Lib's Legacy Lives at The Ole Sawmill Cafe in Forrest City.

A familiar stop in Forrest City has a legacy that goes back three quarters of a century. Let's take a look at The Ole Sawmill Cafe.

The Ps and Qs of Delta Q in Forrest City.

A relatively new barbecue joint is winning fans in this mid-Delta hub. Take a look inside and see what Delta Q in Forrest City has to offer.

Country breakfast buffet at the Ole Sawmill Cafe.

• KAT ROBINSON
• LOTS FOR BREAKFAST: A plate of buffet offerings

On my way to Memphis for an assignment last week, I dropped into a little place I haven’t visited before. I’ve seen those signs for The Ole Sawmill Café in Forrest City for a long time, but somehow I’ve never made it in.

My intention had been to grab an egg sandwich and go on to my next destination with some haste. It was 9am and I had a whole lot on my plate. But the promise of a decent breakfast buffet for the price of $6.50 seemed like a reasonable risk. After all, that’s about what I’d pay for a full breakfast just about anywhere, and I was hungry.

I found a table in the middle section of the almost deserted restaurant and met my waitress there. She took my drink order and suggested I help myself. So I did. After all, time was of the essence.

Now, I usually have a significant problem with breakfast buffets, since many lean heavy on breakfast meats like bacon and sausage and on old standbys like sausage gravy — all things I can’t enjoy. I have been known to go seek a refund when I view a buffet and find that there’s no way it’d be worth my time and money. Most places understand.

• KAT ROBINSON

I didn’t have that problem here. Yes, there was a big pile of bacon, and of sausage, and ham, and pork tenderloin slices — along with the sausage gravy. But there were also chicken fried steak fingers, potato cakes, white gravy, biscuits, scrambled eggs, grits, oatmeal, French toast sticks, nice fluffy biscuits and honey butter — plenty on which I might dine. I was great with that.

Now, there weren’t piles of fruit or yogurt or anything like that there. Just hot food. But for what it was, it was pretty good. Nothing was especially greasy, the oatmeal was soft, the grits were perfect (perfect enough for me to go back and get a whole ‘nother bowl) and the eggs were pretty good. It was a nice, filling meal before my Memphis-area soujourn.

I ended up paying more than $6.50, because I imbibed in iced tea. Drink’s not covered on that buffet, but that was fine.

• KAT ROBINSON

Thing is, The Ole Sawmill Café is very reminiscent in décor of your average Cracker Barrel. It’s been in its current location for about ten years; before that, it was elsewhere in Forrest City. It has its roots in another café, the Liberty Bell Café, which dates back to 1939. I could go all into it, but you can find out much more on The Ole Sawmill Caféwebsite. No need to rehash. Lots of local crafts in the gift shop. I woulda liked to have shown you, but I wasn’t paying attention and forgot to photograph the inside of the shop.

Anyway, you’ll find The Ole Sawmill Café in Forrest City. Take the first (Forrest City vs. Wynne) exit at exit 241, head south and then turn right at the first light. They also serve lunch and dinner, with some buffets and a lot of menu items that you can view over in the website. For more information, call (870) 630-2299.

Hickory Smoked Simple Goodness.

THIS RESTAURANT HAS CLOSED.

You don’t have to go as far as Memphis for good barbeque. There are plenty of fine establishments in Arkansas that do a good job with smoked meats and great sauces, that make a drive that far out seem unnecessary.

Over on Highway 1 in Forrest City, about a half mile south of Interstate 40, you’ll find Hickory House BBQ. From the outside, it’s not much to look at (what good barbeque restaurant is?) but on arrival it smells right -- and if it doesn’t smell right, you just don’t go in.

My traveling companion and I stopped at Hickory House on our way east one Friday in February. The air was nippy, and a spicy lunch was called for.

When we entered, we found that the outside décor matched the inside. The walls are lined with wood shingles,
with big outdoor lantern lights and a couple of hutches with family pictures. Tables are “wooden” formica, booths are red, and the floor is a mishmash of broken red tiles sunk in cement.

For a proper barbeque restaurant, this was positively swank. And large -- there’s seating for about 50 inside.

One of the girls behind the counter told us to sit wherever we like. Another woman came out and asked us what we wanted to drink, and gave us the menus. The menus themselves are Spartan and to the point -- beef barbeque or pork barbeque sandwiches, combos with those sandwiches; beef, pork, chicken finger, or catfish dinners; and the special -- which includes pork, beef, pork ribs, BBQ beans, slaw, French fries, and Texas toast for $10.95.

In fact, the only sides offered are BBQ beans, slaw, and French fries, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. They’re all available in pickup packs to take home.

My traveling companion ordered the pork dinner (lunch $5.29, dinner $6.49) -- which came with a generous pile of pulled pork, doused in a healthy bit of sauce, served with a big slice of Texas toast, a pile of cole slaw, and the beans. My companion said the pork was still juicy, not the slightest bit dry. He told me he could still taste the smoke through the sauce.

That sauce, by the way, is mighty tasty -- strong on the hickory and with a touch of mustard, but just enough for the
meat.

My companion rather enjoyed the cole slaw, but said the beans were somewhere near average.

I ordered the jumbo beef sandwich combo ($6.89). The waitress had brought out forks for both of us, and for this I was glad -- it was a mighty big pile of beef! I had to indulge in a bit of the meat before I could pick up the massive bun. The beef without the sauce is moist and smoky, a little under spiced for my taste by itself, but a perfect match for the sauce. It's all perched on a pile of that sweet cole slaw on the bun... and somehow, someway, not a soggy mess.

The fries were crinkle cut. I have a soft spot for crinkle cut fries. Our waitress brought out Heinz ketchup with our meals, and kept checking back with us.

In fact -- we have to give big kudos to the staff. It was less than three minutes between our order and our food’s arrival. We do realize that barbeque like that is pretty much an assembly affair, but the attention was appreciated.

Dinner for the two of us, including drinks, was less than $15. Hickory House also serves up chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry milkshakes -- but we were just way too stuffed to attempt one.

Best of all -- for travelers, there’s a drive-thru, and it was busy the entire time we were there.

You'll find Hickory House BBQ at 918 N. Washington in Forrest City -- that's Highway 1, for us out-of-towners. You can even call ahead to (870) 633-7751 if you want to order your meat to-go. It's been there 20 years or more, but for me, it was a real food find.