MICK’S BAR-B-Q, CATFISH AND GRILL When the slate-gray clouds finally parted to reveal a crystalline blue sky last week, lunch called for something wrapped in wax, snapped in a Styrofoam box and eaten on a picnic bench. Enter Mick’s, a little roadside shack off of MacArthur serving up unfussy food, quickly and well-made. The burger here is plain and simple, served with lettuce, onion, tomato and pickles and cooked well-done. There are one-half and one-quarter pound versions. The quarter pounder is good for lunch and it goes perfect with a batch of onion rings. The burger itself is good, although the meat isn’t very heavily seasoned, it’s tasty. The veggies are fresh and it’s not too greasy. A sign right beside the teeny-tiny service window advertises “Five deviled eggs for $1.59,” but don’t let the low price fool you: they’re as good as any deviled egg you’ll find at any picnic. (We’re sure the adventurous eater would find them pretty tasty piled onto a burger.) Like all good Arkansans, we couldn’t pass up the offer of barbecue. Their jumbo chopped pork sandwich places an emphasis on “jumbo,” roughly half a pound of shredded pig on a generous bun, slathered but not soaked in a sweet, seasoned sauce and served with coleslaw on the side. We opted also for Southern popcorn — that is, fried okra — on the side. Truth be told, even the worst fried okra is pretty great. We might have torn through the big, bready squares without even chewing for flavor so, yes, we’ll happily endorse the okra. It’s a leap beyond football game concession stand food and just a few paces behind backyard barbecue: just like roadside grub should be. 3609 MacArthur Dr., NLR. All CC, no checks. 501-791-2773. LD Mon.-Sat.

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