In 1995 "The Natural State" was officially adopted as Arkansas' state nickname. But I think it's also unofficially safe to say that Arkansas is "The Barbecue State." From one corner to another you'll find restaurants offering pork, chicken, ribs and brisket served different ways.
Grandpa's Bar-B-Que in Cabot recently reopened in a space at the end of a short strip center on Pine Street. It's a straight shot off U.S. 67/167 at the Cabot exit. The phone's GPS led us right to it, although it sent us on two errant right turns in the parking lot.
Grandpa’s Bar-B-Que
Address: 1802 S. Pine St., Cabot
Hours: 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday
Cuisine: Barbecue
Credit cards: V, MC, AE, D
Alcoholic beverages: No
Wheelchair accessible: Yes
Carryout: Yes
(501) 941-1141
The exterior is nondescript, but inside is comfortable and homey. Dark salmon-colored walls are decorated with a few country knickknacks and artwork, with red and white checked tablecloths adding to the overall ambience.
The dining area is one large room with booths flanking two walls, and the checkout stand is to the left of the front door near the kitchen. A friendly gal led us to our booth and handed us menus, and our eager server bustled over to take our order.
The menu isn't very big. It offers a selection of barbecued entrees, appetizers, sandwiches, catfish and burgers. According to the menu, "All their fresh meats are the finest cuts, rubbed with Grandpa's blend of spices, and hickory-smoked for a full 12 hours."
My son wanted to try the Bar-B-Que Nachos ($6.29), so we ordered them along with the Sampler Platter ($13.99), featuring beef, pork, sausage and a rib, three sides and Texas toast. I ordered the daily special, chicken fried steak with two sides and Texas toast ($7.99).
I noticed fried pies ($2.99) under Grandpa's Desserts. We ordered peach and chocolate pies to go.
The menu describes the nachos as made with a choice of beef, pork or chicken, with cheese and jalapenos. But I forgot to say "no jalapenos" on them, so we got a plate liberally topped with them. The plate held a pile of tortilla chips that were topped with what resembled canned cheese sauce and a small amount of shredded pork. (I think there were more jalapenos than meat on top.)
We had to ask for utensils and our server brought out three plastic forks. I then realized we'd need something to cut the chicken fried steak, so we flagged down a passing employee for plastic knives.
The Sampler Platter came out on a large plate with meat and small Styrofoam containers holding our sides of smoked beans, loaded baked potato salad and coleslaw. Missing were our Texas toast and the rib. We told our server and he fetched our missing items.
I really enjoyed the smoked beans. The meat was flavorful but tepid. The beef was a bit dry, but a dollop of Grandpa's sweet barbecue sauce did the trick (it has mild and hot versions too).
The pork came in large shreds and was tender, but it didn't have a pronounced smoke flavor. The sausage was smoky and firm, and not very fatty. The rib was humongous; I ate a few bites, but it was rather unwieldy. We took a lot of it home and it was even better the second day.
The chicken fried steak was really thin, but tender, and it had a nice crunchy breading, topped with a white gravy that was tasty. The fries were basic, long and thick, fried to a nice crisp, and the okra was tender inside and crunchy on the outside.
Overall, we had a nice dining experience in a friendly atmosphere. But as it hasn't been reopened for very long, it's understandable there will be hiccups in the service and the food.
Weekend on 02/19/2015