I have to trek down to the booming metropolis (read: truck-stop town) of Emporia regularly this year on business and have decided to patronize each non-chain restaurant in the area at least once. I'll admit to feeling skeptical about Fo Sho from its silly name alone, but from my visit tonight I learned that one can indeed judge a book by its cover.
First, the ambiance, summed up in an easy equation:
High ceilings +
Metal paneling everywhere +
The dueling noises of several huge TVs +
Blaring country music +
Shrieking toddlers with absentee parents +
Cursing truckers at the bar =
Hellish 20000000-decibel dining atmosphere.
Additional entertainment was provided in the form of two obvious locals seated next to me, whose thorough verbal abuse of their poor server was appalling. Maybe they were feeling cranky because it was about a million degrees in this place? Anyway, they sent their food back before even tasting it, rudely informing the waitress that it was "the worst food we've ever gotten here," and complaining about the "long wait" of approximately 5 minutes. Then again, McDonald's does spoil a woman.
Needless to say, I was curious to try my own food after the above-mentioned drama. My side salad of iceberg lettuce, shredded cheese, roma tomato, cucumber, and red onion was nothing special, but good enough and fresh. I liked the zippy Italian dressing, which seemed homemade.
I was very perplexed when my eggplant parmesan arrived all by its lonesome on a huge plate. I asked my waitress where the pasta was and she seemed confused, but offered to bring me some. I texted a few friends to make sure I wasn't being crazy, but 5/5 agreed they would assume that an order of chicken or eggplant parm would automatically come with pasta. This iteration, a HUGE serving, was low average to average, I'd say. No meat was discernible in the meat sauce, and the pasta was overcooked. The accompanying garlic bread was nothing special either.
My waitress was very sweet, but service took FOR. EV. ER. I had to sit pointedly staring at all staff who passed by for about 10 minutes before I managed to flag someone down for my check.
So you're stopping off in Emporia and want a hearty meal at a local place? Here's my advice: head down the street about 3 minutes to Franken Stube for delicious, authentic, home-cooked German food that costs less than Fo Sho's bland, low-quality Italian-American offerings.
TL;DR? My review summed up in two words: "Fo No." read more