POUND OF PORK BELLY: The bacon flight at ROBER. Stephanie Smittle

Generally thumbing our noses at the suburbs is what we Little Rockers do best while maneuvering down Interstate 30 on the way to Hot Springs, and who can blame us? There’s plenty to lodge grievances about in the Benton-Bryant belt, particularly as seen from the highway: retail and architectural banality, an excess of gun shops, a giant billboard next to an Applebee’s that shouts “WARNING: PREPARE TO MEET GOD.” Then again, Benton gave us musical gem Adam Faucett. And NFL player-turned-zydeco legend Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes. And scenes in “Sling Blade” and “White Lightning.” And, we discovered recently, a new wave of good eats, largely thanks to restaurateurs Craig Roe and Heather Baber-Roe. If you’re heading westward and want to skip the fast food options, here are a few spots we scouted for your dining pleasure.

Stephanie Smittle
BALANCING THE BACON: The whipped feta at ROBER.

ROBER: Cocktails + Culinary
302 W. South St.

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ROBER’s tagline puts cocktails ahead of its food, and its menu has exactly one page of main food offerings followed by nine pages of drink choices. There are flights of scotch and sipping rum and whiskey and wine and bourbon; wines by the glass and bottle and quart; and a refreshingly thoughtful list of nonalcoholic options that includes a non-alcoholic champagne — something we didn’t even know existed. None of that means the eats aren’t good, mind you, but it does telegraph the restaurant’s intentions to flip the script when it comes to socializing over a bite. The big draw, thanks to a bevy of buzz on social media, is the bacon flight — an utterly Instagrammable pound of pork belly prepared four ways and then displayed on a metal stand embossed with the restaurant’s name, the slabs hanging vertically by metal clips, to be whittled away at with an accompanying pair of shears. There’s a strip flavored with ancho pepper and espresso, one candied with brown sugar, one dipped in pistachio and Ghirardelli chocolate and — the star of the bunch, in my opinion — the Korean BBQ. Diverse as those offerings are, you’re gonna want to order something to break up the porcine parade; we opted for the whipped feta with lemon and honey, and have no regrets.

The downtown Benton spot is divided into three areas: a sleek dining room with low lighting and high-backed furniture, a cozy bar and the Mary Ellen Lounge, a sitting area playfully and lovingly outfitted in homage to owner Heather Baber-Roe’s grandmother. Brubeck was on the box when we walked in, followed later by a smooth jazz version of “Saving All My Love For You,” both somehow entirely befitting of ROBER’s personality.

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Niecy’s
1016 W. South St.

With all due respect to the stalwart greasy spoon that is Dan’s I-30 Diner, it’s cool that there’s a new kid in town — one whose menu boasts big biscuits, chocolate gravy and a breakfast burrito to beat all breakfast burritos. When we pulled off of Benton’s main drag into a strip mall and entered this spacious diner, we spotted a tiny table offering free Bibles and a 24-7 prayer hotline. Martina McBride’s “A Broken Wing” was playing on the speaker overhead, to be followed by “Cowboy Take Me Away” and “Daddy’s Hands,” no less.

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BIG BISCUIT: The Biscuit wall at Niecy’s.

The service was prompt, the standard two-egg breakfast was absolutely solid and the coffee, which Niecy’s brings in from J. Brooks in Memphis, was piping hot. On our list for next time: the scratch-made jelly rolls, the Mind Your Coconuts yogurt parfait or the short stack. Owner Denise Whitworth, aka Niecy, worked for her nephew at nearby Holy Roller Bike Shop before deciding to jump back into restaurant work; it’s clear that word has gotten out to Bentonians that Niecy’s is the place for your sit-down breakfast. (Grabbing donuts is another deal entirely; see Dale’s below.)

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Jalapeno margarita and tacos at Baja Grill

Baja Grill
224 W. South St.

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If you’re in need of some eclectically filled tacos or an inventive margarita, this is your spot on Benton’s South Street. Brightly lit and seemingly built for family outings in which the kids need to be entertained but mom might want to get a little buzzed, it’s the B-side to ROBER’s elevated environs. Bonus points for a few things here: a decent mocktail menu including nonalcoholic takes on a margarita and a mule; a robust selection of tequilas and mezcals; and a menu item titled “My Friend Does Not Want Anything,” a doubled portion of the small guacamole with two sides of queso.

Stephanie Smittle
BISMARCKS IN BENTON: The case at Dale’s Donuts.

Dale’s Donut Shop
919 Military Road

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Before visiting Dale’s Donut Shop, it was mostly barbecue joints at which I’d spotted signs that read “Open ’til _____ or until we sell out.” But Dale’s Donuts has such a sign, and clearly the warning is warranted; when I arrived at 10:32 a.m. on a Wednesday in January, the donut case was well picked over, bismarcks and blueberry cake being the clear unfavorites among working-class Bentonites (what gives, y’all?). Still, the crew was enthusiastic and the interior paid homage to the donut dive’s long legacy in town, with dozens of declarations affixed to the cinder block walls with clear packing tape. “Four-bag limit on kids’ free donut holes!” “No bills larger than 20.00 accepted!” One doodle in marker signed by an Aimslee M. declared “Dale’s Donuts: Yum!,” each letter of the message in a different donut icing color. Yellowing newspaper articles from the Saline Courier told tales of the late Dale Atchley’s decades-long mission to keep the people of Benton equipped with cinnamon rolls. An old black-and-white photo of two shirtless youngsters holding an American flag was captioned “Mr. Dale and his brother Joe: Proud of Their Country, ‘America.’ ” The cornflower blue siding that caps off an otherwise tavern-like building is, as a colleague noted, the stuff of David Lynch’s dreams, and the absence of any computers at the front register leaves Dale’s particularly well-situated to keep slinging donuts by the dozen in the event of a technology apocalypse. You absolutely won’t be ordering a macchiato, and you won’t miss it, either.

Stephanie Smittle
THE GODFATHER: Bartender’s choice on our visit to Valhalla.

Valhalla Restaurant and Axe Throwing
224 W. South St.

Like a sports bar without the deafening decibels, Valhalla shares a building with one of its sister restaurants, Baja Grill, and boasts its very own axe throwing lounge upstairs.

Stephanie Smittle
FUN GUY: Pizza at Valhalla.

The cocktail selections here are arguably way more creative and sophisticated than they need to be at this decidedly unfussy pizzeria: an elderflower-tinged margarita, a cinnamon whiskey and pear juice-based concoction called “Grow A Pear” and a small but rotating local craft beer selection that bespeaks some beer expertise, with selections from New Province Brewing Co., Flyway Brewing and Memphis’s Wiseacre Brewing.

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Stephanie Smittle
BIG BLADES: At Valhalla Axe Throwing

Meanwhile, Valkyrie Axe Throwing beckons patrons to hop up a flight of stairs, take a perfunctory tutorial and hurl a blade as fast as they can toward a corkboard bull’s eye. When we were there, a starry-eyed couple on a date was making full use of the opportunities axe throwing affords to flirt with a potential sweetheart; take note, would-be Valentine’s Day celebrators.