Does Eat Place

What has become a Little Rock landmark of national renown, Doe's Eat Place has its origins in the unlikeliest of models, a no-frills diner deep in the delta. But then nothing about Doe's is quite what one would expect from a world-class steakhouse except fabulous steaks, that is.

East Arkansas restaurateur and hobby pilot George Eldridge had been flying friends and clients over to Doe's Eat Place in Greenville, Mississippi for steak and tamales for years, a joint in a rundown neighborhood with cheap paneled walls that had acquired a reputation for its steaks. Eventually Eldridge decided to bring the mountain to Mohammed, and contracted the right to bring both the name and menu to Little Rock.

In the spirit of not fixing what ain't broke, Eldridge maintained the no-frills tradition, and opened Doe's Eat Place on the decidedly downscale corner of Ringo and West Markham Streets in 1988.

Since then, other Doe's offshoots have sprung up independently in the region, but perhaps none quite as true to the original Greenville spirit, and certainly none achieving the celebrity status that the Little Rock Doe's Eat Place has come to enjoy.

Naturally, we at Doe's like to attribute this solely to our good "eats," but it hasn't hurt to count President Bill Clinton among our most loyal customers!

A longtime regional favorite, Doe's rose to national prominence during the 1992 presidential election campaign, when Clinton staffers made it their hangout. When then-candidate Clinton was interviewed by Rolling Stone magazine for the September cover story, Doe's was the setting. Chef Lucille Robinson was escorted by Eldridge to the Inaugural Ball. An Annie Lebowitz portrait of the pair is among the dozens of photographic memorabilia on the restaurant walls.

Throughout the vagaries of political fame and fortune, however, Doe's has maintained its down-to-earth atmosphere.Less