Chocolate meringue pie.

The Country Rooster is a hub of activity in Green Forest.  Sitting on the town square, the old storefront hosts a consignment shop that contains everything from furniture to old albums, silverware and toys and of all thing, pie.  See, it's also a lunchroom.

That's right.  Amidst the old TV cabinets, the shelves of lamps, the antique brasswear and the occasional taxidermied deer head, you'll find a cordoned off section of mismatched tables and chairs, at which you dine on mismatched TV trays with mismatched silverware   The meatloaf is phenomenally good, and the cookie bars shine.  Sandwiches are usually an option as well.

The pie of note:  chocolate meringue.  The crust -- flour and rolled.  The custard -- substantial and flavorful milk chocolate with dark chocolate notes.  The meringue -- toasted with a definitive spring. Overall, pleasant and tasty and a perfect snack for a flea market trip.

You'll find a review of it here on Eat Arkansas.  And the restaurant has a website, which includes a review from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Country Rooster
101 Phillips Avenue
Green Forest, AR 72638
(870) 438-5710

Turtle brownie pie.

Diana Bratton does some amazing things with pie.  Her restaurant, Cafe 1217, shares a parking lot with the equally awesome Taco Mama off Malvern Avenue in Hot Springs.  You could say it's frou-frou food, but it's very good, and the pies are always excellent.

We dropped in twice in the summer of 2011 to sample the coconut caramel pie, but both times there was none to be had.  On our second visit, another pie
called out to us -- this one, the Turtle brownie pie.  An awesome truffle-like filling of chocolate laced with pecans and caramel in a blind-baked flour crust, it's a lick-the-plate confection that's both light and rich, best shared with someone marvelous.  A light beverage such as the house strawberry lemonade is a great accompaniment.

This pie was named one of the Best Pies in Arkansas in the November 23, 2011 issue of the Arkansas Times and ninth in Kat's Top 10 of Pie on ArkansasMatters.com.  Check out the menu for Cafe 1217 here.


Cafe 1217
1217 Malvern Avenue #B
Hot Springs, AR 71901
(501) 318-1094
www.cafe1217.net


 

Egg Custard Pie.

The best we've found anywhere in the state is at Dew-Baby's, a great little lunch spot on Michigan Avenue in Stuttgart.  The pie has that perfect firm consistency with the right nutmeg note.

Also, you need to try the fried chicken if it's offered when you stop in.  Kat blogged about the experience here.

Dew Baby’s
813 East Michigan
Stuttgart, AR 72160
(870) 672-7333

Bourbon Pecan Pie.

This marvelous pie is made and offered at DeVito's Family Restaurant in Bear Creek Springs, just north of Harrison.  We believe it's likely the most alcoholic pie in Boone County, if not the state of Arkansas.

Learn more about the DeVito family and their restaurant over at Tie Dye Travels.

DeVito’s Family Restaurant
350 DeVitos Loop
Harrison, AR 72601
(870) 741-8832