I Eat Therefore I Am

Pizza Hut Fail

2011-12-22T08:45:00.000-06:00

I guess trying to compete with Little Caesars, Pizza Hut is offering $10, any size, any topping pizzas for take out. A couple of problems that make this a giant FAIL in my book are:

1. They are not hot and ready. You either have to order them ahead of time or wait fifteen to thirty minutes after you get there. Or both.

2. In their infinite wisdom Pizza Hut has decided that it is much more efficient to have a remote person take the order by phone and relay it to the store. Gee, what could go wrong.

After spending fifteen minutes on the phone trying to get a person who barely speaks English to understand what I want and where I want to pick it up, I find myself at the Pizza Hut cash register being told that no evidence of my order exists, that this happens all the time, and that I am welcome to wait fifteen to thirty minutes while they make it for me.

The best part was being 90% certain that I saw the guy behind the counter prepare my order and put it in the warmer. But I bet nobody put that together when they closed that night and it was still there.

Dempsey Bakery from a gluten free standpoint

2011-12-09T15:18:00.000-06:00

Gluten Free.

A trip to Dempsey Bakery is like putting one foot in the past and the other in the future. The sign with its Established 2011 notation in combination with the red-and-white-checkered floor lend a retro feel. The white walls and sleek chairs foreshadow a modern gluten-free menu that provides a welcome leap forward for those of us who maintain a gluten-free lifestyle. How comforting is it to know that you can walk in, grab anything, and not have to worry whether you'll accidentally wander outside the bounds of a GF diet? Well, as many of you know, that can sometimes be as comforting as the smell of baking bread.

Never been here before? You'll be quickly adopted by a member of the extended Dempsey family. They will explain, recommend, and encourage you to taste. Since we agree that gluten-free food is made to be tasted, we get started immediately.

So what is there here to sample? Nicely displayed in open wood shelves are huge loaves of Everybody's Bread and White Bread. Baguettes fill a basket on the counter and are joined by Nana Bread, Pumpkin Bread, and Monkey Bread arranged in multiple levels. A bread slicer behind the counter means you can have uniform slices for sandwiches if you prefer.

In another area, freshly baked Hot Dog and Hamburger buns cool along with Wrye-Not Bread, small loaves of Herb Bread, and large White Rolls. Those all look pretty, but I just sampled the sweet, sticky Monkey bread so I'm primed for a Hot-Milk Cake sample which proves to be a gateway sweet. I'll soon consume a taste of the Brownie with mint-chocolate icing, a White Cupcake with delectable strawberry cream icing, a Snickerdoodle, some Nana Bread, and some other jelly-roll looking cake that was filled with icing instead of jelly. Oh yeah, I snuck in one more bite of Monkey Bread while waiting for a chunk of Baguette.

That may sound like a lot to you, but I didn't even ask for an Iced Shortbread Cookie, a Chocolate Cupcake, an Iced Chocolate Ho-Ho, an individual sized Strawberry Cheesecake or the Chocolate Rolled Cake.

In all that munching and comparing with my gluten-eating companion, the standouts were the icings and the Snickerdoodle cookie. The cookie was crunchy on the outside, had a bit of chewy on the inside, and its perfectly balanced flavors would rival a gluten filled version. We also enjoyed the Monkey Bread as evidenced by my inability to stay away from it.

Not as pleasing was the White Bread. While it had a high rise and a wonderful brown, crunchy crust, the inside left me with a slight aftertaste I did not like. I should note that if you were slathering it with some kind of spread or barbecue sauce, you probably wouldn't notice.

The white cupcake eaten by itself needed a bit more flavor. Perhaps a pinch of salt and a splash of vanilla would suffice. The crumb was moist and dense as is often true of gluten-free cake. Luckily, the strawberry icing swirled on top was quite tasty.

The Nana Bread smelled wonderful and tasted good. The texture was toward the gummy side. Maybe reducing the tapioca starch, eliminating the xanthan gum, or adding a bit of almond flour would improve the texture.

One thing I can emphatically say about the Dempsey Bakery folks - they're generous with the samples. Another thing I can say is that it concerned me when a number of those samples were offered with a verbal disclaimer that something hadn't come out quite right today. This creates a quandary for me. I love the friendliness and enthusiasm the staff has for the products and the customers. I like it that they want to include us in the process, but only to a point.

When I'm standing in a bright and cheery space with bright and cheery people taking a few bright and cheery moments away from work, I really want to be handed something perfect or tasty enough that I don't care if it looks perfect without a lot of hoopla. My suggestion would be to deeply discount the "seconds" in a bin in the corner, or repurpose them into croutons to top your soup or take home to your Caesar salad.

Now let's put all the fallen bread and gummy pizza crust in the past, look forward to the yummy Snickerdoodles in our future, and be grateful that there is now a 100% gluten-free bakery in LIttle Rock.

Dempsey Bakery from a gluten eater's standpoint...

2011-12-09T15:16:00.000-06:00

323 South Cross Street, Little Rock
501-375-2257

Bob Joe Circabellum, who will eat anything:

When my friend asked me if I had tried Dempsey Bakery I said no, even though it’s only a couple of blocks away from where I work all day. And I’m thinking maybe something about the “gluten free” designation had put me off. So when she said, “I’m gluten free, why don’t we go try it and write about it from the perspectives of gluten free versus non-gluten free diets,” I thought, that’s actually a pretty cool idea. Because, as she said, it’s either good or it’s not, right?

So we decided to have breakfast mid-morning today. Why not get a little bit of a few different things and see what we think.

First impression is how clean and bright it is as you come in. It’s a big room with red and white checkerboard tiled floors and red, white and stainless everywhere else. And it’s loud. If you’re a little over-the-hill and hard of hearing like me, that can be a problem. Not a very pleasant spot for a chat over coffee and pastries. They should probably soften some of the surfaces to alleviate that.

The baked items, though compared to rival bakeries are sparse, all looked wonderful. The breads have a beautiful brown crust, the cakes are cheerfully light looking and brilliantly iced. Baguettes, and rolls all appealingly lined up on their respective racks. But it strikes you as you stand to admire, there’s no overwhelming bakery smell. No aroma of yeast, no bread smell. And I guess maybe these breads just don’t smell the same, but even my gluten free friend suggested that maybe they bake a regular loaf each morning just to get the aroma.

“Have you been in before?” we were asked as we walked in. Let the sampling begin…
The proprietors seem eager to cut off small samples of any of the products, though the Mom cautioned us not to make a breakfast of them. So we tried bits of the monkey bread, the chocolate mint brownie, the baguette and the white bread. And we purchased a cupcake, a snickerdoodle cookie and a loaf of banana bread.

The chocolate mint brownie was as it should be. A somewhat chewy, chocolaty brownie with a refreshing mint icing. This would make a decent dessert, but not my idea of breakfast. The cake with citrus icing was quite good and I’d be tempted to take one of those to a party. The baguette was disappointing. It looked just like it should, but I guess you just can’t replicate the proper texture without gluten. Inside and out it looked perfect, but the texture was more like a crescent roll than a toothy French bread.

The cupcake was decent if just a little grainy, but the icings are top notch. The icing made the cake edible, but is so rich you just can’t have but a bite or two before you have to back away. The banana bread had the flavor down pat, but the texture was more like a gummy bear than a breakfast cake. Just too chewy. Not in a good way.

The bread, called everyone’s bread because they use that dough in all of the rolls, buns, specialty breads and who knows what else, is less than delightful. The crust has a good flavor, but inside is just not the flavor, texture or appearance of standard white sandwich bread. I could see Wonderbread Kids, nationwide, turning their noses up to this.

My gluten free friend and I agreed that the snickerdoodle cookie was the best thing we had there. Which begs the question, would I make this a regular stop? Despite the convenience, I’d have to say no. At sixteen dollars per loaf for bread, and nowhere near the quality I’d expect for that price, I think I’ll stick to Community Bakery and let the gluten-free folks keep this one.

The Cadron Creek Catfish House - A new favorite

2011-10-31T20:07:00.002-05:00

Highway 65 North

Bee Branch, Arkansas (about 50 minutes from Little Rock)

Can you wax rhapsodic about a catfish house, or even use "rhapsodic" in the same sentence as "catfish house"? Especially a "restaurant" in which the diners, one guesses, haven't really felt the need to remove their camo caps since birth. And, the interior decor would charitably be described as "mid-modern warehouse." Yes, it's that kind of place.

For years, I had driven by the CCCH on my way to someplace else. And, just about every time I passed it, I thought to myself, "Hmmm, THAT looks interesting." I wish I had given in to the impulse earlier. I've been there two or three times now, and each time I've had an enjoyable meal of excellent catfish and been waited on by friendly country folks. It's about as "Arkansas" as it gets, in a good way.

The CCCH is only open Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. There's no beer because it's in a dry county, and you can't bring your own with you. The ladies that cook the food get there at 7 a.m. each day, and then proceed to make everything from scratch.

Yep, you read that correctly. No frozen french fries or onion rings. No Sam's Club slaw. No canned baked beans. No pre-packaged BBQ ribs. They make everything there, and it tastes that way.

As Lewis Carroll might say, let's begin at the beginning. The CCCH is an all-you-can-eat buffet. Adults eat for $12, and those above age 62 eat for a dollar less. Soft drinks and tea are extra. My companion and I ate for roughly $27 before tip. Not great, but not bad, either. Because it IS an all-you-can-eat buffet, the size of the crowd is literally substantial. But, discussing obesity in the context of a catfish restaurant review seems to me to be poor form and humorless, particularly since I recall filling my plate up at least twice before putting down my fork. Finito, no mas!

Second, the food is good. This is a catfish place not haute cuisine, so those wanting creme brulée instead of banana pudding for dessert should look elsewhere. The food that they have, though, is uniformly tasty and fresh. I noticed a constant turnover of the items on the buffet, so they don't sit around getting soggy or overcooked. They have fresh salad fixings, cole slaw (in the KFC-vein — a bit sweet for me, but my companion liked it), fried okra, green tomato relish, and a lot of other stuff like that. All good. You'll have to excuse my lack of detail here, because I kept craning my neck (in a polite and gentlemanly fashion, of course) looking for the catfish. And, that nice elderly lady next to me inexplicably lost her balance as I gently brushed past her to the fillets. Sad.

They have fried frog legs, too. Tender and lightly battered, with no "fishy" pond taste. Delightful. The catfish comes in both fillets and center-cuts, and is uniformly excellent with a nice, mild, nutty catfish flavor and a perfectly fried crust. In a more perfect world, I might ask for a bit more spice in the batter (along the lines of Grandpa's with more pepper and garlic), but that really would be nit-picking. It's great just the way it is. On my second visit to the catfish section of the buffet, I asked one of the women where they get their fish. "Itta Bena, Mississippi," she replied. And, I thought once again, "Thank God for Mississippi."

Along with the very, very good catfish, the CCCH also has similarly wonderful hushpuppies in both plain and jalapeno varieties. I tried both (and why not?), and each was delicious. Not sweet or tart, either, but as the Baby Bear said, "Just right." I'll simply say that these Bee Branch women know how to make and cook hushpuppies, and leave it at that.

The service, as you might imagine, is folksy and nice. Drinks are refilled regularly without asking, and the women (I didn't see a single man in the kitchen or working the room) working there seem to genuinely want you to enjoy your meal. How old-fashioned! What are they thinking?? No surly waiters. No obvious greed. No "increasing value for shareholders"? I hardly knew what to make of the place — until I started eating, of course.

Now, a cautionary note: if you decide to stop in at the Cadron Creek Catfish House in Bee Branch and you make the trip from Little Rock, you will go through two well-known and notorious speed traps: Greenbrier, Arkansas, and Damascus, Arkansas. OBEY the speed limits in those two towns. In Greenbrier (just north of Conway), the speed limit drops from a posted 55 mph to 40 mph in town. And, in Damascus, it drops to 45 mph. Just do it. And, as you idle through those places, just be glad you don't live there and think about the tasty catfish waiting for you a few short miles ahead.

The Cadron Creek Catfish House has become a new favorite of mine. It's a long way to drive for a simple meal, but the drive itself can be a pleasant time to talk and look at the farm scenery. And, if you happen to be passing that way on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night and are feeling hungry, pinch yourself at your good fortune.

Unless, of course, you're craving creme brulée.

Redbone's

2011-08-22T08:56:00.000-05:00

300 East Markham
Little Rock, Arkansas

Cajun food excites me. I like to cook it, I like to eat it, I like to be with my friends and eat it. It's a friendly food and delicious when prepared properly. That's why I enthusiastically chose Redbone's over the Flying Fish Friday night since I'd never tried it before.

A new restaurant, located in the old Flying Burrito space in the River Market, we'd heard that maybe they don't have all of the bugs worked out. But we weren't prepared for what we encountered.

The menu looked good with a selection of Po Boys and Cajun dishes including an alligator dish. I'm leery of alligator on a first date because it has to be fresh and perfectly prepared to be good at all, so I got the shrimp grits instead. My Bride got the roast beef po' boy and our companion got the pecan encrusted grouper.

We also ate the Oyster Rockefeller Stuffed Mushrooms and the Andouille Cheese dip appetizers. The Oyster dish was heavy on the mushrooms and light on the oysters, but tasty. The cheese dip was really good. I may start adding andouille to my cheese dip from now on! And it was about then that the sound check next door started...

A chest pounding, throbbing beat began to permeate the walls, vibrating everything from light fixtures to salt shakers and effectively cutting off all possibility of conversation. Did I mention that I like to be around friends when eating Cajun food? Curious, I wandered outside to peek in at the Rev Room next door. Mind you, it's only about seven o'clock and the door is locked but I can see the guys in there testing out their sound system. I reported back to the table and asked the waiter if it's this way every night? "Oh, no," he assured me. Somehow I didn't feel so reassured.

The food arrived shortly after that and turned out to be fairly stingy portions. The shrimp grits had some well prepared, juicy shrimp on them, but the grits and the sauce were very lackluster. I almost wondered if they had just spooned a couple of dollops of Rotel on top. Our companion remarked that he'd never had to cut fish with a knife before which I think explains the grouper adequately. My Bride said that her po' boy was good, but I noticed that she didn't eat any of the bread, choosing to pick the meat with her fingers.

The beer was cold, but the air conditioner seemed to have trouble keeping up so by the time we finished eating, between the sweating and the bouncing in our chairs from the sound check next door, we were more than ready to leave.

May give this place another try during lunch and hope that it's quieter and they have the kinks worked out...

Aug. 23 update: Arkansas Times review says that the owners had Hungry's Cafe from 1984 to 1993. I don't think this is correct, seems I remember Sherry K. starting it and owning it into the nineties. Is this possibly the guy that bought it from Sherry and ruined it? Hungry's went out of business not long after Sherry left. The article also mentions The Diner in Cabot. The Diner in Cabot was such a foodservice frozen food warmed up and schlepped on a plate that I didn't even bother to review it. This is all starting to make sense now as to how you can have such lackluster Cajun food when Cajun food is by design supposed to be exciting...

Lassis Inn – Where the buffalo … are fried.

2011-08-18T16:25:00.000-05:00

518 East 27th Street, Little Rock, AR

501-372-8714

A friend suggested that we go to the Lassis Inn, and mentioned en route that the menu was, essentially, binary, i.e., you had your choice of either catfish or buffalo (fish). No burgers. No wings. Just fish. And, as frequent readers will know, I have a fondness for fried catfish that would put a smile on the face of the most hardened cardiologist. Sometimes, I wonder if crack isn’t really crystalized catfish. But, back to our story.

The Lassis Inn is in a small, nondescript wooden building adjacent to Interstate 30, south of Roosevelt Road. From what the waitress told me, it’s been in business in or around that location since 1905. The present owners have had it for, I think she said, 26 years. It’s cozy inside, and, indeed, the menu consists of … catfish and buffalo. You can choose between “fish and bread” only (you still get hushpuppies), or opt for a dinner, as I did, with cole slaw, fries and a slice of onion. Drinks include beer, tea and the usual Coke products, though they were out of tea (?) when we ate there.

I told the waitress that I had never been there before and asked her what I should order. “Big-boned buffalo,” she immediately answered. Having never had that before, I smiled and said, “OK.” My friend (who, ominously, had tasted buffalo before) ordered the catfish and bread plate. The food arrived quickly after our glasses with ice and canned drinks, and I got an extra “bone plate” to go with my buffalo. Good thinking.

My first bite was a little off-putting. OK, more than a little off-putting. Imagine what a river bottom probably tastes like and that’s buffalo. I mean, you’re right down there swimming through the muck and tasting the water. But, I discovered that, the more I ate, the more I liked it. (See how that sort of validates my fried-fish-as-narcotic theory?) The strong flavor of buffalo isn’t for everyone, so keep that in mind. The servings consist of fried sections of the flesh around the fish’s ribs, usually in chunks of two or three ribs. And, each section is about the size of a BBQ pork rib. The waitress also wasn’t kidding when she said “big-boned,” because the ribs were thin but roughly five to six inches in length. The flesh is white, not pink, and the corn meal coating that they use at Lassis is pleasantly flavorful.

The cole slaw and frozen fries were like the building – nondescript. The hushpuppies, though, were pretty tasty. Nicely fried, and neither sweet nor tart. But, my fascination with the buffalo probably overshadowed everything else. I tried a bite of my friend’s catfish, and it was very nice. Evidently farm-raised, as opposed to my down-home, river-caught fish, with a nice mild, nutty flavor.

Our total for two soft drinks, his catfish and bread plate, and my big-bone buffalo dinner was $23.93 before the tip. A tad high for my tastes, but I suppose worth it for my buffalo experience. And, I’m thinking that once is probably enough for me. Fun to try, but not a future staple of my diet. I can’t imagine ever thinking to myself, “Man, what I would give to have some big-boned buffalo right now.” But, that’s me, and you may have a different experience altogether.

As a postscript, in Googling buffalo fish, I discovered that it’s one of the common fresh-water fishes used to make Gefilte fish for Jewish holiday meals. As the goyem but gutte neshome Circa Bellum often says, “Who knew?”

McClard’s Bar-B-Que in Hot Springs – Fries. Fries. Fries. And expensive tamales.

2011-08-15T14:02:00.000-05:00

505 Albert Pike Road, Hot Springs, AR

501-623-9665

I recently went to Hot Springs with a friend for the evening, and remembered that I used to like the homemade hot tamales from McClard’s BBQ. You can get them frozen to take home, so I decided to drop by and get a dozen for later. But, it had been many years since I had done that, and, as they say, times have changed.

As many of you know, McClard’s has been around a long, long time, and, to its credit, it’s still a family-owned operation. That, to me, is a feature that warrants its continued patronage, because I don’t like franchised restaurants. I’ve never been a huge fan of their version of Southern BBQ, but I have always liked their tamales despite their curious habit of serving them with BBQ beans heaped on top. What’s up with that?

When I went in the place, it had a distinctly Southern bus-station feel about it. And, that’s not bad. A smattering of locals were sitting around hunched over their plates of BBQ sandwiches, or huge tamales, or baskets of French fries. A quick word about those – they looked fabulous. Hand-cut, golden brown and glistening with oil, and two young children had plates of fries within reaching distance of me. I was just about to point at something out the window and distract them long enough to grab a handful when one of the kids said to the cashier, “Mom, can I have …?” Not a good time. But, I’ve got to go back and try them. They looked wonderful.

OK, so I have a $20 bill in my hand and I say, “I’d like a dozen frozen tamales to go, please.” (Of course, what else would you do with frozen tamales?) The cashier (now, another woman, not “Mom”) looked at a chart, smiled and said, “That’ll be $34.50” Huh?

No, no, you must have misunderstood me. I want the regular, edible hot tamales, not the ones minted in gold by the Aztecs. OK, I say, “How many can I get for $20?” “Six,” she said. (As Randy Newman once sang in “My Life is Good”: “Maybe my ears are clogged or somethin.’”) Nope, the hot tamales at McClard’s are a Republicanesque $3.50 each. The cashier was nice enough to spot me the difference, so I got six for $20. “You got a deal,” she whispered to me. Funny, I didn’t feel that way.

But, about the tamales. They’re handmade, wrapped in paper – not corn shucks – and tied at the ends with white twine. They’re also huge. Each one is seven inches long, an inch and three-quarters in diameter, and seven ounces in weight. (They’re tamales /they’re marital aids. Sorry, couldn’t resist.) They’re also quite good, with a spicy pork mixture and not too much masa surrounding the filling.

At McClard’s, they evidently serve them three ways: plain; with the aforementioned BBQ beans (just can’t get my head around that one); and with chili and cheese heaped on top. I saw a guy eating one of the latter versions, and it looked as though it would easily feed a family of four. But, Arkansans like big portions, as we know. And, based on his physique (a duffel-bag with legs?), I feel sure he polished it off.

I'm going to go back for a BBQ sandwich just to refresh my recollection as to why I wasn't impressed the other times I ate there. And, I'm definitely getting a big 'ole plate of fries to go with it. They really looked that good. Obviously, they know two things at McClard's: how to cook fries and price tamales.

The “new” Juanita’s in the River Market – Where you get a little for a lot.

2011-08-15T13:21:00.000-05:00

614 President Clinton Blvd., Little Rock

501-372-1228

The “new” Juanita’s Café & Bar moved this summer from its long-time location on South Main Street to its new incarnation in the River Market. In a curious decision that may indicate where the restaurant owners think their best opportunities for profit lie, the restaurant is downstairs and the live music venue upstairs and a straight shot from the street.

The “old” Juanita’s went through many, many changes over the years, and seemed to have lost its way during that time. It went from Little Rock’s premier live music venue and a middle-of-the-road Tex-Mex restaurant to a middle-of-the-road live music venue and middle-of-the-road, but overpriced, Tex-Mex eatery. Not a good path.

The food at the new place is about what it was at the Main Street location. A friend of mine and I went today and I was very underwhelmed. I had the special (the inaptly-named “Fiesta plate” with taco, which used to be on the menu but was curiously absent even though it’s listed as Monday’s regular “special”). My friend had a single enchilada, rice and beans. We shared a cheese dip, chips and both had iced tea. Total tab before tip: $26.88.

Now friends, that seems a bit steep for what I estimated to be food costs that amounted to less than $3 for both of us. And, I think I’m being generous, at that. Tex-Mex food is some of the cheapest to prepare in the food biz, so I felt as though the “new” Juanita’s had successfully got into my pocket for way more than I got out of the deal. I know the recent heat has made me very cranky, but still …. This was greedy.

On top of all that, the service was poor. One guy seemed to be rushing around trying to do everything, while three others sort of stood back content to let him do it. Oh, yeah, one of these “bystanders” did manage to drop a tray of dishes on the floor, so I guess that was something. The only time our waiter was really attentive was when he quickly brought our bill to the table. Got to love that.

I don’t wish ill will on many folks, but I don’t see a rosy future for this new Juanita’s. The service is bad. The food is very mediocre. And, you get to pay a lot for the privilege of eating there. But, I’ve been wrong many times before. The continued, counter-intuitive success of the bilious Dizzy’s Gypsy Bistro and its lowest-common-denominator approach to food service is a great example of my faulty judgment. So give that some thought, too.

Simply Najiyyah's Fish Boat & More - I'd like the Black Muslim burger, please.

2011-07-28T16:19:00.000-05:00

2900 South University Ave., Little Rock

501.562.3474

For those of us who have read and/or read about Malcolm X, Elijah Muhammad, Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam, it made the prospect of dining at SNFB&M (hereinafter, "Fish Boat") very interesting. The owners are Black Muslims (black folks who belong to "muslim" organizations -- such as the Nation of Islam -- that may or may not be recognized by orthodox muslims) and extremely nice people. If you want scowling, sullen, working-at-being-menacing black folks (and who doesn't?), don't go to the Fish Boat -- they're not there. Based on a single visit, they seem to be quite ordinary people trying to run a business and please their customers. Enough of the sociology and on to the food.

Wish it had been a tad better. My dining companion had promoted it as "the best cheeseburger in Little Rock," and that, my friends, is what makes the world go 'round. Tastes are very subjective, and one man's cheeseburger from Valhalla is another's pretty good sandwich.

So, we both ordered cheeseburgers, which, by the way, are not on the menu. No matter. And, as we waited, he told me about the first time he went there and asked about a double-cheeseburger. "You don't want to do that," the waiter said. And, when his very large, regular cheeseburger arrived, he understood and appreciated the warning. I couldn't finish mine. My guess is that the meat would "dress out" at about a half-pound, because I noticed that it took two slices of American cheese to cover. Then, it's garnished with the usual toppings: lettuce, fresh tomato, onion, pickle, mayonnaise and mustard. The classic cheeseburger. My tab for a Dr. Pepper, cheeseburger and fries: $7.12 before tip.

It was tasty and very filling. Maybe not the best cheeseburger I've ever had, but good. The pre-fab, frozen fries were, well, what they always are. Seems like a place like the Fish Boat could slice a potato and fry it, but it's probably cheaper for them to buy the frozen variety.

I'll go back, but I'm going to try the catfish next time. I saw a few huge plates go by and they looked good. But I really need to find a catfish-eaters-12-step program to get into, and soon, so don't trust my judgment on this. They also do enormous catfish and tilapia po-boys. And, in retrospect, what were we thinking when we ordered cheeseburgers in a place called the "Fish Boat"? Obviously, we weren't.

The bottom line: the Fish Boat offers large portions of simple food, mainly fried. Not the greatest, but also not the worst by a large margin. If they served greens, yams and ribs along with the catfish, it would be a soul-food place. And, as I say that, I wish they did serve those things, because I love that stuff and they would probably prepare them very well. And, did I mention that they're nice people?

Tokyo House - All-You-Can-Eat Sushi? How Arkansan.

2011-07-27T09:53:00.000-05:00

11 Shackleford Drive, Little Rock, AR (in the former Tony Roma's Rib House)

501-219-4286

I'm not sure I should write this because I still have very mixed feelings about my lunch yesterday at Tokyo House, but good judgment has never been my strong suit so I'll take the plunge.

The quick facts: pretty good, familiar types of sushi and hot Asian dishes in an all-you-can-eat buffet setting. Price for two with drinks about $24 with tip for the "weekday" buffet. Evidently, prices go up on the weekends.

Sounds sort of nice, doesn't it? I mean, the sushi (and I'm no expert at the sushi-construction process, I just know what tastes good to me) seemed to be fresh and very well prepared. And, so were the dishes in the hot food area, with the exception of the shrimp tempura. They just tasted old and pre-fab. Too bad.

So what's the problem? Probably nothing. My friend commented that he liked the roominess of the place, which is in stark contrast to places like Panda Garden that maximize available floor space by filling it with a zillion tables. And, you know, in retrospect, I think that's what I didn't like about it. It felt, to me, like I was eating sushi in a bus station. Maybe that's not bad, but maybe I actually like being crammed together with other diners.

Again, the food quality is good with a few exceptions. The sushi is prepared constantly and there is a broad selection of fairly common types. You'll have to go elsewhere for the more exotic (and interesting) varieties. But, again, this is a buffet, so you need to set your expectations accordingly.

There is also a fresh fruit area and a salad "bar," of sorts. So, they have effectively covered all bases. The parking lot was quickly filling up when we arrived, and our fellow diners seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Now, I don't want to be too critical here, but the popularity of all-you-can-eat buffets in Arkansas seems well-established. This is a market where quantity will always trump quality. There seem to be a number of reasons for this, but I'll leave them to a trained sociologist to parse.

A number of years ago, a trend was established in many chain restaurants: increase the portion size by 50% and double the price. Diners thought they were getting a bargain when their huge plates were set down in front of them. What they didn't realize was the incremental cost of the larger servings was miniscule to the restaurant, while the diner paid significantly more for the food. It was a smart financial move by the restaurants and their managements, but a cynical one, nonetheless.

The all-you-can-eat buffets work on the same principle. The prospect of eating as much as you want is attractive to certain diners, so they'll pay the higher cost thinking they'll get their money's worth. Of course (and as my mother used to point out to me), their eyes are bigger than their stomachs, so they only eat as much as they normally do (with, again, some notable exceptions) and the restaurant profits nicely. These diners pay for the expectation that they're going to get a bargain, and I think, quite often, are happy with the deal they strike with the restaurant. Happy, but delusional.

Enough of this. If you enjoy buffets, you could do a lot worse than Tokyo House. I realize that is less than a hearty endorsement, but it simply reflects my ambivalence to buffets and not the quality (or quantity) of the food they provide.

The Root - a local cafe

2011-06-23T12:42:00.000-05:00

1500 South Main Street, Little Rock.

Let me start out by saying, I really miss the old Sweden Creme that was a landmark on South Main Street for nearly half a century. And maybe that's why I was so excited to see someone had rehabbed and opened a new eatery there. And boy was it crowded for lunch today. The menu mission statement is "...to build community through local food."

Through most of the world people eat "local" food because it's either not practical or too expensive to bring in foods from very far away. Here in the United States we are blessed with bountiful foods from far flung corners of the earth, and from next door. And, while tis noble to support your local growers, it's not always better or cheaper. I won't argue the points of locally grown vegetables, there is no argument - they're better. They taste better, look better, and gosh darn it they like me. And if I had an eatery, I would try to stock it with as much local goodness as is possible. But to build a business around the concept seems a tad foolish, and well, lamely trendy. And trendiness seems to be the draw here. At least that was the impression I got from the vast majority of patrons.

I tried their locally grown/produced bratwurst with a side salad. This cost eight dollars with no drink or upgrades. It took a good thirty minutes to get it and I was honestly shocked at the tiny portions they handed me. If eating local is why half the world goes hungry each night, then I'm again' it. I ate the brat in about four bites and started in on the miniscule layer of lettuce in the bottom of the container. Luckily they had given me only a tablespoon of salad dressing or it would have been overwhelming. The taste was good, no complaints there, but dang it, if I have to go out to eat after lunch, somebody has missed the point.

Did I mention that I really miss Sweden Creme?

I was speechless, not!

2011-06-22T15:24:00.000-05:00

People these days never cease to amaze me and today was no exception. It started uneventfully at the Flying Fish down on East Markham. I got my usual whole catfish basket with the delectable whole fried fish with crisp fins and tail and all the flavor of the bones, but I digress.

After waiting a bit for the little carousel of lights to go off on the pager, it was finally time to go and pick up our orders.

Lo, and behold, we come back to the table and there were people sitting there. Not just sitting there, mind you, but MOVED OUR DRINKS TO ANOTHER TABLE sitting there. A couple of choice words sent them scrambling to replace our drinks on the TABLE OF OUR CHOICE and hie, tail-between-legs, back to their table from before.

And the food tasted ever so much better after having put them in their place...

La Frontera Mexican Grill -- Where's the beef??

2011-06-09T16:01:00.000-05:00

This is a quick follow-up to Circa Bellum's review of this place on May 5. He and I went out there for lunch a couple of days ago and encountered a strange problem -- no beef. That is as in: no beef for tacos, and no ground beef (carne molida) for the chilis rellenos I ordered. And this place has a butcher shop under the same management? They also had no tamales. Hmm. Whazzup?

The queso chili rellenos were very good, as expected, but it's just weird that they didn't have any beef. And, Circa said that they had been out of tamales another time he had gone there. Curious.

Maybe they're going through some growing pains. You might be well served to wait a bit longer before you try the place.

Chang Thai & Asian Cuisine - Recent bad CHANGes

2011-06-09T15:50:00.000-05:00

9830 Arkansas 107 / Sherwood

835-4488

A quick post. My friend and I had lunch today at Chang (I think Circa Bellum did a review some time ago of this place), and were unpleasantly surprised. Previously, the food had been pretty good -- not great Thai, but an acceptable option to some other local places. Today: not good. Soups, actually inedible. Thai salads, dismal. Entrees barely OK (buffet).

When I was checking out, I asked the owner if she had anyone new working in the kitchen. She smiled and said, "yes." Then the smile sort of faded from her face as she realized that the question might not have been complimentary. "Was everything OK?," she asked. And, rather than lie, I told her the food had not been as good as the last time, and tried to leave it at that.

Bottom line: the recent changes at Chang are not for the better. I'm going to wait a bit before going back and then see what has transpired. As I was driving away, I realized I had seen and talked to Chang's former cook/chef over at Pho Thanh My recently. So, that might explain the problem.

Taj Mahal: Definitely worth a try.

2011-06-06T13:45:00.000-05:00

1520 Market Place, Little Rock

520-4900

My friend and I went to Taj Mahal today, and I was pleasantly surprised with what we found: seemingly authentic Indian food (I'm no expert on this type of cuisine; actually, I honestly can't think of anything I'm an expert on, but that's beside the point) using fresh ingredients, with good service and a desire to please. I say "pleasantly surprised," because I had been to Taj Mahal once before -- evidently, shortly after it had opened -- and wasn't impressed. When I told the manager I had been there before and noticed quite a difference today, he rolled his eyes slightly and gently suggested that they had had some growing pains at first.

He said that the restaurant has now been open about six and a half months. That's encouraging. Also encouraging is the fact that they have added a full bar. How any restaurant can survive for very long without a full bar is beyond me, given the customary mark-up on beer/wine/liquor and attendant revenue boost a bar provides. I think we all know of many "restaurants" that have terrible food and likely survive exclusively off of their bar proceeds. Excuse me, did someone just say Dizzy's??

Anyway, the food was quite good, and very similar to the offerings at Amruth both in terms of quality and relative heat. I asked the manager to compare his place with Amruth and Star of India, and he said he would try to be unbiased. Amruth, he though, was more of a café, and his place more of a sit-down restaurant. OK, I'll agree with that. He also said that Amruth tended to concentrate on northern Indian cuisine, and offered fewer dishes with meat in them. Taj Mahal, he said, tried to vary their menu regularly, included more meats, but still focused primarily on northern Indian dishes. Not being an "expert" on anything, I had to accept his opinion on this. But, I'll admit that it makes me very curious about southern Indian cuisine now, and why nobody around here offers it.

The manager also echoed my feelings about Star of India and its Americanized and much milder Indian dishes. Star has a successful formula, a faithful clientele, and no desire to change. It's a good place for unadventurous diners who want to eat Indian-like food. And, interestingly, Star's response to the arrival on the scene of both Amruth and Taj Mahal was to drop their prices by 25%.

Bottom line: I think you should give Taj Mahal a try. If you're like me and went there when they first opened and weren't impressed, go back -- the food is noticeably better. It's tasty, fresh and significantly different from the dishes -- even the same dishes -- at Star of India. The lamb vindaloo, in particular, was quite different. It had a darker, peppered sauce with a very distinct and pleasant flavor of lamb that I have rarely tasted in Star of India's version. The chicken curry also had a subtle sweetness that I thoroughly enjoyed. I think we'll go back in the evening and check out the difference between lunch time and supper.

Cost for two for lunch buffets, a tea and water = $22.19, based on $8.99 apiece for a "weekday buffet." Not cheap, but about what you'd pay at Star of India, and the food, like that at Amruth, is much better, definitely hotter and seemingly authentic.

La Frontera Mexican Grill

2011-05-05T09:15:00.000-05:00

4918 Baseline Road, Little Rock, AR. 501-562-1233

Tucked back from the street at the far end of a sideways facing strip center is a new restaurant that you could easily pass by without noticing. And that would be a shame. It has been a very long time, my friends, since I was excited about a new Mexican Restaurant, but the time has finally arrived.

From the enthusiastically friendly greeting at the front door, to the spotlessly clean and festive decor, your first impressions are sure to be warm. And that can get warmer depending on your choices from the five different salsas they make fresh daily. I preferred the chili arbol salsa as the most exciting flavor, but the verde was excellent and the pineapple salsa was a magnificent diversion and palate cleanser. They have cheese dip for the gringos and it has a very pleasant green chili flavor with just a hint of fire to go with homemade tortilla chips. Did I mention that they make everything fresh there? Did I mention that they have their own bakery? And butcher shop, and grocery?

Speaking of the bakery, the tortas at La Frontera are behemoth loaves of fresh baked bolillo bread with ample amounts of meat and toppings. No hint of the grease soaked bun you find at many other "authentic" venues. And while we're on the subject of authentic, the menu here has something for everyone. There are wonderful authentic dishes including real tacos, menudo, gorditas and sopes, but there are also great Tex-Mex dishes that are familiar to most of us: fajitas, chimichangas and crispy Tex-Mex tacos. There are even some Central American dishes such as pupusas and banana leaf wrapped tamales. It could literally take me years to explore the whole menu. Especially if I get stuck on one thing like I do at most places...

Not only is there NOT a speedy gonzales on the menu, the owner asked me what that is when I mentioned it. How refreshing is that? But there is a whole page of lunch specials in the expansive menu that sound great. Specials like Costillas de Puerco (ribs in green chili sauce) and Tamalitos. Also the old standbys like enchiladas tacos and chimis. And even though you will find stuff that is familiar and comfortable to order, I suggest you stray from the usual and try something different.

Prices are quite reasonable, even lower than at the taco trucks in some instances. The portions are plentiful, the staff attentive and friendly. The only thing I didn't see was a bar. That may be a sticking point for getting our usual gang of margarita drinkers together in this venue.

Out of the way, but worth the drive. Twelve minutes from downtown Little Rock. Go! Now!

June 1, 2011: UPDATE. Went back for lunch with the bride. They have a full bar. For less than five bucks you can get the "small" margarita that is quite large and very potent. Nothing to stop you from going here...

A cookbook digression.

2011-04-28T10:41:00.000-05:00

I have this feeling that some people who read this blog are like me and enjoy cooking as well as eating. I began cooking as a means of self-preservation when I was a teenager. My father traveled a lot, and was away from home much of the time. My mother was a school teacher, and she left for work early and came home late. Unfortunately, as an adolescent and young teenager, I was hungry basically all the time.

So, one day after school, I opened the refrigerator out of desperation and decided to cook something for myself. I don't recall if it was successful or not, but it probably filled me up because I continued to cook. Then, I had a mini-epiphany: I discovered that I could cook ... whatever I wanted to eat! Not what was plopped down in front of me. I was off and running.

I became enamored with spices, and went through the predictable process of making chili so hot I couldn't eat it, and assorted other failures resulting from my mantra of the time: "If a little is good, then a lot is a whole lot better." I suspect some of you may have done the same thing. I guess it's a rite of passage for would-be cooks. And, after my teenage appetite subsided, I discovered that I enjoyed the creative process of cooking, and the satisfaction I got from preparing really nice meals to share with my friends and family.

For me, eating good food and drinking good wine with your friends is a simple thing, but an important one in life.

At any rate, I thought I would do something a little different and pass along some information about a few cookbooks that I've been using for years or just discovered and enjoy.

A new discovery: The Tex-Mex Cookbook by Robb Walsh (2004, Broadway Books). Lots of great photos of early Texas eateries along with their recipes. The guacamole recipe alone is worth buying the book. I picked up a used copy online for something like $2.

One thing this book has changed about my cooking is that I now make all my own tortilla chips and taco shells. For the latter, you simply heat some peanut oil in a skillet, drop in a yellow corn tortilla, cook briefly on both sides, lift one side with tongs to create the V-shape, the tortilla hardens as it fries, you then drop the lifted side down into the oil and let it fry briefly, take it out and drain on paper towels, and stick in the oven to stay warm. Done. All this in about 30 seconds. The taste is better, the shell is still pliable and a little chewy, and fewer preservatives. Nice.

For Chinese food, it's just tough to beat Irene Kuo's The Key to Chinese Cooking (1980, Knopf). So many good recipes; many of which can be prepared in under ten minutes. Just a great cookbook.

Another wonderful book is Thai Home-Cooking from Kamolmal's Kitchen by William Crawford and Kamolmal Pootaraksa (1985, Plume -- an imprint of Penguin Books). This contains my absolute favorite soup in the world, Kung Dom Yam or Hot and Spicy Shrimp Soup.

You make a roasted red curry (Nam Prig Pao) for the soup in advance, and, friends, when they suggest that you prepare the curry mixture outside on a grill because "... a very strong odor will develop when you are frying the dried shrimp and shrimp paste ...," they're not kidding. Do it. The soup is worth it. And, the curry keeps for months in a closed container in your refrigerator.

I really don't think you can beat Julia Child and Simone Beck's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

And for Cajun food, I've gone through two copies of Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen (1984, William Morrow). There are so many good recipes in this book it's just amazing. The cooking process tends to be elaborate and time-consuming, but the results are almost always worth it. I now cook Brabant potatoes pretty often as a result, and people love them. The seafood filé gumbo is fabulous (and the standard by which I judge all other gumbos), and I've never met anyone who didn't swoon over the roasted pork with oyster dressing or the barbecued shrimp. They're really that good.

So, for you cooks out there, I hope you'll try one or more of these books and see for yourself just how good they are.

Maddie's Place - Definitely worth many visits

2011-04-26T14:12:00.000-05:00

1615 Rebsamen Park Road (between the Buffalo Grill and The Faded Rose)

501.660.4040

A quick digression: as I wrote the address above, I remembered something from a recent trip to Paris (France, not west Arkansas). As my friend and I were cruising along the Left Bank, I spotted a "Buffalo Grill" out of the corner of my eye (2 Rue Raymond Aron, +33 1 45 86 76 71). As I subsequently discovered, there are at least ten "Buffalo Grills" in and around Paris. I guess that's where the place here got its name years ago. And, all this time I just thought they were clever.

OK, Maddie's Place. Go there. End of review. Not really, but you could stop there and be fine. They've been open about two years now, according to Jason, the manager. So, I'm a little late to the party on this one. Nothing new for me.

This is a New Orleans-style eatery, and the chef and owner, Brian Deloney worked for "Emeril!!!" (just couldn't help myself) in New Orleans and Las Vegas for "almost ten years" (according to their Web site: www.maddiesplacelr.com). My friend and I had lunch there today, and we'll go back. Lunch for two: $20 without tip, and a much, much better value than Pho Thanh My.

The facts: the food's good, fresh and well-prepared. The service was great at 1:30p, with Jason, the manager, waiting on us and adding a lot to our enjoyment of the place. He's personable and seems to have a genuine interest in taking care of his customers. Hmmm. Pop Quiz: How many other places can you truthfully say that about these days? Right.

I asked about the gumbo, and Jason tried to steer us away from it because he thought they were ending a batch in the kitchen and that the last bits were too thick. However, I asked for a sample, and he brought a bowl for us to try -- gratis. That is in "free." I began to like him and the place more and more. The gumbo was good: flavorful and not shy about seasonings, i.e., with a nice amount of filé and spice heat, but not overdone.

My friend had a bowl of white bean and ham soup and a spinach salad with goat cheese, sugared pecans and a light vinaigrette. She liked the gumbo better than the soup, only because the soup had a spice that she didn't care for (I couldn't identify it). Others might enjoy it a great deal.

I had an oyster po-boy with fries (my default New Orleans lunch). The fries were shoe-string, fresh and perfectly cooked. The oyster po-boy was large -- enough for two to split, actually. The oysters were fresh and perfectly fried. And the toasted Leidenheimer french bread (a New Orleans po-boy staple) was slathered (and I say that in a loving way) with a very nice Remoulade sauce.

Jason kept coming around and asking us if we needed anything and what we thought of the food. I admit, I like that in a place if I think it's not disingenuous. Here, I think it's sincere.

So, we left with plans to come back for supper sometime soon. Roughly lighter in the wallet as the day before at Pho Thanh My, but with an entirely different attitude. The place has high quality food and an undeniably amiable vibe, courtesy of Jason. In fact, if he gets around to adding Sazerac cocktails to the bar menu soon, I may very well become a "regular."

Pho Thanh My - Still good. Still over-priced.

2011-04-26T14:03:00.000-05:00

302 North Shackleford Road

501.312.7496

Stopped back in Pho Thanh My for lunch yesterday, and the pho tai was delicious, as always. It was also way too expensive, as always (with tip, $22 for two bowls of soup and two iced teas -- maybe the South Vietnamese actually did win the war?).

Channeling Warren Buffet, I am a "value" eater: I like good food and good service at what I consider to be reasonable prices relative to the experience. These days, I'm not getting that at Pho Thanh My, and it's a disincentive to go there -- despite the quality of the food.

Today, my friend and I ate at Maddie's Place, and my inner Warren Buffet was happy. The review follows.

Cayenne's

2011-04-18T15:22:00.000-05:00

2650 John Harden Drive, Jacksonville AR
501-241-2121

Drop the tray and move away from the buffet...

No, it's not the police or even the Weight Watchers group, but it's great advice. There are truly very few buffets in this world that have fresh tasting food on them. This is no exception, with rubbery fish, dried out rice, and undercooked boudain.

No, but if you sit down and order from the menu, you might be pleasantly surprised. Ordering gumbo will get you a gigantic bowl full of a fair representation of the craft, though a bit salty and lacking in the proper amounts of seafood. But near as I can tell, everything comes in ample portions so it's not necessary to go through the line to tank up.

The crab cakes, ala carte, are bigger and much better than the dried patties on the buffet, and the fried oyster platter was ample, juicy and perfectly fried for only twelve bucks. I would love to try the soft shell crab and some of the made to order fish dishes, so we'll be back for an encore.

Taco Tuesday at El Porton

2011-04-06T08:56:00.000-05:00

My friend, Joe Bob Deux, says that tacos are almost the perfect food. And I tend to agree. When I think of Taco Tuesdays, I also think of my old friends, the Swinging Franks, who play at Casa Mexicana in Sherwood every Tuesday night. And I certainly would never steal any of their glory. But I have to admit that the food at Casa Mexicana, while always seriously mediocre, has taken a turn for the worse. Maybe even the worst. Last time I ate there, the food was terrible.

Since there are so many poor examples of tacos knocking about in the world, I was a bit trepidatious about trying the tacos at El Porton, but the sign out front has been calling out, "Taco Tuesday $1.00 Tacos" for months now and I finally broke down and headed over there last night. We fudged a little and ordered a few more than we thought we really wanted, I mean they're only a buck, right? Called it in and pulled into their drive through about ten minutes later and they really only charged me a dollar each, and they were ready when I got there. So, A plus for service and truth in advertising.

When I got home, we opened the traditional round aluminum pan containers to find real, full sized, no scrimping tacos loaded with ground beef and cheese and lettuce. These tacos are good! I added some squirts of Cholula sauce and while son2 pronounced them not quite as good as mine, I could tell from the way he ate seven of them that they probably came close.

So, with all of the cookie cutter Mex restaurants (if they have a "speedy gonzales" on the lunch menu, run away!), El Porton is quickly becoming one of my favorites of the genre. And the tacos just bolstered that opinion. A great deal, may become a regular Tuesday event at our house.

Hot Dog Mike

2011-03-31T13:06:00.000-05:00

Whoda ever thunk of using crackers as a hot dog condiment?

Certainly not me, but after being told that they were all out of Chicago dogs, I asked what the suggested second choice should be. "If you're adventurous," I was told, "Try the pcMEYERdog." That is a warm bun, coated with jalapeno jelly, an all beef dog smothered in pimiento cheese with crumbled Ritz crackers on top. And it wasn't bad. But every experiment has to have a control, so I also got the regular dog with mustard, relish and onion. And it was as good as any I've had out anywhere.

So, scientifically speaking, Hot Dog Mike's is a success. I can't wait to get him on a day he has Chicago dogs...

The Catfish Hole - The quintessential Arkansas catfish house

2011-03-13T14:00:00.000-05:00

603 Spriggs

North Little Rock, Arkansas

758-3516

Can you really use the word, "quintessential," in the same sentence with "The Catfish Hole"? That was my first hurdle in writing this note. Let me also offer a quick disclaimer in the interest of the "full disclosure" that is de rigueur these days: I love good fried catfish. I don't care if the place consists of cobbled-together house trailers (the old Murray's in Devall's Bluff) or rusty 55-gallon drums, if they have great catfish I'm OK with that. In fact, there seems to be an odd inverse relationship between the physical appearance of the place and the quality of the catfish (or barbecue) served. The Catfish Hole in North Little Rock fits this theory nicely.

And, really, what's not to like about a place whose floor was ripped from some old school gymnasium and then reassembled with pieces of the original basketball court tape still attached, but now disorganized and visible as little archaeological remnants under tables and chairs? Or, one with an ancient owner/cashier whose synapses are slowing visibly -- rendering paying for your meal a long and separate part of the adventure? But, let's get to the food.

The fried catfish at The Catfish Hole is good. Mildly-seasoned, the batter allows the nutty, clean flavor of the farm-raised catfish to come through. In comparison, the batter at Grandpa's Catfish House (a direct competitor one street south of The Catfish Hole on Osage Street before they moved to their new location) is spicier and uses much more garlic powder. For years, The Catfish Hole/Grandpa's issue divided many families in the area. Much like other polarizing topics (Democrats or Republicans, and the generations-earlier Beatles versus Stones debates), the two catfish houses had their very vocal advocates and detractors. You couldn't straddle the fence, let's say.

On this particular night, we chose to go to The Catfish Hole, where a large serving of fillets (about $12) comes with french fried potatoes (hand-cut, not frozen), excellent hushpuppies (onion-y and not a bit sweet -- one of the real failings of Grandpa's), and a tart, vinegary coleslaw. OK, you may want to pop a Lipitor tab or two after eating all this fried stuff, but, in moderation, you'll be fine. Tea, soft drinks and beer are also available. The beer is served in cheap plastic mugs with unusually high bottoms, so my guess is that they hold about eight to nine ounces -- a transparent device to increase profits, and one of my few complaints (along with the reconstituted lemon juice packets on the table instead of real lemon slices) about the place.

Service was slow. But it was a busy night during Lent, and our waitress commented that the increased business had, as a result, made it her favorite holiday. HE really does work in strange and mysterious ways!

And, speaking of the diners, this is about as pure an Arkansas cultural experience as you can get. In one of the more massive understatements I've ever written, I'll simply note that catfish eaters are not a fancy bunch. But it makes them (and me) happy to be eating one of their favorite foods, and it shows -- in their faces and waistlines. For example, during the fifteen-minute wait in line to pay for our meal, I noticed a very round man in front of me wearing a "Texas Athletic Department" t-shirt, Texas ball-cap and sweatpants. I joked with him that he looked like a speed-position guy to me. He chuckled in a good-natured way and said, "Only if I see a pork chop or a piece of chicken." It's that kind of place and atmosphere.

The Catfish Hole is located one street south of the North Little Rock airport off of Remount Road, which is, in turn, off of Camp Robinson Road. I didn't check the hours of operation, but I'm guessing that it's closed Sundays and Mondays. If you like fried catfish, you may want to try it.

The Cajun Eatery

2011-03-07T08:06:00.000-06:00

3017 Market Place Avenue
Bryant, AR 72022
501-847-2844

One bite, and you're hooked!

Er, not really...

Seemed very promising. Lots of great teasers painted on the windows of, what used to be, an old all-you-can-eat catfish place. Remember going there once, some years back. Barn wood and the usual southern fried ambiance with a promise of cajun spice. Alligator! Spicy Shrimp! Etouffe!

Imagine our surprise when we walk in and find an ... all-you-can-eat buffet! Can we order ala carte, we asked. No, but the buffet is very fresh and good and everybody likes it...

And at first bite, it seemed quite promising. The catfish was expertly prepared and typical of what you would find in this genre of restaurant. Alligator dumplings were spicy and tasty, though I can't promise you that I actually found any alligator meat in them. After that, everything else was somewhat of a let down. Maybe my expectations were too high, but...

I could hardly finish one piece of the smoked boudin, and found myself longing for a regular steamed boudin. The smoked sausage was of the variety found in any Kroger, though it was touted as homemade. Fried boudin balls were a complete disappointment and left on the plate with one bite missing. The sauce piquante looked inviting, but after the other stuff, I was hesitant to try it and moved on to the desserts.

Desserts consisted of frozen Mrs. Paul's style cobblers and an ice cream machine and could have been transported directly from Golden Corral without changing a thing.

All in all, it was a decent, if somewhat disappointing meal, but not really worth the drive all the way out to Saline County to experience. Might not go there more than once a year even if it were a few blocks from home. Not a terrible experience for nine bucks apiece, but the waitress pointed out that for only seventeen buck each, we could upgrade to frog legs, crawfish, fried quail, etouffe, and stuffed crabs. Nah, I don't think so.

Dixie Pig BBQ – Not long for this world.

2011-02-25T10:50:00.000-06:00

900 West 35^th Street, North Little Rock (Levy)

753-9650

As Circa Bellum and I arrived at the Dixie Pig for lunch, we were greeted by a sign on the door saying that they were now open only for lunch – 11 a.m to 2 p.m. – each day. Not a good thing for a restaurant to try to survive exclusively on weekday lunch trade.

This was my first visit to Dixie Pig, and probably my last. What’s the line from Lynard Skynard’s “That Smell”? Ah, yes: “Can’t you smell that smell? The smell of death surrounds you.” It’s all over the Dixie Pig. If the place survives for much longer, despite being a fixture in Levy for some time, I will be surprised. And, I take no pleasure in that at all. None.

I ordered a large pork BBQ sandwich, onion rings, BBQ beans and drink. I asked the woman at the register if I should order it a particular way, i.e., meal, platter, basket, in order to save money. She made the order a “basket,” and said that would save me $3 ($10 and something versus $13 and something). Still pricey in my mind, but I appreciated the gesture.

When the food arrived at our table, I was discouraged to see a smallish sandwich that consisted of a Wonder Bread bun right out of the bag, a modest amount of chopped meat with no smoked flavor, and a tiny dollop of Sam’s Club cole slaw on top. No sauce. But that was on the table. The onion rings were fresh and made there, and the beans were fairly generic BBQ baked beans with lots of brown sugar. Circa had told me that the BBQ beans at the Dixie Pig were different, in that they consisted of several different types of beans. When mine arrived, he raised his eyebrows and said, “Hmm, I don’t remember them looking like that.” Starting to get the idea??

Much of this could be excused if the BBQ sandwich had been wonderful. It wasn’t. This was a tasteless affair, reminiscent of the urban myth that is “North Carolina BBQ.” Those poor, benighted people! But, that’s another rant. Circa B handed me a squeeze bottle of vinegary fluid that he said was the reason people came to the Dixie Pig. OK. I put some on my sandwich and took a bit. Hmm. Squeezed more on my sandwich and took another bite. Still very underwhelming. And, now I had a small quantity of bland meat on Wonder Bread with a vinegary aftertaste. Jeez, where are the BBQ police when you need them? (Probably eating at The Smoke Shack in Morgan.)

In retrospect, I suppose I should have tried the other squeeze bottle with what looked like conventional BBQ sauce in it. But, Circa B had said that the muddy vinegar bottle was the raison d’etre for the Dixie Pig, so that seemed like the logical choice. On a more positive note – and I’m really digging here – the onion rings were made on the premises, and OK. Not particularly flavorful. No dipping sauces to accompany them. But made there, and that counts for something.

The three women who were earnestly working there all looked like they had spent time in a battered women’s shelter at some point in their lives. The table service was fine; it’s just that the food sucked. I found myself smiling at them and being overly polite – like you might do around someone that you know has a terminal illness. It was that kind of place.

Wish I could find a cure for their disease. It would start with much, much, much better food, of course, but at this point it seems like that isn’t likely to happen. There just isn’t a compelling reason to go there, when the food quality is so very mediocre.

Rest in peace vinegary sauce. Perhaps you’ll find some misguided North Carolinians in the afterlife who will treasure your blandness.

Green Cuisine food wagon – Hope this one lasts.

2011-02-17T14:45:00.000-06:00

East side of Chester Street between Sixth and Seventh Streets, Little Rock

No phone

Other than some of the southeast Asian places around town, it can be challenging to find a tasty vegetarian meal. Since November 1, 2010, however, that situation has been improved by the arrival of the Green Cuisine food wagon, set up in a parking lot between Sixth and Seventh Streets just east of Chester Street. This review, such as it is, is based on a single visit to the place today, but, due to that visit, I hope the Green Cuisine finds an audience soon and lasts.

I had a Philly Cheese Portabella Sub, which was quite good and more than I could finish (could have used Circa Bellum’s legendary appetite and help). The sandwich came with a side order, and I chose the Quinoa Salad based on the owner’s recommendation. Her actual words were, “Do you feel like taking a risk?,” which sounded oddly like Clint Eastwood’s famous lines in “Dirty Harry,” i.e., “Do you feel lucky, punk? Well, do you?” But I digress.

The Quinoa salad turned out to be interesting and very good. Pronounced "Keenwa," quinoa is a seed that is surprisingly flavorful. My Oxford English Dictionary refers to it as "Any of several annual goosefoots...."!! So, there you have it! Evidently, it tasted so good because the seeds are, in fact, very tiny duck feet! The Sweet Potato Slaw that my companion got with her Grilled Veggie sandwich was also quite good. We both agreed that the Philly Cheese Portabella sub had more flavor, but she wrapped up the remainder of her veggie sandwich and took it home rather than not eat it all. So that says something, too.

The Green Cuisine has drinks (water and teas, as I recall), and they take credit cards. There are also a couple of picnic tables nearby, so you can eat in the pastoral confines of the weedy parking lot, if you choose to.

The Green Cuisine lunch wagon is definitely worth a visit, but I have to admit a bias in wanting little places like this to succeed and add some variety to an all-too-limited local dining environment. So many restaurants today are bland, franchised operations that depend on people putting up with decidedly bad food in exchange for a bogus “experience” and simply not having/wanting to cook. But, at the same time, I recognize that nobody is forcing people to eat at these places.

To me, this is a very cynical business model, but that mentality pops up in the most unlikely places. To wit: using the restroom at Whole Foods grocery store today, I noticed a giant (perhaps, ostentatious and self-congratulatory?) “Core Values” statement on the wall. The first “Core Value,” evidently, of Whole Foods is to expand their operations through “increased profit and growth.” I had to read three more “Core Values” before I got to one related to “satisfying our customers.” Hmm. Most of them, in fact, dealt specifically or tangentially with improving “value for our stakeholders,” rather than trying to provide good products at reasonable prices for the people who patronize their stores and keep them in business. I was surprised. Makes one wonder if Whole Foods isn’t a subsidiary of Goldman Sachs.

Enough ranting. Try the Green Cuisine lunch wagon. As they say on their take-out menu, “You don’t have to be vegetarian, you just have to like to eat.” My sentiments exactly.

2/18/11 UPDATE:

I suspect they are doing okay as they were out of nearly everything when I got there a little after one. I wanted to try the behemoth sandwich that Joe Bob had written about above, but no luck. They were also out of the bleu cheese mac-n-cheese, which really sounded great. So, I went with the owner's recommendation of "the most popular item on the menu," the chipotle pinapple black bean quesadilla. And while I was waiting, she gave me a sample of "G's" Chili. Now I would never order vegetarian chili on purpose and wasn't about to start now, but I never turn down a free taste. This chili was surprisingly good. They got the texture just right, which is the thing I would worry about on the vegan version. I expressed my surprise at how much it seemed like it had meat in it and she told me it had no soy, but some esoteric protein that I would probably rather know less about than more. I'm okay with that, I'm not too squeamish when it comes to foods. A fellow customer commented that it would be really good on hot dogs, which made me giggle just a little.

So, she sent me away with a bowl of the chili gratis, since she said it wasn't really selling for some reason. I could have told her why I think it is, but I don't know her that well and strangers tend to not know how to take my viewpoints. Friends are even worse for that matter...

The quesadilla was good but not remarkable, but the chili rounded it out very well and I'm sure that I would not have been satisfied if not for the chili. I still want to tackle the Philly Cheese Portabella. - Bob Joe Circabellum

Thai Taste – Satisfactory Thai to satisfy a craving.

2011-02-17T10:45:00.000-06:00

1516 West Main Street, Jacksonville, AR

501-985-1854

Thai Taste has been around a long time, and caters to an unsophisticated American clientele who prefer buffet-style dining, i.e., quantity supercedes quality. Most of those diners, if slaughtered and “dressed-out,” would handily feed an Asian family of six for weeks, if not months.

This is not to say that the buffet at Thai Taste is bad. No, it’s good in a modest way, and the food is reasonably fresh. It’s just that “Kathy,” who started the restaurant many years ago, and “Jimmy” and “Gai” (“chicken” in Thai), his wife and Kathy’s daughter, have created a buffet menu that works and they’re not about to change it. OK, I accept that as a smart business decision given their location, and they’re hard-working folks who are at the restaurant six days a week. Give them their due.

However, if you are not interested in buffet dining (or being slaughtered, dressed out and fed to Asians, for that matter), they have a menu that you really should take a look at. And, you’ll notice that the other Thais and Koreans who patronize the place typically avoid the buffet and do that very thing. A recent dinner there included a very good Som Tam (shredded green papaya salad with lime juice, Thai peppers, fish sauce and tomatoes) and my favorite soup of all-time, Kung Dom Yam (this has many spellings). The latter is a hot and spicy shrimp and lemongrass soup. Just wonderful when prepared well. And, at Thai Taste, they do a creditable job with it.

A quick word about “spicy:” you need to be a bit careful at Thai Taste, because they, being Thai, tend to judge the relative “heat” in their dishes from that perspective, naturally. “Medium” hot to them is very hot to most American palates. For example, the Som Tam I ordered would normally have come out of the kitchen with five Thai peppers crushed in the salad, and that would have been “medium.” Instead, I ordered it with three peppers (some of you will be thinking “What a wuss!”), but my companion took a bite, bugged her eyes out and said, “Whew! That’s hot!” Get the idea?

To me, the spice-heat in Thai food is one of the wonderful things that differentiates it from Cantonese or Vietnamese cuisine, but I don’t want that heat to overpower the taste of the other ingredients. It’s not a hot-pepper-eating contest, in other words.

My companion ordered “Mongolian Beef,” and got a familiar dish interpreted through a Thai sensibility. She ate some, looked quizzical for a minute, ate some more, and then pronounced it some of the best Asian food she had had since being in Little Rock (about four years). I tried it, and it was quite good.

I once asked “Jimmy” what he thought were the best dishes that his wife prepared, and he mentioned the Kung Dom Yam (I think they spell it “Tom Yung Doong” there, actually) and Chicken with fresh Basil leaves. I’ve had both, and they’re very tasty. Maybe not the absolute best Thai food that you’ve ever had, but very good and very satisfying when you’re craving Thai in central Arkansas.

Leo’s Greek Castle - As far from Greece as you can get.

2011-02-17T10:00:00.000-06:00

2925 Kavanaugh Boulevard, Little Rock

501-666-7414

Leo’s is proof that reality is very subjective. In Googling the place for its address and phone number, I read a number of reviews, such as this one from “Jeremy R. – ‘Most people who enjoy good food in Little Rock know of Leo’s Greek Castle…. Located in the Hillcrest area it truly is just a whole (sic) in the wall.’”

OK, let me recast that sentence slightly: “Most literate people who enjoy good food in Little Rock know to stay away from Leo’s Greek Castle.” Yes, that’s much better now.

Leo’s should be your destination for gyros and other Greek-inspired food when all other Greek restaurants in the area are closed for repairs. Service is s-l-o-w, the food varies from OK to distinctly mediocre, and the dining area is cramped.

A recent trip there confirmed previous impressions. The hummus had a strong flavor of dill, which was a little surprising and not to my tastes. Maybe others enjoy it prepared in that idiosyncratic manner, but I’m not one of them. The meat on my gyros platter was nice and tasty. But, the tzatziki sauce had an odd texture and bland flavor, and the fries were old and dried up (been sitting around way too long under a heat lamp).

My companion’s “Greek Salad” was made with iceberg lettuce (wha?), and appeared to have been thrown together hastily. She didn’t eat it, but, then again, she really likes well-made Greek salads and hates iceberg lettuce. There was no sign of the “TLC” in the food preparation (offered as an excuse for the slow service) mentioned in some of the reviews on Google.

I have a theory that Leo’s benefits from locals patronizing a place for years because it’s in the neighborhood and is “cute,” and those traits are more important to them than the quality of the food. Because, in my "reality-based reality," the food at Leo's sucks. If you want excellent gyros, go to Layla’s and pay the too-high prices for real quality.

Riverfront Steakhouse

2011-01-22T20:32:00.000-06:00

2 Riverfront Plaza (in the Wyndham Motel)

North Little Rock, AR

501.375-7825

I wonder what it says about me that I go to a well-regarded local steakhouse for the first time and like the shrimp bisque better than the steaks. Probably nothing, actually.

My companion said she was hungry for a steak, and we wound up at the Riverfront Steakhouse on the night of a big country music concert at the Verizon Arena. Because of its proximity to the Verizon, lots of Arkansans from out of town evidently like to stay there when they go to a concert. The country music folks, it seems, like to get all liquored-up at the bar and then ride a bus or van over to Verizon. As a local driver, I felt safer immediately.

Sitting at the bar waiting on our table, I observed that the drink-of-choice among the country ladies was the Long Island Ice Tea (at the Riverfront bar: four clear liquors -- vodka, rum, gin and tequila -- followed by Triple Sec, a sweet and sour mix and a dash of Coca-Cola). It seemed to have an immediate and powerful effect on all of them. They quickly became giddy-er, loud-er (if possible), and … country-er. For us, it was the equivalent of dinner and a show.

After our meal, I went back and asked the bartender about the ingredients in a Long Island Ice Tea. When I said, “That sounds like it would taste terrible!” He nodded, and said, “It does. But it’s the best value for your money if you want to get drunk. “ OK. And, then he added, “But the hangovers are really nasty.” Ahh, the rich pageantry of life.

Dinner at the Riverfront Steakhouse focuses, naturally, on steaks. In this case, Prime beef that they bring in from Chicago a couple of times a week. It is supposedly aged and never frozen. Those are all good things. They also say that they cut the steaks to order, salt and pepper them, put them in a special oven to create a crust, then butter them, and then put them back in an oven until they reach the appropriate “doneness.” That all sounds really good.

With a steak, you also get a soup or a trip to the “salad bar.” As I mentioned earlier, my companion made a very wise choice and ordered the shrimp bisque. When I tasted it, I immediately cancelled my trip to the “salad bar,” and asked for the bisque. Evidently, the gods weren’t smiling on me that evening, because our waiter, Eric, came shuffling back and -- doing his best Walter Brennan imitation -- apologetically explained that she had got the very last bisque. Wha?? OK, I’m not worthy of the bisque, I guess. But it was creamy, shrimpy, delightfully seasoned and beautifully colored. Very flavorful. Really one of the best bisques I’ve had in years, and maybe that was because it had been down there at the bottom of the container in the kitchen and kept accreting flavor. I don’t know, but it was GOOD.

When I was at the “salad bar,” our steaks arrived. I don’t consider myself pretentious, but a place that aspires to be a sort of high-class steakhouse, in my mind, shouldn’t have a “salad bar.” It should prepare great salads in the kitchen and deliver them to your table. I guess I’ve never recovered from the episode of Saturday Night Live years ago, when Dan Ackroyd took some friends to the “Trough and Brew” restaurant. Salad bars, to me, are simply troughs that invite folks (usually “big-boned” as we say in the South), to test how much their plates can really hold.

OK, the steaks. I ordered a T-Bone ($36.95, I think) medium-rare, and a “40-count” potato (Eric explained that there are typically 100 potatoes in a bushel, but the ones the Riverfront orders are football-sized tubers that fill up a bushel with only forty). Eric was obviously pleased with these potatoes, because he went on to say that “The big ones will feed a family of four!” Impressive, but I just wanted a side dish, not a UNICEF mission. When it arrived, it was, yes, large, but not huge. And, it tasted very good. Along with it, I got a separate plate with a year’s supply of butter, sour cream and cheddar cheese. Amazing.

Back to the steak. Juicy, reasonably tender, a bit over-cooked, tasty, and … thinner than I had expected. The pepper coating was sort of overpowering, to me. It masked the natural full flavor of a Prime beef steak a tad, and I thought that was unfortunate. My companion had a bone-in Ribeye (I think for $32.95 – and, why do people insist on the “.95” thing? But, that’s another rant altogether). Both were, potentially, quite good steaks, but the seasonings – again, to me – got in the way. Portions were large, and we both took home at least half a steak to eat later. I would have, actually, preferred a thicker, smaller steak, and I’m going to go back and try their largest tenderloin and see how that compares to my T-Bone.

Service was … leisurely. And, sometimes, that’s OK. But, it could have been better when we were there. If you’re paying that much for a steak, I also expect good, attentive, unobtrusive, knowledgeable service. Maybe I ask for too much.

We’ll go back, and I’ll get the shrimp bisque. The place is popular, and they take reservations. On weekends – especially those with country music concerts going on at the Verizon Arena -- those would probably be a good idea. The martinis are good in the bar (though they charge $1 extra for a “dirty” martini, which I find larcenous). And, unless you’re going to the concert, I’d stay away from the Long Island Ice Teas.

Delgado’s Market

2011-01-22T19:30:00.000-06:00

324 West Main Street

Jacksonville, AR

501.241.2478

Looking for a grocery at which to buy some Arbol, Pequin and Guajilla peppers, my friend and I stumbled on to Delgado’s Market, a café, bakery (panaderia) and butcher shop (carniceria). We were both really hungry, so we decided to try the food. It was a good idea.

She had the Pollo Mexicana ($5.95) and I had a carnitas burrito ($5.95). We shared a half-liter Mexican Coke (bottled in Monterey, Nuevo Leon – about 400 miles southwest of San Antonio -- and made with cane sugar instead of the ubiquitous, American high-fructose corn syrup). Salsa and chips came with the lunch, and the salsa was particularly good. Fresh, with a nice blend of tomato, pepper, onion and cilantro.

Another handy touch were the photos of the meals they prepare, with the names and prices underneath posted above the counter. You don’t have to speak Spanish to point and garble out your choices. It seems as though tacos were $1.50 each, and had all the typical meats available. I need to go back and try some of those, because I’m still searching for that one transcendent taco that explains their popularity. Don’t get me wrong, I love tacos. But, I want to find one that, when you bite into it, your eyes bug out because the thing’s so good. Of course, you’d have to try this by yourself, because, if your eyes really did bug out, your companions might think you had suddenly developed Graves disease and panic.

The Pollo Mexicana at Delgado’s was like a large quesadilla, i.e., chicken and white cheese wrapped in a soft tortilla with more cheese on top, plus some sliced avocado. My carnitas burrito was filled with, naturally, carnitas (pork shoulder or butt fried in lard or roasted; in this case, roasted) rice and spices. Both were ample servings, which, to my surprise, we managed to polish off completely.

When paying for the meal ($14.54), I noticed a large display of pastries. The owner said that all were baked fresh there, and I made a mental note to head back soon and buy a few. Same thing with the meats. I’m guessing they make their own chorizo, and that’s another reason to go back.

I’m a sucker for places that actually try to please. The guy who prepared our food and served it was very nice, checked on us several times, and was obviously delighted when we were complimentary of his food. It’s a simple thing, but I like that. I’ll go back for the pastries soon.

Most Mexican food is tasty and seems to satisfy some basic cravings. Mexican was the one cuisine that Julia Child did not have a particularly high regard for, and I think that was because of its complete lack of subtlety. It’s a primitive blending of really powerful flavors, i.e., the AC/DC of food. But it can taste SO good. And, like I said, it seems to tap into some basic taste cravings that we all have.

The food at Delgado’s Market fits neatly into this category. Nice, honest Mexican food prepared in authentic fashion. Nothing fabulous, but still good. Plus, they have “Boing” sodas in the cooler, and, with a name like that, I’ve got to go back and try one.

The Country Village Cafe – Eating BBQ in a Southern Baptist commune.

2011-01-21T15:51:00.000-06:00

Approx. four miles south of Star City, Arkansas, on U.S. 425

My companion had heard of “a great bakery and restaurant in Star City” from some friends, and was interested in trying them. Neither of us had ever had the pleasure of visiting Star City, Arkansas (I mean, really, how bad could it be?) So, with the theme song of “Gilligan’s Island” faintly playing in the background, we set off.

About an hour and twenty minutes later, we drove into Star City: population a little less than three thousand souls. And, now the disclaimer: this is a town that would be very, very easy to make fun of, and that seems a tad unfair. So, I’m going to try to resist. Let’s just say that we drove around looking for the “great bakery and restaurant,” and it didn’t take long (five minutes?) to circumnavigate the entire town and decide that my companion’s friends were obviously delusional. By the way, if you’re looking for great deals on thoroughly used house trailers (not the fancier “mobile homes”), Star City is your place.

Confused and frustrated, we stopped at a gas/”convenience” store, and “Lois” solved the mystery for us. “You’re looking (I’m not going to get into dialect) for the ‘Country Village,’” she said. “Go about four miles south toward Monticello, and you’ll see a sign on the right. Turn there, and then look for the lawnmowers.” She wasn’t kidding.

Fast forward: we find the place (and the lawnmowers), and step into an alternate reality akin to the Village of “The Prisoner” episodes from the Seventies. The Country Village is a collection of shops and restaurants owned and operated by families who all attend the same church – originally Southern Baptist, but now non-denominational and fundamentalist. There is a Country Village Steakhouse, Country Village Catfish house and Country Village BBQ place, along with a leather shop, watch repair, furniture store, toy shop, barber shop and, yes, bakery.

The steakhouse and catfish restaurant are open only in evenings, so our choice was made for us: BBQ. We went in, and I quickly noticed that all three of the waiters bore a striking (eerie?) resemblance to one another. So, I (acting the Gomer Pyle role) mentioned that fact to our waiter, and he said, “Yeah, those are my brothers.” Whew! No, Stepford Waiters in the Country Village, after all. The BBQ sandwich, beans and fries were just fine. Not great, but good. (A digression: my companion was less picky than I was. In fact, she thought the BBQ was quite good, but what does she know? She's originally from Wisconsin!) Worth a trip by themselves, no. But, as part of a Country Village experience, perhaps. And, the service from the three brothers was the nicest and most polite I’ve had in … maybe ever.

Our waiter worked four jobs at various places in the Country Village, and his parents own and operate the Catfish house. I was truly sorry that they didn’t open until 5p, but the siren song of Star City really wasn’t strong enough to keep us around that long. However, the bakery was open and doing quite a business. Again, another family-owned operation with parents and kids doing everything in the place. The baked items were high-quality and quite good, and we both came home with bags full of bread, blueberry streusel, homemade blueberry jelly, etc.

The Country Village is an interesting place. The folks there are exceedingly polite and seem to be happy with the choices they've made. And, it’s a popular destination in that region of South Arkansas. Almost worth a trip from Little Rock, but the operative word there is “almost.” However, if you find yourself needing a decrepit house trailer and decide to go to Star City, you could do a lot worse than head south of town four miles and look for the lawnmowers.

McAlester’s Deli: Proudly adding “very” to “mediocre.”

2011-01-21T15:05:00.000-06:00

9700 North Rodney Parham

501-537-4848

You go into a restaurant adjacent to a road with a high traffic count at lunchtime on a Friday, and there are very few people inside. What does that tell you? The obvious: the place sucks. However, my friend and I decided to be charitable and optimistic and give McAlester’s the benefit of the doubt. Result: McAlester’s – 1, Diners – 0.

A place that calls itself a “deli,” even in the South where the word really doesn’t have much meaning, should be able to serve a decent pastrami, corned-beef, and Reuben sandwich. At least, I think it should. My McAlester’s Reuben (after first being served half a sandwich instead of the whole sandwich I had ordered) was so ordinary and unappealing that I was a little stunned. Then, I looked at the kitchen staff, and received an instantaneous Vulcan Mind Meld: “THEY JUST DON'T CARE.”

With my faux “Reuben,” I also got a pickle and potato salad. I told my companion that the latter was the best thing on the plate. She tasted it and said, “That’s the stuff they sell at Sam’s.” Ahh. Hopefully, she was wrong. I mean, they wouldn’t do that, would they? Really, they wouldn’t, right?

I looked over at her plate: soup and a “chicken” baked potato, and cringed before asking her how they were. The “fire-roasted vegetable soup”? With a shrug, “OK.” The “chicken baked potato”? “Old.” Jeez, even the baked potato is bad? I mean, we’re plumbing new depths of mediocrity here at McAlester’s.

Verdict: stay far away from this place. Don’t let anyone talk you into going. I mean, when there are so many consistently mediocre places to eat in the area, why would you want to visit this very mediocre one unless you were truly neurotic? The location might have had its highest and best use when it was the short-lived Hooter’s, and that says a lot.

Star of India(rkansas)

2011-01-13T16:19:00.000-06:00

301 North Shackleford Road (in a large strip mall near Kroger)

227-9900

On the occasion of another visit to Star of India, I would like to make a few quick observations about it, since it was one of the first southeast asian restaurants in central Arkansas.

The place performs the dual function of restaurant and performance space for the owner and master-of-ceremonies -- the way-over-the-top, Sammi Lal. I remember a time when they began serving Indian beer, and Sammi strode out of the kitchen with a tray of beer loudly proclaiming "Indian beer is wonderful beer. God Bless America!" (Always sensitive to the feelings of his paying customers, that Sammi).

But, enough of that. The food is ... OK. It's Indian by way of Little Rock, i.e., it's undergone the same sort of metamorphosis that created Tex-Mex to the south of us, and maybe not so successfully. The more authentic Amruth (11121 North Rodney Parham / 224-4567) serves food that may be too spicy for the general public, but it's the place to go when you have a hankerin' (I can't believe I just wrote that) for a big 'ole dose of turmeric and cardamom.

Sometimes, the service in Star of India becomes very Shiva-esque, i.e., as though all of the waiters had six arms and they were simultaneously reaching to fill your water glass, take your plate (before you've finished eating), re-filling your tea, etc. I've actually had to cover my plate with my hands to protect it from being removed by these very earnest people. But, at least, they're trying to provide good service, which can be a commodity in preciously short supply at many other restaurants in the area. Namaste.

So, what's the bottom line? Star of India serves very average, quasi-Indian food with a side dish of obsequious service. It has survived and, apparently, profited largely due to the lack of any real competition, together with its astute muting of true southeast asian flavors to accommodate American tastes. It's what Arkansans think Indian food tastes like. And, if you're from some other part of the country, you may be a bit disappointed.

Waffle House on McCain – Not all Waffle Houses are created equal.

2010-12-30T23:02:00.000-06:00

2505 McCain Boulevard
North Little Rock
771-1406

Sometimes, I just want breakfast, and I want someone else to fix it for me. I also want it to taste good, be reasonably priced and get decent service, i.e., coffee refills before I have to ask for them. Surprisingly, something this seemingly simple can be quite difficult to find these days. But not at the Waffle House on McCain in NLR.

Some weeks ago, I got up rather late and decided that I wanted breakfast. I’m sort of a fan of Waffle Houses in general (maybe it’s a character flaw, I don’t know), but they can be definitely a hit-or-miss proposition. You can go from the one on Geyer Springs in Little Rock, where I sat for fifteen minutes once and finally walked out – still unnoticed by the wait staff who, obviously, had much more important things to do that day. To the one on Rebsamen Park Road, where I thought the waitress was going to sit in my lap and chat for awhile. See what I mean?

Anyway, as I cycled through my mental Rolodex (I really am a neanderthal) of Waffle House locations, I thought I remembered one on McCain near the Kroger grocery store. Amazingly (particularly that morning), I was right, and felt very proud of myself as I pulled into their parking lot. But, due to the schizophrenic nature of the places, I wondered which one I was going to encounter: evil, aberrant Waffle House or kinder, gentler Waffle House. Luckily, it was the latter.

When I walked in, I immediately noticed that the median age of the customers seemed to be around 70ish. And, I thought that was a good sign. And, there were so many of those folks there, that some were waiting for a table. Even better. As a “one,” I decided to sit at the counter, and that was just fine.

The wait staff was friendly. They took my order reasonably quickly in light of the crush of a busy morning. And, I got my food very soon. Even cooked the way I had requested! And, what’s more, the people working there were often smiling!! Really, I’m not kidding. Not surly. Not checking their cell phones. Not irritated by your selfish intrusion into their busy personal lives. But actually smiling. What’s the matter with them?

The place had a very good, old-timey, friendly vibe. This was in December, and, if Elvis’s “Blue Christmas” had played on the non-existent jukebox, I would have thought I had been transported to an early version of “Back to the Future.” It was that good.

The food was good. The service was good. The prices were reasonable. The vibe was warm and comforting. Just a nice, diner-style, unpretentious place for breakfast distinguished, in this case, by the people who happen to work there. I think this one is a keeper.

What more could you want? Well, maybe a wider variety of choices and a similarly funky vibe, and that’s what the Frontier Diner, on I-30 near the Arkansas Highway Department offices, offers. Unfortunately, they stop serving breakfast at 10:30. But, more on that later.

Pho Thanh My – A promising beginning

2010-12-30T22:13:00.000-06:00

302 North Shackleford Road (across from Kroger)
Little Rock
312-7498

Two visits now to Pho Thanh My (fuh-tan-mee), and two pretty good experiences.

Evidently, pho (pronounced “fuh”) is a popular, every day, street food in Viet Nam, and basically consists of boiling water poured over rice noodles and some type of meat. Typical garnishes include lime, basil leaves, bean sprouts, a hot pepper of some type (here, jalapeno) and a form of cilantro leaf. I discovered pho at the first iteration of VanLang, and liked it. If you want to read an exhaustive description of pho, I suggest you go to Wikipedia.

Each time I’ve visited PTM, the parking lot has been crowded, and lots of Asians have been happily slurping up bowls of pho inside. A good sign. The service is still a bit slow sometimes, but earnest in their desire to please. I can forgive a lot of sins if someone is actually trying to do well, and they seem to be at PTM.

During a visit today, my friend and I tried the deluxe version of pho – the pho dac biet (fuh dak bay). The first time I went there, I asked the waitress what the Vietnamese ordered when they came in. She rolled her eyes and said, “They don’t bother looking at the menu. They just say, ‘Give me the pho special.’” OK, so that’s what we did today.

It was good, but sort of like a Supreme Pizza – the pho dac biet comes with all the toppings, and sometimes that’s good and sometimes it’s a little much. It was the latter for my tastes. Beef. Meat balls. Soft tendons. Tripe. And a few globs of chicken fat, just in case. For me, the simpler versions with one or two toppings have a purer, less diffuse flavor. But you might be a Supreme pizza person. If so, give the pho dac biet a try.

The portions are enormous. My friend got a to-go container, and she’ll have plenty of pho for a complete second meal. So, be forewarned.

We also ordered the Goi Cuon (spring rolls), and they were …. OK. Not as good as those at the Saigon Grill in Cabot. Lots of lettuce and a few shrimp rolled in cool rice paper, and large -- Bret Favre-photo-size (I apologize. I took a look at the photos he sent to the pneumatic NY Jets girl, and, paraphrasing Circa Bellum, “There are things that, once you see, you just can’t un-see them.” How unfortunately true.) I asked about that variation with the sausage (see, I can’t help it) in the spring roll along with the shrimp, and our waiter said that was a regional variation that they didn’t do there. I liked the Saigon Grill spring rolls better. In both cases, they’re served with peanut sauce.

On my first visit, I tried the Mi Thap Cam, an egg noodle soup with pork, shrimp, squid, crab meat and quail eggs. I suppose I thought it would be more like a spicy Thai soup (Tome Yum Goong or Tom Yam Kung, I’ve seen both spellings) that I love. It wasn’t. However, it was good. Mild and fragrant with subtle flavors.

So, the food seems to be fresh, tasty and the service, while sometimes slow, is trying to do well. And, the pho portions are quite large – you can easily get two meals out of one order.

Now, the fly-in-the-soup, so to speak. Today, our tab for two bowls of pho dac biet, an order of spring rolls, hot tea and ice tea weighed in at $26.72 before tip. Hmm. Something about that is not sitting well with me. Maybe genetics are kicking in and I’m becoming my old man (“Take care of the nickels and dimes, and the dollars will take care of themselves.”), but that seems just a tad high to me for, essentially, two bowls of soup, two spring rolls that are mostly lettuce, and two teas. Maybe it doesn’t to you.

Give Pho Thanh My a try. Since VanLang went to Korean ownership, the Vietnamese servings there have suffered a bit. So, this is one of the few places in the area now to get authentic Vietnamese food. It would be nice for it to survive and provide more Asian eating choices. Wish VanLang would go to an all-Korean menu, but that’s another story.

UPDATE February 23, 2011:

Considering the demise of Saigon Grill in Cabot, it's comforting to know that there is a real, authentic, Viet Namese restaurant in central Arkansas. Comforting, because I find noodle soup to be a comfort food. And, Pho Thanh My is very comforting indeed.

I didn't actually try the pho today, though what I saw looked good. I tried, instead, the lemon grass beef vermicelli. And found the portions and flavors both to be abundant. With just the supplied nuoc cham, it needed no doctoring whatsoever. Despite the enormous size of the bowl of noodles and beef before me, I still managed to wolf down two fried egg rolls and pronounced them the best I've ever had.

So, yeah, Joe Bob is right. Go!

Bob Joe Circabellum

Dugan’s Pub - “Highway to Dizzy’s-ville”

2010-12-29T12:50:00.000-06:00

Corner of Third and Rock Streets
Little Rock
244-0542

Dugan’s has a lot going for it: location, location, location. It sits right on the corner of Third and Rock Streets on the ground floor of a largely-vacant condominium high-rise. Within easy walking distance of the River Market area, another condominium high-rise and the surrounding neighborhoods, you’d think they wouldn’t be so scared about failing.

The owner of the restaurant worked for years at Kelly’s Bistro (why, why, why does every restaurant lately aspire to be a “bistro”?) on West Markham. Going to have to go to Kelly’s again and see what they’re up to out West. Anyway, Duggan’s had promise initially, i.e., an “Irish” pub offering some nice beer choices (Smithwick’s, in particular) and, let’s say, “Irish-inspired” foods.

After several visits (including opening night), I noticed an unmistable trend -- they’re on not a Highway to Hell, but definitely a boulevard to Dizzy’s-ville. Dizzy’s, to me, represents the nadir of a “restaurant” eating experience. Want a thousand items on a menu? Sure, we got ‘em. All of them bad? Gotcha covered. Love frozen french fries and pre-processed foods? No problem. Distracted, self-absorbed service? Yep, we’re down with that, too.

But this isn’t a review of the odious Dizzy’s Gypsy (wha?) “Bistro.” My point, however long in arriving at it, is that Dugan’s had promise but is making so many compromises to ensure its longevity that it’s rapidly becoming just-another-generic-bar. Sad. Because when it finally arrives at that point, there really won’t be any compelling reason to go there.

For example, I noticed during a recent visit that a mix of pop-rock was playing on the Dugan’s sound system. I asked the floor manager if they hadn’t had Celtic music playing in the early days of their opening? “Yeah,” he said, “but people asked us to put on stuff that they were familiar with, so we did.” Ah, so you don’t really know who you are and what you want to be? You will let a committee of individuals tell you how to run your pub? Got it. And, of course, a committee of Arkansans who’ve never heard Celtic music before will always opt for Billy Joel in a heartbeat. “Keltic, whazzat? What position does he play?”

The beer at Dugan’s is cold, and you have a few interesting choices. In the food department, a safe bet (based on three orderings) has been the fish-and-chips. My girlfriend has had the corned-beef something, and commented that she never saw corned-beef that looked like that before. Right, it had been Dizzy-fied.

And, the floor manager. That’s another issue. This one was channeling Bill Belichek with his rumpled grey hoodie and jeans. Manager? He could have been a guy arriving to clean the grease trap in the kitchen. Just amazing. The only thing he lacked was a baseball cap backward on his head.

I will end this rant. Dugan’s had promise. It’s quickly becoming Dizzy’s deux. Service is very much dependent on who you get. Extremely distracted, last night. The food is shaky, except for the fish-and-chips. As I said, the beer is cold. Faint praise, yes. The location is great. It’s just sad that a place that, at least, implied with its name that it would be something different (and, as a result, very welcome), is quickly turning into yet another generic sports-bar.

Saigon Grill

2010-12-03T14:07:00.000-06:00

2790 South Second Street, Suite H
Cabot, Arkansas
501-605-8884

A simple, no fuss, hard to go wrong with menu of Vietnamese noodle and rice dishes. Many of these will be familiar if you've eaten at Van Lang or Saigon in Little Rock. We started with the spring rolls which were very good. This version had sausage in it along with the shrimp, a nice touch, and a spicy red sauce for dipping instead of the usual peanut sauce. Next time I go, I want to try the egg rolls, the ones in the pictures on the menu look good.

We tried the Asian Five Spice grilled chicken over vermicelli noodles. This was served in a huge bowl, more than one person should be able to eat, though I did manage to finish mine... I found it delicious, I used the whole portion of nuoc cham over mine which was a bit different than I'm used to, but the flavor was good. I might have liked a tad more spice, but understand that in a restaurant you have to go middle of the road to please most folks.

Next time I go, I'd like to try the beef ribs served with rice. The owner assures me this is the best thing on the menu...

While there are enough things on the menu to keep me happy for the next few visits, I'd love to see them offer at least some soups, maybe a nice bun bo hue. On a cold Arkansas winter's day, that would be a real warmer...

Priced reasonably, you can get out of there for less than $15 including tip. Very friendly staff and pleasant cafe atmosphere. Go try it!

Young's Catfish

2010-09-29T15:41:00.000-05:00

Those of you who remember the old Little Rock Institution, Young's Catfish, an offspring of Young's Fish Market, would be excited to hear that they're back in operation. This was fish fixed in the old Southern style, wild-caught catfish steaks with tangy cole slaw and deep fried taters and hushpuppies. Closest thing to a river-bank fish fry you could come in those days with out having to catch them yourself.

Swear, hand in the air, my car turned itself into the parking lot when I saw the banner, "Now Open!" on the Young's Catfish building on Broadway over in Rose City. But all I can say now is that the Brothers Young are spinning in their respective graves. This was a travesty and should be outlawed in all but the northernmost of states. They don't know the difference anyway.

I had catfish steaks with a thicker crust of breading on them than you find on most southern pork chops. Hard, crunchy corn meal breading with a rubbery overcooked piece of fishy smelling something in the middle. Wimpy french fries poured straight from the OreIda bag and fried at half the specified time along with hushpuppies that still had uncooked batter in the center and a side of slaw turning brown around the edges.

Whoever's idea it was to ruin the Young's name should be punished. It should have been a dead giveaway to me when I realized that everyone in front of me in line was ordering baked chicken...

Stay away. This place is terrible.

Three Sam's BBQ Joint

2010-07-16T12:19:00.000-05:00

Literally on the wrong side of the tracks as we drove into the small Mabelvale community. You see it right on the tracks, weather beaten with the word "BBQ" painted on the side. This place has the look, naturally, that other restaurants spend a fortune trying to attain. Inside, you find a bare-bones dining room crowded with people and tables and the wait staff threading their way between.

First glance at the menu strikes you with an entire page of rules. "Read the rules, don't screw this up," says my friend. He seems truly concerned that, like the soup nazi, there will be no barbeque for you! The first rule is "be nice." Okay, we'll give that a shot. Then it started to make sense in a way that makes you wonder why every restaurant doesn't print these rules on their menu. "you're here for lunch, your waitress works here..." and "our menus go into great detail to describe the food. Read it. Your mistakes cost us money." and ending up with "everyone should work in a restaurant at least once in their lives."

I hadn't really had time to digest all the rules when the waitress came to take our order, so I just blurted out that I wanted the large pork sandwich plate. I mentally stepped to the right...

Ordering the large was a mistake. The sandwich they brought me was a behemoth piled so high with meat, slaw and sauce that my only option was to attack it with a fork. Picking it up to eat would have jeopardized the "don't make a mess" rule. Plus, I had light colored slacks on. I glanced over to see the guy at the next table tackle what appeared to be a footlong hot dog under a six inch layer of chili and slaw, covering an entire platter. Note to self: might be interesting to try and survive that next time.

The barbeque was good, old fashioned Arkansas style vitamin Q, with all the tangy-ness and heat you'd expect in a mild sauce. And, as I mentioned before, it was heaped up on the oversize bun with lots of slaw and sauce. I ordered mine with onion rings and will flat out say right now: these are the best onion rings anywhere, ever.

All the usual meats, side dishes and dill pickle spears you would expect from a good Q joint, with the addition of great looking made-from-scratch desserts that left me wishing I hadn't eaten so much, this is a recommend for the regular Q rotation. Oh, and as the rule says, "Our food is made from scratch with family recipes. If you ain't family, don't ask for the recipe."

Alibaba Mediterranean Cuisine

2010-07-08T10:53:00.000-05:00

3400 South University Avenue, Suite #2, Little Rock, Arkansas. 379-8011

Pretty much a specialty grocery store with Middle Eastern products and halal meats, with a grill off to one side with tables to serve lunch. I don't find anything on the menu that I haven't had before, but the old familiars are of high quality and very tasty. I particularly enjoy the lamb here, roasted on a shish kabab and served with hummus and Arabic salad. The falafels are tasty if just a little dry and the hummus is slathered with wonderful olive oil.

Despite its name, the foul was quite fair, a mixture of mashed fava beans mixed with garlic, hot peppers, lemon and olive oil. It was kind of like a soup. Generous portions of warm pita bread and a little bowl of mixed pickles come with the entrees.

I haven't tried the gyros, and it would be difficult to beat that of Layla, but it looks quite good.

Priced moderately, I get out for around ten bucks plus tip at lunch...

Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant

2010-04-30T13:21:00.000-05:00

4716 Camp Robinson Road, North Little Rock, Arkansas

Smells like a swimming pool. That was my first impression as the hostess seated us. My guess was that they had been using bleach to clean with. At least the chances of catching ebola or worse have diminished...

First look at the menu revealed, "speedy gonzalez," a sure tip off that everything you get there is food service and not real cooking. This proved to be correct as the meal came out with the ubiquitous soupy beans and canned red enchilada sauce that bubbles on hot platters in every faux "authentic" restaurant in town. If this is authentic Mexican food, I pity the poor people of Mexico for having to eat it. Even the salsa tasted like it was poured from a jug.

So, if you like Casa Mexicana, Las Palmas or any other of the myriad cookie cutter restaurants, this may be right up your alley. Priced and menu'ed the same as all the others. If you want something that tastes more like Mexican food, keep moving...

Chang Thai & Asian Cuisine

2010-04-07T07:49:00.000-05:00

9830 Hwy 107, Sherwood, AR 72120
835-4488

The foods of southeast Asia are amazing blends of flavors and tend towards the top of my lists perennially. But in Arkansas you don't find a lot of places to get it. The one Thai restaurant in Jacksonville has a buffet so tamed down for the American palate that it is hard to tell from a regular "Chinese" buffet that seem to be on every corner. And I was a little disappointed in the dishes I get ala carte. Of course there's the great little secret about AP's up there too, the Thai food is a side line and not always available. It's probably the best I've found, but sometimes is spicy to the point of painful.

So, I did a double take when we were driving down 107 last Saturday and I caught a glimpse of "Thai and Asian..." on a small storefront in a tiny strip mall. I promised myself that I would go back at my first opportunity. When I walked in the door, I was immediately confronted with a buffet. My heart sank a little, I admit. But the place looked extremely clean, bright and the staff was immediately friendly. I placed a drink order and grabbed a plate.

I'm glad to say, this isn't just another one of those all you can eat places. Don't get me wrong, you can eat as much as you want. But the dishes are familiar Thai dishes and are very well prepared and fresh. I didn't see my old standby, green curry, but it's available on the menu. There was Pad Kapraow, though, which you don't run across too often. It had been toned down to a medium heat so as not to offend the Sherwood sensibilities, but had that wonderful, recognizable flavor. There were shrimp in chili paste (delicious) and Pad Thai noodles and the ubiquitous fried spring rolls and chicken wings. But all in all, a delightful buffet.

I definitely want to delve into the menu a bit, too. Meing Kham sounded really good and I don't want to wait too long to try the Pla Sam Rod (three flavored fish!). And of course the soups will get special attention over time. I didn't see a noodle soup on the menu, but they're bound to have it. I guess I need to ask...

Thumbs up on this one. It's going onto the regular rotation.

Damgoode Pies

2010-02-25T15:49:00.000-06:00

Not sure if this one actually qualifies since they offer franchises, but maybe we can review them quickly before they sell a franchise...

Yannow, the name ain't far off the mark. I found the pepperoni pizza on thin crust to be about as close to perfect as any we've had so far. Certainly better than most. Bill remarked that he thought there was too much sauce, but even that was a minor detail in my mind. And it was a good, flavorful sauce.

I enjoyed the lunch special with a six inch pizza, a salad and a drink, all for less than $7.00. I was happy with what I got, might could have eaten a little more, but at least I didn't require a nap afterwards...

All in all, recommend this pizza and will certainly go back for lunch again.

Layla (again)

2010-02-04T13:31:00.000-06:00

If you get off in our archives you'll see that we've reviewed Layla over on Rodney Parham before. And I still think it's the best gyro in town and I love everything I've ever eaten there. But today we went specifically as part of the pizza quest. Layla has a limited offering of hand made small size pizza's.

The crust is right up there with the best I've ever had. Crispy, crunchy and fights back just enough to let you know that it's not wimp. Slathered with a rich marinara sauce, lots of oregano and basil, and your choice of meats. I strongly recommend the gyro and pepperoni pizza. And don't let the nine inch size fool you. I've had pizza there two times now and each time I've taken about half of the pizza home with me because I was full.

Layla moves up into our top three...

9501 Rodney Parham RD

Luigi's and Gino's

2010-02-04T13:23:00.000-06:00

Doing a two-fer here because both of these are in the southwest area of Little Rock, and neither seems to be a remarkable place to get pizza. I found both to be a disappointment, though I have heard that Luigi's (8310 Chicot Road) has very good Italian food, so go there for that, but not the pizza. Gino's? It's in a gas station on Geyer Springs, right off of the interstate. Why would we go there for pizza?

Well, my pard Bill tells me he's read glowing reviews of the pizza there. Stuff like, "as good as any" stuck in his mind. After we got our pie, which came in a box even though they have tables there, it became obvious that it's as good as any as long as the only place you've ever been is Grady's.

So, our recommendations are that you try the pasta at Luigi's. It might be good. At Gino's, stick to a tank of gasoline and maybe a Red Bull...

Perciful's Famous Hot Dogs

2010-01-19T07:40:00.000-06:00

Dad tested and found to be right.

Growing up, Dad always said that the best footlong chili dogs were at Perciful's drive in in Little Rock. We didn't eat out a lot when I was a kid and Perciful's was gone by sometime in the early '70's so I don't personally have many memories of them. When I saw that a hot dog stand with the same name was opening in the East End community, going out towards Sheridan, I was curious if it was the same people. So I checked it out.

I popped in to their sparkling clean location at 20400 Arch Street, (yes, it's quite a drive out there.), and asked the man at the counter if there was a connection. "Of course," he said, "the originals were run by my uncle and my dad." So I asked if it was the same as it was back then and an older man in the back called out to me, "I'm still making the same chili recipe I made when I was sixteen years old on Roosevelt!"

Which led me to the ultimate test: If I bring my dad in, will he be able to tell the difference?

"Bring him in!" was the answer.

So, last week I took dad, with mom in tow, to eat at Perciful's. Dad and I got the Perciful's Classic, figuring that would be the fairest test, and mom got the Frito Chili Pie. After a couple of bites, dad nodded and said that it was pretty much the way he remembered it. And mom said the Frito pie was excellent. So I guess it all passes the litmus test of time and authenticity.

The chili has just a hint of a sweet taste, somewhat akin to the Greek chili that you find in Cincinnatti (or at Leo's on Kavannaugh, for that matter) and has the texture and consistency of the old hot dog chili sauce that could be found at drive-ins and dairy bars across the South in the era prior to fast food chains. They serve the dogs in the old fashioned chipboard sleeve like in the old days and they can be had with any combination of toppings from "naked" to smothered in cheese and jalapeno peppers. The old fashioned chili sauce is on the mild side, so if you need more pep for your taste, the jalapeno option may be the way to go. But I would suggest trying the Classic first and then adjust on subsequent visits to your taste.

I haven't tried the fresh baked pie yet, but it's tempting me...

Moderate pricing, good food, bright and clean atmosphere, and friendly staff - I give this a hearty recommendation.

Grady's

2009-12-11T19:38:00.000-06:00

Next stop on the pizza trail was Grady's Pizza and Subs at 6801 W. 12th St. Suite C Little Rock, AR 72204.

Now I have to say, I had high expectations for this place. It's been there like, practically forever. You just must be doing something right to last that long, right? And it's probably been ten years or so since I was there. We ordered the biggest Grady's Supreme on the menu, and while it was plenty to eat, it left a lot to be desired in the quality arena.

As we served ourselves up a slice to give our first taste, there was something that I just couldn't put my finger on that kinda bothered me about it. After my associate pointed out to me that the pizza was covered with little balls of sausage, I thought, yeah, that's it. It was like some kind of mass produced sausage sprinkles from a bag.

And then we bit into the doughy, mushy crust and I realized that this was going to be more of an ordeal than a treat. I started to eat the toppings off of the crust. It was then that the little balls of sausage really started to annoy me. There was, bar none, 4 ounces of sausage balls to every half ounce of each of the other ingredients. It was at that point that I started nibbling off the little crispy bits around the edge of the crust.

Like I said, they must be doing something right to keep going so long. But I can tell you right now, it ain't pizza.

Pizza Cafe

2009-12-01T14:50:00.000-06:00

1517 Rebsamen Park Rd
Little Rock, AR 72202-1857
(501) 664-6133

Third stop in our tour of the pizza joints. This pretty much clears out the Riverdale, Stifft Station areas of town so that we can move farther afield. The Pizza Cafe is a small little pizza shop nestled in with the Faded Rose and whatever that other restaurant is this week. They've been around for a long time so you have to figure they have something going for them more than just a large deck.

And since today was a bit chilly for deck sitting, we got there early for lunch and snagged an inside table. Keeping with the parameters of the experiment, we ordered the deluxe pizza. This consisted of a better than average chewy crust, red sauce and a rather chinzy sprinkling of meat and veggie toppings. If there's a complaint, this would be the only one. Well, that and it could have had a bit more sauce for my taste.

I found the flavor to be good and we both agreed this was the best of the three we've tried so far. But still not the holy grail of pizza.

Masala Grill and Teahouse

2009-11-23T15:41:00.000-06:00

9108 North Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock, AR 72205

There are few things more unexciting than hearing of a new Chinese Buffet or Mexican Restaurant opening. But find me something I’ve never had before and you’ve got my undivided attention. So I’m sure you understand why I wanted to be one of the first to try out Little Rock’s first and only Pakistani restaurant. But I also wanted to make sure I could go with my Pakistani friend so that I could be certain I was getting the authentic food. And he admitted that many times, here in the states, the Pakistani restaurants somewhat alter the recipes to cater more to the masses.

When we arrived at Masala Grill and Teahouse, the first thing that strikes you is the wonderful aroma of spices and herbs. The cardamom and curry spices are about the only thing this cuisine has in common with Indian cuisine. Try thinking of Indian turned up to eleven as they said in the movie Spinal Tap. This is full blown, full blast flavor with a little clearing of the sinus thrown in for good measure. How can that not be healthy?

We decided to try the lunch buffet today which consisted of a fresh salad with lemon and three different types of sauces you could eat with it, a standard yogurt with mint and chili peppers, a yogurt with bits of cucumber and a red sweet and sour sauce. The hot foods included Chicken Tika, which is a grilled chicken with lots of spices, kind of a dry rub Pakistani barbeque if you will. We also tried the chicken qorma which was more of a braised chicken with cardamom and other spices. Gram lentils (very good) with strips of long red, skinny chili peppers on top along with your standard mixed vegetables with a spicy curry. None of which were light on the spicy heat.

Served with a wonderful nan (pita bread) and tea, it was a great meal and a successful experiment by any standard. I’m told the real treat is the Sunday brunch and the various kabab rolls, but will have to wait and try that another time. Pait bhurgia, I’m full…

Quest For Pizza

2009-11-18T12:14:00.000-06:00

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.

Casa Mexicana and the Swinging Franks

2009-09-02T07:47:00.000-05:00

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...

Fatsam's

2009-07-01T18:29:00.000-05:00

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

Kentucky Grilled Chicken

2009-05-12T14:11:00.000-05:00

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...

The Salty Parrot - UPDATE

2009-03-26T14:13:00.000-05:00

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.

Taqueria Aguascalientes

2009-01-08T15:17:00.000-06:00

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

Now We Know The Secret

2008-11-04T13:31:00.000-06:00

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.

Layla's

2008-08-18T13:31:00.000-05:00

Gyros. Hummus. Falafel. Good.

Possibly the best Mediterranean food in this area. Certainly giving the rest a run for the money as far as quality and selection go. Everything we had was very fresh and tasty from the spicy falafel to the elegantly understated baklava. And absolutely the hugest portion of meat on a gyros sandwich that I have ever witnessed.

There is much to explore on this menu and I will be back...

9501 N Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock, Arkansas.

Bobby's Country Cookin'

2008-08-16T01:24:00.000-05:00

I have been going to Star of India for years now, and oddly enough I never even noticed Bobby's Country Cookin' a couple of doors down. Not until a co-worker took me there. And it is what it says it is.

Amply sized portions of Arkansas country style cooking in a cafeteria setting for around $7.00 plus drink and tax. Go for the fried chicken. Stay for the pie. Southern sweet iced tea and a selection of 12 vegetables every day.

Open only for lunch, Monday through Friday.

Coming Full Circle

2008-04-23T13:59:00.000-05:00

The Circle
318 Main Street, North Little Rock, Arkansas
501-244-9599

An eatery with a sense of humor.

Brand new in the Argenta district of downtown North Little Rock, I almost didn't find this place. I was aware of it's existence through word of mouth, but literally drove past it the first time without seeing it. It's located in a quaint old storefront that used to be a bank as evidenced by the rather large safe in the wall next to the beer cooler. (A surprisingly well stocked beer cooler, but more about that further on...) When I asked about the safe, they said they had not been able to get it open, so this is also an eatery with a mystery...

The food is no mystery, and there's a little (or a lot) of something for everyone here including die-hard vegans (stinkin' hippie tofu dog). The "French Quarter" sandwich was good and filling with three kinds of meats, cheese and an olive tapanade that was served on marble rye bread. The "Circle Up" sandwich looked really good, but I didn't get to try it. The turkey served here is 100% natural which I think is a good thing without making too much of it.

I think the tuna salad is somewhat unique with a "touch of pesto" along with the usual apples, walnuts, etc. The apple and walnut were finely chopped so as not to intrude on the consistency of the spread. I think this makes for a better sandwich. The pesto just made its presence known without being overpowering and I really think this is worth a recommendation.

The hummus is home-made and I fully intend to try that next time I'm in. I did try the Chili and can extrapolate that the Argenta Chili Dog is probably quite good. If you like your chili with a kick, you may want to request some hot sauce with it.

I forget how many beers and ales they told me they have at the Circle, but it is one of the most diverse selections I've seen and you'd be hard pressed not to find something to your liking in the selection. They also offer mimosas and something called a Donkey Punch. The Donkey Punch is only $5.00 and that's something I've always wanted to try, but I suspect that it's really hard on the wait staff...

Moderately priced, relaxed atmosphere, and friendly staff, open breakfast through dinner, 9:00 to 9:00.

Rocky's Pub

2008-03-29T08:13:00.000-05:00

6929 JFK Blvd, North Little Rock, Arkansas (501) 833-1077

I don't know why I've waited so long to review this place. We normally go there at least once a week and have for quite some time. It's not that I think it should be kept a secret, that was blown a long time ago and the place stays packed pretty much all the time. It's not because it's unremarkable, it's definitely worth a review - the food is quite good and I really like the folks that work there. So why wouldn't I tell you about it?

Probably because I'm lazy, but let's just say that I just never got around to it until now. Why now? Because the other night when we went in there, I tried something different and was so impressed I felt compelled to write about it. We've tried the Italian food there. It's quite good. The Philly Cheesesteak is the best you can get this side of Pat's Steaks in Philadelphia. [They don't have the hot sauce like Pat's, though :-( ] I love their home made potato chips. But that night I tried the "Rocky's Griller" sandwich. Ham, bacon, tomato, cheese all grilled up on big thick, buttery slabs of Italian bread. I may not eat anything else when I go there ever again. If you've read here for any length of time you know that I'm like that.

Nestled in the Indian Hills Shopping Center along with Kroger and other retailers, you may not find this place on your own. But word of mouth has been a good friend to the Dunlaps, and business is brisk in their little store front.

Rocky's is a good place to have a drink, too. There's lots of regulars there and the repartee between the staff and the regulars is entertaining and you find yourself being pulled into the conversation with them. I've gotten where whenever we want to get take out from there, I don't call it in. I just go sit at the bar, place my to-go order and have a couple of drinks and soak it all in. Pat, the owner (there is no Rocky,) always comes out from the kitchen and greets me by name when I come in. He knows what brand of beer I want to order, and he makes sure that things are running smoothly and everyone is getting what they want.

Mind you, this is not a fast food place. Don't go if you are in a hurry to be somewhere else. But if you don't mind a leisurely pace, friendly (and entertaining) staff, and great food combined in one feel-good atmosphere, this is the place to go. Maybe if enough of us become regulars there, Pat will take over the empty restaurant down the hill where Gabriel's used to be. Then there'd be room for all of us.

Moderate pricing, generous portions, clean, pleasant and friendly. Highest recommendation.

If You Didn't Get It All Over You, You Didn't Do It Right

2008-03-14T20:32:00.000-05:00

Whole Hog Cafe
5107 Warden Rd
North Little Rock, Arkansas 72116

Ya'll know that I'm very provincial when it comes to barbeque. As I've mentioned before, with the exception of the Rendevouz, I think Memphis barbeque is highly overrated. I can't tell you how many times I've been in Memphis and had people swear that this place or that was the best 'que in the world. I didn't buy it then and I don't buy it now. Compared to Arkansas, Memphis barbeque is just sub-standard. I'd rather eat boiled pork with catsup sauce at a dairy bar.

Which brings to mind just how important sauce can be on a perfectly smoked piece of meat. I love the delta style vinegar based sauce like you get at the Dixie Pig. The Carolina style mustard based sauce at Sims has been a favorite of mine for nearly thirty years. But what if you could get the best of both of those worlds in one place?

The answer to that question is the Whole Hog Cafe. And the fact that they always seem busy will attest to just how appealing that can be. But here's a tip: folks in Little Rock being uneasy about crossing the river (something about fear of water, hydrophobia or something...) the one in North Little Rock always seems to have at least one table available. Never fails. And with six different distinct styles of sauce on the table, you can combine to your heart's content to make the perfect sauce. Mine is the tangy mustard sauce (#6) with an overlay of vinegar and spices sauce (#4). Oh, and there is a seventh, volcano sauce, that's only available on request.

Perfectly smoked meats, this is the vitamin Q that your body craves. And I'm particularly enamored with the half smoked chicken plate. Yes, I know, real barbecue typically consists of pork (we ain't Texas, ya know). That's good too, but give the chicken a try if you haven't. This, folks, is the real deal. Arkansas barbeque at its finest. A hybrid if you will.

Legion Hut Grub

2008-03-14T08:41:00.000-05:00

Who'd of ever thought that the best kept secret in Little Rock, when it comes to homestyle cooking, would be the American Legion Post over on Capitol Avenue? Promise to keep it to yourself and I'll let you in on it...

Unlike many of the cafes around, the MM Eberts American Legion Post #1 at 315 East Capitol doesn't have a regular rotation of dishes. That is, they don't necessarily have fried chicken on Tuesday and meat loaf on Thursday etc. But it's some of the best homestyle cooking I've had in years.

Yesterday I had salmon croquettes and they were big and hearty and delicious. The mashed potatoes are the real deal and quite creamy (as my daughter pointed out) and the green beans are a must taste. We've seen dishes such as chicken fried steak, b-b-q chicken, bacon wrapped chopped sirloin, and others. Good, wholesome and tasty.

I haven't tried it, but the salad looks good. The only thing I've had there that I wasn't totally thrilled with was the "Mexican" dishes. But it's easy to steer around them because there are always good choices every day. Good iced tea and the best part of all? $6.50 for a heapin' helpin' and a glass of tea. Hard to beat and highly recommended...

Call them at 372-2608 and have them email you the menu every day.

Thai Food Friday

2008-02-29T14:03:00.001-06:00

I think we kind of officially meet every Friday at AP's now. And though the group gets larger or smaller each week, Panne never fails us. Last week was a table full of fish dishes and this week we reprised some curries we'd already tried.

We started off with the curry rolls which are a real treat. We don't get them very often because they are very tedious to make.

Then she brought out those wonderful Thai egg rolls with the unctuous sauce and the green lettuce leaves to wrap them in. One of my favorites of the appetizers.

Next came the papaya salad, spicy hot, fresh and very healthy tasting. We wrapped the salad in an unfamiliar bitter tasting leaf that made the entire mouthful an explosion of heat and flavor.

The main course was green curry with Thai eggplants and little skeins of noodles, spicy and boldly flavorful, this is a regular dish for us here. Becoming a lot like comfort food to me. That and the noodle soup.

All things must come to an end. If you want to meet up with us next Friday, drop me a line at greg at circabellum.com and I'll get you the details. We'll make you feel at home...

Market Cafe Makes Mondays Even More Difficult

2008-02-25T13:54:00.000-06:00

BJ's Market Cafe
45 Market Plaza, North Little Rock, Arkansas. 501-945-8884

Monday is a tough day for me to go to the Market Cafe. That's because the specials on Monday include corned beef and cabbage or liver and onions. I like them both,
they're not either one easily found in this area, and I don't like having to make Sophie's Choice type decisions.

Located in the Farmer's Market, over the railroad tracks, near the end of McCain, the Market Cafe has been serving up some good home style cooking for as long as I can remember. Every day presents different lunch specials and knowing which days to go is definitely a plus. For instance, being a dressing junkie, Tuesdays are good for me because they have chicken and dressing. Chicken fried steak and baked ham are the other choices that day, but the dressing is what I get. Wednesday is spaghetti, Thursday is either fried pork chops or chicken and dumplings. But the smoked sausage and kraut has tempted me a few times until I relented. That's good too. Friday is catfish or meatloaf. And everyday has vegetables like beans, squash, homemade mashed potatoes, greens, mac and cheese... well you get the idea.

The closest thing I have to a complaint is the gravy. Don't get me wrong, it's standard cafe fare - thick brown sauce. But it looks, feels and tastes like it comes out of a jar. And, one of the great by-products of liver and onions is the savory liver gravy that you drown your potatoes or rice in. Well, they don't make that gravy, it's the same brown gravy as every other day.

Don't let the crowds intimidate you, they have three rooms of seating and everything moves pretty quickly. You'll be in and out in no time. And you can pick up some veggies for supper at the farmer's market next door.

Pricing is lower end, lunch and drink for less than nine dollars. But very good in quality.

Dragon China / Hunan Balcony

2008-01-24T12:25:00.000-06:00

2817 Cantrell Road, Little Rock

Used to be a buffet, now it's the twilight zone...

Sometimes being stubborn can have negative consequences. Today, when we pulled up to the Dragon China restaurant on Cantrell, the first thing we noticed was no cars in the parking lot. "Are they open?" we asked. But, since we had decided to go there for lunch we stubbornly walked in. It was as cold inside as it is outside which in January is not a good thing. The place was empty.

Stubbornly we made our way to the counter at the back and placed an order with the tired looking young lady and took a seat at a nearby table. Several times we saw people come in, look around, and leave. One other person came in and placed an order while we were there.

The food came out on paper plates with little plastic picnic forks and no napkins.

I've heard that the people that work in these "fujo" style restaurants all learn to cook "Chinese food" in this country. I think these guys skipped that part. One gets the impression that these are folks that just decided to start a restaurant and do the best they can to create dishes that look like the pictures. We should have known something was up when we saw that the word "buffet" on the sign outside had a black trash bag taped over it.

My advice? Run away. Don't call in an order for delivery. Don't even look that direction when you drive past. Keep eyes straight ahead and hold the steering wheel steady until you can get some place safe...

AP's Seafood Cove - the saga continues...

2008-01-15T14:40:00.000-06:00

1400 John Harden Dr, Jacksonville AR * (501) 982-0791

One of my favorite places to eat, and not for the reason you'd think.

As I've mentioned before, AP's by all appearances is a seafood buffet with catfish and shrimp and fried clams. But the Thai food really steals the show and that's what I look forward to eating when I go there.

On a recent visit, the owner told me that she had a surprise and she brought us each out a bowl of steamed rice and a plate of salad. She told me that it was tuna salad the way they fix it in Thailand. The flavor was amazing and the fiery heat of the dish told me immediately why it was served with the rice. On some dishes they tone the heat back for the American palate, but this one was obviously made for the cook's own consumption and I think was very authentic. I am grateful for the opportunities to try these things. While on that visit, Panne told me that they were going to make chicken-rice that Friday and that I should come back.

It's really funny, but just a few nights before that I was watching Anthony Bourdain talking about Singapore and the fights people there have over who makes the best chicken rice. I wasn't about to miss an opportunity to eat something like that without having to leave central Arkansas!

This dish is made by cooking a hen all day and then using the broth to cook the rice and make an accompanying soup. The chicken is chopped up across a bed of the flavorful rice and comes with the usual cucumbers and cilantro sprigs. First you spoon on some sauce made with black beans, soy sauce, ginger and garlic (maybe some fish sauce?) and you eat a bite of chicken and rice and then you eat a spoonful (or two) of the soup. Back and forth. Tempting as it is to just eat all of one and then start on the other, I dutifully followed instructions and ate it the way I was told to.

I can see this being a wonderful social tradition, everyone gathered around the table eating and talking and drinking. Next time you have it, call me, okay?

The Cross-eyed Pig

2008-01-15T14:25:00.000-06:00

1701 Rebsamen Park Road, Little Rock * (501)265-0012

When I first got my food there was a small bowl of catsup perched atop of two slices of white bread. My thoughts were, "where's the sauce." Then I realized that this must be the sauce. I tasted some on the tip of my finger and it really didn't taste much different from catsup.

The pulled pork on the sandwich was juicy and with just the right amount of smokey flavor. It occurred to me that it would be a shame to ruin it with that awful fire-engine red "sauce." Oops, they already did. Here comes the sauce, dribbling out all over the plate. The chicken, on the other hand, was so dry that it needed the sauce to lubricate it enough for the trip down.

The beans weren't bad, but weren't remarkable either as were the fries. I enjoyed the iced tea, very much and didn't hear any complaints from my companion about the water.

Overall impression? The Cross-Eyed Pig is over-priced ($8.00 for a chicken plate) and on your basic level of "yankee" barbeque, which is to say, not up to southern standards? Hey are these guys from Memphis? With Whole Hog BBQ around the corner, why bother?

American Dairy Bars

2007-12-29T16:42:00.001-06:00

If you grew up in the 1960's or before, you remember that fast food was predominantly represented, at least in the south, by the dairy bar. Almost always a small, squat building with windows and counters on three sides and a parking lot all the way around. Usually the parking lot was paved with the little tar and asbestos tabs from roofing shingles and millions of bottle caps. Festoons of bare white light bulbs hung from the light pole in front around different parts of the parking lot and a board with the bill of fare painted on it leaned up under the front counter. There were several layers of paint over the prices where the cost of a burger was changed from .20 to .25 to...

They served hamburgers, foot-long hot dogs with wonderful homemade chili-cheese-and-slaw, french-fries deep fried in lard and hand battered onion rings (as if there were any other kind.) Soft serve ice cream and dipped cones called "brown derbies" with a hard chocolate coating, and sundaes filled out the dessert menu. And you always knew a good one because the lot would be full of cars with paper milk-shake cups on the dash board and kids pelting each other with french fries in the back seat. Most people just threw the wrappers and scraps out the window into the parking lot before wheeling their station wagons back onto the highway. And the owners had no shortage of teenage kids working there who were glad to pick up the trash before returning to the fry grill.

But the iconic dairy bar began to disappear as the McDonald's and Burger Kings of the world became more interested in small towns. And now they are about as common as drive-in theaters. I always get excited when I see a dairy bar. I don't know why, because for the last twenty years the few I have found have been such an abysmal disappointment that you would think I'd give up. But the dairy bar to me is the holy grail of fast-food cuisine. And the quest continues.

For years there were only two left in the central Arkansas area that had anything to recommend them: The Spot, and Andy's Dairy Freeze which were oddly enough located only blocks from each other on MacArthur Drive in North Little Rock. The Spot had incredible foot-long hot dogs and onion rings at one time but went out of business about five or ten years ago. Andy's plodded along, the quality diminishing as ready made patties from Sam's became the norm at such places. And we pretty much took them off the list.

Today, seeing that it had become nearly three o'clock and we hadn't had lunch yet, we decided to grab a quick hold-me-over on the way home, and being in the neighborhood we pulled in to Andy's. Well, Mojo's actually. The name changed, but a quick look at the menu board told us that they still stuck to the traditional dairy bar fare and hadn't succumbed to the lure of nachos and the other ball-park concession crap that is being passed off to unsuspecting travelers these days.

I gave them the true test and ordered a hamburger, a chocolate malt and french fries. Blessed Mojo, Saint of all dairy-bars, this was great! There were two young women working inside and I'm sure that neither of them was old enough to remember true dairy-bar fare, but obviously someone was around that knew and trained them. And trained them well. This was the best hamburger I have had in many years. And for less than two dollars it beat the pants off of any of the fancy-pants burgers that I have had at Gadwalls or the Box. The meat was a very thin patty, so you probably should get the double burger for just a little more. The bun was finished on the grill and smashed flat with the spatula until it was crisp and golden toasted with the savory hamburger goodness that should never be wasted. Slathered with copious amounts of mustard, large slices of onions and piles of dill pickle slices, this burger was as near to perfection as you can get. And the malt was an honest to goodness old fashioned malty chocolate. The fries were so-so but not bad. Hey, for less than six bucks I'm ecstatic.

Lots of outdoor seating looks appealing for warmer weather.

I may even go back there for supper.

3801 MacArthur Drive, North Little Rock, Arkansas -- (501)753-4445

Saigon Cuisine

2007-11-30T10:18:00.000-06:00

6805 Cantrell Road
Little Rock

You all know by now that I likes me some Southeast Asian food as much as anybody. And we've been going to Saigon Cuisine on Cantrell for years. They have excellent lunch specials for under six dollars which include Vietnamese style eggrolls and soup. The soup is different every day and is always absolutely wonderful. But that's not what I want to talk about today.

What I had yesterday when my daughter took me out to eat was nothing less than a revelation. See, ever since I read about Bun Bo Hue at Noodlewhore, I've been dying to try some. And there it was, right on the menu - Hue style noodle soup. Wow, was this good. Spicy even without adding the chili peppers that came on the fixin's plate, it is a hearty broth with lots of lemon grass and meaty flavor. I wish I had taken a photo of it, but will borrow this one from NW (please don't mind...)

Saigon. Bun Bo Hue. Vietnamese beers. A must try, you'll thank me.

Zaxby's - Pub Food Without The Beer

2007-11-19T07:31:00.000-06:00

Which is a good thing, or not, depending on how you roll. We tried the new one that just opened in Sherwood. It's on Brookwood (which turns into Brockinton on the other side of Keihl) across from the entrance to the Links apartments and down the street from Kohl's.

The first thing I noticed about the menu, other than it pretty much consists of buffalo wings and chicken strips, is how much more reasonable the pricing is than say, Wingstop. For $4.99 you can get a meal of chicken strips with fries, celery sticks and sauce. All this and a drink. Or, instead of chicken strips you can have buffalo wings, a broiled or a fried chicken sandwich (pick one).

They have Zalads which appeared to be decently portioned salads and Zappetizers ( a little too cute with the z's, don't you think?) that include fried onion strips, fried mushrooms or homemade potato chips. I tried the "onion peel" which is the fried strips, somewhat like the onion loaf at Shorty Smalls, and found it to be good if not just a bit too greasy. Okay, a lot too greasy. But it tasted good. I want to try the chips next time.

The buffalo wings were really good, I tried the original, which is Louisiana Hot Sauce. I also tried the teriyaki and the Hot Honey Mustard sauces, both of which were reasonably tasty. They have hot sauces that range from "wimpy" to "insane". So if you like some heat I'm sure you'll find something in your range here.

All in all, a good experience. It's clean, but it's new for crying out loud. Give them time, maybe it'll be dirty, though the management and all of the employees gave every appearance of being well trained and eager.

I recommend that you try this place.

Zaxby's
208 Brookwood Drive
Sherwood Arkansas

Taco Bueno Doesn't Need Me to Say Nice Things About Them

2007-11-08T13:19:00.000-06:00

But I will. The reason they don't need me is because it seems plenty of other folks have caught on to the fact that they are better than Taco Bell in so many ways. I won't even try to list all of them because, well, it's pretty much that they're better in all of the ways.

But here's a few. The food is better. They have tamales for crying out loud. They have enchiladas. They have real beans and rice. And they can make you a real meal or stick a to-go burrito in your hand to eat while driving down the road. They are faster, much faster - today they had my tamale platter ready for me before I could get my drink filled up, and they don't cost any more than Taco Bell.

And, every time that I've gone in there, they have gotten my order correct. Absolutely correct. Taco Bell leaves something out so regularly that I have gotten the feeling that it is a profit center for them to short you. A profit center that they take quite seriously.

I only wish there were more locations, at least here in central Arkansas, because it's a little far to drive from Sherwood to Maumelle or Baseline Road to eat there. But I do. And even though the line was out to the door at the counter, and out around the curve in the road on the drive through, they were cranking them through there, yes they were.

That's why I don't think that Taco Bueno needs for me to say anything nice about them. They're doing fine on their own.

Las Casitas del Valle

2007-09-07T17:15:00.000-05:00

1615 Rebsamen Park Road, Little Rock
501-664-0046

Snuggled down between the Faded Rose and Buffalo Grill, you almost don't notice this little restaurant. And that may have been why the previous tenant didn't make it. Billed as an "authentic Mexican restaurant," Las Casitas seems to walk the walk.

We were immediately served with a basket of chips and a small carafe of salsa. The salsa is very mild and certain not to offend even the most tender tongued guests. When we asked for hot sauce, they brought us a small bowl of green chili sauce that certainly pepped everything up. I didn't really like the chips a whole lot, they are thick and reminded me of the Tostitos Gold chips that I was tricked into buying once.

But the food was a different matter. We tried the luncheon specials del mar shrimp enchiladas and puntas borrachas. The shrimp enchiladas were excellent with a lot of tender, perfectly cooked shrimp inside. And just the right amount of sauce and cheese. I really like these. The puntas borrachas are strips of beef that have been marinated and coated with a spicy chili mulato sauce. I found these to be lively and exciting on the palate. I found myself sopping up the extra sauce with one of the tortillas that came with the dinner.

Rice and beans were average and helped even out the heat of the borrachas.

Next time I go, I want to try the "fish sweet and spicy" which they describe as "premium tilapia tender baked in our amazing cream salsa with pepper and other ingredients." Can't go too wrong with that...

Dinner prices average around ten dollars a plate and lunch about $6.50. They have a full bar and a good selection of Mexican beers.

September 11, 2007 UPDATE Went back and tried the standard fare: cheese enchiladas and tamales. The tamale was dry and cakey with stringy nearly flavorless meat in it. I did not like this at all. The cheese enchilada was good for about 3 bites and then the cheese became overwhelming. More sauce and less cheese, I hate to say it, would have been a good thing.

UPDATE - looks to be closed now. Guess this one didn't make it either.

Cotija's Mexican Grill

2007-08-31T08:20:00.000-05:00

406 S. Louisiana, Little Rock
and
5504 JFK Blvd., North Little Rock.

The one downtown is tucked into a small storefront across from the old Union Bank building, the one in North Little Rock is in that little stand alone building that has been everything from a catfish restaurant to a pizza place. Maybe this one will make it.

The food is very good from what I tried. Tamales, to me, are the true test of a Mexican restaurant and these get a passing grade. Actually they are as good as I've had around here. They were not dry and the meat was not stringy. And they had a wonderful flavor. They were served with melted cheese (not cheese sauce) and a chopped tomato salsa with a very distinct flavor. I could get addicted to these.

The chili relleno was not your standard frozen fare with the cheese sauce oozing out of it. It was a large pepper, breaded and fried, with melted cheese on top of it. And the pepper had some serious fire to it. I don't recommend this for the tender palate, but if you are a relleno fan, this could renew your enthusiasm.

They bring you three styles of salsa, the same as they do at La Hacienda, and all of them were quite good. I've always been partial to verde salsa and this one does not disappoint. Lots of cilantro and garlic and the green chilies have just the right amount of heat. You could seriously make a meal out of the salsa and cheese dip. And the guacamole was the best I've ever had in a restaurant, and nearly as good as my home made.

Based on my experience last night, I intend to delve deeper into the well appointed menu at Cotija's. They have an intriguing list of seafood dishes and brochetas which beg to be sampled. Prices are moderate, ranging from about eight dollars to sixteen dollars for plates and lunch specials starting at about four dollars and going up to around nine. They also have hamburgers in case someone in your party doesn't like Mexican food.

UPDATE: nope, looks like this one passed on to oblivion too...

Arkansas Wine

2007-07-27T17:26:00.000-05:00

I have wanted very much over past years to find a local wine that I like to drink. And, consistently, Weiderkers and Post have failed me. But last spring we accidentally stumbled across the fairly new winery in Altus, Chateau Aux Arcs. And I think we may have a winner here.

I'll spare you all the details about how the owner started making her own wines at age thirteen. It's all here. I will tell you that they have a beautiful facility nestled right in the vineyards which is head and shoulders above all of the other wineries in the area.

The staff was knowledgeable and friendly and the wines ranged from mediocre (St. Mary's Mountain White) to really quite good (Dragonfly Red). I'm drinking a medium range cabernet right now (pictured above), and find it a pleasing dry wine with a good nose and a bold but not harsh flavor. This would be wonderful paired with some nice rare beef.

I'll be trying the petite sirah next and look forward to it. Definitely worth a look, I'll try to update back as I taste different varieties...

August 29, 2007 update. The petite sirah is an affordable and very drinkable red wine. I tried it with my home made spaghetti and meat sauce and it held its own quite well. It is nearly inky black with a hint of red grape around the edges of the glass. A beefy tannin taste that kept it interesting against the strong tomato and basil based sauce, but still not overpowering. At $12 the bottle, I believe I could do this one again.

La Herradura

2007-06-29T12:55:00.000-05:00

The Horseshoe. And a lucky find this was.

8414 Geyer Springs Road, Little Rock, Arkansas 565-6063

An innocuous storefront in a dingy Southwest Little Rock strip mall hides a well kept secret in Mexican cuisine. Although I've heard through the grapevine that the owners are from El Salvador and not Mexico. The restaurant is surprisingly elegant inside with polished wood tables and chairs and real china and flatware to eat with. And it boasts a full bar with a good selection of beers and drinks.

We started with an appetizer called an "Aye Chihuahua!" which was a bowl of melted goat cheese, "country" chorizo sausage, onions, cilantro and chipotle pepper sauce. It came with fresh corn tortillas that appear homemade. Absolutely delicious, though you may want to request some of the house hot sauce to liven it up a little. Don't be too afraid when they tell you the sauce is "very hot." It has just the right amount of heat and a wonderful flavor.

We tried the Enchiladas Monarcas and the Enchiladas Aztecas. The first being cheese enchiladas topped with pork and the second being corn tortillas stuffed with pork. The Aztecas gave you quite a bit more to eat and had a more robust flavor. Both were very good.

Most of the dinners hover around $7.00 to $10.00 with lunch specials as low as $3.99. The lunch specials look like they were copied straight off the menu at Cancun in North Little Rock. I avoided those and stuck to the well appointed regular menu.

We are definitely going to make this a regular stop. Muy saboroso! Highly recommend.

La Hacienda

2007-06-12T17:01:00.000-05:00

Cantrell Road, Little Rock, Arkansas

I've mentioned before that La Hacienda is a tad different than all the other white cheese "Mexican" restaurants that are on every corner. The Senor Tequilas, the Casa Mexicanas, and Las Palmas. There are others, and blindfolded I bet you couldn't tell one from another. But as I said, La Hacienda is different.

I first went to the one in Hot Springs many years ago and was impressed with the quality of the food and the near lightening quick service. And this quality standard has translated well into this market.

I love the refried beans here, best anywhere, and the fruit punch is actually a real fruit punch and not a cool-ade mixture. You get three styles of salsa when you come in and it's kind of a three bears effect: One is too sweet, one is too salty and the green one is juuuuusssst right! But, if you find the verde salsa a little too warm, mix it with the salty red salsa to get the right effect.

The entrees are all decent, but that's not what I'm going to talk about. At this place, I'm going to steer you towards something that most folks around here are not familiar with -- Tortas. A torta is a sort of Mexican submarine sandwich. In some of the little store front taquerias around here you can get some decent variations on the torta with chorizo sausage or beef tongue for the meat. But here, at La Hacienda, it's carne azado (beef) or pollo (chicken) and both are good.

The sandwich is a large bolio roll slathered with a mixture of avacado and refried beans, salad and stacked with fajita meat. One sandwich is a full meal for all but the most voracious appetite. And by the time you finish your basket of chips with the verde salsa, you're pretty well done for. And at around $4.00 it's truly one of the best kept secrets in the lunch bargain category around town. For two of us today including drinks, two torta sandwiches, tip etc. it was less than $17.00. Do I sound like Rachel Ray, or what?

Vino's

2007-05-31T12:33:00.000-05:00

Seventh and Chester, beautiful downtown Little Rock.

I'm no stranger to Vino's. I worked down the street on 7th when they first opened across from Hungry's Cafe. And they've had the same lunch special ever since and that's what I always seem to get when I go there. A salad, a slice of pizza and a soft drink for $5.31. I'm sure the calzone is great, but I can't tell you first hand. I do know the salad and pizza are worth putting Vino's on your regular rotation of lunch venues.

It doesn't sound like much, but the pizza slices look like about a quarter of a pie, and the salad has cheese and peppers and olives and is fresh and delicious. I like the creamy Italian house dressing.

Vino's has a brewery on premises and they sell a lot of their brew so lots of folks must like it. Personally, I'm not much for ales and usually go for the lagered or pilsner style brews which they don't make. So, I skip the homebrew and buy a bottle of imported when I want to wash my pizza down with something more than iced tea.

Different, good and reasonably priced, give Vino's a try next time you're downtown for lunch.

The Box

2007-05-30T12:58:00.000-05:00

17th and Main Streets, Downtown Little Rock, Arkansas

Iconic.

Distilled down to one word, that's what it would be. But for most, it would come down to "hamburger."

Simply, the best burgers and fries in central Arkansas, and has been for longer than I can remember. The Box had already been there a long time when I started going in the seventies. It was called the Bandbox back then and was mainly a biker hangout. It's always been a good place for a cold beer in a dark brown bottle and there was a lot of color to the place back then as well. I remember a sign inside that said, "This ain't Burger King. You don't get it the way you want it. You take it the way we fix it." And the drink menu listed "Dr. Pecker" as a soft drink. Bikers in colors mingling with lawyers in suits and a few of us regular Joes for good measure.

I still laugh about the new owners cleaning the place up, back when? In the late eighties early nineties? Always thought the burgers weren't quite the same after they cleaned the grill. And the kitchy signs went away too.

But you can still get a great burger and fries there. Some things just don't change, and that's good. I can't recommend the "hot cheeseburger" enough. Hand patted fresh ground beef, grilled to perfection, on a bun with jalapeno jack cheese. If you've been going there as long as I have, you have always taken it "the way we fix it" and liked it. So just take it the way they fix it. Split a basket of fries with your companions and you'll leave happy. Might need a nap, but...

If you only have thirty minutes for lunch, you should probably skip this experience until a day you get off early or something. They'll get you in and out in time to take an hour lunch, but you'll use up the best part of the hour.

Depending on how many beers you have, you can get out of there for less than ten bucks easily. Burgers are $4.25 and a basket of fries is $2.75 and enough for two people. Iced tea comes in huge glasses that normally don't need to be refilled.

Not the healthiest lunch in town, but definitely one of the best...

Ryan's

2007-05-26T08:33:00.000-05:00

East McCain Blvd, North Little Rock, Arkansas

I've been seeing television ads for the last month or so for Ryan's and it looks pretty good. Driving down East McCain last week, I noticed that the old Fire Mountain restaurant next to the Post Office was now a Ryan's. So, we decided to try it out last night.

The first thing I noticed, and continued to be aware of the entire time we were there, is that if you don't weigh at least 300 pounds you're going to feel out of place. And, I don't take this as a good sign. I've been in lots of all-you-can-eat places and the good ones attract all different kinds of people. The others usually only attract the ones looking for plenty of food at a reasonable price.

And the price wasn't that cheap, either. It cost $24.00 for two of us to eat here which could have bought a very nice (though smaller portioned) meal at a made-to-order restaurant.

They grill steaks to order, along with pork chops and sausages, as part of the buffet. Nice touch, but not unique. There are lots of vegetables and salad and other entrees to choose from. Everyone should find something they like here.

But, I was a bit disappointed. If you had been to Fire Mountain you'd be hard pressed to tell if anything was different. And both of them are basically the same as the Golden Corrals, Western Sizzlin's, and Bonanza Steakhouses that came before them.

The food is okay, but not outstanding. Not much to recommend this place unless you are looking for bulk.

The Salty Parrot

2007-05-18T20:49:00.000-05:00

Riverfront Park
North Little Rock, Arkansas

You know, this restaurant/bar has so much going for it, it's hard to imagine how it could go wrong. It's on the water of the Arkansas River, it's outdoors in the fresh air, you can smoke, you can drink, there's music and food. What's not to love?

When we got there about 6:00 p.m., there were only a few people there. The Captain of the Arkansas Queen riverboat greeted us at our table and warned us that when they leave on their cruise at seven, they have to blow the horn and to hold on to our drinks because "it rattles the roof on this place." Turns out that was the least of our worries.

I ordered a beer when I got there and the bride ordered a mixed drink. Her drink arrived in about ten minutes, but no beer. I asked the waitress if she had forgotten it and she assured me that she hadn't. I assumed that she had and that the gentle reminder would quickly rectify the situation. It didn't. It was still another fifteen minutes before my beer finally arrived. By this time we were ready to order food.

A little about the food. It's all grill fare with a few salads and soups mixed in with the appetizers, elsewise pretty much sandwich fare. I ordered a hamburger and onion rings. Hard to go terribly wrong with that, which turned out to be correct. The burger was somewhat overcooked and dry, but had a nice flavor and was edible. The onion rings seem to be made on the premises and not frozen. A couple in our party got the catfish sandwich and I've never seen such an anorexic fish in my life. Someone commented that it was the best bun and piece of lettuce he'd ever had. The hotdog looked good, but who wants a hotdog when you're dining on the river. Food: lackluster and worth passing up.

The drinks were extremely slow in coming with the last beer that I ordered not coming at all before my bill was presented. Everyone in our party had extra drinks on the bill that had to be fixed. At first I thought it was the waitperson, but as I watched it became painfully apparent that the bottle-neck was at the bar. I watched as our waitperson stood at the bar with a customer's payment in hand waiting to cash out for more than thirty minutes, tears streaming down her face as the bartenders ignored her and waited on patrons at the bar. Keep in mind that I still didn't have my beer I had ordered nearly forty-five minutes prior. She assured me it was coming. Everyone was trying to cash out and leave but nobody was taking care of the cash register. Finally the bartender tells her that they've run out of change and sent someone to get some. What kind of idiot management runs out of change at 7:30 on a Friday night?

Finally I walked to the end of the bar and asked the bartender just how long he figured it should take to remove the cap from a bottle of beer. And informed him that I had been waiting for him to do just that for nearly an hour. He popped a top for me and I walked back around to check on the status of my bill, at least with something cold to drink while I waited.

Still no progress on the payment front and the lady in front of me getting no help either. So I asked the waitress if it was alright with her for me to take matters into my own hands. I assured her that it was obvious to everyone where the problem was and that she shouldn't stress over it. Didn't seem to stem the tears much, but she nodded a meek assent. I then informed the bartender that he was going to handle cashing the lady in front of me and myself out before he did anything else. And made it very clear that I wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Finally getting the woman ahead of me taken care of, I finally told our waitress that she could get the bill fixed later, keep the change (which gave her about a thirty percent tip) as long as she promised that the bartender would not get a cent of it.

Prognosis? Stay away from the Salty Parrot. It is so poorly managed and the food so mediocre that no amount of ambience and atmosphere could overcome the aggravation of trying to be a customer here.

No stars.

Pierre's Gourmet Pizza Co.

2007-05-06T09:30:00.000-05:00

4905 John F. Kennedy Blvd.
North Little Rock, AR 72116
501-907-1929

(click the pic to make it bigger)

We got it to go (that's my blue willow plate in the picture), but the dining area is clean and pleasant with a large mural of the Little Rock/North Little Rock skyline with Pierre's location prominently placed. Their slogan is Pierre's knows pizza, and I'm inclined to think that's not too far from the truth. While I prefer a very thin crust with a bit of crunch and resistance to it, the hand thrown crust is very good and crisp around the edges.

The toppings are above average with the Pierre's Favorite being loaded down with pretty much all of it - pepperoni, canadian bacon, salami, beef, italian sausage, black olives, mushrooms, tomatoes, red and white onions, green peppers, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. That's it in the picture with the fresh slices of tomato. I like this one a lot. The herbs and spices that they add to it are a perfect complement and it had almost enough texture to the crust to support all that weight. Almost. We had to use a fork for the center half of the pieces.

The Venice Deluxe (olive oil, provolone, mozzarella and swiss cheese with basil)is more like a cheese bread and would be good to snack on with beer. Oh, speaking of which, they don't sell beer or wine at this establishment. Fine if you're a tee-totaler, but if you want a beer with it, take it home.

Pretty much all of the pizzas, unless you just order a pepperoni or something, have a "gourmet" flair to them. "A Taste of Greece," "Ron-A-Roma,"Baja Mexico," and "Demor Galor" are a few of the styles you can order. I'm planning to try them all.

I was pleasantly surprised at the salads. The "plain" garden salad comes with lettuce, mushrooms, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, artichoke hearts and parmesan cheese. Yes, artichoke hearts. That was a nice touch that tells me there's a lot of attention to detail in this kitchen. I like the home made Italian Vinaigrette dressing with it as well.

They also have calzone and sub sandwiches. I haven't tried either, but the menu makes them sound good.

On Tuesday night they have a special buy a large pizza and get a medium one topping for free. We may just make Tuesday pizza night at our house from now on. I wouldn't hesitate to reccommend that you give these folks a try. Better than average, maybe even better than most. We still have some exploring to do in the menu, but are optimistic that we won't be disappointed.

June 2007 UPDATE: The Tuesday special is a good deal, but the commenter is right - tell them to make the crust as thin as they can and cook it extra long. Otherwise it can be a tad doughy.

Sakura

2007-04-22T18:59:00.000-05:00

Sakura Japanese Restaurant Steakhouse & Sushi Bar
4011 E Kiehl Avenue
Sherwood, Arkansas
501-834-3546
Sakura Website

Sushi done wrong can be really bad. For instance, never eat sushi at a Chinese buffet. And though I've never tried it, I suspect you should never eat sushi from the frozen section at Sam's.

But done right, it can be a delightful experience.

We stayed with a fairly conservative menu at Sakura this evening trying several of the rolls and a couple of single pieces to round it out. The Spicy Salmon Roll was a deliciously spicy (hence the name) roll of cooked salmon and rice that needed only the tiniest dab of soy sauce to complete the flavor. Pieces of the egg omelet sushi and some bits of pickled ginger freshened the palate between bites. We tried a few pieces of the salmon sushi which was so very tender and flavorful, being a deep red and about room temperature when we ate it. The red snapper was good, but not remarkable. The spicy octopus roll was a burst of flavor with an interesting texture, but the star of the show was the spicy crunchy shrimp roll. Fabulous crisp fried shrimp, rolled with rice and drizzled with a spicy (chipotle?) sauce. It was a very pleasing texture in the mouth as well as an exciting flavor that warmed the throat for sometime afterwards.

A good fried rice and some great fried gyoza topped it off and I was too full to get around to the eel or the shrimp asparagus roll. But I intend to explore those options next time.

All in all, a good experience in a clean and friendly environment.

Roma Italian Restaurant

2007-04-21T15:25:00.000-05:00

2650 John Harden Dr
Jacksonville, AR 72076
(501) 982-8057

I was pleasantly surprised at lunch today. I heard of this place by word of mouth and was glad to confirm that it lives up to the recommendation. The smells as we walked in for lunch pretty much told us that it would.

I went to wash my hands and check out the restrooms, a good barometer of restaurant cleanliness. It was very clean and well stocked with towels and soap. When I came back there was a basket of wonderful homemade bread and a great big bowl of butter. The bread was warm and I nearly would have made a meal of it. Our waitperson brought us a bowl of olive oil with garlic in it. The garlic is fresh and not roasted like you get at the big chain places. Very nice.

We started with salad and the house Italian is an unusual tomato-basil vinegrette with a bold punch of flavor. My companions thought it a bit much and didn't eat all of theirs.

The lunch menu is well appointed with all of the classics including spaghetti and lasagna. The "sampler" has lasagna, rigatoni and spinach ravioli. It looked really good, but I didn't try any of the other's dishes. I had the eggplant stuffed with ricotta cheese and covered with marinara sauce and baked with mozzarella cheese on top. It was very good and the eggplant was tender and flavorful.

I suspect the red marinara sauce on everyone's dish comes from the same pot which tends to make lasagna taste like ravioli taste like... you get the idea.

All in all, a very postive experience and a departure from the cookie cutter Italian eateries at the shopping malls. We skipped dessert, but a couple of the items looked to be unique. Don't hesitate to try this place.

Terrace on the Green

2007-04-09T08:59:00.000-05:00

2200 N. Rodney Parham
501-217-9393

When it comes to Mediterranean cuisine, what comes up in your mind first? Italian? Greek? Moroccan? Or all of the above? Well, should you be interested, this restaurant surely has quite a select few from each style that can be sampled with.

Me and my friends stumbled across this restaurant while searching through the phone book hungrily for a new place to eat. Something fresh, something we haven’t tried before. And, it was our lucky day!

It’s a small place in an office building on Rodney Parham. It is small, yet neatly arranged and I didn’t feel the slightest discomfort usually associated with a confined, crowded place. It was quite cozy, warm and friendly.

We enjoyed some warm flat bread and butter while contemplating our order. My lunch today was broiled salmon topped with cream sauce, fresh vegetables and rice, sprinkled with olive oil and parsley.

Although I immediately felt guilty for not having ordered the Chicken Almondain, which would have been some thing more exotic for me, there was not a trace of guilt after I took my first bite into the fish. It was fresh, flaky and smoky. The cream sauce was sweet, creamy, yet not overwhelmingly cheesy, which elegantly complemented the perfectly broiled salmon.

As my friend pointed out, the dishes here were light, yet very flavorful and exciting. The total for the three of us, including drinks, was a little over $30.00, quite a bargain for something this refreshing and delightful.

This is definitely a place we should go back and revisit. There is still a lot to go into on their menu. i.e. My Friends Chicken, Flaming Cheese (Saganaki - a salty, aromatic Greek cheese appetizer, Kaeiri Cheese flamed with brandy, in case you were wondering) and Lamb Shank (hmmm, I can already feel the juice running down my chin...).

Terrace on the Green

2007-04-06T13:08:00.000-05:00

2200 N. Rodney Parham, Little Rock, Arkansas
501-217-9393

Being unfamiliar with the area, we had a small bit of trouble finding the restaurant. Rodney Parham Road is confusing in its numbering, starting out at 100 at Markham Street, then you pass 9700 and 10000 pretty quickly, and by the time we got to 12500 I was on the cell phone asking for directions. The friendly female voice guided us in as the street numbers continued to climb and then we made a hard right turn and the numbers dropped back down to 2200 again.

Having overcome that hurdle, we found ourselves being ushered into a cozy dining room set with linens and china. I started to wonder just how spendy this would turn out to be. I think I let out a big breath when I peeked at the lunch menu and saw nearly every entree was priced under eight dollars.

In fact my choice, Pasta Arabiatta, was only $4.50. And I didn't choose that being the cheapskate that I am, I chose it because it sounded good. And it was. A spicy blend of sun dried tomatoes, diced eggplant and chili peppers served on a bed of linguini, it was a marvelous flavor. I began to sniffle a little, but the heat was just right for the dish.

We also tried a salmon dish with a delectible cream sauce and the chicken slouvakia with was perfectly prepared chunks of succulent chicken tossed with a citrussy blend of onions and tomatoes on a bed of fluffy rice pilaf. All of this served with a nice basket of flat bread and butter.

I thoroughly enjoyed each of the three dishes that we tried and would put this on the list of places to come back and explore the menu a bit deeper. A lot to recommend it. Go at lunch for the bargain it is, or spend twice as much at dinner for a charming date destination.

AP's Seafood Buffet

2006-12-22T13:14:00.000-06:00

Don't go for the seafood.

Ap's has been in Jacksonville for as long as I can remember and are one of the last of the old hard-line seafood establishments. Back in the day, seafood in Arkansas meant fried shrimp, catfish and deviled crabs. And at Ap's it still does. And I believe you will find that fare okay.

But if you go there for the Thai food, you will be more than pleasantly surprised. The first hint I had of it was the cucumber salad on the buffet. I mentioned that I liked that at the Thai restaurants, and the owner enthusiastically handed me a special Thai menu.

"You like Thai food?" she asked.

I looked over the menu and saw many familiar things and a couple that weren't so familiar. We vowed to come back and just eat Thai food at a later date.

Today we went and did just that. We tasted the chicken curry which was a very spicy and flavorful red Thai curry with lots of bamboo and chicken. The beef salad was fiery hot and had a strong herbal taste that I found quite pleasing.

At that point the owner came to our table and said, "They're making noodle, slow down!" And then she brought out a large bowl of noodle soup. That was worth the trip by itself.

A rich beef broth, spicy, with a hint of fish sauce and large tender strips of beef with noodles and fresh green onions. We got chopsticks and a couple of small bowls and lit into it like nobody's business. My eyelids are heavy as I sit before my computer.

Next time we'll try the Tom Yum Soup with shrimp and mussels in it. I'll bet it's even better than the noodle soup.

AP's Seafood Buffet
123 S. Jeff Davis Ave, Jacksonville Arkansas

Strongly recommend the Thai food!

Taqueria Karina and Cafe

2006-12-12T08:11:00.000-06:00

In central Arkansas you'll find loads of what I call "white cheese" Mexican restaurants, all of them serving pretty much the same bland runny beans and lackluster entrees.

But lodged in a strip center way out on 65th street, you'll find an oasis of authentic Mexican food called Karina's. The friend that told me about the place swears it's Katrina with a "T", and corrects me when I say it without. Either way, I don't think they'll mind when you come in.

I'll caution you that most of the staff has a less than rudimentary grasp of the English language, so a familiarity with the cousine is going to be a big help to the non-Spanish speaking diner. On more than one occasion I've tried to ask questions about certain menu items, only to have the wait staff look at me without speaking and bring the actual dish to me a few minutes later. You learn to eat some interesting things that way.

There are generally a couple of specials on the board when you come in and so far all of them that I've tried have been very good. Yesterday I tried the "tres tacos de carnitas con arroz y frijoles," which were lightly sauteed corn tortillas wrapped around chunks of succulent, juicy pork roast, topped with onions and cilantro and served with beans and rice. The deep red chipotle pepper sauce that came in a little bowl was a perfect topping along with a few squeezes from the supplied lime wedges. For only $3.99, I left feeling quite satisfied.

We also tried the Xango, which is cheesecake wrapped in a flour tortilla, deep fried and served with icecream and whipped cream. One serving was enough to handle the three of us at our table.

The extensive menu has so many things that I have not tried before that it may take me years to get through them all. That's if I can get past the daily special that tends to be items that aren't on the menu. I reccommend that you stray from the familiar path of so called "Mexican food" and try some of the dishes like Chuleta de Puerco (pork chops) and the Sopa Tarasca (tarasca soup). At some point I intend to delve into the wonderful looking Mariscos (seafood) menu.

All in all, this place is deceptive. By all appearances it is a hole in the wall dive. But the food is very good and the folks are all friendly and helpful. You won't be disappointed. As long as you're not expecting your standard "white cheese" Mexican food...

5309 W 65th Street, Little Rock
501-562-3951

PEIWEI - the Asian Diner

2006-11-17T14:34:00.000-06:00

Score: 9 with a big smile

My first impression of this Asian diner was very nice.

First of all, I have to say I loved the interior design. The designer sure knows how to create a pleasant atmosphere. It’s such an elegant environment while not lacking a bit of the passionate persona with an open kitchen. You just can’t stop eating and feeling good in that kind of place. Would go back just for this part of it.

Now comes back to the food. I ordered Mongolian Beef and my friend Joe Bob ordered Spicy Korean Vegetables and Tofu. We both had fried rice and shared these two dishes, with a side of Crispy Pot Stickers.

The food was quite good and plenty. I especially liked the way the beef was cooked. Very tender, juicy, and flavorful with the compliment of fresh green onion. I was pleasantly surprised with the Spicy Korean Tofu + Veggies—for which dried Tofu was used—something different than your regular Fuchow take out. However, deep fried tofu or a smoked variety may be a better choice. Not a healthier one but, hey…who am I kidding?

The stuffing for the pot stickers deserves some special attention. Hands down it is the best in town and it is very, very authentic. Nonetheless I would prefer pan fried over deep dried like they were cooked, because without the golden crispy crust at the bottom to die for, they just aren’t really pot stickers …

I have to say the chef was a bit too heavy on the sauce, which could be overwhelming. Less sauce or lighter sauce would allow us to better observe the beautiful flavor and testure of the ingredients themselves. My friend Joe Bob and I both agreed that the sauce was a tad too starchy, which was fine when the food was presented hot, but thickened and starchened shortly afterwards.

Simply put, attracitve, classy, and not too expensive. Just remember to get there early.

How do I get there?

http://www.peiwei.com/thelocation006.jsp?loc=0084&state=ak

Little Rock - University Heights Address:
Pei Wei Asian Diner
205 North University Ave
University Heights
Little Rock, AR 72205

Phone: (501) 280-9423
Pei Wei Take Away: (501) 280-9423
Fax: (501) 280-0856

Pei Wei

2006-11-17T14:21:00.000-06:00

Mid Town Mall, Markham and University, Little Rock, Arkansas

An offshoot of P.F. Chang’s, Pei Wei is the fast-food version of the former, but priced as an upscale restaurant. Lunch for two was twenty five dollars.

When you come in you place your order and pay, much as you would at a deli. They hand you a number and a cup for you to fix your own drink and find a table. Suggestion: for lunch, get there before 11:30. The line was out the front door and tables were at a premium. As it is there is barely room to slide sideways between the tables and shoehorn yourself into a seat, I almost sat on a purse that belonged to the lady at the next table. And we could intimately listen to their conversation the entire meal.

We started off with a small order of potstickers (4) that came crisply fried and with a dipping sauce that had some spice to it. I was glad to see that they weren’t afraid to add heat. The iced tea was “Chai Tea, black tea with a hint of cinnamon and vanilla.” More than a hint, I’m afraid, and I would have liked to have had a plain tea as an option.

Shortly afterwards, a server brought us out a plate of Spicy Korean style vegetables and tofu. The flavor was good, but I think the “spicy” part was toned down for the American market. One nice touch that I thought showed excellent training on the part of the staff was that since I ordered a non-meat entree with fried rice, the counter girl asked if I was a vegetarian, so that they could give me fried rice without meat in it. Certainly a higher level of service and training than you normally encounter in a restaurant.

This dish was followed up by the plate of Mongolian Beef that my friend ordered. I could immediately tell this was the signature beef that I remember from P.F. Chang’s. Very, very tender and savory. That’s one thing these chains do quite well and that’s beef. There was just the expected amount of heat in this dish, though it seemed a bit sweet and the sauces were quite heavy.

In fact, as I continued to eat, the sauces in both dishes started having an unpleasant texture in the mouth. I’m certain that was due to too much corn starch. Lighter sauces and a tad more fire would enhance these dishes greatly.

All in all, I came away full, impressed with the staff and service, but somewhat wishing that I had gone to Chi’s and gotten a big bowl of Ma Po Tofu.

Mexico Chiquito

2006-10-31T14:40:00.000-06:00

Growing up in central Arkansas, most of us were weaned on “Tex-Mex” style Mexican food. Brownings, Casa Bonita, Pancho’s Villa and of course Mexico Chiquito all served the ubiquitous cheddar cheese and hamburger meat style Mexican food that I’m certain cannot be found in any part of Mexico.

And, these days, it’s getting hard to find around here. Sometime around twenty years ago, the so-called “authentic” Mexican restaurants started coming in. I’ll admit, I found it a refreshing change, being my nature to embrace change, especially in couisine.

But, with the possible exception of La Hacienda on Cantrell Road, all of the Mexican restaurants in this area serve white cheese, runny beans, margarita style food that tastes the same no matter which one you go to.

And I find myself longing for the old fashioned Tex-Mex of my youth. Comfort food of sorts. Trouble is, there are very few of those places left. Brownings is way over in Little Rock, and you know how us Dog Town denizens loathe to go there unless it’s to work.

And that leaves Mexico Chiquito. The old dame of Tex-Mex in this area. But the problem is, ever since a guy named Haney bought it off of the family, it has had the worst service of any restaurant (dare I say?) in the world. Well, actually the KFC and Taco Bell franchises he owns suffer from the same malaise.

I have dealt with these establishments for enough years to recognize that he obviously doesn’t waste any time or money on training. I’ll give them one thing – they are all rude. All of them. And since there are KFC’s and Taco Bells all over the world, I don’t go to the ones he owns. It’s not worth the aggravation.

But every once in a while, I just have that comfort food craving for Mexico Chiquito food. Yes, that has gone downhill quite a bit too, but it’s still a decent representation of the genre. I’d go a lot more if not for the sheer piss-you-off factor. Let’s face it, all of Haney’s restaurants suck. Hell, the nicest one he owned, the one in Lakewood Village, was closed down for health code violations that were so blatant and bad they ended up tearing the entire structure down (did they haul it to a toxic waste dump?) and building an entirely different restaurant on the site. One that Haney doesn’t own, I suspect.

I succumbed, once again tonight, and went to the drive through in Levy. They do a volume business, I’ll grant them that, and after a fifteen minute wait in line, I placed my order at the sign. The voice on the speaker staticked out an unintelligible dollar amount.

Having been through the aggravation of getting to the window and finding my order incomplete and being told I didn’t order certain things, I asked the clerk to read me back my order. Sigh, unintelligible remark in a sarcastic tone of voice, a lightening quick recitation (also unintelligible) of my order and I pulled forward.

The girl at the window scowled at me and demanded an unintelligible sum of money which I asked her to repeat. She shouted it out to me with a glare and I handed her the money. I could see her staring at the cash register through the closed glass window and she seemed puzzled. Window slides open and she demands, “how much did I tell you?”

“Seventeen dollars and seventy three cents,” I replied. “Well, it’s 17.83,” she snapped back. I handed her another dime.

She never said thank you when she handed me the sack of food and closed the window. I checked it over quickly and found everything in order for a change.

Chip's Barbeque

2006-10-25T20:07:00.000-05:00

9801 West Markham, Little Rock.

I have never eaten the barbeque at Chip's. Yes, I know it's supposed to be a barbeque joint and it's probably a pretty good one since it's been around for nearly fifty years.

But I, like many others, go there for other things than the barbeque. I know folks that go just for the potato soup. Some for the huge wedges of homemade pie. Others go for the great, juicy hamburgers. Me? I get the same thing every time I go, so I'm just not too sure what anything else there is like. Sorry.

When I even think about the hickory burger at Chip's, I get that tight feeling at the back of my jaw that accompanies the profuse salivation that coincides with eating something sour. Not that the hickory burger is sour. But it is a large hand patted burger, slathered with a tangy hickory-smoke flavored sauce and shredded sharp cheddar cheese. A combination that can't be replicated in any other way. A combination that elicits a stong Pavlovian response in me. Add to that homemade onion rings, sweet iced tea, and you've got a very satisfying meal.

There used to be three places in town that you could get a good hickory burger: Minute Man, Black Angus, and Chip's. There's a reason why Chip's is still left. This is a great burger.

And, unfortunately or not - however you look at it, I will get the same thing next time I go to Chip's. I guess I will never know if the barbeque is good or not.

December 1, 2006: Update!
Bob Joe and I went to chips yesterday for lunch. Yes, I got the hickory burger, but I also tried the ribs. Snuck a few of Bob Joe's plate. They were good, tender, well smoked. Be sure to use the "hot" sauce in the red bottles as it was just barely spicy enough to cover the bill. The large buttered slices of french bread that come with the barbeque are wonderful. The beans? Not so much.

Vanlang Cuisine

2006-10-20T13:23:00.000-05:00

Vanlang Cuisine
3600 South University Avenue, Little Rock, Arkansas 501-570-7700

Okay, we cheated this week. Instead of going to a new restaurant we haven’t tried before, we actually went to an old favorite. So, if you are only here in the chance that you might get to read witty snide comments about how awful a place can be, move on because I could have told you before we went today that this was going to be a good review. A slam dunk if you will.

I love Southeast Asian food. Thai and Viet Namese are wonderful cuisines. We have two excellent restaurants here in Little Rock. Saigon and Vanlang.

Today I had the beef curry. At Vanlang this consists of a large bowl of very red soup with chunks of onion, potato, carrot and beef topped with a sprig of cilantro. It comes with a loaf of French bread. This is a hearty and wholesome combination. The blend of Asian curry spices doesn’t hit you with its full force until well in the back of your throat. This causes a pleasant warmth that radiates up from your stomach and makes your entire chest fell like it’s glowing.

As a side, we ordered spring rolls that we topped with the peanut sauce and hot red pepper sauce. I’ve always said that you can tell a good Asian restaurant because they always have Sriracha sauce.

Other things I highly recommend at Vanlang:

Lemon Grass Chicken. Spicy, aromatic and a distinct citrus flavor. If you can stand the heat, this is one of the best dishes there.

Crispy Noodle with Shrimp. For the less adventurous, this is a mild dish that features a huge tangle of crispy fried noodles. Looks much like a bird’s nest with vegetables, shrimp and a succulent sauce. Warning, this is addictive and you will find yourself ordering it regularly.

Ca Sot Ca. This is the deep fried tilapia fish that is distinct to Southeast Asian cuisine in its preparation. No breading or coatings, the fish is whole and fried until crisp all the way through. Then, a salsa of chopped onions, tomatoes, cilantro and peppers is slathered on it. Great flavor and presentation ,though my daughter asked me to put a piece of lettuce over the fish’s face so he wouldn’t look at her…

Spring Rolls. Wrapped in a translucent rice paper, shredded lettuce, mint, cilantro, shrimp and sometimes crab. Served with a bowl of peanut sauce and a bowl of red chili sauce.

There are too many great dishes to recommend them all, go and go often to try them all. They are closed on Tuesdays. Pricing is moderate, you can get out of there for less than twelve dollars.

The Italian Couple

2006-10-11T11:41:00.000-05:00

Score: 7.5 out of 10

Ciao!

Yes we speak Italian! That’s what’s printed on the menu of this newly opened Italian restaurant—The Italian Couple.

When I asked our waiter if there’s anything special he would recommend, he appeared a bit annoyed and said he already told us what the special was. Oh well…maybe he didn’t understand me quite well, maybe I shouldn’t have asked, maybe there just aren’t anything special…

Anyway, we ordered Eggplant Parmesan and Home-Made Lasagna, which came with a salad with balsamic vinegar dressing. The salad was wonderful. I especially loved the dressing. The eggplant was done just right, very soft and flavorful, although the spaghetti under the eggplant could use a little sauce.

And the home-made lasagna…well, this is where it becomes not as “authentic”. First I’m sure it’s not “home-made”, per se…and it doesn’t taste a whole lot like it was even hand-made in the house either. But again, how can I expect freshly hand made lasagna during lunch rush? Stupid me should’ve known better than falling yet again for this home-made type of stuff.

But all in all, the experience was good considering this restaurant hasn’t been open for long, and the price was fair after a two dollar discount. However, there’s still a lot of room for improvement both in the food and service. For instance, instead of butter, how about serving seasoned olive oil with the bread? Or even the balsamic vinegar dressing should do a much better job.

My suggestion? Go try it, do ask for their special dressing, but stay away from the home-made lasagna.

Ciao!

Bob Joe

I Got Tricked By Sonic. Again.

2006-10-10T10:26:00.000-05:00

I haven't been so much of a fan of Sonic since they quit fixing the food fresh and started nuking everything to a hot, but not very wholesome looking blob. But every once in a while, they get me with one of their ads. And the concepts are always appealing. The "creampie shake" is an example of something that looks a whole helluva lot better than it tastes. No thanks, I'll just pick up a cream pie at the bakery on the way home. And eat the whole thing. Yes.

Have you seen the latest ad with the two gay guys? An extra long philly cheese steak. And other than the fact that gayguy1 seems to be comparing the sandwich to the length of his penis, I'm liking me some cheesesteak sandwiches and they have my attention.

(Reverie portion of this posting...)I remember standing, drunk and silly, in the cement footprints of Rocky, ordering a philly cheesesteak sandwich at two in the morning, in Philadelphia. And, I don't know, maybe it's a combination of having drink after drink in a kick-ass jazz bar on the Southside of Philly, or just the fact that food tastes better at two a.m. on a drinking binge, but that was a hella experience. Pat's, I think. And the hot pepper sauce that they serve up with it - yesssss!

(We return now to the regularly scheduled portion of the blog...)So I'm thinking that philly cheesesteak = good. Extra long = better. And, I got me one.

Here's the part they don't tell you in the ad: extra long only refers to the fact that it is served on a foot-long hot dog bun. Extra skinny. Yikes. Oh, and then they nuke it in the microwave until it reaches that ooey-gooey, soggy, sorry, limp and tasteless glob of quivering, glowing nuclear fissionable material that would make Kim Il Jong slaver like a rabid dog. Extra nasty, they should have said.

But, that descriptive, while accurate, doesn't sell sandwiches. Maybe they ought to look at trying to sell sandwiches to people on a repeat basis. But that would involve improving the quality. So, with 200 million people in this country, I suppose they can do well tricking them all once.

The Italian Couple

2006-10-09T16:00:00.000-05:00

The Italian Couple
1900 W Third Street, Little Rock, Arkansas 501-372-4448

“Yes! We speak Italian,” is on the cover of the menu at this tiny little restaurant that opened up next door to Warehouse Liquor, down from the capitol on West Third.

When I walked in I was underwhelmed by the décor, or lack thereof. The austerity caused me to remark that they are certainly not wasting any money on decoration. I was, however, pleasantly surprised by the thick Italian accent that our waiter had. Whatever they lacked in being easily understood, they later more than made up for with the fine, full flavored Italian food.

We tried the egg plant Parmesan and the homemade lasagna. At lunch it is two dollars less for any menu item, plus there is a special each day. The food was delivered in ample portions with a wonderful green salad and bread. I can’t recommend the house dressing with olive oil and balsamic vinegar highly enough. I could have made a meal on just that.

I thought it was a pleasant experience and not terribly high priced, you should try it.

Gabriel's

2006-09-19T13:14:00.000-05:00

Some of us are old enough to remember going to Gabriel's back in the eighties. In those days it was a great place to eat oysters, drink beer and have a po’ boy sandwich. That’s why I was pretty excited to hear that Gabriel's was re-opening in Sherwood.

I know my expectations were quite high when we went there today for lunch, and having only opened a few weeks ago they still have some kinks to work out. Biggest of which is getting some experience into the staff. Our waiter seemed confused and aimless through most of our visit, having the most trouble trying to figure out how to work the POS computer.

We were greeted warmly with a handshake and a, “let’s have lunch!” when we walked in. I’m certain the gentleman who seated us is a Gabriel. Our waiter didn’t seem to know that the host had recited the lunch special and repeated it to us with the exception of changing the “bed of Cajun rice” to “rice pilaf.” Somehow I can’t help but thinking the first guy got it right when he said Cajun rice.

The lunch special today was beef stroganoff served, as stated above, on a bed of Cajun rice instead of noodles. It was made with beef tenderloin and succulent mushrooms in a thick brown sauce and served generously on a platter with the spicy, aforementioned, rice. It was quite good and I can recommend that you try it if it comes up again.

We also tried the fried shrimp dinner which consisted of some very nice, butterflied and hand breaded shrimp served with a tangy cocktail sauce, crab boil spiced corn on the cob and some of the best new potatoes I have ever tasted in my life. Topped off with a loaf of French bread with butter and a couple of glasses of sweet iced tea, and now I’m ready for a nap.

Moderately priced, I got out with tax and tip for a little under $11.00.

Looking over the menu, you can still get po’ boys – shrimp, oyster and catfish. I’m certain they’re good if they still use the same recipes as they did in the past. The appetizers sound great with crab fingers, oysters Gabriel, topless fresh oysters – freshly shucked, and Bogaloosa Cajun wings that sound good enough to make you beg.

I also want to go back and try some of their specialties like their Shrimp New Orleans and the blackened catfish.

All in all, a good experience despite our waiter’s inexperience. Maybe by the time you get there he’ll have the cash register down pat…

Gabriel’s
7412 North Hills Blvd.
North Little Rock, AR 72116
501-833-3233

Update Spring of 2007 - I took my sister and her family here thinking it would be a special treat for out-of-towners. It wasn't. The food was overcooked and oversalted. The family was nice about it and said they loved it and perhaps they did, but I was a little embarrassed by the experience.

UPDATE FALL 2007 Closed! It's dead, Jim...

Kabab & Curry - by Bob Joe

2006-09-13T20:26:00.000-05:00

Score: a happy 8 out of 10.

Kabab & Curry is a small restaurant, but it’s anything but small when it comes to the taste and smell. And you might need a big stomach to go eat their lunch buffet because you might not be able to stop eating.

Well, at least I couldn’t stop before I hogged down three plates of delightfully spiced chicken, veggies, and bread.

Two wonderful highlights:

b) Naan, which is a flat baked bread sprinkled with olive oil, sometimes spices, and chopped cilantro (in case you were wondering, it is kind of like a hand made pizza without the topping!);

a) Bindi Masala Stir Fry, which is stir fried okra with onions and tomatoes. Honestly, I was at first going to skip this weird looking dish until my friend Joe Bob pointed out that it’s good. And I tried, and he was right! For some good reason, the okra in this dish was at all without the sliminess—which I believe many of us hate—and it is spiced just right so that you could taste the wonderful warm mixture of the veggies and seasoning, but not completely overwhelmed by either one. Very nicely done. Two thumbs up.

Although I have to say I wasn't completely impressed by the rice dishes. For my taste, they are a bit too dry and loose, baybe a bit too heavily spiced.

My friend Joe Bob says the Indian people’s probably got the most spices in the world, some of which you’ve never even heard of; and the most combinations of these spices, some of which you’ve never even dreamed of using. I think he’s got a point here. They sure don’t hesitate to spice things up a little!

Kabab & Curry

2006-09-13T13:05:00.000-05:00

11121 N. Rodney Parham Rd, Suite #36 B, Little Rock, AR 72212

I have long enjoyed Indian food, going back to the seventies when my sister married a man from India and the wonderful spices and dishes at the wedding reception hooked me. For years now, there was really only one local option when it came to Indian food and that is the Star of India restaurant off of Shackleford in Little Rock.

One has to figure that the food there is hard to improve on, and Mr. Sammy is known for his hospitality (and remembering your name.)

But the Kabab & Curry restaurant in the Market Place Center takes Indian cuisine to a higher level. At lunch it is a buffet, but as buffets go, this one is fresh and well tended.

I started with the nan, which is the tandoori baked flat bread with olive oil that is so crisp and delightful you keep going back for more (particularly good if you dab it in the hot mint leaf chutney). And around it, I added a small dollop of everything else to give it all a try.
The tandoori chicken was exactly what you would expect, but there was, I think, a dish called masala chicken that was spiced differently than anything I’ve ever tasted. It was tender and juicy and really wonderful.

Highly recommended, also, is the cabbage stir fry. But the one dish just stunned me was the Bhendi Masala. This is a stir fried okra dish that was beyond description. Perfectly cooked sections of okra in a heavenly concoction of spices. I found myself getting seconds and thirds.

I finished off with a helping of kheer (rice pudding) and gajar halwa (carrot) and would recommend either or both (as in my case) as being sweet and flavorful desserts.

Final Thoughts? Mr. Sammy, I’m sorry. I’ve enjoyed your restaurant immensely, but I think I found a better Indian restaurant.

Don’t hesitate to try Kabab and Curry. For directions or more information, call 501-978-8920, or email kababncurry@yahoo.com

June 2007 UPDATE Recently tried this place again and was sorely disappointed. The food had been sitting a long time on the steam tables and was not as good as I remembered from the time before. It was peak lunch hour and we were the only ones there. Appears to be well in the process of floating to the top of the tank.

Poppin' Fresh!

2006-08-30T10:15:00.000-05:00

From the "at least we know it's fresh" department...

iRUMBA!

2006-08-29T17:37:00.000-05:00

Cumberland and President Clinton Avenue, Little Rock, Arkansas

I went to this restaurant really wanting it to be great. For weeks I had seen the new sign on the building as I passed that corner getting on the Interstate. There was something intriguing about a “Mexi-Cuban Kitchen.”

But I have to admit, I was more anxious to find out about the Cuban part than the Mexi part.

Really, I should qualify that we went at lunch and the dinner session may be completely different. That being said…

From the menu one gets the idea that Cubans only eat variations of the Cubano sandwich, salad or soup. I had really hoped for a bit more adventurous selection of dishes to try. The young lady who waited on us strongly recommended the Cuban BLT which I just couldn’t bring myself to order. I just don’t think of BLT’s and Cuba in the same bubble.

We settled on a classic Cubano sandwich and a grilled chicken variant of the above. And, started with the “famous” Grandma King’s recipe hot sauce. This was delivered to our table along with a beautiful bowl of red corn chips.

But one bite told me that this was nothing more than canned tomato sauce. I mean just the sauce and nothing else. Well, there was a sprig of cilantro on top. I asked the waiter if she thought maybe the chef ran out of peppers. She looked puzzled and asked, “is it not hot enough?”

I told her that hot wasn’t even in the equation. She tasted it and pronounced it “just tomato sauce, it tastes like pizza sauce!” She took the offending bowl to the manager who marched determinedly into the kitchen.

Moments later he came out and apologized to us, telling us that the prep chef had failed to add any ingredients to it and thanked us for letting them know early enough in the day to fix it.

The waiter gave us a free bowl of cheese dip to make up for it.

When the sandwiches came, they were good and filling, but somehow I felt let down. It just wasn’t the exotic sandwich that I expected. In fact, both of them were pretty run-of-the-mill.

When the check came, it had scrawled across the top, “next time order the BLT!”