Thanks to all of you who have commented on the AETN documentary about our Delta tamale tour. The program had its debut Wednesday night and hopefully will be airing again soon.
Just as cooler weather increases my appetite for tamales, it also makes a big steak sound better than ever.
Last Saturday, after watching Arkansas State defeat North Texas in the final home football game of the year in Jonesboro, my 12-year-old and I stopped at Josie’s Steakhouse at the intersection of U.S. Highway 49 and Arkansas Highway 14 in Waldenburg.
The grilled shrimp — with just the right amount of garlic — were wonderful as an appetizer. Our steaks — heavily seasoned — were even better. We sat near the open kitchen and joined the cooks in watching the first quarter of the Arkansas-LSU football game on a large flat-screen television.
My son, very much a city boy, was amused by the fact that pickup trucks only were parked out front before our arrival in an SUV. He also liked seeing the large sign out front that said “Welcome Hunters.”
Indeed, Josie’s has much the same atmosphere of some of the better east Arkansas duck clubs I’ve had the pleasure of visiting through the years. It was the perfect place for two hungry guys to go after having attended a college football game. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say it’s now high on my list of places with the best steaks in Arkansas.
Josie’s in Waldenburg is open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
Over in Batesville, meanwhile, there’s Josie’s on the White River, a place that often features live entertainment. The Batesville Josie’s, open Monday through Saturday for dinner and Tuesday through Saturday for lunch, was built on the site of a lockhouse that once served boat traffic on the White River. Steve and Beth Carpenter came over from Waldenburg in February 2004 to open the Batesville location. History buffs will like the photos and artifacts about river travel that are displayed in the restaurant.
So what Arkansas restaurant serves your favorite steaks? Try giving me the name of a place I might not know of without your help. Somebody recently mentioned Jerry’s in Trumann. I’ve been there. I like it. That’s just the kind of place I’m in search of. Does the Waldenburg-Trumann combination make Poinsett County the steak capital of Arkansas?
In the meantime, if you find yourself in west Poinsett County on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday, you owe it to yourself to head to Waldenburg for dinner.
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