I Eat Therefore I Am

Last week my friend Bill told me that he wanted to go on a quest to find the best local pizza. The only rule would be that it couldn't be part of a chain. Chain being defined as multiple locations in more than one city. Little by little I find that I'm getting insight into what he considers to be the ultimate pizza. I detect a bit of longing for the old Pizza Hut, before Pepsi screwed it up, mingled perhaps with the style of Sbarro in the mall where you can buy single pieces, and maybe even toss in a bit of Pizza Inn. Oddly, these all seem to be chains.

Me? I guess I'm more of an "Ill know it when I taste it" kind of guy. I will admit, I've had a lot more bad pizzas over the years than I've had good.

Our Journey began last Wednesday at Pizza D'Action in Stifft's Station. This proved to be mediocre, surprising for a place with "pizza" in it's name, but I guess not all that unusual. We had the equivalent of the supreme. It was filling but unexciting. The crust was more of a flaky style yeast dough and just didn't have the resistance I like in a well made crust. Today we went to Loca Luna which wants to be known for its wood fired oven pizzas. They have a lunch special with half a pizza and a garden salad for around $8.00.

We tried the four cheese and the pepperoni pizzas. I found the crust to be acceptable in texture, but decidedly lacking in sauce and flavor. And, a bit skimpy as well. If it weren't for the salad, we probably would have needed to stop at the gas station on the way back to get a snack. As it stands, I may not be able to make it the rest of the afternoon...

Oh, well, keep looking I guess.

As far as food goes, the local chain of Casa Mexicana restaurants are mediocre at best. You can get a decent margarita there as well as a giant mug of Dos Equis. but other than a less than occasional take out of nachos, we just don't go there. But now, on Tuesday nights, there's a reason to...

Last night Son2 and I wandered into the Kiehl location a little after 6:30. Having known several of the members of this band, The Swinging Franks, I had been wanting to go check them out at their weekly Tuesday night Casa Mexicana event. Son2 loves live music and Mom just wasn't up for a night out, so we just went bachelor and had some eats and drinks while listening to a charmingly entertaining group of groan ups...

You know when the band members forgo the orange barrel acid and pass out the obligatory Advils before the show that the music is going to be the good old classics and this certainly didn't disappoint. My biggest surprise was the fact that twelve year old Son2 knew the words to all the songs these guys were playing from the sixties, seventies and eighties... ya just never know.

So, head over to Casa Mexicana on Tuesday evenings, sip on a margarita or three and listen to the Franks wail on their guitars. They start at seven, but you might have trouble finding a seat if you get there that late. Oh, and you might want to eat before you go...

With standard fare such as red beans and rice, jambalaya, and crawfish etoufee, Fatsam's flogs itself as the originators of zydeco style cuisine. I don't know what that means, but if it means perfectly spiced, and as good as I've had this side of New Orleans, then I'm down with that.

Today I had the daily special which was Pasta Atachafalaya. What is that, you ask? It was a superbly flavored, cajun style marinara sauce with just the right amount of shrimp, chicken and sausage in it, slathered over al dente spaghetti noodles, a side of exquisite green beans and hot water corn bread. All this with a glass of southern style sweet tea for only $7.95.

I have to admit, when I first walked up, I saw on the chalk board, right on top, "wings." I was immediately turned off by that, thinking why in the world would I go to someone named Fatsam for wings? I can get wings on any street corner in Little Rock. I seriously considered something from the Thai kiosk. The line was too long. Then I looked longingly at the hot dogs at Masons - I hear they're very good. But when it came down to it, I wound up going back to Fatsam's and giving it a try. I'm glad I did.

The only disappointment was that the portions were really skimpy. I was still hungry when I left. If they could fix that, it would be perfect. I will be back!

River Market, Little Rock Arkansas

There's a pretty good reason why you don't see many reviews of fast food establishments in this venue. And that's because it's so rare to find anything good to eat at one. Face it, these places are to get you by if you're desperate to eat something right now. That's why when I saw Oprah touting the new Kentucky Grilled Chicken I wanted to try me some. I mean, look at her, you can tell she knows food.

Now I've grilled enough chicken in my day, and eaten enough off of other folk's grills that I feel I'm a pretty good judge of grilled chicken. And maybe this is just the ticket for folks in flavor deprived areas like Chicago. But this stuff is not a substitute for grilled chicken.

How can I say yucky? Let me count the ways... hard, dry, burnt tasting, bits of tooth threatening hard things in places that chickens don't have hard things, bland, and did I mention that they use the same pitiful little baby chicken pieces that they use for their original recipe? You'd think those little squabs would be tender, but they're not.

Nah, this stuff should be avoided. You guys that wanted to riot? Hey, KFC did you a favor not redeeming your coupons. Just because it's free doesn't mean you should eat it...

Some of you may remember my review of the horribly disappointing Salty Parrot restaurant down on the Arkansas River. Well, apparently karma happens when you're not looking... (bwa ha ha ha!!!!)

The Salty Parrot party barge in North Little Rock has sunk into the Arkansas River.

estoy lleno...

That's my new phrase for the week and that's the way I feel right now.

I defy anyone to point out a Mexican eatery in Little Rock that doesn't tout itself as being "authentic." That's why I'm always a little skeptical when folks tell me about the latest and greatest Mexican restaurant to open. When my friend, Miguel, took me to Taqueria Aguascalientes today, he told me that it is probably the most authentic Mexican cafe in the area. And after a trial run at lunch, I'm inclined to agree. But whether it is or isn't the most authentic, we both agreed that it is very likely the best.

The menu is fairly simple without a lot of items to confuse and confound. Pretty much a short list of what the chef does very well. In fact the chef told me before I left that these are all family recipes. I suspect my friend was right when he said that he had not found anything here he didn't like. I found the soft corn tacos to be quite tantalizing - I had both pastor (spicy pork) and chorizo (Mexican style sausage). Although they were delicious without anything more than a squirt of lime juice (fresh lime wedges are furnished on the side), I think the verde salsa added a bit of pep that made them just right.

But this was merely a lead-in to the main course, the Gorditas. These were absolutely wonderful. I had one with the pastor and the other was filled with chopped up chili pepper and cheese (sadly, I'm not sure what it was called so I can't tell you how to order it.) If you've ever had a gordita at Taco Bell, you've been swindled. These are nothing like that, which is a very good thing.

I am told that they have very good seafood here and intend to try that next time in. The ceviche sounds good as does the seafood soup (Sopa de Mariscos).

This is a place that I will be taking my friends to and I don't hesitate to recommend it to strangers.

5412 Baseline Road, Little Rock, Arkansas
501-565-3433

Stopped in for lunch at an old favorite, the Whole Hog Cafe over in North Little Rock. And as we were finishing up eating the half chicken dinners, embarrassingly coating ourselves in viscous sauce, Rich came over to the table and asked if we had time for a quick tour. And you well know that there was no way that I would pass that up.

So, through the faux grocery store screen door and behind the front counter we ducked and into the organized chaos that every restaurant knows as the "lunch rush." As I dodged between cooks and dishwashers, the first thing that struck me was just how clean this place is. And we're talking about during one of the busiest parts of their day. I've worked in restaurants, been in quite a few kitchens, and you can believe me that if your shoes don't make that "squishy" noise as you walk through, those floors are clean.

Nobody seemed stressed out, all had a smile for us as we obviously impeded their progress for getting the orders out. It was then that we were confronted with the mothers of all smokers. Two behemoths with doors you could drive an Escalade through. Shiny stainless steel and concrete, I caught my breath thinking, "this ain't no barbecue grill like I ever seen." And it's not.

As Rich swung open the first pair of doors, we could see racks of chickens and ribs on a Ferris Wheel ride around the heat and smoke of an open flame. "There's no secrets here," Rich offered, as he rattled off the amazing schedule of what meat goes into what smoker and for how long and what time. "People are always amazed that I'm willing to show them everything, but I figure if they want to spend the kind of time and money that I have getting something like this going, let them knock themselves out."

I knew I always liked that place, but seeing such a well run behind-the-scenes just renews my enthusiasm. Sadly, my little black barrel grill at home will never look the same to me again.