Welcome to the Flying Fish in scenic, downtown Little Rock Arkansas. We came for the animatronic singing fish, we stayed for the frogs legs.
We didn't have plans for lunch until we drove by the Cotham Mercantile, "Where the elite meet to eat". The sagging porch roof, faded hardware hanging from a pegboard wall, and farming equipment leaned against the register were like a full set of gold stars to a traveler in search of a novel experience.
After relaxing in New Orleans, it is finally time to get back on the road. We have finished the Natchez Trace and are about as far south as we can make it in Louisiana. It's time to make like a gold miner and head west.
The Great Gumbo Excursion was conceived at the House of Blues when we tasted their gumbo and wondered: is this legit? The broth was so brown, it seemed rice and sausage heavy with a shortage of shrimp and absence of other sea food. It was still delicious and the small appetizer bowl for $7 was an apt entry into the gumbo game. What else could we find and what other music? We had one night in New Orleans and we were going to spend it eating as much gumbo as we could.
Perched at the terminus of the Natchez Trace is the purveyor of BBQ and moonshine cocktails: the Loveless Cafe.
Draught House and Mary's Bistro are two gastronomic draws under one roof.
We arrived on Mackinac Island in time for brunch at The Carriage House.
The 50s Train Diner is the best kind of Americana.
We had lunch in a ghost town. There were skulls on the walls, animal flesh on the table, and partially collapsed buildings all around.