Restaurant Reviews

We ate a Crispy Cone twice last weekend. I had fish, wife had a burger, & son had chicken. Close to the house, too.

Conventional1,

Thank you for the review. It sounds like a great place with authentic dishes. This kind of variety really serves the area well. We need not only good places but interesting places. Words and Words Afterwords continues to be a fun spot.

My husband and i tried La Pastorella in Mammoth Spring on Main Street, a German/European restaurant. they'll let you bring in a bottle of wine if its in a sack. The food was delicious. A Bavarian woman who was the cook and her husband are owners. check it out on TripAdvisor under Mammoth Springs and then Restaurants......

Paul2CV wrote:I'd like to get the restaurant reviews going again here. Any posts on recent experiences?

I'd like to get the restaurant reviews going again here. Any posts on recent experiences?

Hi Forum,



Anyone know a place to get sweet potato fries in the CV area?

Thanks for that info!

Mike drive up to West Plains and eat at the Cafe 37 on the square. Great food, service is wonderful and you won't believe the prices and they have adult beverages. Check out their website CAFE 37. Try their crab cakes. yum. Their steaks you will not regret ordering. Damn I'm hungry and it is only 10 am.

Let's go wet in Sharp County and then your restaurant dilemmas will be a thing of the past. There will be MANY more choices and maybe something half way decent. There is only one really great place to get a fantastic steak close to CV and that is Biggers. All else is lame when it comes to good steaks. But.... I wish there were more option. There will be if we go wet.

Down Home Country Kitchen has some fine dinner items. The "loaded chicken" is fantastic. Of course, a single portion will exceed your recommended calorie intake for the entire day. Lol.

I agree with trout on that BBQ. Good stuff up there on the hill.

Well Bob and Sandy's on the hill have good BBQ and some really good burgers. Have a good breakfast buffet also. Two thumbs up for them.

Hi Forum,

It's often easy to ignore what is right in one's own backyard, so I want to offer my very positive review of the sandwiches and breakfast at the Village Mart.

Hi Forum,

I would like to start a topic in which we offer local restaurant reviews. they can be our own or ones that we thing are solid from other sources. It is no secret that I am very fond of Words and Words Afterwards. Here is a review from Arkansas' Ozark Gateway website.

May 12

Words & Afterwords: Feeding the Body and the Spirit

Restaurant Reviews

Hardy’s Words & Afterwords manages to combine bookstore, art gallery, coffee house, restaurant, and live music venue into a fluid celebration of fine food, wonderful music, and great books. Located in the heart of Old Hardy Town at 201 Spring Street, the eclectic gathering place and eatery also succeeds in creating a casual, welcoming environment that can transform any visit into an event that nourishes both body and spirit.

Words & Afterwords opened in 2006. The bookstore is located in the Old Walker House, a circa 1900 home listed on the National Register of Historic. Much of the house has been preserved, including the wood burning fireplace. The bookstore not only carries an impressive selection of over 6,000 works of fiction and non-fiction, but also work by local authors, local music, cards, postcards, and pictures of Hardy in earlier times. The walls of both the bookstore, “Words,” and the restaurant/coffeehouse, “Afterwords,” feature local art by the likes of Inga Eubanks, whose quirky and colorful photos reveal “the backside of Hardy.”

Music gets equal attention. The restaurant includes a small performance space for the steady flow of both local and touring musicians. Recent performers include Doug DeForest, founder of Lake Paradise Recording Studios, Mountain View singer and song writer Charlie Sandage, Danny Dozier, and Bluegrass Duo Brad and Brandon Apple. Live music, usually free, can be enjoyed on most Friday and Saturday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Open Mic Nights are scheduled regularly, often on Thursday evenings. Local music is also in the spotlight on the first-class sound system, highlighting work created at Lake Paradise Studios. Check the website wordsafterwords.com for an up-to-date calendar of musical events, as well as readings, book signings, and gallery openings.

concertSpecial prix fixe dinners are offered for many of the Friday and Saturday evenings musical events. One recent dinner offered a selection of two entrees, Greek Pasta with Chicken or Italian Sausage or Roast Pork Loin, served with garlic mashed potatoes and roasted corn on the cob. The Greek Pasta, the restaurant’s signature dish, included sautéed red and green peppers, feta cheese, and Kalamata olives, served with a perfectly el dente penne. Diners were also offered a choice between Roasted Red Pepper soup, textured and flavorful, and a crisp, colorful Spring Salad. Dinner was a bargain at $13.95. Servings are generous and the wait staff is both well-informed and attentive.

The lunch menu is also Greek-influenced, offering a Greek Salad, Gyro Salad, and hefty Greek Gyro on Pita. The Hummus with Pita is definitely worth consideration; the hummus is made fresh on site, perfectly seasoned, and served warm. Grilled Panini sandwiches dominate the luncheon menu with nine choices, including a creative Turkey, Cranberry, and Swiss and an extremely popular Reuben. A Combo special features any half-sandwich and a half serving of soup or salad for $7.95. The Greek Pasta can also be ordered for lunch for $7.95 with chicken or sausage or $8.59 with shrimp. Operators Greg Bess and his wife Beth are committed to fresh, seasonal produce and high quality meats and cheeses, evident across the menu.

Coffee and coffee drinks are consistently outstanding. The restaurant serves and sells Rozark Hills Coffee, world-class coffee roasted and packaged in Rose Bud and served at many of the best eateries and coffee houses in the Ozark Gateway region.

Dessert choices usually include an impressive Carrot Cake, a dark spice cake with raisins, loaded with flavor. Brownies are tempting and extremely popular; cheesecake, cookies, muffins, and biscotti round out the choices. The muffin and cake “shots” are a delightful addition; small paper cups about the size of large shot glasses are perfect for diners wanting “a little dessert.”

Words& Afterwords is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Afterwords is open until 9:00 p.m. on music and event nights. Call 870-856-5579 for information or if you are bringing a group larger than six. Directions are available on the website ” www.wordsafterwords.com.

Words & Afterwords is a good example of a small business that is making a big difference in the Ozark Gateway. Greg Bess has been an active member of the Ozark Gateway Tourism Association and has done an outstanding job of promoting Words & Afterwords, taking full advantage of all of the resources that the organization makes available to its members. For membership information contact Cathy Drew at crdrew@sbcglobal.net or visit www.ozarkgateway.com.