State Line Pie at Sue and Carol's Restaurant in Texarkana.

The border city in southwest Arkansas boasts many claims to fame. When it comes to pie, you have to come have a sit-down at this brick-faced eatery just feet away from Texas.

Morrison's Fried Pies are Pies for Every Taste - and Meal!

This food truck in a lot at the corner of Albert Pike and Airport Roads in Hot Springs has all the pies... including some of the best savory hand pies you've ever put in your mouth.

A Couple Of Stops By The Whippet in Prattsville.

One of those great small town restaurants that's grown a reputation over generations, The Whippet Dairy Bar and Family Restaurant in Prattsville is a place to visit, repeatedly. Let's take a look inside.

Woodgrove Antique Mall's Tea Room is a Secret Delight.

You can find great pie at bakeries, restaurants, and even truck stops in Arkansas. One of the most complex pies in the state is found in the back of an antique mall in Heber Springs. Let's check out the tea room at the back of the Woodgrove Antique Mall.

Fairy Tale Delights at Briar Rose Bakery in Farmington.

Miniature pies are adorable. Imagine a place, though, where the adorable pies are outdone by the surroundings, a country cottage in the Ozarks where delectable savory and sweet treats co-exist side by side. Welcome... to the Briar Rose Zone.

Scratch-Made Sandwiches, Pies and Sides at Kopper Kettle Smokehouse in Alma.

Often overlooked by its more popular partner business, Kopper Kettle Candies, this little gray restaurant alongside US Highway 64 deserves to be noticed.

Brews, Brisket and a Blackberry Fried Pie at Rockin' Pig Saloon in Eureka Springs.

Honestly, there are all the brews at the Rockin' Pig, a great place to kick back in Eureka Springs. I didn't have one, but that did not keep me from enjoying the relaxed attitude at this bar and restaurant out on the US 62 Bypass.

Astronomical Success at Rick's Bakery in Fayetteville.

These are the prettiest tie dye cookies you will ever see.  And they were created by a rocket engineer. It's time for the story of Rick's Bakery in Fayetteville.

The Great Arkansas Pie Hunt.

Five years ago, everything changed for me when Arkansas Pie: A Delicious Slice of the Natural State came out. Now I'm back on the trail to see how the pie-loving landscape has changed, and to find all those pies I missed.

A Pie Each Day at Sweetpea's Breakfast Burgers and BBQ in Kirby.

We lucked out on the pie of the day at Sweetpea's in our latest pie hunting adventure - and had a good hearty dinner to boot. Let me share more about this Kirby restaurant with you.

The Shangri-La Resort is Preserved in Time (and has magnificent pie to boot).

Ever want to step back in time and experience the 1950s? Arkansas's version of A Summer Place sits along the south shore of Lake Ouachita, and its cafe is the dominion of one of Arkansas's best and most experienced pie makers. Let's check out the Shangri-La.

25 Magnificent Arkansas Pies You Have To Try Right Now.

We all love pie. And in Arkansas, we all love pie a LOT. Come check out some of the best pies in the state and where to find them.

I love pie. I'm constantly asked which is my favorite. Now, I can give you a couple of handfuls of answers. Dig through this list for great pies you can find all over The Natural State.

Road Eats: Hot Pot Aug and More at Ralph's Great Divide in Indianapolis.

I'll go to great lengths to check out a good recommendation. That's how I ended up making a side trip to Indianapolis, just to try a slice of pie. But I wasn't leaving Ralph's Great Divide without a good meal. Thankfully, this little spot by the interstate was a great dive to enjoy.

Fried Chicken and Pie at Parkview Restaurant in Corning.

I've been holding out on you.  At least, that's what Grav will have you believe, and there's probably some truth to that.  See, we know some of the best places to get fried chicken and pie in the state, and this isn't one we share much.  But it deserves sharing.

This place is the Parkview Restaurant in Corning, and it's been around for generations.  But because of its remote location near our state's northern border, it does not receive the accolades it deserves.

Lunch Gorgeously at Sue's Kitchen in Jonesboro.

The Old Post Office in Jonesboro is home to a comfortable eatery with a deep history. Sue's Kitchen shines as bright as its airy and light location, with great food and unforgettable pies.

21 Pies at the Pork, Poultry and Pie Dinner.

Saturday night, I was the guest of the good folks at the First Presbyterian Church in North Little Rock's Argenta District, at the third annual Pork, Poultry and Pie Dinner.  The meal of tasty barbecued chicken, pork, beans, slaw and breads was just a start to an evening of pies... from competition pies to friendly sharing pies. It was a great evening.

And you really need to see these pies.

Don't Just Speed On By Marshall Restaurant.

Follow Kat on Twitter @TieDyeTravels.

For nearly eight years now, I've passed the old restaurant alongside US Highway 65 in Marshall. Restaurant, the sign reads. That's all, an old white and yellow sign by the road that says Restaurant. When it's raining or late at night, I have my eyes on the road. But when I pass in daylight, I almost always make a mental check to try it out.

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

Comfort Foods at Homey Hearth in Harrison.

This restaurant closed at the end of 2015.

Country style vittles in a cozy atmosphere and pie to boot? You'll find both at this family restaurant at the corner of US 65 and 62/412 south of Harrison.

11 Things To Pick Up For An Epic Arkansas Holiday.

Panicking over putting together the perfect holiday dinner here in Arkansas?  Here's some advice on the 11 things you should consider for your family dining traditions.  Click the links provided for ordering information. Be sure to order early -- and if you can't be early, call ahead and make sure what you need and want is still in stock.

1.  Ham.  Each year around the holidays, Petit Jean Meats produces, mails and provides in-store 100,000 bone-in hams and 80,000 boneless hams for the dinner table. Grocery stores throughout Arkansas carry those hams, but if you’d prefer the convenience of having

your holiday meat delivered straight to the house, place your order this morning it’ll arrive in time — as long as you live in the state of Arkansas. Additional shipping charges may apply.

2.  Turkey.  Burge's Smoked Turkeys are very popular for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and it's not too late to get yours. Jeff Voyles, the owner, says they'll have plenty, but suggests coming in a few days in advance of the holiday, since there's always a day-before rush. The store on R Street in the Heights will be busy, but you'll be able to get your whole turkey, smoked turkey breast and more -- even some side dishes -- there. Burge's sells around 12,000 whole smoked turkeys a year, but the spiral sliced half-ham is the company’s biggest seller.

Hillcrest Artisan Meats carries Freckle Face Farm turkeys as well as locally raised chickens and ducks available.

If you're wanting to get your own turkey, Sim's Barbecue will smoke it for you, but you need to call first and make sure they have room. You drop off your bird in the morning and go fetch it in the afternoon.

Also, check with Cross Eyed Pig BBQ Company -- which does excellent smoked turkeys and hams.

Consider a whole turducken (a hen stuffed inside a duck stuffed inside a turkey) from Floyd's Meat And Seafood (this is also where you get oysters if you want to make oyster stuffing).

Butcher and Public offers a variety of holiday meats -- from turkeys to hams to lamb and even more.  Check with Travis for your meat needs -- and while you're at it, pick up some sorghum breakfast sausage.

3.  Dressing. You cannot beat the chicken dressing from Dan's I-30 Diner in Benton. It's absolutely marvelous and moist, and even if you're having turkey, the chicken in the dressing will be quite excellent.

4.  Eggplant Casserole. Franke's Cafeteria offers many of its popular menu items in family portions for the holidays, including its famed eggplant casserole and whole pies, such as egg custard, pumpkin and cinnamon.

5.  Potatoes au Gratin.  Diane's Gourmet in Little Rock offers a variety of amazing side dishes and desserts, including one of the best renditions of potatoes au gratin around.  You'll also find broccoli cheese casserole, mac and cheese, cheese crackers and baked pies available there.

6.  Cranberries.  Honestly, I can't stand most cranberries (too many slurping solid chunks from cans as a kid, I suppose) but I can eat the tar out of the cranberry orange relish at E's Bistro in North Little Rock.  Elizabeth's also carrying green bean bundles, dressing and pies.

7.  Green Beans.  I cannot stand green bean casserole.  Fortunately, my brother usually eats ALL of it over the course of the afternoon, so no worries there.  Plain green beans are all right, but if you're looking for something to pick up that will be light, delicious and particularly wonderful, check with the folks at Catering To You for some of their marvelous Green Bean Almondine.

8.  Sweet Potato Casserole.  Okay, most everyone should know how to make sweet potatoes by now, but if you're really in a pinch, go get a pan.  Terry's Finer Foods does an excellent rendition.

9.  Bread.  My mom makes crockpot cornbread stuffing for the holidays from her own fresh-baked cornbread, usually from War Eagle Mill Cornmeal Mix.  But butterflake rolls from Ed's Custom Bakery are also usually on the table.  Other choices that would achieve the epic rating for your dinner table:  Boulevard Bread Company's Pagnotta (GREAT for sopping up a little giblet gravy), Community Bakery's Pocketbook Rolls, Silvek's European Bakery's Hallah Bread.

10.  Pepper Jelly. Wait, what?  Okay, you can have your cranberries... I like pepper jelly as a condiment with my turkey.  I'm a big fan of Liz and Linda's Pepper Jelly, but anyone who makes a good one is AOK in my book.

11.  Pies.  This year, a lot of fantastic pies have come onto the scene.  Order yours in advance from your favorite pie shop -- or consider some of the new offerings for the crop -- such as  Bourbon Pecan Pie at Local Lime and Big Orange; French Apple Pie from Terry's Finer Foods; and all sorts of pies at Sweet Love.

There are of course many chain operations offering made-and-done turkeys and Thanksgiving dinners at places such as Cracker Barrel and Copeland's -- and of course you can still pick up a Thanksgiving dinner from Kroger or Edward's Food Giant. These will run you anywhere from fifty to eighty dollars.