriguing was Pam’s burger, the Fire Pit burger ($12), which comes covered in jalapenos. Pam was both impressed by the jalapenos and the brioche bun.
The menu offers a little something for everyone: onion ring trophy ($7); fried alligator ($11); fish tacos ($11); catfish fingers ($11); bbq pork sandwich ($9.50); buffalo burger ($14); and more. Most of us will find something to eat at Uncle Buck’s, but I’m not convinced that most of us would go to Bass Pro for Uncle Buck’s alone when there are three dozen-plus local restaurants in downtown.
