LITTLE ROCK — There's no lack of good eats out on the highways and byways of Arkansas. Often just off the beaten path, they sit as timeless reminders of what life was like before the dollar menu.

That's not to say they're expensive - indeed, far from it. The fare may be limited, built on burgers, fries and shakes, but the deals are always good, jut like the food. Maybe they're on the way to somewhere, or maybe these throwback eateries are the destination themselves. Either way, it's always worth stopping in.

Mammoth Orange Cafe

103 N. Arkansas 365, Redfield

The story goes that Earnestine Bradshaw arrived in Redfield, back in the mid-1960s, after a stint in car-crazy, marketing-mad California. And she apparently arrived with a fresh sense of what it took to run a restaurant. It wasn't just good food that would bring the customer in off Arkansas 365 - though she knew plenty about cooking - but that hallmark of American car culture: spectacle.

Give the driver a reason to look or may even gawk and then stop. What the heck is that? There was the Corn Palace and the World's Largest (fill in the blank) and whole cities out West were springing up around the idea of making everything Big, Bold, Bright and maybe even a tad gaudy. So she built the big orange.

Forty-plus years later, the Mammoth Orange of Redfield is now a must-stop spot on Arkansas' culinary roadmap. There just ain't nothing else like it: Part citrus fruit, part sputnik-style satellite, part big orange bowler hat. It seems to be made out of plywood and 2x4 lumber. There's a row of windows around the front, a stainless steel counter, and a handful of worn-down, plywood stools where customers can sit. Orders can be made through a window in the west side of the orange, but there's also a door that leads to a more-conventional dinning room in a more-conventional wing of the restaurant that's made out of cinder block. You sit there because, well, it's air conditioned.

The Mammoth Orange Cafe serves the same, standard drive-in food that you'd expect: Hamburgers and cheeseburgers, hot dogs and salads. But they also add the standard fare of a cafe as well: breakfast and, later in the day, the classic plate-lunch specials. And since we happened to arrive on a Friday and this is still Arkansas, the plate lunch special was catfish. With french fries. And a cup of coleslaw, a thick slice of onion, and two golf-ball-sized hush puppies. Okay - they talked me into it. (And note: The folks at the Mammoth Orange are civilized enough to not serve their fish with tartar sauce but simple mayonnaise. Which is really how it should be.)

Inside, there's a small salad bar, booth seating and, along one wall, a series of faded photos of local baseball or softball teams. But we were there for research purposes and that meant leaving the chilled comfort of the restaurant to sit out on one of those stools - by ourselves - and eat on the lip of the mammoth orange. It's recommended, even if it isn't as comfortable as the indoor seating.

The Spot

16471 Arch Street Pike, Little Rock

There are no tables at The Spot drive-in on Arch Street Pike, just a long wooden bench where customers can wait for their food and a few empty picnic tables in the weeds out back. And that is how it should be. Because most of those who stop by The Spot for burgers or fries or taco salad seem to be either getting their food to go or they eat it where road food should be eaten: in the front seat of the car, the windows down, the radio up, the summer air hot and sticky.

Because the image of roadside eating, what you think of when you imagine that stop in the middle of a long drive, that image is always in high summer. It's always hot, sweaty. Refreshment is needed.

There probably are drive-ins that say open year-round, but it's hard to imagine a strawberry shake tasting quite as good in cold, crappy November as it did on a Saturday last week, in the middle of June, sitting on that bench in front of The Spot. The burgers arrived wrapped in paper bags and stapled closed with a toothpick. The fries were hot and greasy, the tea was very sweet, and the traffic on Arch Street close enough to make us nervous.

And The Spot meets or exceeds every standard for a roadside dining spot. The burgers are okay, but the fries are excellent. The girls behind the window answer unexpected questions with a dead-eyed "Huh?" There is a full array of shakes and drive-in treats and almost everything on the menu can be had for a five spot. Indeed, the most expensive item - a hamburger steak dinner - runs $7.75. But three bucks will get you either a foot-long hot dog, a bowl of chili or, even better, a helping of frito pie.

Looking around The Spot, you can tell by the aging plywood, the light sockets that don't have bulbs, and the easy way that locals arrive knowing just what they want to eat, that the place has been around for many, many summers. And you have to hope, as that last viscous gulp of strawberry shake goes down, and the last fry is eaten and the trash thrown away, that The Spot will be around for many, many more. We'll be hungry again soon.

Hamburger Barn

2813 Pine St., Arkadelphia

A good hour outside Little Rock, just on the east side of the second Arkadelphia exit of Interstate 30 is the Hamburger Barn, or just the Burger Barn if you're an alliteration junkie. Even though it's on the main drag, it's hard to spot from the street. If you've never been there and you're coming from the freeway, prepare for a quick screech turn. You know, the kind that can lead to a fender bender.

But even if you get into an accident, it'll be worth the drive. Dubbed "the place to eat lunch in Arkadelphia" by both a townie lifer and an OBU grad we spoke with, the exterior looks rather plain until you get up close. A red and white theme around the entrance plays up to the barn part of the name, and the bovine white and black pattern in foyer brings to mind the burgers ... or at least where they come from. A sign over the entrance offers welcome, particularly to strangers. We like it already.

Dotted with antique tin signs for Sunbeam Bread, AAA Rootbeer and Coca Cola (even though they serve Pepsi products?), the eatery has a throwback feel. It's not a diner, but a quaint mom and pop kind of vibe.

The menu is pretty straightforward, with different kinds of chicken and a specialty chili dog, but if you're a first-timer here, get a burger. Taking two hands to eat, it comes with the trimmings on the side, served in a basket lined with a Nathan's wrapper and your choice of fries, onion rings, or a mix of both. Our chipotle barbecue bacon burger -- which was as fantastic as it sounds -- came out to a $9.53 with a soft drink after tax. Perhaps more than you might spend at the Burger King across the street, but an infinitely better value at less than twice the price.

Salem Dairy Bar

6406 Congo Road, Benton

Just a few minutes up Congo Road from Interstate 30 Exit 118 in Benton sits a quiet, out of the way spot to dine outdoors at the Salem Dairy Bar. Trudging up from the freeway, you'll get there before you know it, just at the intersection of Congo and Lawrence Lane. Don't trust Google Maps, though. It will have you thinking you've passed it. Though comprised of only a smallish white building and a trio of picnic tables, you really can't miss it.

Once arrived, the menu doesn't take much study, and offers what you'd expect: burgers, hot dogs and corn dogs, grilled cheese and burritos. Okay, maybe the burritos are a surprise. That the jumbo burgers are juicy and as big as a salad plate shouldn't be. It's what made two long-time Benton residents insist we go looking for this place, which dishes out its fare in brown paper sacks, wrapping up burgers not in prefabricated cardboard boxes but plain wax paper pinned with a toothpick.

Of course, as the name implies, grub from the grill isn't all that's hot at this little treasure. Ice cream is offered - in cups, cones, malts, milkshakes, sundaes and splits. It's enough to make your head spin, and enough to drawn in people from nearby Benton just for a taste.

But best for the penny pinchers is that no single lunch menu item is listed at more than $4. Some dinner plates are six and change and a basket lunch, which includes fries and a drink, cost us $6.78 after tax. But if that's not a steal, we're not sure what is.

Other eateries of interest we haven't made it to, but will some day:

Parachute Inn

10 Skywatch, Walnut Ridge

Probably one of the most iconic restaurants in the state, this established airport eatery in Walnut Ridge garnered national and even international press after an addition in 2001 that more than doubled its seating capacity - they parked an old Boeing 737 out back and converted the interior to dining space. Still, the configuration is a lot like a plane (you even store your coat in the overhead bins). Definitely worth the drive just to see, but the home-style cooking is reportedly excellent as well.

Dondie's White River Princess

101 E. Curran St., Des Arc

Built like the big 'ol steamboats that used to trudge up and down the rivers in days before land travel was easy or air travel was possible, this Des Arc destination is well known for its wide selection of seafood and ample all-you-can-eat buffet. Whether your craving is for crispy catfish or sizzling steak, head out of town a ways to the east on Interstate 40, up to Des Arc, and look for the big boat.

Daisy Queen

U.S. 65, Marshall

When the only address you need is the highway it's on, you can bet the food will be good. With no connections to that burgers and shake chain that goes by a similar name, the Daisy Queen is locally owned and, according to its own sign, has been "serving burgers with taste since 1966." We don't doubt it, and think it's worth checking out, especially if you're on the way to the Buffalo River or Branson.

Shadden's Bar-B-Q

19771 U.S. 49, Marvell

It may not look like much from the outside, but when the building is said to be a 100-year-old general store, well, you gotta be forgiving. And frankly, aren't the places with the least polish often the purveyors of the best barbecue? Many would say so of this out of the way joint, where chopped pork is king, the sauces are hot, mild or mixed, and the result is - at least according to some - the best 'cue you'll find in Arkansas.