Desperately in need of some fresh air and some fresh scenery today, I made it a point to get out in search of barbecue. The Cross-Eyed Pig wasn't far from home, and it was also fairly close to our favorite park, so me and the little man could snag a tasty lunch and then go play. Not too shabby.
This East Little Rock joint is smack in between Allsopp Park and the Arkansas River, so you'd think that there would be plenty of business to go around here. I guess location isn't everything, since there were only two other tables of customers present the entire time at peak lunch hour. Oh well, more meat for me. The Cross-Eyed Pig doesn't look like much when you walk into the small interior dining space, but their big outdoor patio seems to be the main attraction. I'm sure it's a great spot for live music on warm summer nights.
Dining out alone with a baby is no simple task, but our waitress was a sweetheart and tried to make things as easy as possible for me. She even hooked me up with a special off-menu two-meat plate of pulled pork and ribs, recommending their baked potato salad over the mustard variety. Sold. I picked baked beans for my second side dish and eagerly awaited the food to come out. I caught the scent of delicious pit smoke the instant things hit my table.
The sides are my usual starting place, which was easy today since they both looked awesome. The baked potato salad was creamy with big slices of skin-on potato. It was rich and decadent, with a nice crunch here and there. I'm glad I listened to the waitress. Cracked black pepper was visible throughout the baked beans, with plenty of onions mixed in, too. The flavors were primarily sweet, but slight vinegar undertones added a nice acidity.
Pulled pork will never replace brisket as the king of meats, but it's been growing on me more and more since leaving Texas behind. Theirs was tender, juicy, and well-seasoned. I also found a considerable amount of smoke in each forkful, as well as lots of tasty bark. Perhaps just a tad more salt would have been appropriate, but that's my personal preference. Adding sauce to this pork would have been heresy, and I am no heretic.
My big, meaty spare ribs looked fantastic on the plate. They had a deep reddish-black crust which appealed to my eyes as well as my taste buds. These bad boys were loaded with flavor and loaded with smoke. The peppery rub had a good kick to it, but wasn't so overpowering as to mask the natural pork. The well-rendered fat was also a pleasure to eat, diet be damned.
The Cross-Eyed Pig was just what I needed today. My baby boy seemed to enjoy the nibble of pulled pork that I fed him too, but to be fair he's also partial to dryer lint for some reason, so take that as you will.
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The Cross-Eyed Pig
1701 Rebsamen Park Rd
Little Rock, AR 72202
(501) 265-0000
http://www.crosseyedpig.com
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