Littlefield’s fills breakfast yen

The Special Breakfast comes with two eggs, bacon, hash browns, and a biscuit with sausage gravy at Littlefield’s Cafe in North Little Rock.
The Special Breakfast comes with two eggs, bacon, hash browns, and a biscuit with sausage gravy at Littlefield’s Cafe in North Little Rock.

Just off of John F. Kennedy Boulevard in North Little Rock, in the parking lot of the strip center that also houses a Kroger, 10 Fitness and Dollar Tree, sits the little building that could. The place has been home to several restaurants, from Mexican, pizza and burgers to a frozen yogurt shop.

I’d heard it was going to be a buffet place, so with that in mind, my mother and I headed over there about a week after it opened.

The tan brick building has a new sign, but other than that, it hasn’t changed much. We stood in the doorway for a few seconds until we heard someone tell us to find a seat. No buffet in sight.

A friendly waitress approached, menus in hand, and took our drink order. The menu isn’t extensive, but it offers enough of a variety that it took a while to decide.

One of the first things I noticed was that Littlefield’s serves breakfast all day.

When the server brought our drinks, I was still weighing the pros and cons of breakfast versus lunch, so to buy some time, I ordered cheese dip ($3.89 small, $5.89 large).

I finally chose the Littlefield’s Special ($6.95) of two eggs, two strips of bacon, hash browns and a biscuit with gravy, plus a peach fried pie ($2.49). Other flavors are apple, chocolate and pecan.

Mom ordered off the “Favorites” part of the menu, which offers a small selection of plate lunches. She chose the fried pork chop meal ($8.49), which comes with salad, roll and a baked potato. She substituted sweet potato fries for the baked potato (65 cents extra).

While we dug into the dip I took a look around the room. It hasn’t changed much, other than a new coat of paint. The walls are varying shades of gray-blue. The kitchen and front counter anchor the left side of the room, and the dining area fills the other two thirds. The tables are basic and nondescript. The real star is, and should be, the food.

The cheese dip was a flavorful concoction of white cheese and what seemed to be small chunks of jalapeno. It was creamy and not overly spicy.

Lunch customers started coming in and service got a little slower, but not enough to be a problem. After about 20 minutes our meals arrived.

Mom’s salad was served in a cereal-size bowl and was more than enough for one person. It was topped with tomato, cheese and chopped white onion, but the onion was a bit strong. The order of sweet potato fries was ample.

The medium-size breaded fried pork chop seemed tough. Mom mauled it a bit with a table knife, then, even with a steak knife, she had trouble cutting the meat off the bone. I tried a bite and while it was flavorful, it was a bit chewy.

I was pleased with my breakfast. The server brought two plates, one holding the eggs, bacon and hash browns, the other with the biscuit and gravy. Upon first taste of the biscuit and gravy, I swear I heard a heavenly choir singing off in the distance. The gravy was homemade and reminded me of a Tennessee aunt’s gravy I ate in childhood. It was thick and rich, with small chunks of mild sausage. The biscuit was flaky and substantial enough to not get soggy or fall apart under the gravy.

My two eggs over medium were just right, the hash browns and bacon crisp and brown.

I ordered a Chicken Strip dinner ($8.49) with fries and salad to go, along with a slice of peanut butter and lemon ice box pie ($3.50 each). The slices could have been just a tad bigger for the price.

As we were finishing our entrees, the fried pie was delivered. The crust was hot and flaky, though the inside was a bit cold. But it was delicious. I tried a bite of mom’s lemon ice box pie; it was creamy with just a hint of lemon.

The takeout food made it home safely, nestled in white foam containers. The chicken strips were tender, crisp and tasty. The fries, which looked to be homemade, were a bit lackluster.

My son and I split the slice of peanut butter pie later and it was delicious. It had a chocolate cookie crust, and a thick peanut-flavored filling with peanuts mixed in.

Littlefield’s Cafe also has sandwiches, burgers, breakfast staples like pancakes and omelets, plus a child’s menu and milkshakes.

Littlefield’s Cafe

Address: 6929 John F. Kennedy Blvd., No. 33, North Little Rock

Hours: 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday

Cuisine: American

Carryout: Yes

Alcoholic beverages: No

Wheelchair accessible: Yes

Credit cards: MC, V, D, AE

(501) 771-2036

Weekend, Pages 21 on 01/02/2014

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