By Jarred Kibbey

Last week I had to make an unexpected trip to Morrilton. I figured since I was there around lunch, I would pick up my wife and try the Morrilton Drive Inn that I have seen many people post about on various threads on The Mighty Rib Facebook page. As we approached the building, the parking lot is completely empty and I see hand written signs in the windows – “closed until further notice.” This was very disappointing because I had my heart set on a burger.

Not having a backup plan, I asked my wife if she knew of any places and she said there was a BBQ spot nearby that she had heard good things about, so we headed back across town (a two-minute trip) to Road Hog BBQ and Catering. The story I heard on this place was that it was a long time donut shop and the owners decided it was time to call it quits, but instead of closing up shop completely, they let their kids open up a BBQ restaurant.

This is a small, order-at-the-counter establishment. We opted for a pulled pork sandwich with fries and a cheese burger with onion rings. I normally wouldn’t order a burger at a BBQ joint, but I was still in the burger state of mind and Road Hog BBQ had a few different burger options on the menu.

Service was exceptionally quick and I frankly was surprised at the amount of food that we received. My burger was served on a toasted jumbo bun with an extra thick patty and all the fixins. The patty could have used a little more seasoning, but it was good and for the price, it is hard to beat. My wife’s serving was even bigger than my burger and she ended up taking half of it home with her for lunch the next day. I was impressed with the pork. It had a nice bark to it and it wasn’t dried out at all. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of their sauce, due to personal preference, my wife loved it. Apparently there is also a spicy sauce they serve as well that I will try next time.

The table next to me had the half rack of ribs and they looked pretty tasty as well. If I am ever in Morrilton again, I will definitely be back and check the ribs out.

After our lunch, we had a little time before she needed to be back to see her next patient, so we decided to head to the new local coffee shop, Big Cuppa, to get our caffeine fix. Located in an old downtown building, this place had a great coffee shop feel to it. I cannot speak for the quality of the coffee though, because there was one person in line in front of us and the barista couldn’t be bothered to end his conversation with the patron long enough to take our order. So after waiting a few minutes for the conversation to end, we had to leave to ensure that she made it back in time for her next appointment.

Even though I had two unfortunate experiences in Morrilton, I was happy with Road Hog BBQ and am excited to try other menu options.