Minute Man: Smoke on the Burger.

This is one in a series on historical restaurants in the state of Arkansas. For a look at the Arkansas restaurant timeline, click here.

At the end of 56th Street, the cut-through to University Avenue, there was a Minute Man restaurant. It was on the south side of the intersection, across from Zimmerman’s gas station, and from time to time if we could afford it I could have a nice, mean and hot burger on a toasted bun. And if I was really good, I got ice cream.

There was also a Minute Man on Broadway, and it was there through my high school years. I recall going in as a little girl with my mom. They had just introduced their first kids meal called the Magic Meal (this is the late 70s) and my first one had come with a little green army man. The second one, my mom pulled out the burger and I took a bite and started to cry. There was a piece of gristle inside, or maybe some hard cheese or something – and I thought they’d put the little green army man on the burger and it had melted.

My memories of Minute Man come from childhood. Today they’re all gone, save for one lone holdout in El Dorado – too far for me to grab a #2 on my lunch break. You remember the #2, right? The smoke burger? Char-grilled and dolloped with a liquid smoke goo, never equaled by Sonic (funny, I don’t think they offer a smoke burger any more, either). I can still recall that exact slightly woody flavor.

UALR Center for Arkansas
History and Culture

Vernon Rodgers and Wes Hall.
(UALR Center for Arkansas
History and Culture)

The original location at 407 South Broadway in Little Rock was a low-slung building sitting out back of a parking lot. Raymond Merritt remembers it was originally the Lido Minute Man, but I was born significantly later and only remember it as Wes Hall’s Minute Man. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas says Hall opened the place on May 26th of 1948 as a 24-hour coffee shop with three partners that he

Courtesy Raymond Merritt

eventually bought out before franchising the operation.

It grew, first to Hayes Street (named University Avenue by my time) and then onwards and outwards, eventually spreading to seven states with 57 different restaurants. And the ideas it seeded out spread through the fast food industry. That Magic Meal? It came along before McDonald’s Happy Meal. The #12, known as the “Big M,” was a great double-pattied burger that came along

The #12, or Big M. UALR Center for
Arkansas History and Culture)

before the Big Mac. And about half the burgers if you ordered them as they came (which really was the deal before Burger King started telling people to “have it your way” in the 80s), came with a smattering of “relish sauce” on the bun instead of mustard or mayo – relish sauce being very close to the Thousand Island-type sauce slathered on the Big Mac today. Oh, and if you wanted the lettuce and tomato on a burger like they’re all about served today, you had to order the #6 – the salad burger.

Minute Man was also one of the three restaurants to receive Raytheon’s experimental Radar Ranges. We’re talking a microwave oven – in 1948. While McDonald’s chain restaurants had their fried pies back then (IMHO superior to the baked pies offered today), Minute Man had the Radar Deep Dish Pie – a pot pie that if you were smart you ordered when you got your food so it had enough time to cool on the inside as to not burn your mouth. I only ever remember apple being offered, though the menu Merritt has on his website also shows peach, cherry and strawberry – “Served with Real Butter CREAM 5 cents Extra.”’

Courtesy Raymond Merritt

My mom and I moved to Little Rock in the mid-70s, and I grew up half a mile away from one of the University Avenue locations. It was absolutely as far as I dared to walk from the house, being on the other side of Geyer Springs Elementary by about three blocks. One of those most poignant childhood “fails” I recall was when the place started serving hard-scoop ice cream out the window. I was thrilled to get an ice cream cone with two scoops, side by side in what I believe was called a Sweetheart Cone. I remember going up to the window and waiting while my mom sat in the car. I paid for the treat (I think it was a dollar), turned around and promptly faceplanted on the concrete. Saved most of the cone – except for the very bottom. There was a rush to finish the ice cream before it melted out onto my lap, I remember.

Courtesy Raymond Merritt

By the time I was driving, the Minute Man still open in Little Rock was a block up from the original at 311 South Broadway. The building, if I recall correctly, was painted a pungent green. The interior was dark, and it was often quiet… unless you went at the lunch hour, when generations of traditionalists and Boomers squeezed in for a pick-up order or to quickly manage to consume a burger and fries. It closed for good in June of 2002 to make way for the new Federal Courthouse expansion. By that point, most of the other franchised restaurants had also met their demise – with the exception of that lone El Dorado holdout. Wes Hall didn’t live to see the end of that dream – he passed away a month beforehand.

The El Dorado Minute Man location. (Roadfood.com)

Will the Minute Man ever come back again? According to a posting on Roadfood.com’s forums, the El Dorado restaurant is still serving the same recipes up (I know it also serves cheese dip and burritos, which I don’t recall from the original) – and there was as of December 2012 someone considering opening a new Minute Man in Little Rock. I’m sure if the recipes are followed, that old smoke sauce is brought back and the prices are reasonable, the crowds will follow.

One more note. There's a man who's claimed to have raised me... that'd be the newscaster known as Craig O'Neill. One of these days I'll tell you why. For now, here's a link to the report he did for THV 11 (my old station) about Minute Man and its place in Arkansas history.

Burl's Country Smokehouse: Cinnamon Rolls As Big As Your Head.

This is one in a series on historical restaurants in the state of Arkansas. For a look at the Arkansas restaurant timeline, click here.

Early Arkansas travelers knew a thing or two about "fast food."  While drive-thru restaurants wouldn't appear in the state until the 1970s, the earliest travelers were usually prepared for a meal along their route.  It would usually include shelf-stable items such as hard biscuits and jerky.

A traditional meat counter inside Burl's. (Grav Weldon)

Once the automobile became king and our highways saw pavement, long-distance travelers got used to having a stopping-in place.  Almost every major highway traversing the state through the wilds and the forests had at least one smokehouse to stop at.  And at these you could always find some marvelous baked goods, made-to-order sandwiches and of course... jerky.

There are plumbed facilities
within the store. (Grav Weldon)

Burl's Country Smokehouse didn't start up til 1981, but it's still carrying on that roadside tradition.  The complex on the north side of US 270 between Hot Springs and Mount Ida on the outskirts of Royal in the Ouachita National Forest is a strange collections of buildings that include old cabins, barn-like structures, an apparent depot, a "jail" and even an outhouse.  Inside the main building, under wood-beamed rafters, there hangs the scent of smoke.  The residue of more than 32 years worth of smoking fine meats has left an indelible mark here.  Wander the store and see everything you might wish out of a country cupboard:  Amish jellies, sundries, souvenirs and... jerky.

Ham hocks, hog jowl and smoked bologna.  (Grav Weldon)

That jerky I keep mentioning is different at Burl's than just about anywhere else.  Unadulterated with a traditional marinade, the folks at Burl's instead let the smoke do the talking.  Without that addition of pepper or spice before the smoking itself, the jerky retains a flavor of nothing but smoke and meat, much like you'd encounter at fireside all so many years ago.The sandwiches come piled high with your choice of meat -- pork loin, beef brisket, Genoa salami, turkey, Canadian bacon, pastrami, corned beef and roast beef.  There are cheeses involved, and you would be well advised to choose one that has had its smoking treatment.  The Swiss and the cheddar are both of impeccable quality.

Yes, that big.  (Grav Weldon)

But Burl's big claim to fame might come in the cinnamon rolls offered at checkout.  Wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, the rolls are compact spirals of pastry and sugar and spice in a package as big as your head -- or at least as big as mine, as you can see here.

Burl's ignores the conventions of a traditional roadside attraction with seasonal hours -- instead, it's open throughout the year.  Drop in on your way to dig crystals next time you're in the area.

You'll find Burl's Country Smokehouse at 10176 Albert Pike (Highway 270) way out from Hot Springs.  No website, but you can always call them at (501) 991-3875.

Leo's Greek Castle: Classic in Hillcrest.

This is one in a series on historical restaurants in the state of Arkansas.  For a look at the Arkansas restaurant timeline, click here.

When I was growing up in Little Rock, there weren’t many opportunities to get good Greek food.  In fact, I didn’t know how to pronounce “gyro” until I was a teenager.  My experience and exposure was usually limited to the Greek Food Festival and the Arkansas State Fair.

And then there was Leo’s Greek Castle.  Nestled in front of a shopping center in Little Rock’s Hillcrest district, the blue-awning adorned building has been perched along Kavanaugh since the 1920s.  Since the 1970s, it’s served up a combination of traditional Greek dishes, burgers and one killer Cincy dog to locals who mostly have kept it to themselves.

The tiny oddly shaped building started out life as a gas station, oddly enough.  There’s still an empty storage tank located under the place, I’m told.  In the 1950s it housed a barbecue joint come drive-in that offered take-home family packs and curb service. 

And then some time in the 1970s Leo’s was born.  Gyros and such were new and unusual for a lot of the folks living in Hillcrest, and hummus even more so.  But the restaurant’s ice cream and burger offerings kept people coming in.

I ask folks about Leo’s from time to time, and people who lived in Little Rock for only a short time will recall the place – even if they only passed through the area once or twice.  Some talk about the tiny triangles of baklava, some about that Cincy dog.  All of them will tell you the same thing – unless you don’t mind literally rubbing your elbows with the folks at the next table, place a take-out order.

That’s because the diminutive eatery’s dining area is about the size of a single car garage.  Within, there are six tables leveraged in to the left of a counter and ice cream case.  

But it has its high points.  It’s the only place in Arkansas I’ve found that serves honest to goodness pastichio (also called pastitsio) with the béchamel sauce and the oh heavens it’s so rich but it’s so good and all that.  It’s also the only place I know where you can get a “Greek Omelet,” an omelet filled with gyro meat, in the state.  And I love both.

Leo’s has gone through several hands over the years, but it has found stability under Hector Parodi, who I believe has owned the place since 1996 (I was told 14 years by a staffer, but those numbers seem off).  With so many other ethnic offerings brought in over the past decade or so, you’d think it might have suffered.  No.  Leo’s is still going strong.

You’ll find Leo’s Greek Castle at 2925 Kavanaugh Boulevard in the Hillcrest district in Little Rock.  (501) 666-7414 or check out the restaurant's Facebook page. 

Kitchen's Corner Cafe: A Century or Better at Heth.

This is one in a series on historical restaurants in the state of Arkansas.  For a look at the Arkansas restaurant timeline, click here.

There’s not a whole lot that can be said about the flat piece of ground where Highway 70 meets with Highway 79 just south of Interstate 40… other than it’s a four-way intersection you cross to head south to the tiny town of Heth. Oh, and there’s a single building there.

I suppose that building deserves a little interest. It’s been standing since 1905, and it’s housed a grocery non-stop for more than 100 years since. It’s been other things at the same time – one side used to be a liquor store, and the front part used to be a gas station – and even today, it’s also a bait shop and restaurant.

What it is, is a place you should stop and get yourself some breakfast.

For the past seven years, it’s been known as Kitchen’s Corner Store Grill and Deli (and Bait Shop, by one sign). Before that, it was run by most the same folks as Boles’ Grocery. Seems one of the Kitchens boys married into the Boles clan some time back. Boles’ Grocery goes back even further… 45 years further, back to the sixties.


The place is a mish-mash of every type of backroads gathering place you’ll find in the Delta… with a meat counter, apothecary-style cabinetry, beverages and supplies and sundries. There’s also an open kitchen with a bar for diners. The grill starts up at 5 a.m. and keeps going until 5 p.m. Everything’s made right there in front of heaven and all creation.

As can be expected for a blue collar, working man sort of establishment, meals are on the large side. What’s served? “Slammin!” barbecue made on-site. Daily lunch specials. Philly cheesesteaks and deli sandwiches. A half pound burger. You get the idea? 

Breakfast is a must – with a good thick sausage-roux gravy made in a skillet over home-baked biscuits, with plate-sized pancakes drizzled and formed on a well-seasoned grill and with big flat envelope-fold omelets that swamp a platter. They’ll even throw a thick slice of bologna on the grill to go with your toast if you ask nice.

There aren’t a whole lot of places you can find yourself in a casual conversation with a duck hunter, a tractor-riding soybean farmer and a Memphis businessman in a suit at the same time… but this is one of them. Get off the interstate at exit 265 and stop on in, six days a week (closed on Sunday, of course). Oh, and if you need it, you can get your hunting and fishing licenses at the store, too. (870) 735-5648.

Emmy's German Restaurant: Of Love and Spatzel.

One of Fort Smith's great additions to the Arkansas culinary lexicon has its roots in a love story. Let's look at Emmy's German Restaurant.

The Arkansas Restaurant Archive: A Project.

It's been more than five years now since I set out on this quest... a quest that started out as a journey to figure out my next step in life and which has blossomed into a life of writing.  It's had its highs and lows, and there have been a whole lot of words.

Arkansas Pie:  A Delicious Slice of the Natural State isn't the culmination of all of that.  It's a step.  Now with my first book under my belt, I'm moving along to more research.  That project:  delving into Arkansas restaurant history and creating a usable database of information and stories surrounding those locations.

A few weeks ago, I posted a simple question on my Facebook page:

If you could wish for the return of a single restaurant in Arkansas, which one would it be?

More than three hundred comments later, it was clear to me that there should be a one-stop-shop to discover the answer to all sorts of Arkansas restaurant questions, something more than just a place to see what other people think about the food.

The Oark General Store may be the oldest
non-continually operating restaurant in Arkansas.

What it comes down to is that our restaurants aren't just places where one can obtain sustenance.  They are each the culmination of something -- a family plan, an individual's dream, sometimes a need for simple employment.  These restaurants, the ones that survive, do so not just because there's food available but because something else is created -- a memory, a destination, a community, a legacy.

Does Arkansas hold a claim to the fried chicken crown?

There's also a lot of talk these days about foodways.  Indeed, the fact that this past year's Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium sold out in less than a day shows there's heavy interest in the subject.  We talk a lot about farm-to-table and how what's grown from our soil influences our diet.  I humbly submit that with the 20th century comes the reverse influence -- how the people who prepare our food influence our diet and our preferences, and how restaurants can preserve the heart of a culinary culture.

Are Arkansas-created fried pickles of culinary importance?

Reuben sandwiches can be found at many Arkansas restaurants.

Which comes to this -- the very seeds of what I'm planting.  On this link and under the Timeline heading on TieDyeTravels.com, you'll find a growing list of Arkansas restaurants that are 20 years old and older, with their start date and community.  Where I can, I have linked to stories I've done, or indicated that I talked a little about that particular eatery in Arkansas Pie.  Under the list of current restaurants, you'll see a list compiled of responses to my Facebook post and from conversations I've had with folks about the great restaurants that have closed.  I'd like your assistance.  I'd like to pick your brain.  I'd like to hear your stories about the restaurants you remember from your past, your favorites and those that left an indelible mark on your tongue.  I'm going to be collecting these stories in my free time, and I'm going to figure out how best to share our Arkansas restaurant history.  Please feel free to send me your additions to the Timeline, and your stories as well, to kat@tiedyetravels.com.  Or if you'd rather remain anonymous, feel free to leave a message in the comments.

And if you'd like to join in this conversation, please add me on your Twitter @TieDyeTravels.com -- or "like" my Facebook page.  Thank you.

Chocolate Dream Pie at Paula Lynn's in Bryant.

This restaurant has moved.

The Jones family in Bryant is famous for barbecue... and now they're well known for something else. Paula Lynn's Really Homemade Sandwich and Sweet shop serves up sandwiches, cookies... and marvelous pies.

As hard as it may be to skip Doozies (homemade sandwich cookies), deluxe dogs and killer cakes, you must -- because the restaurant serves up one of the few possum-type pies in the state that isn't really playing possum.

What it is, is a fantastic chocolate mousse on top of a cloud of delightfully light cream cheese in a double-layered blind-baked flour crust. What makes it different from a possum pie is the fact that there's no whipped cream on top to obscure the chocolate -- or pecans in the pie. Still, so good.

Paula Lynn’s Reall y Homemade Sandwic h & Sweet Shop
304 North Reynolds Road
Bryant, AR 72022
(501) 847-2066
www.PaulaLynns.com

Peanut Butter Pie at Three Sams in Mabelvale.

Walk into the Mabelvale Mecca, elsewise known as Three Sams' Barbecue Joint, and you may be overcome with the desire to have yourself a slice of Italian cream cake.  There will be everything brownies to tempt you, and divine peanut butter cookies all stacked and ready to go.  Then you will be inundated with the scent of good barbecue spice, and you will begin to drool.

It is essential, at this point, to not lose sight of the ultimate goal.  So here's a photo.  Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to acquire a slice of this heavenly goodness, packed top to bottom with peanuts and a smattering of peanut butter cups, before you leave the property.  Fail, and you will be crying about it for days to come, until your path takes you once again to the mecca.



Three Sam’s Barbeque Joint
10508 Mann Road
Mabelvale, AR 72103
(501) 407-0325

Upside Down Apple Pie at Terry's Finer Restaurant in Little Rock.

How about an upside-down pie?  Though it doesn't look out of alignment with its internal axis, this slice of apple tartine was cooked the other way around.  The chefs at Terry's Finer Restaurant, the little French-inspired cafe attached to Terry's Finer Foods in the Heights, prepare this beauty in a flat iron skillet apples-down, each slice coated in a blend of cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg and butter, the dough for the crust sprawled over its top like a firm blanket.  It's only when the apples have fully caramelized that the pie is inverted into its final form.

Terry’s Finer Restaurant
5018 Kavanaugh Boulevard
Little Rock, AR 72207
(501) 663-4152
www.facebook.com/TerrysFinerFoodsTheRestaurant

Quick Stop: The Amish and Country Store at Dermott.

A little wooden cabin alongside US Highway 65 between McGehee and Lake Village serves as a nice spot for a road break or snack. But this country store has one thing that really sets it apart - handmade fried pies.

Getting Personal: The Feeding of the Girlchild.

This post gets personal. You've been warned.

There are no photos anywhere of me breastfeeding. There are reasons for that.

Hunter was never tiny, not even at birth.

My daughter Hunter is one of four babies born into our social circle in a short span of time, between late 2008 and early 2009. Each of us moms decided we were going to breastfeed our child. Each tried. I was the one that kept on.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. There were circumstances, sure. One had a preemie and could never get the hang of the pump. Another had a terrible time with getting her child to latch.

I had a hard time too. Hunter was late by a few weeks. For whatever reason, my milk just didn't come in. She latched -- that was no problem, except the fact that maybe I wasn't quite prepared for 40 minutes of determined suckling. There just wasn't anything those first couple of days. 48 hours after she was born, I relented and allowed her to be fed formula -- which she all but inhaled, four ounces in under a minute. She was hungry.

Hunter at a week old.  Lots of hair.

But I was still determined to try. Neither my husband nor I had been breastfed past a month, and between my food allergies and his asthma I figured I owed it to my child to make the best attempt I could. The breastfeeding specialists at Baptist came to my room repeatedly, showing me the proper method to bring the milk up, how to use a pump and how to best hold my child while she was feeding. Eventually, the milk came.

Even this, though, came with its issues. See, my mom's generation was far more pro-formula, and even certain of my friends wondered why I'd go through the efforts. Hunter also initially lost weight, almost a pound, and the pediatrician's office put the fear of God into me about making sure she got all the nutrition she needed. And here I was, out of the hospital with almost no bottles or preparation for formula feeding, because I had been determined to breastfeed.

I ended up combo feeding. Yes, I was told from the get-go that most combo-fed babies would end up rejecting the breast quickly because it was too much work. We scheduled everything so she ended up with more breast time than bottle time. That first feeding of the day was always taken in bed, a quiet time for bonding and nourishment. It helped me relieve the pressure that had set in overnight, and was the easiest for Hunter. Later in the morning, especially if I was out of the house working on assignment, there would be a small bottle of formula. We'd alternate through the day, and the last feeding came from me as well.

There were other problems. Within a few weeks my nipples were horribly cracked and painful. I ended up with an infection on one side that took a couple of weeks to go away, and for that time I had to pump on that side, which was terrible. I never really did get along with the pump -- it was painful and it took forever, and I had to hold perfectly still while getting it to work. There were also breast pads -- I found that I leaked just enough for it to be an embarrassment. The pads helped not only to keep me dry, but to alleviate the pain and pressure of my bra.

If I had been holding a traditional job at the time, chances are the breastfeeding would have stopped at six weeks. Even as determined as I was, taking a pump to work just wasn't going to cut it. But as a freelance writer, I was able to spend a lot of time with Hunter, and I made allowances to take her with me with the help of my mom and my friends. She traveled with me out of state and in-state on overnight trips, and when I had in-state assignments I'd wait until she fed that morning, got in the car, rushed to my destination and rushed back in time for the next cycle of feeding and formula.

Hunter, Christmas 2009.

I had intended to do this for six months. But when it came time to wean, Hunter was not ready. I'd be holding her and she'd turn to me and bite through my clothes. She didn't have any teeth when that first started, but I got the message. When in public, we'd find a secluded space and I'd sit on the floor, indian-style, and cuddle her under my shirt. The whole breast-shield thing didn't work too well with us -- Hunter hated being swaddled or having her face covered -- so I would do what I could to find enough seclusion. Besides, for us that seated-on-the-floor position was what felt comfortable.

She last nursed on Christmas Day, 2009, nearly 13 months after she was born. The next morning I picked her up to feed and settled her in beside me, only for her to start clamoring for a new favorite toy. When she was done, she was done.

Wye Mountain, Spring 2012.

She's four now, and we've talked about it... she still remembers feeding from me. I don't know if she'll always have that memory, especially since there are no photos. I didn't feel at the time that it was appropriate. Today, it's different. It might have been of value to me to have taken just one. That memory, though, will never change.

Emerson PurpleHull Pea Festival 2012.

Cave City Watermelon Festival 2012.

Oh, remember she lost nearly a pound after birth? After that initial setback, she never stopped growing. Hunter registered over the 100th percentile in height and weight pretty much from the second month to the end of her third year. She was taller, busier and bigger than the other girls in her social group. She chose to take her first solid food at four month (wasabi paste -- that's another story) and ate bananas straight from the fruit in the same manner as she nursed for some time. While I was a year old before I cut my first tooth, she was about eight months. We dealt with that pain, too! She has no known allergies and she likes to try everything.

She was eager to eat my birthday cake this year.

Of course, my mileage has varied from other moms I know. Because she was combo-fed, I can't quite quantify which was better, formula or breast milk. I just know Hunter's a healthy, happy girl -- and I have to suspect that the dietary foundation laid for her didn't hurt that at all.

Now that I've gone through all that... and you've read it all... I suspect you have an interest in breastfeeding.  I have to turn you on to some very interesting information from Healthy Families.  It's spot-on.  I couldn't give you better advice.

Question is -- would you like to win a breast pump?  Healthy Families is sponsoring this contest... and let me tell you what, it's a good one.  There it is in the photo, the real deal.

Leave a comment below if you're interested.  It can be about your breastfeeding experience, or about how you hope to breastfeed when your little one comes along.  Trolls will be harassed and embarrassed to the best of my ability.  I'll announce a winner December 21st.