Comforting Bites at Eunice's Country Cookin' in Fort Smith.

The era of the country lunchroom may be dwindling away, but in Fort Smith, it's being revitalized for the next decade at Eunice's. This long-standing eatery, originally opened in 1976, is still putting out goulash, beef over rice, homemade meatloaf and a beautiful selection of pies every weekday at lunch.

Over the past few years, the eatery's look has changed from the old ad-covered tables and blue padded chairs to a more modern, black-and-white bistro. But all the favorites, like the chicken fried steak and the polish sausage with sauerkraut, are all still there. 

That includes The Soup Bowl, one of Eunice's most popular dishes, which is a slab of fluffy cornbread topped with black-eyed peas, turnip greens, and your choice of ham or grilled chicken. Even the array of sides - including sweet pea salad, cottage cheese, sweet and sour coleslaw, glazed carrots and cucumber salad - remains intact.

But Eunice's has expanded, and now offers one of the simplest breakfast menus you'll find in the River Valley, a collection of favorites where you choose only what you want and eat what you get. 

You get three of the items for $6.99, four for a buck more, five for another buck - everything save ham, which is a buck more than all that. The choices are two eggs any way you order them, sausage patties, bacon, hasnbrowns, biscuits with jelly or gravy, a pancake, or toast. Simple, no fuss, no muss. 

And you get just what you want, cooked how you'd expect any country diner to set you up, perfectly grilled ham, over-easy eggs, crispy hashbrowns and bacon. You can add a glass of apple, orange or tomato juice or consume your breakfast with coffee or milk. And you're on your way.

The one other choice Eunice's offers in the morning is a two-egg omelet. It doesn't matter which of the ingredients you decide to have packed inside, it's $6.99 and it's served with hashbrowns, biscuits and gravy.

Don't expect to find more added to that menu. The folks at Eunice's know they have a winning selection, and there's no reason to muddy the waters. Breakfast is a nice addition to this popular lunchroom, and even though it's weekday only, it's still a wonderful place to chat over eggs or drink coffee with your digital newspaper before approaching a new workday.

Of course, no matter when you go or what you get, there's always pie. Eunice's on the regular has coconut cream and chocolate cream pies, a nice delightful end to any meal. Including breakfast.

And then there's cheesecake - another worthy meal-ender whenever it's offered. You can also often get one of a variety of cobblers. It's all housemade like you'd expect visiting your grandmother. Eunice's is just that, an opportunity to enjoy good home cookin' for a reasonable price, without dirtying a single dish at home.

Eunice's Country Cookin'

3325 South 74th Street in Fort Smith

(479) 484-1465

eunicescountrycookin.com