SUPER TAQUERIA CHICA
   
Donaghey Building, Seventh and Main streets, Little Rock, (501) 374-0122. Open: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday.
   This is the daughter of the Super Taqueria on Rodney Parham Road, with a limited menu and space -- basically a counter operation with a handful of tables -- but the food is just as good and just as authentic as the place in west Little Rock. And you can get a pretty large lunch for un poco dinero.
   Tacos ($1.50 each) are available in hard shells, but you'll probably want to order them soft (suave in Spanish) -- 4-inch fresh flour tortillas loaded with your choice of chicken, steak, ground beef, marinated beef, marinated pork or lengua, plus a goodly sprinkling of diced onions and a generous dusting of cilantro.
   The Taco Salad ($4.75), one of the most popular items, is a large crisp-fried tortilla bowl loaded with your choice of chicken, ground beef or steak, topped with lettuce, tomatoes and, if you wish it, a subtly spicy queso.
   The No. 4 combo includes a fairly spicy cornmeal-wrapped tamale and an enchilada, each with a couple of ladles-full of queso topping, and a taco, for $4.25. Enchilada, taco, rice and beans, the No. 5 combo, is also $4.25. The tamale and enchilada are $1.50 a la carte. Other options: Very large burritos ($4.99 each), chiles rellenos ($2.50 a la carte, $4.25 with taco and beans) and tortas (Mexican sandwiches, $4.99).
   -- Eric E. Harrison

THE PASTA HOUSE RESTAURANT
   
2751 Dave Ward Drive, Conway, (501) 764-0032. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
   From the outside, The Pasta House looks a bit daunting. It's quite nondescript, and you'd certainly never guess what wonderful things were going on inside.
   Upon entering, diners seat themselves, and wait for the friendly servers to bring menus and some very good crusty rolls. The smell of garlic wafts throughout the small dining room, making your mouth water as you peruse the menu.
   Starters include a variety of appetizers, soup and salads. The Pasta House's list of entrees is quite sizable, with many being standard Italian restaurant fare, like Eggplant ($8.49) or Chicken Parmesan ($9.09), Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo ($8.49), Chicken Piccata ($8.49) and Veal served with your choice of Parmesan piccata or marsala sauce ($9.49).
   The menu also boasts a big pasta section ($7.50 to $9.50), and the servings are very substantial. We tried the delicious Fresh Black Pepper Fettuccine & Shrimp, featuring black pepper noodles in a cream sauce with shrimp, portobello mushrooms and smoked bacon. Our dining partner raved about the Chicken Parmesan, a chicken breast sauteed with jack cheese, parmesan, white wine and tomato sauce and served with a choice of pasta or vegetables.
   A small selection of sandwiches is available, but check the menu, because not all of them come with fries.
   If you've left room for dessert ($2.25- $4.49), your choices include Our Award-Winning "To Die For" dessert (a layered dish made with fruit, ladyfingers and a sweet cream cheese filling), Cheesecake, Creme Brulee and Carrot Cake. We sampled the Tres Leches, a butter cake soaked in three types of milk, that was moist and delicious, and more than enough for two to share.
   -- Rosemary Boggs
   

CAR ROW CAFE
   
5107 Warden Road, Suite 2, North Little Rock, (501) 812-5759. Open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
   Those of us who drive the U.S. 67/167 corridor each day are well aware that the area around McCain Mall could be called "Car Row." Just about every major car maker is represented, with lots bursting at the seams with new and used vehicles.
   With that in mind, some smart-thinking person recently opened Car Row Cafe, a small restaurant in a strip mall on the access road on the west side of the highway, right before you get to the chain restaurants like IHOP. And while it can be a bit crowded in that area, don't let that deter you from checking out the charming little place.
   Car Row Cafe's menu is relatively small, but contains something for just about everyone.
   We started with the queso and chips ($4.99) and were pleasantly surprised by the flavor of the white dip and the deliciousness of the rough and rugged-looking yellow tortilla chips. But the bowl wasn't quite deep enough to suit us.
   The cafe offers sandwiches and wraps that include turkey, ham, grilled chicken, a club, and pork or beef barbecue ($3.99- $4.49, add $1.99 for fries or chips and a drink). The eclectic menu also includes cheese, chicken and beef quesadillas, in a whole or half size ($2.99- $6.49). We tried a whole chicken quesadilla, and it was delicious and very substantial.
   The restaurant's catfish beckoned, so the three-piece ($5.49) dinner was ordered. Three smallish pieces of flavorful catfish usually come with fries, hush puppies and slaw, but they were out of slaw and our second choice, potato salad. We substituted a side salad, and it contained enough lettuce, tomato and grated cheese for two to share.
   Also on the menu are burgers ($2.79 and $4.99, cheese, mushrooms and bacon are extra), chicken strips ($2.99-$ 4.99), buffalo wings ($3.99 and $5.49), and three salads -- the side ($2.49), or a grilled or fried chicken version ($5.99).
   -- Rosemary Boggs
   

ARKANSAS BURGER CO.
   
7410 Cantrell Road, Little Rock, (501) 663-0600. Open: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
   This Cantrell Road establishment with the red-andgreen checked roof remains among the top contenders in the continual debate over who serves the area's best burger. The burgers are big, but not too big -- you can hold them in one hand -- and if you like them bigger than that, the menu offers a double hamburger ($5.25) and "The Rock," double meat and double cheese ($5.75).
   These are not fast-food burgers -- your patty is grilled to order, put on a sesame-seed bun with mayo, mustard, pickles, lettuce, tomato and onion (ketchup is on the tables). At peak periods, the burgers take about five to seven minutes to come out of the kitchen.
   They're cooked well, well done, but they're still moist and juicy -- but not too juicy. The cooks don't fancy them up with spice blends or anything else -- you can add your own from a tray of various sauces in the dining room.
   Menu favorites include "The Hog" bacon cheeseburger ($5.25), topped with cheddar, although we would have liked a little more and a little crispier bacon, and the "Cap City" Mushroom Burger ($5.25), capped with Swiss.
   You shouldn't pass up either the fries ($1.75 small, $2.75 large), cut from real skin-on potatoes (some of ours weren't completely separated, so we know), fried crisp and tasty and well-drained, or the thinsliced onion rings ($2.95 small, $3.95 large), delicious but very poorly drained. (There was a large puddle of vegetable oil on the paper underneath.)
   Don't want a burger? ABC offers other chicken, grilledcheese-and-tomato and BLT sandwiches, foot-long hot dogs, tamales, salads and nobeans chili ($2.50 small, $4.50 large), generously topped with shredded cheddar, very tasty but very oily. Save a little room for one of ABC's fried pies ($2.74) for dessert.
   -- Eric E. Harrison

This story was published Friday, October 06, 2006