Foods with a following
Area eateries are on the map for their famous dishes.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Few area restaurants can brag that they’ve regularly played host to the state’s cast of colorful political characters, flown burgers to the White House, and catered meals for bands like Aerosmith. But, yes, central Arkansas has its share of famous eateries. Here’s a look at just a few of them.
Cotham’s in the City
Famous Food: Hubcap Burger
1401 W. Third St.
(501) 370-9177
Prior to 1999, those with a hankering for a Hubcap Burger had no choice but to trek out to Scott to satisfy their craving. That’s where the original Cotham’s restaurant was established. But many, including politicians Bill Clinton and former U.S. Sen. David Pryor, didn’t mind making that drive.
Clinton even had a Hubcap Burger flown to the White House.
Made of one pound of seasoned ground beef and then topped with lettuce, tomato, onion and cheese, the gargantuan burger has mass appeal. And not just because it tastes so good; a lot of people are looking for bragging rights, too.
“I think for some people, it’s just to say they’ve eaten a Hubcap Burger,” said Erin Griffin, who owns Cotham’s in the City with her husband Jon.
Customer Cameron Hart is one of the few women who can say they’ve eaten an entire Hubcap Burger in one sitting.
“It was pretty much the end of the day after that,” she said of the experience.
Griffin said she’s seen a few customers finish one Hubcap, and then order another one. She’ll watch carefully to see if they finish the second one, and then she’ll buy it for them. But that’s a very rare thing.
“I dare somebody to [try it],” Griffin said. “You better be really, really hungry.”
Doe’s Eat Place
Famous Food: Beef Tamales
1023 W. Markham St.
(501) 376-1195
Doe’s Eat Place is known for a lot of things. Its proximity to the state Capitol has made it a popular destination for hungry politicos. And its atmosphere, complete with red-and-white checkered tablecloths and scuffed black-and-white tiled flooring, would be hard to match in any Southern dining haven.
But it’s the beef tamales that have put Doe’s Eat Place on the map.
Owner George Eldridge said that his staff used to make the beef tamales in-house. But they became so popular that the process had to be moved to a plant in Newport that was built specifically to handle the task.
These days, they are made at a plant in Augusta. But they’re the still the same old tamales customers have grown to love.
“I haven’t had them in about a year,” said 29-year-old Matt Duncan, as he peeled the paper away from another tamale during a recent lunch break.
“But they’re just as good as I remember.”
The Mean Pig BBQ
Famous Food: Barbecue
3096 Bill Foster Memorial Highway
Cabot
(501) 941-5489
Good barbecue can make people do amazing things. Buddy Merritt, owner of The Mean Pig in Cabot, said he’s been told that a publicly identified vegetarian used to slip her boss some cash, ask him to pick up a pork sandwich for her, and then eat it in secret.
Then about 10 years ago, Merritt got a call from Aerosmith. They asked if The Mean Pig could ship some barbecue to them in Hartford, Conn. The shipping alone cost $200.
Merritt also can count the band Chicago, boxer Jermaine Taylor, singer Glen Campbell, actor Billy Bob Thornton and the cast of Cirque du Soleil among his celebrity clients.
“It’s very humbling,” Merritt said. “They’ve eaten the best cuisine in the world, and they choose to eat my food.”
So what is it about those pork sandwiches that makes people go to great lengths to get them?
Merritt says it must be the “long and slow” cooking process. Pointing at his smokehouse, he notes that it takes up to 20 hours for him and his wife, Lori, to make their signature cuisine.
Bruno’s Little Italy
Famous Food: Pizza
(501) 224-4700
315 N. Bowman Road
As a little boy, Richard Hill watched through the window at Bruno’s Little Italy as the chefs hand tossed pizza crusts. Now, the 27-year-old can say he’s been working in the kitchen at Bruno’s for a decade. And he still claims that Bruno’s pizzas are the best he’s ever had.
“I’ve never tasted another pizza like them,” Hill said.
The restaurant was started in Levy in 1947. It now sits in west Little Rock, and owner Vince Bruno said the most popular item on the menu is the Mista pizza. Made with a light, cracker-thin crust, the pizza is piled high with sausage, pepperoni, beef, mushrooms, black olives and mozzarella.
And famous people — singer Rosemary Clooney, guitarist and guitar maker Les Paul and actor Robert Mitchum — have enjoyed the pizza just as much as central Arkansans.
Bruno said it must be because he does things the way his ancestors did in Naples: The old-fashioned way. All the restaurant’s noodles and sausages are made in-house; and the marinara is less sweet than what’s usually found in the United States.
“We really strive to keep doing it like Dad did it,” Bruno said.
Midtown Billiards
Famous Food: Cheeseburgers
1316 Main St.
(501) 372-9990
It’s 3 a.m. You’re tired. You’re hungry. It doesn’t matter where you’ve been or what you’ve been doing. All roads lead to Midtown Billiards — and its cheeseburgers.
“These are the same identical burgers that were served at the beginning — same weight, same means of preparation,” said Midtown owner Maggie Hinson.
Midtown started out as a domino hall 66 years ago. When Hinson and her husband bought the place two decades ago, the old-timers would start lining up at the door at 6:30 every morning to pass the day. About 12 years ago, when that generation of patrons began dying off, Hinson got a permit to stay open until 5 a.m. Midtown soon became a late-night oasis for Little Rock’s worn and weary.
Asked what makes them superior to any other cheeseburger in town, Hinson said that Midtown strives to give every customer exactly what they want — whether it’s a saltier patty or a fried egg on top.
“Our burgers are made with love,” Hinson said. “We take special care with it.”
And so Midtown has attracted celebrities such as Toby Keith, Joey Lauren Adams and Billy Bob Thornton, as well as locals.
Comments
Post a comment
(Requires free registration.)