Home of the Love Burger: Troy's Drive In in DeWitt.

There's nothing like a flame-broiled burger - and when the flames get this high, you know you're getting something special. Let's visit DeWitt's classic dairy bar.

Arkansas Classic Black Angus Forced to Seek New Home.

The longstanding burger and steak joint that has served Little Rock since 1960 is looking a new place to move after the new owners of the building decide to have the eatery move out.

A Bobby Burger, a Plate Lunch and Pie at Bobby's Cafe in North Little Rock.

The excellent diner near the Morgan Maumelle exit off Interstate 40 offers a good breakfast, great lunches and the enormous Bobby Burger. And of course, there's pie.

A Couple of Burgers and a Fried Pie at DJ's Diner near Drasco.

We weren't expecting to find pie. But find pie, we did. And some onion rings and burgers to boot.

Oh Susie Q, Baby I Love You, Susie Q Malt Shop in Rogers.

Believe it or not, the teal colored dairy bar in Rogers wasn't named after the song written by Dale Hawkins and performed by many, including Creedence Clearwater Revival. The story behind the name of the popular summertime treat stand and how it got its name, right here.

Patrick's Burgers Remind Me of What Burgers Should Be.

A visit to the local classic in Springdale means sliding off the beaten path, entering a world dedicated to local sports fans, and forgetting any sort of cynicism about the direction the humble burger has taken lately. I'm really glad I found my way to Patrick's.

Daisy Queen in Marshall: 51 Years and Counting.

Marshall is home to a couple of grand Arkansas classics - both of which turned 50 in 2016. Before you head out to a show at the Kenda Drive-In, or wander out to the Buffalo National River, stop in at the Daisy Queen and sit a spell.

Meaty Expectations Delivered at Blacksheep Smokehouse and Grill in Yellville.

A relatively new barbecue joint in north Arkansas is handling its own quite well with barbecue and burgers worthy of renown. Let's take a look inside Blacksheep Smokehouse and Grill in Yellville.

Hugo's Off The Square, and the Burger I Couldn't Photograph.

A burger, a bar and a prohibition on using the big camera... let's just say the attitude I loved in Hugo's in Fayetteville changed when I brought my Rebel through the door.  But I still love that Blue Moon.

Walnut Pie at The Station Cafe in Bentonville.

Station Café may be known best today for being a couple doors down from the Walmart Museum. But a singular food item should earn it a spot on your hallowed pie trek agenda.

Herman's Ribhouse Endures as Fayetteville's Oldest Restaurant.

Herman’s Ribhouse… the latest restaurant in a building that rightfully claims to be the oldest continually operating restaurant in Fayetteville.  Let's look back at the checkered past of this Arkansas classic.

Burger Joint: Allen's Burger Center in Fouke.

When is a burger joint more than a burger joint? When it's a sandwich shop and catfish joint, too... and those are separate businesses.  Welcome to Allen's Burger Center in Fouke.

A Messy Chili Cheeseburger at Sam's Olde Tyme Hamburgers in Rogers.

I could say I've never met a burger I didn't like... but that would be a lie.  There have been some disappointments out there.

But not at Sam's Olde Tyme Hamburgers in Rogers.  Oh, no.  What I encountered at the red-awning decked shop on the east side of town was a messy, gloppy marvel of excellence, with a perfect patty beneath.

Dinner and a Show at Loree's Cattleman's Restaurant in Green Forest.

Country music and country vittles go hand in hand, or at least they should.  So many of our steakhouses, catfish houses and country fried joints all across Arkansas and the Mid South pipe in the tunes of the greats of country music.  But few of them offer live performances, and even fewer offer that live entertainment for free.

Of them, Loree's Cattleman's Restaurant in Green Forest is a real gem.  The Cattleman's Restaurant has stood since 1958, as part of, I kid you not, a sale barn.  It is truly a local gem, with clientele that usually seems restricted to people who all know each other. Everyone really does seem to know everyone by name.

Five Great Short Trips (And Burgers) From Central Arkansas.

So, summertime is just about here, and you're strapped for vacation time.  Or you want a quick place to get away for the weekend?  

Here are five such destinations... and the burger you should try when you're in town.

Perryville (56 minutes from Little Rock).  Like animals?  Want to learn something?  Consider a trip out to Perryville to visit the Heifer Ranch?  This facility is used to train people who volunteer with Heifer – and for groups to experience life in a variety of different dwellings representative of housing situations around the world.  Lots of livestock, too.  

The burger:  The Widowmaker at Mustang Sally's.  What might be the tallest burger in Arkansas comes with bacon, egg, barbecue sauce, fried cheese sticks and more between two round grilled cheese sandwiches.  Learn more here.

Lonoke (30 minutes from Little Rock). Did you know that sixty-one percent of the value of all cultured baitfish in the country come from Arkansas? The center of that activity is Lonoke - the Minnow Capital of the World - where you’ll find a large number of minnow farms.It’s run by Arkansas Game and Fish, and it’s where you’ll learn about the bait fish industry. It’s named after Joe Hogan, who started the fishery back in 1929. Today, you can go and visit the hatchery, look around at the aquariums and mounted fish and learn a lot about fishing in Arkansas.

The burger:  The regular cheeseburger comes on a sesame-seeded bun with your choice of condiment and a slab of Velveeta cheese.  Fries are served with cheese dip! Read more here.

Bauxite/Benton (32/29 minutes from Little Rock).  Ever wonder where aluminum comes from?  The source ore is bauxite, and there's a town in Arkansas named for that very substance.  Bauxite has been mined and refined in Arkansas for decades, and there's a Saline County town that even has the name.  Head there on Wednesdays to visit the Bauxite museum, then roll into Benton and visit the Gann Building -- the only structure in the world built with bauxite.

The burger:  Jimmy's Diner serves up beautiful traditional smashy cheeseburgers with nice griddle char.  And the fried pies are great, too.  Best of all, you'll pass Jimmy's between the two destinations. Check it out here.

Greenbrier (49 minutes).  The Faulkner County town on US Highway 65 may have the greatest concentration of flea markets in our state, no joke!  American Pickers would have a field day with the run of antique malls, treasure troves and collector's havens that line the road from Springhill to Damascus.  Greenbrier's the epicenter.  Take cash.

The burger:  The Cowboy at the Wagon Wheel Restaurant is served on a long seeded road with sauteed peppers and onions, Monterrey Jack cheese and pickles.  Try it out.

Scott (20 minutes).  The Arkansas Delta is less than half an hour from Little Rock, and the place to learn its agricultural history is the Plantation Agriculture Museum State Park.  Here, you'll unearth the story of cotton, boll weevils, seeds and grains and the farmers that took on the fertile fields of the Mississippi River alluvial plain.

The burger:  The Hubcap at Cotham's Mercantile is legendary.  For safety's sake, take a friend to share it with you, and don't forget the onion rings.  See why, here.

Need a burger recommendation where you're headed?  Tweet Kat @TieDyeTravels or send a message to kat@tiedyetravels.com.

Burger Lists: A Rant.

Arkansas burgers? I've had a few.

From time to time, you'll see me rant on here about the shoddy state of clickbait journalism. There are far too many websites out there just looking for someone to visit, and they use unscrupulous tactics to get you there.  In the past few years, that's included what my friend Michael calls "listicles," which are posts that enumerate points or items.  If you've seen the "Top 25 of This" or "10 Ways to That" sort of pieces out there, you know what I mean.

Sadly, we're seeing a lot of that with "experts" who are claiming the top restaurants for different types of things in Arkansas.  For instance,

One of these sites, OnlyInYourState.com, has come up with its supposed list of the 25 best burgers to be had in the state of Arkansas.  For your benefit and so you don't have to click through, the list goes:
25.  Root Cafe, Little Rock
24.  Salem Dairy Bar, Salem (Benton)
23.  Bulldog Restaurant, Bald Knob
22.  Morrilton Drive Inn Restaurant, Morrilton
21.  DJ's Drive In, Bismarck
20.  Thirst 'N' Howl, Little Rock
19.  Chopping Block, Mena
18.  Boss BBQ, Benton
17.  Red Door, Little Rock 
16.  Feltner Brothers, Fayetteville
15.  Dairy Shack, Waldenburg
14.  Johnny B's, El Dorado
13.  Cotham's Mercantile, Scott/Cotham's in the City, Little Rock
12.  Hamburger Barn, Arkadelphia
11.  Viola Stampede, Viola
10.  Boardwalk Cafe, Jasper
9.  Sparky's Roadhouse and Ultralounge, Eureka Springs
8.  Myer's Cruizzers, Mena
7.  The Back Forty, Mountain Home
6.  Hamburger Station, Paragould
5.  Dairyette, Mount Ida
4.  Asher Dairy Bar, Little Rock
3.  Greenhouse Grille, Fayetteville
2.  Benson's Grill, Fort Smith
1.  David's Burgers, Little Rock

One of Grav's friends sent him the link, and he read it off to me as we were on the road, actually heading to the World Championship Steak Cook-Off in Magnolia -- because, of course, we actually GO places and do our research.  And as he read off the list, I noticed something.  Something sounded very, very odd.

They're all places I have reviewed.

Okay, that may seem a bit pompous, but get this -- with the exception of the Morrilton Drive-Inn Restaurant, Asher Dairy Bar and DJ's in Bismarck, they're all in my 50 Best Burgers of 2011 piece on this here blog.  What's more -- they're almost all burgers I wrote about in the Burger Joint of the Week pieces I did on Eat Arkansas between June and November 2011.  And Viola Stampede?  It's been closed for over a year.

If I were writing Eat Arkansas right now, I'd be doubly cheesed.

COME ON.  At least Thrillist did SOME research when it came to its choices of seven (heavily NWA centered) burgers in The Natural State.   And I think Thrillist is one of the worst at this.

I'm guessing it's time I put together a dang listicle of my own that encompasses all of the best burgers.  For now, if you'd like to see some of the awesome burgers I have eaten, head to this Facebook album.  Seriously.

And I'll see what I can come up with for your burger-eating pleasure.

Burger Joint of the Week: The Hive at 21c Museum Hotel.

Art galleries and major museums are fantastic facilities for observing the visual arts; but often the fare served in the obligatory café or restaurant within fails to achieve such lofty aspirations.

Fortunately, The Hive at the new 21c Museum Hotel in Bentonville exceeds the expectation.  That matters doubly for the house burger.

Surprisingly Large Burgers at Red River Cafe in Fulton.

The rain came down in sheets.  Outside, the green sky oozed over the windshield.  We were doing our best to get the hell out of Arkansas before the storm came, but we couldn't beat the rain.  The rain was beating us.

I'd been squinting through the wipers for two hours straight, and the strain was enough.  Other motorists who either couldn't deal with the rain or who thought they needn't drop their speed jockeyed past each other on Interstate 30.  We missed the Hope exit, our intended put-in, and white-knuckled on, hungry and already tired with five more hours of drive-time to go.

I spotted the big blue sign right before the Fulton exit, saw something red and white under the heading of FOOD and decided to take the exit.  Following the signs, we pulled up outside a long red bricked building next door to an austere old gas station.  I tried to dodge the deeper puddles for a spot where we could drag the least of the storm inside with us.  And then I shot this image with my phone, marveling at what appeared to be a still-working payphone on the outside wall.

Rushing in, cameras tucked under our arms, we stepped inside and found ourselves a table next to the window.  Thinking we were actually going to make it to Texarkana or further along before we actually had a full meal, we looked over the little wrinkled menus on the table for something quick to eat.

Now, I've been a little bit of everywhere, and I am used to burgers being flat from a griddle or round from a fancier restaurant... there was no indication one way or another here.  We both talked about what to order, and decided if we had leftovers, we'd take them with us.  I went for a simple double cheeseburger, and Grav

chose the Fulton Mafia Combo -- essentially the same thing with bacon, seasoned fries and a beverage.  Sounded good enough to me.

The rain continued to smother the lot outside the door.  A trio of kids, likely related to a member of the staff, played an old game console on the other

side of the restaurant, something that sounded remarkably like Galaga.  When a big wrecker truck came onto the lot, one of them shouted, and the three of them went to the glass-paned door and waved, eliciting a honk from the incoming vehicle.  Another wrecker passed on its way out.

I overheard our waitress talking with the cook a bit about the pie.  She'd come out, pull a pie from the case next to the register, cut a slice and put it in a clamshell box and take it to the back.  She did this again, and then a third time, this with the final admonition "well why don't you just bring the pan back here?"  I wasn't sure if the pie was being packaged for customers to come, or what, but I did note it was a chocolate meringue pie, and once that was gone there was a single pie left in the case.

The rain kept flowing on and on, pressing waves towards the building.  Grav reached across and touched my hand as we stared out into the gray.  A UPS truck pulled up, first with its passenger door to the cafe, then turning around and placing same doorway under the eve for the gas station next door.  A pair of tandem-trailer trucks performed a pas de deux in the mud by the road, carefully lining up where the drivers could converse through open windows without having to brave the soaking waters.

There was giggling in the back, that grew louder.  We sipped on our beverages, which had been provided to us in car holder-friendly 32 ounce Styrofoam cups, and kept looking out the window, until our waitress got our attention by setting plates down in front of us.

Well, golly.

Here were two burgers, each enough for two, standing tall on steak knives.  The patties were fat and moist, with bits of char on their flat faces.  Mine sat between its seedless buns, a ring of pickles and a single slice of tomato evident under

its cap.  A leaf of iceberg lettuce had been glued to the top bun with mustard, while mayo oozed from underneath the bottom patty. Those patties wore deep yellow slices of American cheese like tight trousers, all melty together.

And completely impossible to eat, due to the sheer height of the creations.

Grav's burger was much the same, except under his bottom patty was a layer of curly bacon, adding even more height to his creation.

After our round of photos and astonishment, I attempted to smush my burger flat enough to manage into my mouth.  This wasn't happening.  I pressed hard, but only succeeded in pushing some of the moisture out of the patties and imprinting my fingers into the bun top.  Our waitress provided us with forks.

And I'll tell you, rainy day blues

aside, these were awesome burgers with a nice flavor of black pepper and a little seasoning, some onion in there as well.  Our waitress claimed the patties weren't measured but they were easily half a pound each, leaving us with hefty amounts of beef to make it through.  We did not succeed.  

I might have, and I likely would have put myself at risk for rupture, had I not got to thinking about that pie.  So a slice was ordered, and we shot the pie before we closed the lid and slid it into the offered sack along with our leftovers.

Our beverages topped off and capped, we left, me going and jumping in the car and unlocking the doors for Grav to rush out and slide in.

That pie I ate about six hours later in a hotel room in Livingston, TX, exhausted from the trip and needing sugar in my system before we were to venture to our next destination, a restaurant called the Blue Duck.  The custard of the pie was rich, a dark chocolate custard with substantial heft, and the meringue was caramelized and sweet.

The Red River Cafe was a surprise to us, and that's a good thing.  We don't get a whole lot of surprises these days, so being able to pull out of the rain and into a table in a friendly restaurant is a real blessing.  We'll be back for breakfast at some point.

Red River Cafe

5279 Highway 67 West (I-30 Exit 18)
Fulton, AR 71838
(870) 896-2590

You Need To Try The Pie at Boo's Bulldog Diner.

We've been doing a great deal of traveling in western Arkansas recently, searching out all sorts of good eats.  Our last stop before returning home this time came at a modest diner in downtown Greenwood, where we found a decent

lunch and absolutely incredible pie.

The Bulldog Diner has been around a little while in Greenwood, on the somewhat unusually shaped downtown square.  Boo Polk bought the place in 2013 and has added her touch to it.  That touch, I'm guessing, happens to be the pies.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

We were headed out of town and decided to grab a late lunch one Thursday afternoon.  We had seen the sign the day before and made a mental note to check it out.  So around one in the afternoon we pull up to where that sign was and proceeded around to the side of the building, where we went in.

I mention that because the front door is not the front door and you have

to enter from the side.  Get it?  All right.

The remnants of the lunch crowd were dining.  We were asked to find out own seat.  Our waitress brought us menus to look through while we got our bearings.  She was patient with us while we cleared our heads, ordered beverages and decided on some Texas toothpicks.  And we were patient when we discovered that the appetizer was unavailable.  So Grav jumped on the idea of fried pickles.

They came to the table breadcrumb-encrusted and with a healthy serving of ranch dressing.  Just sharp enough to the taste but still rather good.

And that's when the looking began.

I supposed metropolitan folks have gotten use to seeing people shoot their food with cameras and phones, but the idea seemed to be foreign to these Greenwood diners, who glanced at us and openly talked about what we were doing.

Our waitress answered more questions before putting in our orders the second go-round.  We weren't there too long before our lunches arrived.

And yes, even confronted with a menu full of burgers, salads and dinner plates, I went for... a chili dog.

Judge me if you wish, but every once in a while even I want a good sopping

plate full of chili-swamped stuff, and this did it for me.  An all-beef weiner on a bun covered in chili and cheese.  That's right.  It was... well, what can a chili dog be?  It was all right.

And so were the onion rings, which I was bound to get one way or another.

I was craving them.  Sadly, these weren't thick rings, just moderate ringlets in their batter.  Okay, I could totally do that.

By this point, no one was eating in the restaurant. Not that the food wasn't good, but the two tables of people who'd come in after we had were gawking at what we were doing, openly watching us switching plates and taking photos.  I noticed.  Grav noticed.  It's funny.

Grav, on the other hand, had gone for the epic, and from the moment I saw his burger I knew I had chosen poorly.  His burger was massive.  He had ordered the Big Daddy Burger, a double-patty burger with cheese and A1 sauce that comes with a double order of fries, and he had bacon added. And as you can see, this was the impressive result.  As far as double-patty burgers go, this one was pretty dang thick and

impressive.  It was low on spicing, but came with two different sorts of melty cheese and of course the bacon.  I dug the crinkly fries, though Grav said they weren't seasoned well enough for his taste.

That'd be enough to say hey, drop in and check out this restaurant.  But then we decided to try the pie.

That changed the entire conversation.  Several varieties were offered, including chocolate pie... but we went for a couple of different choices.  We both wanted coconut, but got it in very different ways.

Grav went with the coconut cream pie... which was lovely and decadent.  Coconut in the body of the pie.  Coconut in the creamy bits.  Coconut creamy and frosty, light and almost airy.  This was a pretty dang good coconut cream pie.

And it had absolutely nothing on my buttermilk pie.  You never really know what you're going to get with a buttermilk pie.  I've had everything from a glorified chess pie to lemon custard to a pineapple-rendered version, and it's always a bit of random what you get.  I should have guessed it'd be pretty good when the waitress

asked me if I'd like it heated.

That made a good pie stupendous.

Think about it -- buttery coconut custard with the almost citrus ting of buttermilk in a homemade crust.  Can you think of anything that would be better? Anything?  I thought not.

This is the sort of pie one injures oneself on.  It was just exactly the sort of pie one should consume to brace for a cold front, or to warm a heart.  It's almost shareable.

Almost.

Even Grav had to admit, my pie was better, and that was saying a lot.  Both pies are definitely Arkansas Pie-worthy.

We'll probably return in a few months to try the dinners... which includes country fried steak and country pit ham.  For now, it's back on the road for us.  For you, here's a great place on Highway 10 in Greenwood to drop in on when you're in the area.

Boo's Bulldog Diner
3 Main Street
Greenwood, AR 71936
(479) 996-9097
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