Begin with breakfast at Dogtown Coffee and Cookery

Nothing embodies the Southern breakfast experience more than biscuits and gravy. They are, in my opinion, one of the greatest breakfast combinations of all time. However, you’ll find such variety in their preparation throughout the southern states that it’s no surprise that many diners tend to gravitate towards and frequent a particular restaurant based on their ability to produce a respectable rendition of this classic dish. I’ve enjoyed biscuits and gravy from a good number of restaurants in central Arkansas and there is no doubt that we can absolutely hold our own when compared to other states in the biscuit belt. After hearing they make a respectable plate of biscuits and gravy, for the past few weekends I’ve been trekking out to North Little Rock to work my way through the enticing breakfast menu at Dogtown Coffee and Cookery, a small, cozy joint just off JFK Blvd. Many a biscuit, bacon slice, and baked good later, here is my report…

I first sampled Dogtown’s “True Southerner” breakfast, which is simply a clever way of saying biscuits and gravy, nothing more. The biscuits here are quite an achievement in the field of flour and water, and finer I have not had in central Arkansas. All the necessary elements are here: a golden brown exterior, tender, flaky inside with an obviously healthy helping of butter as the interior was rich, dense and delectable. These biscuits would have made a wonderful companion to any number of condiments or other addition, whether sweet or savory. But I could not pass up the offer of a few ladlefuls of creamy, white sausage gravy. In regards to biscuits and gravy, I generally find the most fault with the gravy. In my mind, the perfect gravy must be thick, peppery, rich, and generously endowed with crumbled country sausage. Too often, I’ve been let down. Dogtown’s sausage gravy could afford a bit more sausage and a pinch more pepper. More sausage, broken down into smaller bits, would likely provide a little more richness to an otherwise exceptional dish, but as it was, the white gravy leaned a little on the bland side. Overall, it was a respectable start, but not something I’ll be heading back for.

Luckily, another round of breakfast brought better fortune. The “Dirty South Biscuit” again utilizes Dogtown’s delectable biscuits, but this time, tops them with crispy fried chicken strips, cheddar cheese, dill pickle slices, and a coarse-ground honey mustard dressing. This is one beautiful biscuit dish. The handful of golden chicken strips, with crunchy exterior and juicy interior, played extremely well with the briny dill and sharp zest of mustard seed. A touch of honey added a much-appreciated sweet note to the mix as it tickles the tongue gently amidst the onslaught of cheese, butter, and spice. I’m not certain if Dogtown expected this large pile of chicken and biscuit to be eaten with fork and knife or as a sandwich with the above-mentioned ingredients pressed between the two halves of the split biscuit. Regardless, this dish sat so high off the plate, chicken all a-kilter, shredded cheese touching nearly every inch, I was not about to attempt redirecting these ingredients to a more manageable sandwich form…fork and knife worked just fine. This dish left such a favorable impression on me, after returning home and raving about it to my significant other (and subsequently receiving a gentle scolding for not bringing home a to-go order for her), we vowed to return the next weekend for brunch…and return we did, enjoying it just as much during round two as I did the first go-round.

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