Buzz Word is back…with its second edition!

One of the best parts about food blogging is coming up with new ideas for regular pieces. It’s what I enjoyed most during my time with the Houston Press and certainly still rings true with TMR.

Say hello to Buzz Word…a new-ish weekly feature, designed to increase interaction among Little Rock foodies! On Sunday evenings, I will post a “buzz word” on The Mighty Rib Facebook page. The word could be anything food related (ie… steak, cheddar cheese, Swiss chard). I will then ask for reader suggestions on one dish that includes the “buzz word” of the week. All suggestions go into a hat, one is picked, dish is eaten, review is written…all within a week’s time.

The suggested dish can be a reader’s favorite dish, something they despise, or just something they’ve never ordered. Either way, good or bad…I will give my completely honest take on the dish.

Got it? Get it? Good! Let’s go!

Our latest “buzz word” was shrimp. We had some wonderful dish suggestions: boiled shrimp from Oyster Bar, shrimp ceviche from Casa Manana, and of course, endless shrimp from Red Lobster…just to name a few.

This week’s randomly selected dish was Louis V.’s volcano roll from Igibon.

Here’s a little known fact about yours truly: Igibon is the only sushi restaurant I’ve eaten at in Little Rock. Don’t get me wrong, I love sushi, but in a land-locked state like Arkansas, it’s rarely ever a cuisine I seek out. However, I do enjoy the reasonable prices and quality food served up at Igibon.

Unfortunately, the volcano roll proved to be a disappointment. The roll consisted of imitation crab meat, roe, shrimp, “crunch,” and a “special sauce.”  The thin “special sauce,” which I’m guessing was some combination of soy sauce, sugar, chili paste, hoisin, and peanut butter, had a beautiful orange hue and a perfect mix of sweet, salty, and spicy flavors. I loved it.

There was just one little problem…the roll was drowning in the sauce. Also, upon closer inspection, the miniscule portion of shrimp was borderline laughable.

Fear not, Louis, Igibon’s volcano roll wasn’t a lost cause. Twice the amount of shrimp and half the sauce would have yielded an exception sushi roll. And who knows, it could have very well been an off night for the restaurant. I’ve also learned it’s often a little unfair to judge a restaurant when doing take-out (which was the case here).

I still love ya, Igibon.