CHEAP EATS

Tasty dishes and great service ‘Ropers’ you in

— One of the busiest thoroughfares in northern Pulaski County has to be Arkansas 107 as it passes through Sherwood. The area has been hectic for a while, but with the widening of the road to four lanes and the building of new subdivisions and several new businesses, it seems the boom is on.

There are several businesses we frequent, including Ropers Restaurant, a small family-friendly eatery that offers good food and great service. It’s at the end of a small strip center in the heart of what used to be Gravel Ridge.

The owner, who used to have a restaurant named His Place in the same location, returned and opened Ropers. In the intervening years, the location has been home to several Mexican restaurants.

My mother, son and I headed over on a recent Monday afternoon to check the place out, and it was early enough that the restaurant, and the road, hadn’t yet reached rushhour levels. The exterior of the building is pleasant but not showy, and the interior is pretty much the same way. There’s a large dining area divided by a short wall down the middle, and there is a selection of booths and tables where diners seat themselves and wait for a server.

The decor is minimal, but there are some Westernstyle touches like a cow skull hanging on the wall and the Cowgirls sign on the women’s restroom door. I also noticed a wall plaque listing the Ten Commandments, and think it’s nice that there are still some places where people are not afraid to display their faith.

We hadn’t been seated long when a smiling young lady came over, handed usmenus and took our drink orders. The menu isn’t extensive, but it does offer a nice selection.

The menu doesn’t have “appetizers,” but we decided to order onion rings, labeled as a side dish. The server asked if we would be interested in fried green beans, which were on a menu posted on the wall. We ordered both and asked that they come out before our entrees.

I decided on a 10-ounce sirloin meal ($11.49), which comes with choice of a baked potato or fries, tossed salad and Texas toast. The baked potato sounded good, so that was it. Mom decided on the pork chop dinner ($8.99) that comes with two chops, fried potatoes, a side salad and Texas toast. Lastly, my son chose the fried chickenbreast dinner ($8.25), whichcomes with fries, a salad and Texas toast.

The salads arrived at the table first, and we were pleasantly surprised at the mound of lettuce, shredded cheese and croutons in the bowls. Soon after the green beans and onion rings arrived, both with a side of ranch dressing for dipping. They were hot, crisp and delicious.

About the time we finished the rings and beans, our entrees arrived and we dug in. I’d ordered my steak medium-well and they hit the nail right on the head. The steak was tender and flavorful, the potato fluffy and cooked thoroughly, and the Texas toast was, well, toasty.

Mother had ordered her fried potatoes with onions, and they will also let you add cheese, peppers and bacon bits if you prefer. They weregood, and the onion added a nice flavor to the taters. She received two thin pork chops, and while they were seasoned well, they were a bit tough. One thick chop might have worked better than the two thin ones, but she still enjoyed them.

My son’s chicken breast was fried crisp and brown, and accompanied by a bowlof white gravy. The breast seemed a bit small, but it tasted good, and his fries were crisp and nicely salted.

We decided to split a dessert three ways. We asked our server about the selections of the day, and she mentioned coconut and chocolate pie, and carrot cake, and we went with the cake. It had come out of a refrigerator so it was cold and didn’t seem homemade, but did have a nice flavor and the icing was delicious.

Ropers’ menu also includes a selection of rib-eye steaks, filets, beef tips and, if you’re really hungry, a 20-ounce sirloin for $22.99. They offer something called grilled rice in plain, beef and chicken versions, and although we were intrigued, we didn’t order any.They also have sandwiches that include subs, a BLT and burgers ranging in price from $4.25 to $7.65. The sandwiches come with chips and the burgers are served with fries.

And, if you have kids in tow, there is a menu offering either a hot dog, chicken tenders, mini corn dogs or a grilled cheese served with chips for $2.99 each.

Ropers Restaurant

Address: 14421 Arkansas

107, Sherwood, and loca

tions in Greenbrier and

Beebe

Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Monday through Thursday,

11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and

11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday

Cuisine: Steaks, chicken

and burgers

Credit cards: AE, D, V, MC

Alcoholic beverages: No

Wheelchair accessible: Yes

Carryout: Yes

(501) 392-6283

Weekend, Pages 37 on 06/07/2012

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