A Plateful of Filling at Holly's Country Cookin' in Conway.

Locals swear by this lunch-only, weekday-only cafeteria on south Harkrider - by the fried chicken, by the mac and cheese and by the pies. They aren't wrong.

Steaks Are High(ly Craved) at Outback Steakhouse in Conway.

The popular Australian-themed chain is a favorite of ours for birthday celebrations, not only for the always-steady fare but because of one tiny kids menu detail.

Quick Bite: The Dive in Conway.

Though I greatly lament the passing some time ago of Saigon Cuisine, the restaurant that's taken its place inside the former Kentucky Fried Chicken on Oak Street near the interstate has a good vibe and, more importantly, an irresistable sandwich I want again right now.

Julie Steps Out, Does Good at Julie's Sweet Shoppe and Bakery in Conway.

Despite being in one of Arkansas's most bakery-saturated cities, Julie Goodnight's decision to step out on her own and begin her own bakery has been a successful one.

Thai One On at Saigon Cuisine in Conway (or Little Rock).

This restaurant has closed.

There’s been a lot of pitter patter on Twitter and other social media about the need for good, reasonably priced Thai in our area. So I’ve been on the lookout. And hey, I found some. It’s in Conway at Saigon Cuisine.

Triple Horsepower at Los 3 Potrillos in Conway.

Conway has a lot of Mexican restaurants. A LOT. Just a couple of weeks ago I told you about Faby’s, the Mexican/Continental Fusion place with locations on Front Street and Dave Ward Drive. There’s a lot more -- from La Hacienda to Taqueria Micho to Casa Mariachi.

One of the local joints I like is Los 3 Potrillos (“The Three Stallions”). The wide open restaurant in the Howard Johnson has all the favorites and more… and the margaritas range on the maddeningly sweet side. The cheese dip is white and the chips are golden yellow.

You see, Los 3 Potrillos has some great dishes. The food is certainly colorful. One of my favorite dishes there is the Enchiladas Mexicanas ($8.75), three enchiladas and their appropriate sauces -- beef enchilada with red sauce, cheese enchilada with white cheese sauce (the dip), and chicken enchilada with green sauce. Care is taken to make sure each sauce is separate on the plate to get that gorgeous tri-color flag thing going. I like the chicken enchilada with green sauce the best, mild but flavorful with cilantro and tomatillo in that sauce. Yum.

The portions tend to be on the large side. There’s a slew of combination dinners for $6.49, including a combination of taco, burrito and Chile Relleno. The latter comes out fist sized and hot, a big pepper stuffed with cheese and coated in breading, taking up half a plate. Tacos? Average, I guess, but you get your choice on the combinations of having beef or bean or chicken or cheese as a filling for each taco, burrito and enchilada. That’s a nice touch.

Burritos are long and slender rather than fat and chunky, but they’re substantial enough. I’ve tried the Burrito Especial ($4.99) with its expected ground beef inside and such. I prefer the Burrito Mexicano ($5.99), filled with shredded beef sautéed with tomatoes, onions and bell peppers. Each is topped with more of the “white sauce” (read: more cheese dip), lettuce, tomato and sour cream. They’re fork burritos rather than the sort you pick up and eat with your hands. They are tasty.

They have an All-You-Can-Eat Lunch for $5.99. You can choose up to five items at a time from a list, including burritos, tacos, chalupas, tostaguac, Chile Rellenos, a nice list. Of course there’s no to-go boxes with this and your drink’s separate, but… well, it’s a good deal. Kids 4-12 are just $3.25 -- they can eat for that much, you can’t take them home for that much.

Los 3 Potrillos does serve alcohol. It’s not write-home good, but it is decent, and I like the fact that it’s decent on both taste and price. You’ll find it at 1090 Skyline Drive (Highway 65) in Conway. They’re open every day for lunch and dinner. (501) 327-1144. Find the menu here.

More than Mexican at Faby's in Conway.

Have I kept any good-eating secrets around Arkansas to myself? Well, yes, I guess I’m guilty of that. Mea culpa. I haven’t shared Faby’s Restaurant with you.

There are actually two Faby’s, one on Dave Ward Drive and the other on Front Street in Conway. Been to both. The eclectic mix of Mexican and Continental fare seemed a bit of a stretch before I went, but I can happily tell you it’s a good combination.

Pie Eyed at Old Chicago Pizza in Conway.

Yeah, it's a chain operation.  There are places all over the U.S.   But Old Chicago Pizza isn't just another Pizza Hut or Pizza Pro or Papa John's.  There's more to this pie than meets the eye.

Part of that is that it's not all about the pie.  It's also about pasta and beer.   Lots of beer.  To the tune of 110 different varieties available.  That, my friends, is a lot of beer.

The restaurant does "beer flights," where the drinker gets four 4 ounce glasses of different beer on a paddle to sample. The one you see pictured here is the Old World Flight (minus a few sips). For someone searching out their next favorite brew, I suppose it's a pretty good idea.

We've tried the Signature Trio ($9.49) off the appetizer menu. And as far as appetizers go, they're pretty neat. I can easily see someone making a meal off the cheesy garlic bread, the pepperoni rolls and those Italian nachos -- which, by the way, if you aren't able to eat pepperoni or Italian sausage, they'll make with beef instead. Very nice of them. But you want to know about the pie. Fair enough.

Old Chicago does an especially thick-crusted pie, in two varieties -- stuffed, like the Chicago Seven stuffie shown above ($16.99) with its cheese and Italian sausage, pepperoni and vegetables on the inside.

There's also the traditional non-stuffed pies, like the Thai Pie ($15.59 medium, $18.99 large) with its blessings of roasted chicken, onions, teriyaki and Mozzarella and Cheddar and Thai red chili pizza sauce. If you can call that traditional. The dough is very much on the yeasty side, thick and chewy, enough to keep you filled for a long time. Oh, they do offer thin crust, but it's not pushed like the "Chicago" style.

Calzones are made with that same thick dough, hearty and just about all you need for a lunch.

The restaurant also does steaks, chicken, fish and chips, sandwiches and pasta, like the pictured Grilled Chicken and Spinach Ravioli ($11.19) -- which isn't ravioli stuffed with chicken and spinach but the two main ingredients sauteed together and poured in a sauce over cheese ravioli.

Without the chicken, the dish is identical save the chicken on top.

And then there's dessert.

The place offers several sorts of desserts, including a cheesecake they claim takes two days to make and the Famous Big Cookie, served up in a hot pizza pan. There's something to be said for the simple elegance of the Little Big Cookie ($2.99, serves 2), though -- if for nothing more than it's a hot chocolate chip cookie that you're not going to take home in a box. In hindsight, I can't remember why in the world we would have ordered it without the "a la mode," considering that a cookie this big is begging for dairy.

My experiences with Old Chicago Pasta and Pizza is from the Conway location; a new location's just open in North Little Rock on Warden Road. Pretty decent for a chain. You'll find the Conway location at 1010 Main Street (next to the defunct Doe's Eat Place). It opens at 11am each day and keeps on going to midnight or later. (501) 329-6262. The North Little Rock location is at 4305 Warden Road... (501) 812-6262. And there's a website with all sorts of details.

Breakfast at Stoby's

Folks know Stoby's by its cheese dip.  That cheese dip is everywhere.  And it's good.  But that's not all there is to the restaurant.  In fact, there's a lot more than just the Stoby sandwich, too.  There's a whole lot of food on the menu.

My favorite meal at Stoby's is breakfast.  Now, usually I go for The Northerner ($6.49), corned beef hash and two eggs with a biscuit and hash browns.  I've just about become predictable with that, stopped looking at the menu years ago because I just knew what I wanted.  It was the same when I went to school at Arkansas Tech in the early 90s, the same when Stoby's opened up briefly while I was living in Jonesboro.  And it's the same when I can make my way up to Russellville in the morning hours.  Until now.

You see, I'm trying out new things, because if I know more of the menu of a place then I can share it with you.

I could already tell you about the fabulous biscuits, moist and a little cakey, soft and hot.  I could already sing the praises of Stoby's housemade strawberry jam, which comes served up in a squirt bottle for easy application along with a bottle of squirt Parkay.  The biscuits are just salty enough to make your mouth water; the jam reminiscent of homemade strawberry compote for shortcakes, that bright red that almost doesn't seem natural.  Yeah, I could tell you all about those.

But I decided to give the Ole' Omelette ($5.80) a try.  I mean, how could you go wrong with Stoby's chili, cheese and such.  I was well pleased.  The chili and the cheese do fine together with the egg, in a stick-to-your-ribs sort of way.  Paired up with a hearty bowl of grits, and you have a meal that won't leave you craving lunch.

So, I can't pass up talking about the cinnamon rolls, one of the best bargains you'll find in Russellville.  For a buck-85, you get this fresh baked confection of rolled dough and cinnamon, topped with a gooey frosting and pecans.  That and a cup of coffee is really all I need in the morning, but of course I always order more.  Sometimes I just get a cinnamon roll to go to much on later.  They're made across the parking lot over at PattiCakes, the bakery run by the same folks.   You know, the place with the fudge.

I've been talking all about the Russellville location -- mostly because that's where my heart lies as far as Stoby's goes.  I was happily introduced to the rail depot-encased restaurant when I was in college and it's still a big favorite of mine.  But if you don't want to drive that far, you can go to the Conway location.  The food's just as good.

You'll find the Russellville Stoby's on Parkway (wow, seems weird not to call it "D Street") a block west of Arkansas.  In Conway, it's on Donaghey north of UCA.  Oh, heck, just go look at the website.