Tag: sandwich

Food Review: Perfect Cafe in the Middle of Nowhere

If you travel much outside of the “big city” (Little Rock). I’m sure you’ve heard of Oark Cafe in Ozone, AR. Everybody loves it, a “must stop” if you’re in the area. But have you ever heard of Catalpa Cafe in Ozone? Just a few short miles from Oark Cafe? Me neither…until recently. There isn’t too much about it online (only two Yelp reviews, before I add my own, for example) However, everything I found online looked and sounded delicious, and way more fancy than what you get a regular cafe/ country restaurant. So, Drew and I are camping in Ozone on a rainy, cold day and decided to go give it a try since hiking was out of the picture. Spoiler alert: Oark Cafe has nothing on this place.
Here’s the breakdown:

Environment

Tucked away down a lengthy dirt road between Hwy 21 and the “Pig Trail” (Hwy 23), it is not the easiest to come across. However, they do have signs leading the way. Catalpa Cafe may be off the beaten path, but it is very worth it.

The inside is small, with only about 5 tables. The owner, Randy, cooks everything behind the counter. So, you can see, hear, and smell your meal making it’s way…which I always enjoy.  At the time we arrived (a Sunday at 1:00), it was not crowded at all. However, Randy let us know that on Friday nights and Saturdays, there may be a small wait.

The first thing you notice when you walk in is the dessert display. Today, there were only 3 pies: Apple, Coconut Cream, and Sugar-Free Cherry, $3.50 a slice (all completely made from scratch, of course). However, things are quite different in the summer season when more people are traveling the area. Usually, this dessert display is full of at least 6 pies.

Business Hours

It is important to know that Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, Catalpa Cafe is closed. They are open Thursdays 11-4. Fridays 8-7 (8-8 during Spring and Summer) Saturdays 8-4, and Sundays 8-4.
They serve breakfast each day they are open and lunch. Dinner (special entrees and sides that vary each week) only served on Fridays.

Menu

The menu changes constantly here. Randy says he cooks what looks good on his shopping outings. Love that! However, on this “lunch only” Sunday, there were a few burger options (ex: the most basic 1/2 lb burger with one side is $7.75. Other option examples include a Ghost Pepper Burger with bacon and pepperjack cheese for $8 or a Patty Melt for $8)
Other options are sandwiches other than burgers. (examples include: a grilled chicken sandwich with bacon, swiss, avocado, tomatoes and red onion on a toasted ciabatta roll, called the Catalpa Clucker; or the B.L.T.C.A.: a bacon, lettuce, tomato, swiss, ,and avacado on toasted sourdough)

However, on Fridays, there are no sandwiches or burgers. Instead, a fancier fare is offered where you choose an entree (things such as spaghetti carbonara, ribeye steaks, fried catfish, salmon, shrimp, frog legs, meatloaf, and Korean beef have been offered) and three sides (grilled asparagus, side salads, rosemary roasted potatoes, roasted cauliflower, and so much more are some offerings you may choose from)

Food

Smoked Brisket Sandwich, $9
Description: With sauteed mushrooms and onions and pepper jack cheese on a toasted ciabatta roll. Comes with one side.


*Noted: I got no cheese on this sandwich

I was nervous to try a brisket sandwich, because I have been burned by dried-out brisket all too-often. Luckily, this was no where near the case here. My enormous sandwich had THREE very thick pieces of juicy, tender, peppery brisket. Topped off with a few grilled onions, though they were out of mushrooms for the time. (Didn’t bother me, the sandwich was fantastic without it.) I was offered bbq sauce, so asked for it on the side. The sweet bbq sauce did taste wonderful with the sandwich, so I will go ahead and get that added next time. While the ciabatta roll was very large, it perfectly soaked up all the juices and still held the sandwich together until the end. Great choice of bread here.  While the sandwich was so tasty, I knew I could finish it off….I couldn’t. It really was a lot of food for $9. I had to take about 1/3 of it home. Happily, it tastes just as good, if not better, cold.

For my side, I got the homemade coleslaw, which was delicious! Not too much mayonaise, and a good flavor to balance out the smoked meat. I even added some to my sandwich, which I enjoyed.

Pulled Pork Sandwich, $9
Description: With bbq sauce, coleslaw, and cheddar on a toasted ciabatta roll. Comes with one side.

Drew got this sandwich, and as delicious as mine was, his was even better! The heaping pile of pork, just barely sauced in bbq, contained crispy ends that were still juicy as well as plenty non-fatty, but absolutely juicy, tender, delicious pork. The pork laid on a bed of that tasty coleslaw. And the ciabatta roll held up just as well with his sandwich as it did with mine. This was probably the juiciest sandwich I have had….in the best way.  I may have to get this one again on our next visit.
Drew got the pinto beans for his side, which include some meat, and were very tasty.
Needless to say, he/we finished off his sandwich.

Overall

We spent an entire hour here, not just eating, but talking with the owner/ cook/ waiter, Randy. And this guy is amazing. Not only is his food creative and delicious, he is about as genuine as they come. In fact, he even gives a completely free, Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving day each year (with dessert included). Why? He wants to encourage community. And he really enjoys helping people and making people happy.

If you want a very filling, very scrumptious meal, served by a great person, come visit Catalpa Cafe.

 

Food Review: Best Sandwich Ever? I think so….Heidi’s Ugly Cakes in Norfork, AR.

Update: I have since been to Heidi’s about 4 more times since I wrote this. I am updating and adding what other awesome desserts we have had.

Have you heard of Norfork? Me neither. However, it is about an hour away from  Mountain View, where we were camping this weekend. We went on a day trip to see some places in-between, but the lunch we had at Norfork was the highlight. If you Google food in Norfork, Heidi’s pops up…multiple times. Apparently she has the best reubens around, so clearly I had to stop in. And it was SO worth it! Here’s the breakdown:

Environment

This quaint town is a perfect place for this quaint restaurant….but there’s one problem. It is too far from Maumelle, where I live. But the restaurant is small,  decorated with tons of cute decor I’m sure Heidi picked out herself.

Heidi used to be in a different building, but now she is right in the middle of downtown Norfork, on the main highway. With the pandemic, she added on a very large outdoor eating area, with spaced out tables. She even has an outdoor window for contact-less ordering!

You can still walk in, order, and eat indoors as well. On my last trip (which is probably the 5th time I have visited Heidi’s), dhe let us know that it was “bake sale day” and all baked items were half off. I believe this is every Saturday!

The Menu

As small as this menu seems, it definitely will find a hit with any picky eater. I, personally, find no reason to offer anything other than the two sandwiches we tried…more on that in a minute, but I always find a smaller menu means each of the items are perfected. And they are. Sandwiches is what you will find mostly here, besides a ton of ridiculously luscious desserts.

The Food

Fried Bologna Sandwich with chips; $6.50, comes with whatever toppings you want.

I have had a pretty great fried bologna sandwich with a medium egg at Skinny J’s in Argenta, I would definitely get that again. But this one was even better. Every aspect was perfect. Buttery, toasted bread, thick, griddled bologna, “yolk-y” egg, crisp veggies, perfection! I couldn’t put it down to even try my half of the reuben, it was too good.  Definitely order this!

The Reuben with chips, $6.99

When I made it to the Reuben, with high expectations, it did not disappoint. Even without cheese, it was so juicy and tender and buttery…ugh, I’m drooling now just thinking about it.  It was definitely the best (or tied for the best) Reuben I have had. The only other contender is the Burger Barn in Ozone, AR, though the owner, who has recently passed, was a hard man to deal with…and who knows how their food is now that he isn’t cooking it? Drew agreed this was the best Reuben he has had.

Now where I got in trouble was with these desserts. There was a refrigerator full of cold “ugly” cakes and pies and also a shelf of baked hand-pies. I am not a dessert person. I never order dessert. But they were half off (originally $4.50 a slice…a huge slice) so for this review, I had to. It’s your fault.  Since I couldn’t pick just one, we ordered three.

We tried (and ate for 2 days) the coconut cream cake, the peanut butter pie, and the “holy cow ” cake.

The coconut cream cake was my favorite. It was like a tres leches cake, sooo moist, not too sweet, but utterly decadent. The peanut butter pie was very dense and rich and definitely hit the spot. The “holy cow” cake was chocolate cake with a delicious caramel, topped with a great vanilla icing (again, not too sweet) and butterfinger crumbs. While it was my least favorite, it was still delicious! If you visit Heidi’s, you MUST try a dessert, you won’t be disappointed.

Past Trips Food Report:

I ALWAYS get the fried bologna with an egg. I have decided I like that better than the reuben, so that’s my official favorite sandwich here.
As for desserts, I can’t pick a favorite, but I’m working on trying them all!
One time, this was our line up:

Cinnamon roll, “holy cow” cake, and banana pudding cake.

This was, no doubt, the BEST cinnamon roll I’ve ever had. I don’t like even one bite to be missing out on icing. This one was encrusted (it was fresh earlier that day) in a perfectly large amount of sweet cinnamon-y goodness. The roll is thin, but soft, so you get bites full of bread, cinnamon, and icing. It didn’t even need to be reheated it was so good. I’ll get these everytime!

The holy cow cake was still rich and delicious!

The banana pudding cake is my favorite cake now. It was SO moist! It tasted like the perfect banana pudding mixed with a delicious yellow cake. It blended wonderfully.

On my last trip, we got the coconut cream cake again, the peanut butter pie again, and tried the lemon icebox cake and the amaretto carrot cake.

The peanut butter pie cake was still super rich and tasty. The coconut cake was a little drier than previously. I think I’ll stick to corner pieces from now on. The amaretto carrot cake- wow! I have never liked carrot cake, but this was a dense, moist, flavor bomb. Delicious! The amaretto paired perfectly with the spices in the cake. I’ll have to make a carrot cake with almond extract to replicate this! The lemon icebox cake was exactly what you’d expect, in a good. Sour, moist, and very light!

Overall, I will drive here if I am ever within an hour again. It was the highlight of my weekend and Heidi was the best. While the reuben was amazing, I am longing more for that fried bologna sandwich, so I’ll probably never try anything else.

Those of you close to me know that I have been dieting all year and this may seem like I “fell off the wagon”. Don’t worry, I didn’t. I jumped off the wagon! And it was worth it.