n When The Box, long one of Little Rock’s finest purveyors of delicious greasy burgers, closed shop on South Main Street last April to make room for a USA Drug, owner Kelly Joiner promised to reopen in the old Wooley Electric Supply building on the corner of Seventh and Ringo by June 2010. More than a year later, just when we were beginning to despair, we heard Joiner tell KUAR’s Ron Breeding that the restaurant is just weeks away from opening. The delay stemmed from replumbing, rewiring and installing new floors, Joiner said. Old-line Box fans worried that the magic will be gone, take heart: The grill and fryer from the South Main location are moving to Seventh Street. n This week’s update on Browning’s Mexican Grill’s incremental opening: At press time, the restaurant remained open only for dinner, from 5 p.m.-10 p.m. daily serving a limited menu. The full menu might debut by Wednesday according to a Browning’s employee and lunch could begin by the end of the week, but that was the word last week, too.
Restaurant capsules Every effort is made to keep this listing of some of the state’s more notable restaurants current, but we urge readers to call ahead to check on changes on days of operation, hours and special offerings. What follows, because of space limitations, is a partial listing of restaurants reviewed by our staff. Information herein reflects the opinions of the newspaper staff and its reviewers. The newspaper accepts no advertising or other considerations in exchange for reviews, which are conducted anonymously. We invite the opinions of readers who think we are in error. Restaurants are listed in alphabetical order by city; Little Rock-area restaurants are divided by food category. Other review symbols are: B Breakfast L Lunch D Dinner $ Inexpensive (under $8/person) $$ Moderate ($8-$20/person) $$$ Expensive (over $20/person) CC Accepts credit cards
LITTLE ROCK/ N. LITTLE ROCK AMERICAN 65TH STREET DINER Blue collar, meat-and-two-veg lunch spot with cheap desserts and a breakfast buffet. But hurry — breakfast closes down at 9 a.m. on the dot, and the restaurant doesn’t reopen until 10 a.m. for lunch. 3201 West 65th St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-562-7800. BL Mon.-Fri. CAJUN’S WHARF The venerable seafood restaurant serves up great gumbo and oysters Bienville, and options such as fine steaks for the non-seafood eater. In the citified bar, you’ll find nightly entertainment, too. 2400 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-5351. D Mon.-Sat. COPPER GRILL Comfort food, burgers and more sophisticated fare at this River Market-area hotspot. 300 W. Third St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-3333. LD Mon.-Sat. DAVE’S PLACE Downtown’s premier soup-and-sandwich stop at lunch, and a set dinner spot on Friday night to give a little creative outlet to chef supreme David Williams. Beef, chicken and fish are served with continental flair. 201 Center
■ dining At home at Homer’s East Little Rock fixture is popular for good reason. n Where to place Homer’s in the Greater Little Rock home cookin’ scene? Certainly in the pantheon. At the top of the heap, probably, if receipts are the most important measure of success. On a recent Wednesday near noon, there must’ve been 150 people crammed in the squat, cinderblock building, with six or seven twiddling their thumbs, waiting for a table. They were there for the atmosphere, which is boisterous because of the large crowds and echo-y cement walls and inviting thanks to the Hooter’sat-grandma’s-house vibe, where deeply tanned, buxom waitresses clad in short shorts and low cut tees rush past the folksy knickknacks (and framed pictures of WON’T DISAPPOINT: Homer’s catfish. jets, courtesy of nearby Dassault Falcon Jet) lining the walls. Would you believe that Homer’s is popular with ago when Arkansas homegrown tomatoes politicians and other local muckety-mucks? hadn’t yet been shriveled by the heat. And Of course, the crowds aren’t trekking out of course there’s a rotating selection of near the airport just for the waitresses and vegetables, like mashed potatoes, creamed decor. The food is as down-home delicious spinach, whole kernel corn, rice and gravy as you’d expect for a restaurant that’s been (rice is a vegetable, right?), pinto beans and in business for 25 years. The menu has two purple hull peas. components, the fixed side where burgers, Everything we sampled on our two visits sandwiches, salads and such live and the was good to outstanding. On our first visit, specials side where dishes come and go. our first choice, the chicken tenders, had Though like a lot of meat-and-threes, a been 86ed, and even though it wasn’t on handful of the daily specials (usually $6.79) the menu, our waitress suggested chicken are fairly ingrained: meatloaf on Monday, fried chicken as a close alternative. It was Southern fried chicken on Tuesday, a good suggestion. Pounded flat, liberally fried catfish on Wednesday, chicken and breaded and topped with thick white gravy, dumplings and chicken and dressing on it was among the best chicken fried chicken Thursday and fried catfish again on Friday. we’ve found in town. With more certainty, To keep things fresh, Homer’s also mixes in we can say that the smothered cabbage we a rotating selection of other specials, dishes ordered as a side is the best we’ve ever had. like an 8 oz. salmon croquette, chicken fried Maybe it’s cooked with eight sticks of butter chicken, smothered beef liver, spaghetti and a slab of bacon, but it’s still a vegetable and meat sauce and baked ham. Often a and we’re keeping it in the good-for-you relatively healthy item features in the mix, category. Ditto for the turnip greens, which too. An “Arkansas homegrown tomato” were smoky and cooked to perfection. stuffed with tuna salad and accompanied by Black-eyed peas were also cooked just right, fresh fruit made the menu back a few weeks with plenty of some kind of pork product
in the mix. The tomato relish was really good, too – tangy, bold and bright green. In the face of some stiff competition here in Arkansas, the twice-weekly catfish-special holds up well. Homer’s fried fillets were moist and meaty, just a bit spicy and had none of that funky river taste you get sometimes. As such, they didn’t need lemon slices, and weren’t served with any. The jumbo fried shrimp were also meaty and satisfying. The first time we tried ’em, they were a bit cold, though still tasty. On round two, they were fresh out of the fryer, hot and crunchy, with an excellent batter. The fried shrimp platter comes with six of the little dudes, and while that was filling, a couple or three more certainly wouldn’t hurt. Much is made of the giant dinner rolls at Homer’s, and while they were good, they were also a tad on the sweet side for some of us, who prefer the dry, crumbly, perfectly not-sweet cornbread, which is also the ideal sponge for soaking up the juice from those tasty turnip greens.
St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-3283. L Mon.-Fri., D Fri. DAVID FAMILY KITCHEN Call it soul food or call it downhome country cooking. Just be sure to call us for breakfast or lunch when you go. Neckbones, ribs, sturdy cornbread, salmon croquettes, mustard greens and the like. Desserts are exceptionally good. 2301 Broadway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-371-0141. BL Sun.-Fri. FERNEAU Great seafood, among other things, is served at the Ice House Revival in Hillcrest. With a late night menu Thu.-Sat. 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$$-$$$$. 501-603-9208. D Tue.-Sat. FRANKE’S CAFETERIA Plate lunch spot strong on salads and vegetables, and perfect fried chicken on Sundays. Arkansas’ oldest continually operating restaurant. 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-225-4487. LD daily. 400 W. Capitol Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-3721919. L Mon.-Fri. FRONTIER DINER The traditional all-American roadside
Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-666-8482. BL Mon.-Fri. D daily. RIVERFRONT STEAKHOUSE Steaks are the draw here — nice cuts heavily salted and peppered, cooked quickly and accurately to your specifications, finished with butter and served sizzling hot. 2 Riverfront Place. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-7825. D Mon.-Sat. RUDY’S OYSTER BAR Good boiled shrimp and oysters on the half shell. Quesadillas and chili cheese dip are tasty and ultra-hearty. 2695 Pike Ave. NLR. Full bar. 501-771-0808. LD Mon.-Sat. SO RESTAURANT BAR Call it a French brasserie with a sleek, but not fussy American finish. The wine selection is broad and choice. Free valet parking. Use it and save yourself a headache. 3610 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-1464.
diner, complete with a nice selection of man-friendly breakfasts and lunch specials. The half pound burger is a two-hander for the average working Joe. 10424 Interstate 30. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-565-6414. BL Mon.-Sat. GRAMPA’S CATFISH HOUSE A longtime local favorite for fried fish, hush puppies and good sides. 9219 Stagecoach Road. 501-407-0000. LD. HAYESTACK CAFE Southern cooking, po’boys and hearty breakfasts with an emphasis on family recipes. 27024 Kanis Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-821-0070. BLD Tue.-Sun. KIERRE’S KOUNTRY KITCHEN Excellent home-cooking joint for huge helpings of meat loaf and chicken-fried steak, cooked-down vegetables and wonderful homemade pies and cakes. Breakfasts feature omelets, pancakes, French toast and more. 6 Collins Place. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-758-0923. BLD Tue.-Fri., BL Sat. RED DOOR Fresh seafood, steaks, chops and sandwiches from restaurateur Mark Abernathy. Smart wine list. 3701 Old
BRIAN CHILSON
what’scookin’
Homer’s Restaurant
2001 E. Roosevelt Road 374-1400 Quick bite
You can’t go wrong with either of the sandwiches we tried. The chicken fried steak sandwich is as decadent (and good) as it sounds, while the burger approaches hubcap proportions and probably deserves consideration when talking about the best in town. The fries, notably, seem to be double-fried. Next stop for us? Breakfast, served weekdays starting at 7 a.m.
Hours
7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday
Other info
Credit cards accepted
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