An Arkansas Food Diary
On May 30, 2013 by Meghalee DasA and I recently came back from a short vacation to Arkansas. We drove to the cities of Hot Springs, Little Rock and Branson in Missouri and passed by several pretty small towns, some of which had a population of barely 400! The lush green Ozark Mountains surrounded us everywhere we went, along with rolling meadows, creeks, wildflowers, roses and horses. We also camped at the Buffalo River National Park in Arkansas, besides hiking on some of the most beautiful trails, kayaking almost 10 miles on Buffalo River and fishing at White River.
This trip also turned out to be a foodie’s delight and I can’t wait to talk about all the delicious food we had at the most unexpected places in Arkansas and Missouri. I cannot stress enough what a big difference it makes when you have fresh food, be it vegetables, fruits, fish etc, compared to frozen ones. The combination of fresh ingredients and minimal steps still leads to the best recipes, which was evident in the desserts we tasted or the entrees we had.
Cooking is always one of the highlights of our camping trip. We make elaborate menus for every meal and then spend time buying the groceries accordingly. This time, however, our camping trip was cut short due to severe thunderstorms but we did have some delicious food on day one. Usually we have a routine — I cook the food, A sets up the tent or vice versa. This time A wanted to use the grill as there was no burn ban in Arkansas, so I took responsibility of the tent. He grilled these gorgeous pork chops seasoned with a little salt and pepper, and steamed bell peppers, zucchini, onions and mushrooms wrapped in foil paper and covered with hot coals.
We used some seasoned orange marmalade as a sauce with the chops, which was A’s idea, and it went very well with the whole dish. I wish we had a chance to stay there for the next few days too, but we still had a great time doing other outdoorsy activities.
For example, I had never tried fishing before. I mean I had tried it, but never caught anything, until this time. The town of Cotter, AR, regards itself as the trout capital of USA. A booked a fishing tour plus lunch package with Cotter Trout Dock, where we would get a fishing license, rent the necessary equipment and be accompanied by a person who would drive the boat, be our fishing guide and also cook lunch for us by the river. We started fishing on the misty White River from 7.30 am to 3.30 pm and caught over 40 fish together, though we are allowed to take only 5 each and have to release the rest. The weather was perfect, very cool and it was a very relaxing experience. I even dozed off just sitting on the boat a couple of times!
Halfway through, we stopped our boat by the river bank and Alvin, our guide, started cooking lunch. The star of the menu was, of course, the trout caught by us, which he coated in seasoned cornmeal and deep fried till it was crispy. I have never eaten such fresh fish before!
Besides that, we also fried potato chips, bacon and hush puppies, which are deep-fried savory cornbread balls, followed by banana pudding for dessert.
It was like a picnic, as we watched the river flow by and saw beautiful birds like Blue Herons and Bald Eagles.
I would also like to mention the names of a few restaurants which I particularly liked in this trip:
McClard’s Bar-B-Q Restaurant, Hot Springs, AR: This is an iconic restaurant regarded to be former US President Bill Clinton’s favorite BBQ place. Established in 1928, the original tourist court housed a gas station and a BBQ diner. When a traveller could not pay $10 for his two-month stay, he offered the owners a secret recipe for the “world’s greatest hot sauce”. It soon became the star of their dishes, and that secret recipe is still kept in a bank locker! The restaurant has pictures of famous personalities, including President Clinton, who have dined here.
The portions are huge, I could barely finish eating, but if you like meat and have a big appetite, this is the place for you. They are best known for their ribs and tamales but you can also try the sandwiches and sides. Remember, they don’t accept credit cards so do carry some cash with you.
Skylark Cafe, Leslie, AR: My heartfelt thanks to the breakfast lady and unknown old man at Best Western Hillside Inn, Clinton, who gave us suggestions on how to spend our time, as it rained non-stop outside. We like to have random conversations with people we meet while travelling, and I was telling the lady how we had to abandon our campsite the previous night due to a tornado warning. She told us we could check out some shows in Branson, Missouri, and on the way stop by a small town called Leslie. She insisted that there is a place there called Skylark Cafe which serves the best desserts in the world. Since all the people in Arkansas refer to everything as “the best in the world”, we were thinking it’s probably good but it cannot be that good, right? I take it back, it was the best dessert I’ve ever had!
The town was so beautiful with some antique shops and stores lined up on the lone main street, and there was our cafe, standing pretty as the rain fell all around us. It was like an old house with flowers everywhere, bird feeders, a swing and the interiors were warm and cosy.
I had their special White Bean Soup with fresh herbs and spices served with Cornbread Muffin. It was perfect for a cold, rainy day and I finished every drop of it.
This was followed by Strawberry Shortcake for me and Banana Walnut Caramel Cheesecake for A. I can still smell and taste the deliciousness of those fresh fruits and the light and fluffy texture of the desserts. Who knew we would stumble upon this little secret, tucked away in a tiny corner of Leslie!
Dixie Stampede (Dinner Attraction), Branson, MO: This is actually a fun show highlighting the origins of the USA, showcasing friendly rivalry between the North and the South in the form of contests between Generals and their armies, games by lumberjacks, songs and dances by Southern Belles and Gentlemen, horse riding tricks, ostrich races by cowboys and cowgirls and what not! It was pretty crazy and funny but we were not allowed to take pictures in the arena, probably because all the camera flash may spook the animals 🙁
The tickets include a full four-course meal that you can eat while watching the show in the arena below. Since we would be using our hands, we had to stomp our feet as applause and the whole stadium thundered with the noise. We were served a whole tender Rotisserie Chicken, Hickory Smoked Barbequed Pork Loin, Creamy Vegetable Soup, Biscuits, Herb-basted Potato, Buttered Corn on the Cob, Stuffed Puff Pastry for dessert and unlimited tea, coffee or Pepsi — I say, YeeeeHawwww! Yes, I actually said it, together with the rest of the thousands of guests!
Nima’s Pizza, Gassville, AR: This place was recommended by Cotter Trout Dock, where the owner said Nima’s has the most delicious pizza dough. It turned out to be the best pizza that I had eaten at least! Nima’s is indeed one of the best in the world as it was the winner of the International Pizza Challenge in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, held in Las Vegas, Nevada, and its tag line is “#1 in the USA, #2 in the world”, just behind Venice, Italy in the traditional pizza category. It is a small place, with no stylised banners or ads, but with great food like that, they don’t need any embellishments.
After having only chocolate and banana muffins and granola bars for breakfast and with over 5 hours of kayaking on our last day of the trip, we were starving. We ordered one Roasted Garlic Chicken Pizza which had the most tender pieces of chicken, loads of gooey fresh mozzarella cheese and just the right amount of spices. Their “small” size was like any other large pizza usually available, and I don’t remember how quickly A and I gobbled the eight slices!
I am so glad we found these hidden gems in these inconspicuous towns, which makes me think that there must be so many more amazing diners scattered all over the country in places you would least expect it. From cooking freshly caught rainbow trout at the river bank, grilling away at a campfire and sampling delicious BBQ, pizza and desserts to sleepily eating Texas shaped waffles at motels for breakfast…
… to stopping by diners at the highway to have French Toast with Raspberries, Potato Cheese Soup, omelettes and hash browns, we had it all.
This road trip was full of surprises and the food we had was definitely one of the highlights. I can’t wait to go back!
