Colorful plates display artfully arranged food that beckons diners to delve in posthaste. No, these aren't dishes from a new restaurant in Morganton; they are items from the redesigned menu at Judge's Riverside Restaurant at 128 Greenlee Ford Road.
The new menu introduces lighter fare, vegetarian dishes, seafood, steak and pasta.
"We've got something for everybody," said Russ Fulenwider, a co-founder of the restaurant.
Mike Fulenwider, president of Fulenwider Enterprises, the company that owns Judge's, said the restaurant took note of the lack of extensive salad bars at nearby eateries and chose to expand its own salad bar.
Russ Fulenwider said Judge's Juniors, four mini burgers with cheese and fries, are fast becoming a crowd favorite. Onion rings stacked into a tower and accompanied by two different dipping sauces create a spectacular culinary image for the mind as well as whetting the taste buds.
In addition to the various new items on the menu, manager Steve Davis said Judge's will feature steak and seafood specials from Friday through Sunday. Recent specials included swordfish and a T-bone steak.
"This is probably the most dramatic re-engineering of the menu," Mike Fulenwider said.
Several business associates and family helped the Fulenwiders select new dishes for the menu. Mike Fulenwider said many recipes were taste-tested by a variety of palates before earning a spot as a new item.
Loyal diners, fear not. The core menu still features Judge's signature barbecue pork, beef brisket, smoked chicken, ribs and chicken fingers. A standout item, The Judge, is a dinner plate designed for two; it includes barbecue pork, ribs, a smoked chicken quarter, two sides and hushpuppies.
"All our fried products are still done from scratch," Russ Fulenwider noted.
Mike Fulenwider said that with the recent change in management at Judge's, Fulenwider Enterprises chose to develop a new menu instead of continuing to add items as managers come and go. He now expects minor revisions to the menu about four times a year.
Judge's menu hasn't changed drastically since its inception in 1982, Russ Fulenwider said. Co-founders Russ Fulenwider and Walter Bell started selling pork by the pound at the original KFC location on West Fleming Drive.
Bell said the idea for Judge's originated in 1979 when Judge Verbon Fulenwider, for whom the restaurant is named, wondered why there wasn't a barbecue restaurant in the area. A visit to the oldest barbecue restaurant in the south, Johnny Harris' Barbecue in Savannah, Ga., started the ball rolling.
As Bell and Russ Fulenwider's barbecue business grew on the side, starting from smoked chicken and beef brisket, so did the menu.
The business moved into its current location beside the Catawba River and further expanded its menu. Bell said the obvious suggestion to name the restaurant after Judge Fulenwider was a unanimous choice.
The menu isn't the only change from the last two decades. The dining atmosphere at the restaurant also is fresher. Green tablecloths with white accent pieces and miniature floral sprays grace the tabletops throughout the dining rooms.
"We want the focus to be on family and kids," Mike Fulenwider said. "There is no bar, we eliminated smoking, and we want to use the grounds for events. It's a good, wholesome environment."
To view the menu visit www.judgesriverside.com or for more information call Judge's Riverside at 433-5798.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement