30 Mar 2025 Kat Robinson’s seven dishes I can’t forget
Story and Photos by Kat Robinson
There are a lot of magnificent restaurants across Arkansas, and a lot of great people who make those places work.
I love learning about these places and sharing the stories. And sometimes, while I’m out and about, I find things that stick with me — dishes that may not be haute cuisine, but which go on my list of personal favorites, and which I’ll seek out when I’m not on the clock.
Breakfast: Chicken Fried Chicken at Homer’s East Restaurant in Little Rock
Fried chicken isn’t just for dinner when you go to the best example of a classic country diner within the city limits. Homer’s East is full of charm and delight, with excellent coffee, daily plate-lunch specials, and just good eats all the way around. This breakfast is one of my big cravings — a half-pound chicken breast that’s battered and fried when you order it, served alongside eggs made the way you like them, biscuits or toast, gravy and hash browns. Eight ounces of boneless fried chicken is a LOT, and this delicacy barely fits on the plate. Homer’s knows how to season it perfectly, and the waitstaff keeps my mug full while I tackle it, making for the perfect stick-to-your-bones breakfast.
Pastry: Butterfly at Paul’s Donuts in North Little Rock
One of the best secrets to a great doughnut delight is surface area. If you have a good dough to begin with, and you have a great shape to cut or form that doughnut, you can maximize the surface to create an extra-crispy crust that is perfect for glazing. Paul’s has mastered this with a light, gorgeous butter roll with thin, delightful loops unlike any other I’ve found around these parts. Not just a tasty delight, but a beautiful piece of work that’s unintentionally made for posting to social media. It’ll become your favorite, too.
Lunch: The Earl of Sandwich at Milford Track in Little Rock
The city’s best “if you know, you know” restaurant, tucked under a building with no street signage outside, a block or so off Shackleford in West Little Rock. Yet it gets enough business to thrive, thanks to word-of-mouth, great dishes and a marvelous view. While the handmade pasta is out-of-this-world extraordinary, and the muffins and pies craveable, I keep returning to the Earl of Sandwich, a turkey and Cheddar sandwich on multigrain bread with hummus, grilled peppers and fresh cucumbers. It has everything — layers of savory flavors, crunch, heft, and a mouthfeel that’s so very, very satisfying.
Snack: Cheese Dip at Saucy Pig in Sherwood
The Donnelly family created the roux-based emulsion we know today as cheese dip back in 1935, serving it at their restaurant Mexico Chiquito in Prothro Junction. The cheese dip served at the last of the restaurants to hold that name is good, but there’s been something just a touch off about it for a while. However, the Saucy Pig has it, the perfect spice blend, consistency, and flavor base, somehow expertly recreating that flavor generations of Arkansawyers have been raised on. It’s served with yellow corn chips but you can also arrange to get it with fries (which I love), or even do one better and go for Frachos – fries topped with that cheese dip and your choice of barbecue meat smoked right at the truck. Next level.
Dinner: Brisket Burrito at the Drip Drop BBQ Shop in Hot Springs
How many things can you put into a single tortilla before it becomes crazy and unmanageable? Terrence Culclager may have maxed out with this truly magnificent work of art that combines Tex-Mex and barbecue with great flavor in every single bite. His Brisket Burrito is a massive, thick roll that includes expertly smoked brisket, baked beans, coleslaw, fries, jalapenos, barbecue sauce and nacho cheese sauce, tightly wrapped and then griddle-fried in Cheddar cheese and topped with tomatoes, chives, onions and sour cream. Every bit as epic as it sounds!
Dessert: Mamaw Pie at Suttle’s Road Hog BBQ in Beebe
It’s hard to turn down dessert, no matter how full you are, when this light and fluffy slice of pie is at the end of it. It’s impossibly fluffy, with layers of toasted coconut, caramel, and chopped pecans. It’s an immaculately prepared dessert with a memorable flavor.
The Craziest Food I’ve Seen Lately:
The 55-Gallon Lid Pancake at the Bucket List Cafe in Center Ridge
North of Morrilton, and worth the drive just to see this crazy creation, this is a pancake the size of the lid of a 55-gallon drum that has to be prepared on a griddle with a special paddle for turning, a two-box-of-pancake-mix creation served with margarine and an entire bottle of syrup, that’s free if you eat it all within an hour. It weighs close to eight pounds! Dozens have tried, but only two people have ever completed the challenge. It’s reasonably priced, so if you want to get one just for the photo op and to share with eight or nine friends, that’s okay too — just be sure to call 24 hours in advance so they can have it ready for you.
