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BATESVILLE

Hanging tight along the last major ridge of the Ozarks, Batesville lacks the flatland the Delta shares. I briefly touched on it in Classic Eateries of the Ozarks and Arkansas River Valley. It sees itself as the gateway to the Ozarks, but I believe it’s just as valuable as a gateway to the Arkansas Delta. As you wind out of town on U.S. Highway 167 heading due south, the ridgy hills quickly give way to first rolling land and then the big flat of the Delta, right at Bald Knob.

It shouldn’t be left short shrift with its collection of old restaurants.

FRED’S FISH HOUSE, BATESVILLE

Fred’s Fish House is all about the catfish, just like its fellow similarly named location in Mountain Home. Situated in an old church, Fred’s is known for ample portions and an unchanging quality of fish and hushpuppies. But its history goes back farther.

Fred Ward started his Fish House in Cord, a ways out of Batesville, back in 1991. He’d have his sons fish for fresh catfish right out of the family pond to serve up at the little café and grocery store he ran. Problem was, word got out about how good and fresh his fish was, his sons fished the pond dry and he had to start getting fish from other places.

In 1991, Fred moved the business to Batesville and turned it over to his son Randy. The popular location continued to turn out hot catfish, spicy brown beans, homemade dressing, hush puppies and what’s considered to be one of Arkansas’s best green tomato relishes—so good, the Wards had to start offering them for sale in jars at the register. Today, Randy’s sons Cameron and Brandon are involved with the business, and it continues to thrive.

Fried Catfish

From the Arkansas Farm Bureau

“This recipe will feed a dozen or more people at your next home fish fry. The hot sauce/milk marinade adds a nice piquant flavor to the catfish without making it spicy hot.”

—Keith “Catfish” Sutton

6 pounds catfish steaks and/or fillets

3 3-ounce bottles Louisiana style hot sauce

12 cups milk

3 cups yellow cornmeal

1 cup flour

2 tablespoons salt

1½ teaspoons cayenne pepper

1½ teaspoons garlic powder

Peanut oil

Marinate catfish 1 to 2 hours in a mixture of hot sauce and milk. Remove fish and drain. Combine the dry ingredients in a large plastic bag. Add the fish a little at a time and shake to coat. Cook the fish in 2 inches of peanut oil in a deep fryer heated to 365 degrees. Fry until the thickest part of the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Repeat with remaining fish. Serves 12–15.

Green Tomato Relish

This condiment isn’t something you just whip up. Instead, it’s the true purpose of the marvelously tart green tomato. Clear some counter space and make up a year’s supply—or share with people you like.

7 pounds green tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces

4 large yellow or white onions, sliced into 1-inch by ½-inch pieces

2 large red onions, sliced into 1-inch by ½-inch pieces

4 teaspoons canning salt

5 cups apple cider vinegar

4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons celery seed

2 teaspoons mustard seed

Combine tomatoes and onions. Fold in salt. Pour into a cheesecloth-lined colander and let stand for two hours. Discard the liquid. Bring vinegar, sugar, celary seed and mustard seed to boil in stockpot. Add tomatoes and onions. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or until thickened and sinuses are clear. Carefully ladle the hot mixture into 8 hot pint jars, leaving ½ inch at the top. Remove air bubbles and add more of the hot mixture until it’s even with the top. Wipe the jar rim and carefully center lids on jars. Screw on bands until tight. Place the jars in pot covered with at least one inch of water and bring to a boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Yield: 8 pints.

TRIANGLE CAFÉ AND ELIZABETH’S RESTAURANT AND CATERING

Atop the hill overlooking the town from the south, you’ll find the Triangle Café. It’s been there since before the roads around Batesville were paved, at the corner of U.S. Highway 65 and Arkansas Highway 14. It opened in the 1940s, but since the ’90s it’s been Lisa Palmer’s place. Each day, breakfast and lunch are served at this festive little spot along Main Street, where regulars sit and nurse coffee over pancakes or whatever the plate lunch happens to be.

Downtown, you’ll find Elizabeth’s, a bright and airy spot along Main Street offering beautiful dainty foods such as splendid cold sandwiches and a pineapple boat of a fruit salad, along with the Four Star Salad. If you’re like me and have a hard time deciding on a dinner, this one takes care of your curiosity, with matching scoops of tuna, shrimp and chicken salads over pasta salad with pickled okra.

JOSIE’S AT THE LOCKHOUSE

Finally, there’s Josie’s at the Lockhouse. Steve Carpenter owned the original Josie’s in Waldenburg. The relatively small restaurant would be packed on weekend nights when Josie’s was open, with folks wedging themselves in to get a shot at one of the eatery’s famous steaks.

Steve was happy there, but when this property opened up in Batesville, it was a deal too good to miss. He purchased the structure, built in 2000 over a 1910 lock, and opened Josie’s at the Lockhouse in 2004. The new restaurant overlooks the lock that allows traffic to climb up northwest toward the lakes that dot the White River. Steve added a deck, a perfect spot for summer evenings where one can watch the sun set. Inside, local paraphernalia, signs and fishing implements crowd the walls. You can see the sign that welcomes diners to Josie’s on the front cover of this book.

Steve’s dishes focus on prime Angus beef, just as they did back in Waldenburg. The restaurant also features a mean club sandwich, excellent cheese dip and an outstanding example of bread pudding. It’s become so popular that country music star Mickey Gilley has had to drop in for a bite and a chance to perform.

As the sun sets over the White River, the story sets for this book, strewn across the Delta’s long flat plain. It ends here at yet another crossroads, where the Ozarks beckon. Grav and I will start a new journey soon to cover the southern and western regions of the state, but for now, a clear evening on Josie’s deck will do us both just fine.