Wiley's Cove..Crooked Gate Farm & Cafe

Traveling Highway 65 southbound from Marshall; you’ve gone over the Buffalo River roller coasting and snaking through the Boston Mountains, a rugged and higher elevation section of the Ozark Mountains. Over the river and through the woods but today you aren’t heading to grandma’s house or maybe you are but lets keep going. You look to the right and notice this beautiful red barn and in big white letters reads Wiley’s Cove Ranch. That’s your cue, you’ll be turning left onto Highway 66 soon into Leslie, Arkansas. Leslie was originally named Wiley’s Cove and changed names in the 1880s, yet, the locals will let it slip that Wiley’s Cove, painted on that big red barn, is also painted in their hearts. The historic town of Leslie was once a booming economy, bustling with business from the Missouri & Arkansas Railroad coming to Leslie and roughly 130,000 acres of timberland that were purchased to the west and south of town. Wiley's Cove or after 1887, Leslie, produced 3,000 whiskey barrels a day. Rich in history, now these mountain folk have found a way to draw people in with the natural abundance of the setting the lush mountains, hills, rivers, creeks and wildlife provide and of course amazing food. Leslie has a feel about it that echoes the past with impressive old buildings packed with equally unique one-of-a-kind items, people, history and food you’ll travel for. I've taken you on this journey to help you understand and appreciate that fact - there's again a hidden treasure in the Ozark Mountains. Write this down, Google it: Crooked Gate Farm & Cafe.

On the square, is the Crooked Gate Farm & Cafe. Yes, Farm comes first in the title because without the family farm of roughly 40 acres out in Onia - there’s no food to have a cafe. On the Crooked Gate’s Farm the family is raising heritage breed pigs and lamb that is incorporated in the menu. The hardworking family also offers custom sale of hogs, sheep, chickens and rabbits for meat. In the cafe, a farmer's market is set up inside: offering eggs, lard, lard soap, baked breads, teas, fresh produce and flowers. Now that we know, this is family owned and run and is truly a Field-to-Fork place from right down the road sparing the burden of air miles and road miles of most of our food in the United States. This is my favorite breakfast and brunch place in Arkansas – great prices, amazing flavor (homegrown cannot be imitated, this is HOMEGROWN) and the portions are spot on. The atmosphere is engaging with touches of antiques, welcoming, and clean with plants and fresh flowers.

The Crooked Gate Farm & Cafe breakfast platter is hard to beat, which I picked, bacon and sunny-side up eggs in mine. The peanut butterbacon french toast, was my Beau’s topic of conversation when we got into Mountain View. I even snagged some Cave City Watermelon they happen to offer as a special side that day. After a delicious breakfast, I hit the road with a blueberry scone and a coffee to go and a big smile on my face. The Crooked Gate Farm & Cafe located at 408 Main Street, Leslie Arkansas will be open the first weekend in April and as the saying goes “Y’all Come Back” because you will want to. You'll leave Crooked Gate Farm & Cafe with a smile. Wiley's Cove aka Leslie will be painted in your heart too for one more reason. . .

C.Bethalee