Arkansas

Re:Arkansas (buffetbuster)

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:44:19 GMT

I just wanted to thank everyone for all of their great suggestions. Cousin Johnny and I leave on our trip tomorrow and most of it is planned out. We will be trying to incorporate many of the ideas from this thread into the vacation.

Re:Arkansas (chickenplucker)

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 13:42:17 GMT

Finally made it to Fred's Hickory Inn in Bentonville. Thanks Gumbo191. I sat in the lounge dining room which is in the original log cabin section of the huge building. The food and atmosphere were both awesome. My sampler platter consisted of a couple of meaty tender dry rub ribs,a nice link of smoked andouille,slice pork,and several slices of smoked eye of round. Beans,cole slaw,and garlic bread rounded it out and they were all really good also. I will be back.
http://fredshickoryinn.net/

Re:Arkansas (Loreli09)

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 23:52:54 GMT

Quick test post until I can do the linkage bit.

Places I've been and would go again:

Rogers/Bentonville/Fayetteville
Red Robin - Burgers
Texas Land & Cattle Steakhouse - Steakhouse
Station Cafe - American/Burgers

Little Rock
Izzy's- Eclectic/American/Tamales
Buffalo Grill - American/Burger/Steaks
Flying Fish - Seafood (<-- fave)
Oyster Bar - Seafood
Copeland's of New Orleans - American/Chain Cajun/Creole
On the Border - TexMex Chain
Layla's Gyro's and Pizzaria - Greek
Iriana's Pizza - Pizza
Whole Hog Cafe - BBQ (<-- fave)
Five Guy's Burgers and Fries - Burgers
David's Burgers - (Same family that own or run the CJ's in Russellville. Same deal)
Grady's Pizza and Subs - name says it all
The Faded Rose - Steaks/Seafood/Cajun
Shotgun Dan's - Pizza

Benton/Bryant -
Ed and Kay's - Diner/Desserts (<--- fave)
Sullivan's Diner - Diner
Buffet City (Chinese/Sushi/buffet)

Sheridan
Jo's Diner - Diner/Breakfast
El Parian (The Frog) - Tex Mex
Cypress Grill - American/Cajun/Creole (Owners come from Louisiana)
Brew Heaven - Coffee Shop/Diner (limited hours)
The Yellowjacket Drive In - Burgers/Shakes (Dairy Queen type of thing)
Mazzios - Pizza/Sandwiches/Salad Bar
Uncle Henry's - BBQ/Smoked meats (limited hours)
The Donut Palace - Donuts/Wraps

Prattsville
The Whippet - Dairy Bar/Seafood/Desserts

Leola
Dorey's Catfish - Seafood/Buffet (Restaurant/Pay-lake setup) The quality was down the last time we ate there, but I'd probably try it at least once more.

Star City
The Village Steakhouse - Steaks/Prime Rib/Desserts/Shopping

Re:Arkansas (Loreli09)

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 22:47:22 GMT

This is a nice site for just the kind of info I've been looking for when either traveling or having guests in. Thought I'd add a few of my own, but now I'm wondering if it's better to wait until the 30 days (or whatever) are up so linking can be done.

Re:Arkansas (blackirondude)

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 21:49:16 GMT

FoodBully

A of the as reported by on website to help you on your trip.

Wow! Now I want to go to Arkansas.

Re:Arkansas (Louis)

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:16:12 GMT

If you go to the Family Pie Shop, meander across the road on over to Craig's Bar-B-Q. When I was there last summer, I got two big jars of their barbecue sauce to go. I took it to Mississippi, Louisiana, then back through those states and then on to Tennessee and Virginia before heading home and it held up well. Go with the medium sauce ; I think the hot is too hot and the mild is too mild.

Re:Arkansas (HDtravlr1)

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:41:40 GMT

Hugo's in Fayetteville for a great burger and fries. Just off the town square below the street level. A lot of great places mentioned that I have been to also. Hope to try the Monte Ne Inn next weekend.

Johnny McClanahan

Re:Arkansas (buffetbuster)

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:35:41 GMT

FoodBully-
Thanks so much for the links and all your help on this thread. I do follow HunkaPie on Facebook, so I was aware that they have moved again. They always seem to be changing locations or switching their hours. Nonetheless, they are at the top of my list when we are in Little Rock.

I was not aware of Your Mama's Good Food moving, so that is good to know. Man, I sure wish I could eat lunch there today!

Michael Stern-
That lodge in the state park looks spectacular! We will definitely be spending a night there. Thanks so much for the tip. And cousin Johnny would never forgive me if we don't make a stop at Family Pie Shop. Last two times I have stopped in though, it wasn't Mary Thomas taking our orders, but her daughter.

Re:Arkansas (Michael Stern)

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:50:28 GMT

Cliff, as you know, I'd probably nominate Arkansas as my favorite of all pie states; and the destinations I recommend are reviewed here at Roadfood.com, but if you are looking for a really great place to stay, I highly recommend Mount Magazine State Park. It's a pretty new facility and in a dramatically nice location: http://www.mountmagazinestatepark.com/.

And when planning to visit the Family Pie Shop, remember to call ahead!

Re:Arkansas (FoodBully)

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:38:15 GMT

Glad to see you'll be coming after all. All previous recommedations still hold, but HunkaPie has changed location again. They are now in the old Starlite Diner location at 250 Military Drive in North Little Rock.

I almost forgot, Your Mama's Good Food has also relocated to a larger space a few blocks away. The new info is on their Facebook page which I linked to above.

Re:Arkansas (buffetbuster)

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:17:02 GMT

I started this thread last year, because we planned on taking our vacation to Arkansas in 2011. It got put off, so now we are taking a very similar trip this April. There has been a lot of excellent suggestions so far, but would love to hear about new discoveries. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated, especially if they involve pie!

Re:Arkansas (buffetbuster)

Wed, 04 May 2011 13:40:55 GMT

Susanll-
Is the problem because it is a (used to be Northwest) Delta hub? I used to be able to fly into Memphis for under $200.00 easily, but they were looking for over $500.00, months ahead of time. Good luck and I hope the Southwest deal happens for you.

Re:Arkansas (susanll)

Wed, 04 May 2011 13:34:26 GMT

Cliff - that is why those in the Mid South are praying for the Southwest Airlines deal to go through at the Memphis airport.

Re:Arkansas (buffetbuster)

Wed, 04 May 2011 13:12:06 GMT

I feel as though I owe the board an apology.....

Since this thread was started, our vacation plans have changed. For some reason, the cost of airfare into Memphis was outrageous, even for the current times when the price of all airfare is up. (We also looked into Little Rock, Shreveport, St. Louis, Jackson, Tulsa, etc.) When we saw that we could fly further out west, for a lot less money, we went in that direction instead. So now the vacation for Cousin Johnny and I will be flying into Denver and including time in Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska.

Thanks again to everyone for all of the great suggestions in this thread. We still plan on taking the Arkansas trip, but it will have to wait until next Summer now.

Re:Arkansas (Littleman)

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 11:55:28 GMT

Just W of Texarkana on I 30 is a great place for road food. One of my favorite road stops is Ramage Farms Country Store at Exit 208 for good road food. The restaurant is an old building just off the N side of I30 and has all sorts of food stuff to purchase to take home. They serve outstanding BBQ, sandwiches, combo plates and steaks. Stop by if just to rest and get a cold drink. It's worth the effort to visit the old store.
Ramage Farms Country Store @ 901 Main St., Hooks, TX 903 - 547 - 6187.
http://www.ramagefarms.com/

Re:Arkansas (Gumbo191)

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 08:38:38 GMT

Yes Hermans has been a staple in Fayetteville for many years and who woudn't enjoy the saltines and salsa on the table. For your next visit you must look up Moma Dean's Soul Food kitchen she cooks up chicken livers, fried chicken, and many other classics with dessert included for about $10.http://eatoutnwa.blogspot.com/2009/12/momma-deans-soul-food-kitchen-1701-s.html

Re:Arkansas (chickenplucker)

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 21:16:57 GMT

Thanks for all the NW Arkansas ideas. I had a pretty good lunch 2 weeks ago at Herman's in Fayetteville. Pork tenderlon sandwich was a monster.

Re:Arkansas (Gumbo191)

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 09:11:01 GMT

Hope my response is not too late! As mentioned CJ's in Russelville is a must and the new king of Central AR. burgers beating out Feltners (but I do miss those fried pies at Feltners). See my review of CJ's here with pics: http://eatoutnwa.blogspot.com/2009/08/cjs-butcher-boy-2803-n.html

For Northwest Ar. you must try Monte Ne In http://www.monteneinnchicken.net/ for the best fried chicken around and much better than A.Q. (Clinton's Favorite). Served family style and all u can eat with bean soup, bread with apple butter, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, green beans and slaw. OMG its so good.

In Roger's AR seek out Susie Q's Malt Shop an original drive in operating for 50+ years serving great burgers and shakes. Plenty of pics here:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Susie-Q-Malt-Shop/103743996332542#!/pages/Susie-Q-Malt-Shop/103743996332542

In downtown Bentonville check out the birthplace of Walmart (Waltons Five and Dime museum) and then head next door to the Station Cafe on the square in Bentonville. Huge flat top griddled burgers with an excellent aged char around the edges of the patty.http://eatoutnwa.blogspot.com/2009/03/station-cafe.html

For catfish check out Catfish Johns in Rogers or The Catfish Hole in Fayetteville.
Suggested Itinerary:

Heading North on 540:
Catfish Hole in Fayetteville
Monte Ne Inn (Outside of Rogers)
Susie Q's Rogers
Freds Hickory Inn (smoked meats and steaks) in Bentonville
Whole Hog Cafe - Bentonville
Walton's Five and Dime followed by Station Cafe in Bentonville

I would be glad to give you a personal tour of these spots if you make it up here.

Re:Arkansas (billyboy)

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 12:41:18 GMT

Wow! This is a great thread. So much info. And TieDyeKat, I love your slideshow on Serious Eats! I sat there reading it this morning with a sad bowl of Grape-Nuts cereal in front of me and all I wanted was a buffet of those pies!

Re:Arkansas (AllenK)

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 11:24:04 GMT

For burgers in Little Rock,it's a tough call. Arkansas Burger Company,Burger Mama's,Buffalo Grill,Purple Cow,The Hop,Starlite Diner,Cotham's,and The Black Angus are all great. The Dairyland in Prothro Junction is the best in the state IMO though! Mel's in Malvern on US 67 south of town is a close second though.

I like Big Red in Russellville along with CJ's and Feltner's.

As for Arkadelphia/Caddo Valley I sure miss the Pig Pit. It was just about my favorite anywhere especially the sauce. Fat Boy's is very good,but they cleaned up the place too much IMO.
Mr. Sam Hays who ran the Pit for many years and then went to work for Tony @ Fat Boys just passed away a week or so ago. :( I prefer Allen's BBQ at the Highway 8/26/51 jct just west of the Arkadelphia exit. It's not my restaurant BTW,but it is very good IMO!

The Honeycomb is a wonderful place. The workers all have a disability of some sort. It's an offshoot of Group Living which also operates a thrift shop just across the street that's worth checking out also. You can Google the name to find out more about them.

If you make it down to Texarkana, travel down to Nash,Texas to Guy's Texas Burger. It's a great dive burger joint!! The Texas Burger combo is a huge burger,fries,and a drink for a whopping 4 bucks I believe. I love it!

I could ramble on and on,but I have been to most of the places mentioned here,and I wholeheartedly agree with the recommendations. You have to go to Craigs BBQ,and I wish Shadden's in Marvell was still open.

Re:Arkansas (FoodBully)

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 11:45:40 GMT

wanderingjew

Buffetbuster

It's been 6 years, but Crooked Hook Catfish in Jacksonville AR (suburban Little Rock)
is a must- I've checked recent reviews on reliable yelp and urbanspoon and apparently it's still good.
Besides their catrish, their strong points are their hushpuppies and tomato relish

Trust me on this- please- if you and cousin Johnny are dissapointed I would gladly comp you both for your meals.

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/200/1034371/restaurant/Little-Rock/Crooked-Hook-Catfish-Restaurant-Jacksonville

I read in today's paper that the Crooked Hook is apparently closed for remodeling. The paper didn't say how long it would be closed, so you may want to make sure they are open during your trip. Don't want you getting "Travelin' Manned".

Re:Arkansas (buffetbuster)

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 05:29:50 GMT

TieDyeKat-
Welcome to Roadfood! Thanks for the great pie list and all the other wonderful info you provide. Arkansas is such an underrated state for food.

Chip's Barbecue has become a must visit. And "holy fish, they are good" made me laugh!

Re:Arkansas (TieDyeKat)

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 22:19:40 GMT

Was going to mention... Chip's Barbecue. I actually live in this area of town and know the Chipman kids. Love the meat. Tolerate the sauce -- I usually get mine without. The pies, though... holy fish, they are good. Cheesecake same thing. The shakes are thick. Go for lunch, get the nachos with the house cheesedip... it's one of the city's unheralded wonders.

Re:Arkansas (TieDyeKat)

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 22:16:31 GMT

I suppose it's a matter of personal taste. There's a reason I didn't write about Family Pie Shop... it comes down to not writing about places I don't like. It's very rare that I say something bad about a place, because I know that doing so could damage these mom-and-pops. The whole supporting local business argument.

Still... some of these pies are not just amazing... about half of them are otherwise undiscovered. Seriously!

(and thanks for the props, guys)

Re:Arkansas (buffetbuster)

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:12:15 GMT

This past December, I ate at both Family Pie Shop and Mrs. Lena's back to back. Mrs. Lena's was fine, but wasn't nearly as good as FMP.

Re:Arkansas (FoodBully)

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:50:10 GMT

buffetbuster

FoodBully-
I was just about to post the same thing! Great looking pies, huh? The big surprise is that Family Pie Shop isn't represented.

That is strange. I guess I thought that first pie was from Family Pie Shop instead of Lena's. When I first looked at it, I saw DeValls Bluff and just assumed.

Re:Arkansas (buffetbuster)

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:40:02 GMT

FoodBully-
I was just about to post the same thing! Great looking pies, huh? The big surprise is that Family Pie Shop isn't represented.

Re:Arkansas (FoodBully)

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:38:21 GMT

A slideshow of the 15 best pies in Arkansas as reported by Kat Robinson on Serious Eats website to help you on your trip.

Re:Arkansas (buffetbuster)

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 20:35:57 GMT

susanll-
Thanks for the confirmation of Old Saw Mill Cafe, although when we stop in, it will most likely be for brekafast. Of course, if they are willing to make us fried chicken for brekafast, we won't complain!

Laughing Goddess-
Willie Mae's Rib Haus has been on me list of places to try in the Memphis area for some time now, but we have yet to get there. Thanks for the reminder.

FoodBully-
I became a fan of Arkansas Times on Facebook a few months ago and what a wealth of information. And Your Mama's Good Food sounds exactly like the types of place that cousin Johnny and I like.

I haven't been to Franke's Cafeteria in over a decade, but I will most likely stop in, if nothing nothing else for curiousity sake. Oh, and the pies, too!

Re:Arkansas (FoodBully)

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:22:24 GMT

Kat Robinson's visit, as reported on the Arkansas Times website today, reminded me of another restaurant to suggest for your trip: Your Mama's Good Food. I think it is a better alternative to Franke's Cafeteria. They have excellent rolls and I love the homemade banana pudding. Click on Kat's name above to visit her great website for other suggestions around the state.