Summer road trip
Since co-founding and becoming the director of the Southern Foodways Alliance at the University of Mississippi in 1999, John T. Edge has firmly established himself as the expert on Southern food. His stories can be found in publications ranging from The New York Times to Garden & Gun to the Arkansas-based Oxford American. His books have names such as The Pot-likker Papers and Southern Belly.
Last year, he teamed up with ESPN writer Wright Thompson for a television series on the SEC Network called TrueSouth. The show focused on the intertwining of Southern food and culture.
Edge told Garden & Gun: “This is something I’ve long wanted to do, but I never thought anybody would give me the chance, to be frank. The work I’ve been doing with the Southern Foodways Alliance and the writing I’ve been doing for Garden & Gun and other venues, all of that informs what I’m doing with this show. This is a chance for a big megaphone. This is a chance to share all the stuff I’ve squirreled away in my head for a long time.
It’s a chance to pay tribute to these people whom I really respect. The people whose stories we’re telling through the show are the people whose food I love.”
Edge was born in rural Georgia in 1962. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree in Southern studies from Ole Miss. The thing that has always impressed me about Edge is that even with his academic responsibilities, the articles he writes, the books he writes and the television shows in which he appears, he still finds time to visit all the Southern states on a regular basis. Arkansas is no exception.
Back when I worked for the Delta Regional Authority, I began hounding Edge to discover the barbecue treasures of the Arkansas Delta. Not only did he write an award-winning article on Jones Bar-B-Q Diner at Marianna for the Oxford American, he also paved the way for Jones to receive the prestigious America’s Classics Award from the James Beard Foundation.
Each summer, Edge and his staff at the Southern Foodways Alliance organize what they call a summer field trip. The event attracts foodies from across the country. This year’s destination was Bentonville, where visitors experienced the amazingly eclectic food offerings of that growing Arkansas city.
In advance of the June event, Edge asked me to come up with a list of 10 restaurants between Little Rock and Bentonville that those attending the field trip might wish to try. I knew what he was looking for—places that would speak to the culture and food traditions of this unique place called Arkansas. None of these restaurants can be considered fine-dining establishments or cutting edge. But all of them will give you a good feel for how Arkansans live, socialize and eat.
I could have easily come up with 20, but here are the 10 I chose in case you’re planning your own summer road trips:
■ Bob’s Grill in Conway: Every small town used to have one of these places, the diner where people gather for coffee and solve the world’s problems. Bob’s opens at 5 a.m. and closes at 2 p.m. Breakfast is the best time to eavesdrop on the regulars. Its motto is: “If it happens in Conway, it’s talked about at Bob’s Grill.”
■ Morrilton Drive In in Morrilton— Again, this is the type of non-chain establishment that once could be found in small towns across America. The barbecue, hamburger steaks, chicken-fried steaks and fried catfish are equally good here.
■ Old South in Russellville—This restaurant is on the National Register of Historic Places. Using an Art Modern design, it was constructed in 1947 by the National Glass & Manufacturing Co. of Fort Smith for what once was a small chain of 24-hour diners.
■ Oark General Store in Oark—Take a short side trip off Interstate 40 at Clarksville and head north into the mountains. At Oark, there’s a general store that opened in 1890. A young couple bought it a few years ago, and it’s mostly a restaurant these days.
■ Catalpa Cafe in Catalpa—Leaving Oark, head several more miles along the Mulberry River to the spot where the asphalt ends. Here the visitor will find surprisingly upscale dining prepared by a trained chef.
■ Wiederkehr Weinkeller in Wiederkehr Village—Take the Altus exit off Interstate 40, and you’ll find something that most aren’t expecting in Arkansas: the wine country. Lunch and dinner are served in the winery’s original cellar, dug by hand by Johann Andreas Wiederkehr in 1880.
■ Herman’s Ribhouse in Fayetteville— Herman Tuck opened this now iconic restaurant on New Year’s Day in 1964. It quickly became a favorite of chicken titan Don Tyson and generations of University of Arkansas students. It also became known among the sportswriters and sportscasters who came to cover Razorback games.
■ Venesian Inn in Tontitown—Just a few miles off Interstate 49 at Springdale is an Italian restaurant opened in 1947 by Germano Gasparotto. The inside of the building hasn’t changed much since then. Combine the best of Arkansas and the best of Italy by ordering fried chicken and spaghetti.
■ A.Q. Chicken House in Springdale —A.Q. stands for “Arkansas Quality.” The restaurant was opened in 1964 on what was then the main highway by chicken grower Roy Ritter. This is the last remaining location of what was a small chain.
■ Monte Ne Inn in Monte Ne—Just outside Rogers is an establishment that serves food family-style. It’s all you can eat starting with bean soup followed by fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, slaw and rolls with apple butter.