Kat Robinson

We've lost a lot of great Arkansas restaurants over the past 15 years or so. One of the most beloved in northwest Arkansas had to have been Mary Maestri's, one of the original Tontitown Italian joints.

The closest dairy bar to downtown Little Rock is across the river on Washington Street, where Wink's Dairy Bar has served generations. It's not just the regular burgers or the pizza burgers, or even the pie, but the tamales that really set this place apart. Just time your visit right - if you go during lunch, you may have to park down the block, because the lot is always loaded.

Pie of the day: peanut butter pie at Miud Street Cafe in Eureka Springs.

You remember Go Go China on University Avenue in Little Rock? It's still there - well, I mean, it's a couple doors north of where it once was, but you can still find all your cheap eats popular with the college crowd, like the oversized, week-of-meals sized box of Ten Ingredient Fried Rice. It's still cash only, and still one of the best deals you'll find in the Capital City.

Preparing to talk about soup!

Because of the nature of what I do, scouring the state for good stories and great food, I often find myself heading back home in the late hours of the day. Sometimes coffee is enough. When it's not, and I need a good handheld to take with me for the ride, I stop in at the Phillips 66 service station at the Dyer off I-40 and get Indian food at Kountry Xpress. The lamb samosas - the chicken ones, too - are excellent, and a pair is a great and filling meal. When I really need to keep myself awake, I order the Chicken 65, and that spicy bite gets me all the way home and then some.

It was a quaint railroad themed cafe with roots all the way back to 1920. The Broadway Cafe in Prescott made some incredible breakfasts, and I rather enjoyed sitting at its counter and sipping away on coffee while listening to the trains pass outside. There was one time about a dozen years back where I ended up spending two hours there because of an engine issue that was holding up a lot of the crossings, including one up the tracks I couldn't get to until it passed.

Also, if you're not from Lower Arkansas, you should know the town's name is pronounced press-kit, not press-cot.

Pie of the day: Monkey Pie (banana nut cream) at Ozark Mountain Grill, inside the Workman's Travel Center in Lowell.

Singular amongst dishes found in the state is the Omwich, a combination of folded egg majesty within a crusty sandwich bun. Cheese, meat, veggies, whatever you choose, it's easier to handhold than almost any other egg dish and is excellent to take and go - which you might want to do, along with whatever slice of pie you decide to pick up at PJ's Rainbow Cafe in Mountain View.

It's a shame Olde Tyme Restaurant on the Square never came back after the fire that destroyed the eatery in November 2019. It was the one place in Arkansas where vinegar pie, a pie whose roots are documented back before the Civil War, was always on the menu.

The mess of crazy that is the Mayflower exit off I-40 is mostly fixed now, I think. I do know if I manage to turn off heading eastbound and miss that first right, I can circle back down and around, but it sure makes getting my head on straight about getting to Stroud's Diner a bit of a mess. Regardless, I know when I do finally get into the parking lot and through the door, a hot breakfast awaits me, even if I'm just dropping in for a veggie-loaded order of cheesy hashbrowns.

Ben has too much time on his hands and kid both took it on and still could not finish the 55 Gallon Pancake.

I am pretty sure this is the largest pancake by volume in the state. There's another pancake challenge at Searcy's Chit Chat Chew, but it's a stack of almost normal thickness pancakes. At some point, I'll go shoot that, maybe let Hunter try that challenge.

Seriously, though, go try Bucket List Cafe.

Another one for the wall of shame. He (they) gave it a good run but came up short in the end. Ben has to much time on his hands will be down for the rest of the day. Thanks Ben for the challenge it was fun.

Pie of the day: coconut meringue pie at Charlie's Cafe in Omaha. Cash only.

The White House Cafe in Camden is the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the state, having originally opened its doors in 1907. Today it still offers home cooking and Tex-Mex favorites. Check out the all-metal lunch counter when you walk in. And get you something hearty, like the chicken fried steak plate. Good eating.

The 4-Dice Restaurant in Fordyce has its claim to fame tied to the Rolling Stones - but it was also a pretty dang good local buffet. I keep hoping someone else will take up the offer to reopen it and bring folks back in.

I am antsy for Cajun Boilers to get back open again after their "glow up." I know remodeling takes time, but I really need some crab legs about now and crawfish season is nigh.

Days like this make me so disappointed that Lilly's Dim Sum Then Some is gone. I'd have really enjoyed having a bowl of sweet potato soup for lunch.

Pie of the day: lemon meringue pie at Junction 166 Cafe in Pocahontas.

Magnolia's famous The Backyard Barbeque Co. will continue, but the Greer Family has sold the restaurant. Here's hoping the excellence continues.

Can't go wrong with a good fish dinner. One of the best you'll find in the state is at Fred's Fish House in Batesville, where your fish and fixings are all top notch. Great, tender fish with brown beans, coleslaw, green tomato relish, hush puppies and fries makes for a veritable feast.

The eggplant casserole, Waldorf salad and egg custard pie is often mentioned when people mention what was Arkansas's longest running cafeteria, Franke's - but this is what I miss most. No one else has ever served a cinnamon cream pie that matches the one you'd find at the end of that lune.

Do you miss Franke's Cafeteria?

No one's ever going to argue where to get the best Coca-Cola in Helena-West Helena. But if you're not diving deeper into this classic dairy bar's menu, you are missing out. Like the Chuck Steak Sandwich, a hand-breaded country fried steak on a bun. It's a better-than-average version of the classic, and goes great with that Coke. Also consider a soft-serve cone with a twisted-in flavor. Good times.

Pie of the day: chocolate meringue pie at Miss Mary's in Gentry.

(this recipe is in The Great Arkansas Pie Book)

We talk about old restaurants in Arkansas - like the oldest continuously operating eatery, White House Inn in Camden, open since 1907. But there are a few older joints that have been around longer that may not have served food throughout their tenure. Such is the case at J&S Grocery Grill and Bait Shop in Heth. The building has been around since 1905, and it's housed a general store inside most of its life. Right now, the place within offers breakfasts and lunches and magnificent smashed patty burgers - and all those things you expect from an old Arkansas general store, down to the pickled eggs on the counter. It's just off I-40 out on the east side of the Delta, and a great place to step back in time.