Flying Heart is located at 700 Barksdale Blvd. in Bossier City.

Not the usual, but I’ll be back

318 Forum’s always-hungry reporter often has lunch at a local restaurant and tells you about the experience.

A decade is a considerable amount of time to be in business.

Especially if the business is a restaurant.

Flying Heart Brewing & Pub (700 Barksdale Blvd., Bossier City) recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. In those 10 years, I’ve eaten there probably 10 times. Not often, but often enough to return because I enjoy the food, service and atmosphere. So, on a recent Saturday, I invited a friend to join me for lunch, hoping I would have another good experience.

We arrived at 12:45 and found available street-side parking near the restaurant. There is a charge to park in some East Bank District lots, so I’m always happy when I can park for free.

(Funny story: I remember years ago when the Shreveport Mudbugs started charging people to park at Hirsch Coliseum. A whole $3! Everyone pitched such a fit that the hockey club included parking in the ticket price the following season.)

By 12:50, my friend and I were seated right where we wanted to be — on the patio, as it was a gorgeous day. Guess what? Lots of other people had the same idea of sitting outside. The patio was packed with families and couples, young and old. Several children were playing cornhole just off the patio. It was nice seeing so many people together, eating and enjoying the beautiful weather. The patio is covered, and although there were just a few corner fans, the temperature was pleasant. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones was just one of the songs that played through the patio’s speakers.

If you want to watch a ball game at Flying Heart, you must sit inside. That’s where the TVs are — some big and some not-so-big — scattered throughout the dining room, which is split in half by a 10- to 12-seat, L-shaped bar.

My stomach was growling, so I knew I wanted a starter.

Flying Heart only has three choices; if you don’t like pretzels, you’re left with only one choice (Firehouse Cheese Bread). Fortunately, my friend and I like pretzels, so we ordered pretzel bites ($7.50).

Unfortunately, it took a long time for those bites to be served.

We saw people getting their starters, who were seated after us. It took so long that I told our server that if we weren’t going to get our starter until just before — or at the same time — as our meal, we didn’t want them. There’s a reason they’re called “starters.”

Our server said she checked with the kitchen, and our order had been turned in 23 minutes prior. She said the kitchen was “working on a big party.” Well, OK, but when you focus your time and effort on serving a “big party,” you neglect others. Apparently, my friend and I were the “others” that day.

Pizza is Plying Heart’s signature dish.

The restaurant also serves wraps.

Finally, at 1:27 – 37 minutes after being seated — we received our starters. There were approximately 20 relatively warm pretzel bites on a plate and two dipping sauces. The bites were favorable and not salty. If there’s one thing that ruins a pretzel, it’s too much sauce. As for the sauces, the menu stated we had a choice of Black Heart beer cheese or HWY 80-infused mustard. We asked for one of each and were charged $0.75 for “Extra Ale Mustard.” It seems like nickel-and-diming a customer, but whatever.

While both sauces were good, my friend and I preferred the infused mustard the most. Next time, we will only order that sauce and save 75 cents. We enjoyed the starter but wish it had been served sooner.

Of course, just five minutes later, our meals arrived. While Flying Heart serves wings, salads and wraps, its signature food is pizza. You can choose from 13 pizzas (plus a pizza of the month) or craft your own pizza, selecting your crust, sauce, veggies, cheese and protein. That’s what my friend did: ordering a cauliflower crust pizza with olive oil, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, onions, pepperoni and bell peppers ($22).

Her pizza was loaded with toppings, which isn’t always the case when you get a pizza from either a local place or a chain. The crust was thin, and we both agreed (she let me have a slice) that it was cooked just right. However, I was disappointed that the pizza wasn’t hot. In fact, I would be borderline exaggerating if I said it was lukewarm. If you are a frequent reader of these reviews, you know I’m particularly annoyed when food that is supposed to be hot isn’t. My friend Chuck Wagon says restaurants don’t serve food too hot because they don’t want to get sued by someone whose mouth gets burned. That sounds so crazy, he just might be right.

Wanting to let you know how something tasted other than pizza, I ordered the turkey and cheese wrap ($13). I hope you are appreciative because I wish I had had a pizza. The wrap wasn’t bad, although I thought it was small — there just wasn’t anything special about it. My choice is either a wheat or spinach wrap (I chose wheat) with turkey, romaine lettuce, Roma tomatoes, and ranch and my choice of cheese (mozzarella). Aside from its size, the wrap wasn’t any better or worse than other wraps I’ve had. What made it really good was that I dipped it into the infused mustard dipping sauce left over from the pretzel bites, for which I paid $0.75. I was determined to get my money’s worth!

Our server informed me that the wrap came with a pickle slice and my choice of potato chips, or I could opt for a salad. Having tried Flying Heart’s salads before, I opted for the Mediterranean salad. However, my receipt indicated I had subbed for a small garden salad and was charged $6. It is uncharacteristic of me not to catch something like this at the restaurant. I didn’t take notice until I was home. Our server apparently misspoke in saying I had a choice. Or, she should have informed me that there would be a $6 charge.

The cost of our meal before tax and tip was $49.25. That included a 3% fee for paying with a credit card instead of cash.

Based on past experiences, I went to Flying Heart Brewing & Pub expecting to write a Four Fork review. However, the long wait for our starter and the extra charge for a salad, which I was told I could get with my wrap instead of chips, took some of the shine off this visit. So, I am giving Flying Heart Three Forks. There will be a “next time,” and I promise I will order a pizza. Perhaps then, unlike the Stones, I will get satisfaction.