DONS Southern Social — Restaurant in Hot Springs

WOW. This is by far the coolest concept of a restaurant in this historic town yet. Phenomenal experience and delicious food. The atmosphere is so cozy, and it feels awesome being a part of something that feels so secret. The staff is beyond friendly and helpful when it comes to asking about the menu. This is a must if you have the money to really surprise the heck out of your date and something that will be a conversation piece for months. This is a reservation only spot so they text you the confirmation with A SECRET PASSWORD to use when you arrive to the NINE-01 GALLERY and the host greets you. Next thing you know a secret book case opens, a full kitchen and dining room appears and your being sat by some friendly folks with some pretty unique menus. I wanted to give this five stars but for the price I just had a few issues with some of the dishes. The black-eyed pea hummus with fried okra was SENSATIONAL but hard to share with only 7 slim okra, and there was a lot of hummus leftover with nothing left to dip in it- I’m sorry, you may be fancy southern cooking, but it’s still southern and at least put a nice amount of okra on the table to dip. It’s a pretty cheap veggie here in the summer if we are being honest. That being said, it was the best hummus I’ve had yet, it was just a bummer the way it was served. Next the smorgasbord was a great starter and honestly, even if you think apple butter with andouille sausage on bread sounds weird or not your thing, buck up and try it. It’s your thing trust me. They wouldn’t craft something this delicious if it was weird. It’s like apple butter couldn’t get any better and it did. Next the entrees. I was most impressed with the sides that came with them. The catfish was okay, lil dry, nothing to write home about, but the mascarpone stuff tortellini with rabbit Bolognese was so good I’d want that as a meal instead. They were kind of a weird pair honestly but alright. The next thing we tried was the Straight Outta Cluckton. Again, the side dish took the cake! The Muenster cheese gnocchi was awesome. The chicken was okay, little dry and hard honestly so we dipped it in the gnocchi…. I know, so fancy. The kimchi greens that were under the fried chicken was pretty good too. We each had two adult beverages and both were good, the AR Lady and the Pimm Juice. The ambiance is awesome and even though we stressed about what to wear there was literally all kinds of people in here, from tourist in boating attire, some in casual street wear and then some few who dressed up. It was a refreshing mix. If you can avoid the table by the kitchen and bathroom doors do, that was the only downside to where we sat, it felt we were in the way as the servers hustled and bustled by. Planning a romantic night and don’t know where to go? I’d pick this place just for the wow factor alone. And I’d start by sharing meals to see what you like. Definitely can’t wait to try again as the menu changes with...

I'm struggling to give this place a 2 star. I'll start with the good. The concept is a fun idea. I was excited to make a reservation for our 10th anniversary. From the outside, there's not even a hint that it's a restaurant. No signage, no open sign, nor can you see in the windows. A plain glass door for an art gallery is your entrance from the outside. You get a password via text with your reservation. Once in the small gallery space, you give the password, and the hostess grants you access through a hidden door. The interior space is on the industrial side with some mid-mod touches. I liked the look. So far, I'm still excited. Our table for 2 had a fresh cut rose, a nice bottle of water to share, and flatware tucked in a leather pouch. We order drinks. I ordered a signature cocktail, the AR Lady. Which was a twist on a Moscow Mule, which i do enjoy. This is where the stars start falling. It was overly sweet and not even a hint of alcohol. My wife asked for a dirty martini with blue cheese olives. No blue cheese olives, ok. The drink comes with no olives. With the exception of a lemon twist, olives are the quintessential garnish for a martini. After waiting for an extended period of time for our drinks, we wave down the waiter again to ask for olives. We watch the bartender pick each one up with his bare hands and place them on a toothpick! What?!? You should never touch ice garnish or anything going in a glass with your bare hands. I may be wrong, but i think that's a health department violation. I ordered the aged NY Strip. Of course, this cut of meat can be tough and tender. This was tough, I ordered it medium. I had to cut it so thin to actually enjoy the taste rather than chew and chew. It came with fondant potatoes and some carrots. It doesn't get any better. Potatoes were cooked well but not seasoned at all. No salt, nothing. I had my wife check. As soon as she tasted it, she said there's no seasoning. On to the way under cooked carrots. A firm carrot is fine. I had to crunch through it. For me, so far, I'm giving a 1 star for the atmosphere. Service from Connor was slow, drinks not done properly, by a bartender who likes to touch everything with his bare hands, my dinner so disappointing. I have no problem paying for signature drinks or a market price steak dinner($60). We usually will drop $200+ for anniversary dinner at a fine dining establishment. I knew this wasn't fine dining, but my dinner was sub-par. My wife had the pork belly with goat cheese polenta. It was very good. We did not order dessert, I could justify spending any more money at a restaurant whose staff probably just need more training. Can't recommend it, I...

In a place and time where fine dining are really starting to bud, Don's does a wonderful job of providing A+ service and ambiance. From beginning to end, you are treated with an experience which is hard to find in Hot Springs. The entry way is slightly whimsical with a hidden entry way and a password given to you at the time of reservation. While I think using an outside service for reservations that charges $1.00 breaks the fictional walls being attempted by Don's, it wasn't a big deal. Upon entry in to a murphy door, you are immediately greeted by sights and smells reminiscent of a 1930's speakeasy while still being updated and not feeling dilapidated. The interior is updated and clean so never fear cleanliness snobs! As soon as we were sat, our waiter greeted us with intimate knowledge of the dishes which was very refreshing. Offering reccomendations for beverages and how they "Elevate" thier items was good to hear. But what about the food?! While the price was intense upon first look, I began with the Salmon Cake. A decadent fish dish that seemed to have a little too much going on. The mixture of truffle butter and roe tasted more like Bleu cheese. The addition of chantrell mushrooms was a little lost as there was a lack of taste and more texture of rubbery-ness to them. The salmon cake itself, the heart of the dish was well cooked and flavorfull. The Grits and Duck was next. While at first look the duck was very appetizing, the grits took away from the look. The flavor of the grits themselves was not as impressive. There was spice but no real flavor to them unfortunately. The duck ended up bring a little more of the rubbery side however, the skin was a highlight with deep flavors that tempted the palate to wanting more. If there was anything amazing to say it would be that the tortellini and catfish was to die for. Flavorful, decadent, not over-powering and extremely satifying. This needs to remain on the menu forever and always as the tastes play off of each other in the best way possible. Last up was the dessert. Presentation circled back to the southern whimsical atmosphere with flavor to boot. The blueberry cake was well balanced and was a fantastic end to a meal. Upon exit, we were treated with an escort through the kitchen and a brief hello/goodbye from the chef.

I would reccomend Don's for a night out and a atmospheric meal in the heart of Hot Springs any time. Looking forward to what...