BURGER MAMA'S
   
10721 Kanis Road, Little Rock, (501) 225-2495. Open 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday-Saturday ; noon-8 p.m. Sunday.
   This ain't the same old Mama. Sitting on the corner of Kanis and Shackleford roads in the building Mama Bea's Big Burgers used to call home is a new mama -- Burger Mama's. While similar in many ways (especially where the menu is concerned, as this burger mama is Mama Bea's daughter), this new mama is cookin' things just a little differently.
   The inside is a bit utilitarian, with only a few decorations on the walls and the dining area dominated by a big-screen television.
   My choice for lunch was the catfish basket ($7.99), but only one piece of fish was left, so I was asked if I wanted some shrimp with it, which I happily accepted.
   The meal came to the table heaped in a basket and piping hot. It was really too much food for me to eat, and on the whole it was scrumptious. My two side choices were okra, which was just crispy enough without being burned or gooey, and onion rings.
   A later dinner with Dining Pal was hit and miss. My burger combo ($6.49, or $6.74 with cheese), which came with fries and a soda, was good -- the hand-made burger was juicy and flavorful, and the fries were serviceable though lacking in seasoning. Dining Pal proclaimed his corn dog ($1.29) good but "puny." On the other hand, he really enjoyed his chili cheese tots ($3.70) buried under meaty sauce and melted cheese. Those worried about calories do have a few options (though admittedly fairly few) at Burger Mama's. On the way home from work on another day, I chose the salad ($2.99 small, $3.99 large, plus $2 to add meat) with grilled chicken. While some of the toppings were a bit strange (pickle spears??), the salad was delicious and filling. Other lessguilty options I could have chosen include several grilled sandwiches ($2.25- $4.79) and turkey burgers ($3.25- $6.25).
   -- Brenda Looper
   

PIZZA CHEF GOURMET PIZZA
   
11715 Rainwood Drive, Little Rock, (501) 224-5155. Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
   Pizza Chef has been around for at least a dozen years, once part of a chain, but all indications are now that it is locally owned, or at least locally franchised.
   Like chain operations Papa John's, Pizza for Less, Pizza Perfect, Domino's and Little Caesar's, it's a storefront-only operation, but unlike those others, when the guy who takes your order at Pizza Chef tells you it will be 20 minutes, you can be sure they make pizzas the old-fashioned way -- in an oven, not on a conveyor belt.
   And the pizzas taste like they've been made in an oven. The crust is slightly bready but firm and flavorful. The sauce is a slightly garlicky marinara. The cheese is real. The toppings are fresh and plentiful.
   Pies come in four sizes -- 8, 12, 14 and 16 inches in diameter. Prices start at $3.90 for an 8-inch cheese pizza and go up to $17.65 for a 16-inch Chef's Abbondanza, the establishment's "signature creation" with 12 toppings. Topping options include five cheeses and unusual items like artichoke hearts, pineapple, Mandarin oranges, barbecued chicken and cilantro.
   The Amore Idora Roma ($5.40, $11.15, $13.40, $14.85) is an "Old World masterpiece" thickly topped with pepperoni, a mild Italian ground sausage, fresh mushrooms and black olives atop mozzarella and marinara.
   Pizza Chef lists its calzone ($5.85) as an appetizer, but it's really a full meal -- the equivalent of an 8-inch pizza crust folded, half-moonlike, over a mixture of pepperoni, sausage and mozzarella and ricotta cheeses, with a tiny cup of marinara sauce barely adequate to spread across the light golden-brown surface. We were delighted. You can also create your own 'zone with a choice of two pizza toppings, and add additional toppings for 60 cents per. The menu also includes four submarine sandwiches and five gourmet salads.
   Pizza Chef delivers to a limited area with a $10 minimum purchase. The to-go menu has some potentially useful coupons.

This story was published Friday, August 04, 2006