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Central Little Rock
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Lunch at Rosie’s Pot & Kettle in the East Village

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Rosie’s Pot & Kettle is a new breakfast and lunch spot located on the eastern edge of downtown Little Rock. It is just a few blocks from the East Village District, the revamped, now popular area filled with a variety of eateries (including Fidel & Co.). It tugs at my heartstrings just a bit to see this area’s revitalization. And the addition of Rosie’s helps fill a massive void left by the closure of nearby Sandy’s Homeplace Café. After three decades, the ever-popular institution which continually attracted white and blue-collar lunchtime diners recently closed for good. The cafe’s namesake announced her well-earned retirement.

Rosie’s Pot & Kettle

Whether Rosie’s Pot & Kettle can carry Sandy’s torch remains to be seen, but my visit did nothing to dissuade me from thinking it can. The menu is small. This is not a knock, just an observation. I prefer a smaller, more concentrated menu with a focus on executing a limited number of items well. For Rosie’s, that includes a lean towards stick-to-your-ribs Southern delights. A daily lunch special with proteins like hamburger steak, salmon croquettes, and meatloaf will likely help build a clientele of regulars. But so will the vegetable plate. Folks have a choice of four side dishes from a rotating mix of items, including pinto beans, purple hull peas, mashed potatoes, turnip greens, corn, and mac & cheese. On Fridays, you can even celebrate the upcoming weekend with a chili cheese dog and tater tots.

Rosie’s Pot & Kettle

Rosie’s Cheeseburger is also on the menu, and it is quite tasty. The burger is a touch sloppy in appearance, but what it lacks in looks, it certainly makes up for in taste. The highlight is the thick beef patty, cooked to a perfect medium, then covered in American cheese and topped with a leaf of Romaine. Pickles, red onion, tomato, mayonnaise, and mustard also come along for the ride. The $9 handheld also includes a side of tater tots with a fry job so good, you will probably need an extra order to split with a tablemate. The smashed potatoes and Northern beans were two other standouts from my lunch. One thing I quickly gathered about Rosie’s is the ladies who run this restaurant know their way around a potato. In the case of the smashed potatoes, a heavy hand of butter, and then more butter did the trick.

Rosie’s Pot & Kettle

In-house desserts are also a big draw for the restaurant. A slice of blueberry custard pie proved enjoyable, as did a piece of coconut cream pie. The latter needed a few more minutes in the refrigerator, as I prefer mine a little colder than what hit the table.

Service was warm and friendly, as you might expect from a smaller restaurant embracing comfort food and Southern hospitality. I hope Rosie’s Pot & Kettle continues to be adopted by locals. By most, if not all accounts, reviews have been positive. Consistency will be the key. If they churn out quality, consistent food, then I could see Rosie’s doing well for years to come.

Did You Know?

Rosie’s offers a 10-menu item breakfast on Monday-Friday from 6 a.m.-10:30 a.m., with dishes like a breakfast burrito, breakfast sandwich, and a 2-egg breakfast (with ham, bacon, sausage, hash brown patty, and toast or biscuit).

Rosie’s Pot & Kettle Cafe
423 Bond Avenue (Little Rock)
Phone: (501) 747-1456
Hours: Monday-Friday 6 a.m.-2 p.m.

 

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Kevin Shalin is a food writer living in Little Rock with his wife, Sara, and one daughter, Sydney. His oldest daughter, Natalie, is a freshman at Loyola University in Chicago. He started his own blog, The Mighty Rib, twelve years ago while living in Houston. Six months later, he began writing for Eating Our Words, a Houston Press food blog. After a year in Boston, he moved to Little Rock, where he’s been for ten years. During that time, he’s written for publications like Little Rock Soiree, Arkansas Times, AY Magazine, and The Local Palate.

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