In our Lunching in Little Rock blog series, Michael Kirkpatrick will explore and review the best restaurants in Little Rock and its surrounding area – all in time to get back to the office. This week, Michael ate lunch at Big Orange Midtown.
Talking politics can get heated. The debate over the best burger can get white-charcoal hot as well. Flame-grilled or fried? American or cheddar? Toasted or regular bun? I’m telling you, these issues are contentious. Two friends from both sides of the political aisle, who strongly believe it takes all kinds, join me at one of my favorite burger places to weigh in on the best burger debate. In my opinion, Big Orange Midtown is a strong candidate for best burger in Little Rock.
My friend Jon Gilmore and brother-in-law Chris Bahn are excellent company who enjoy a good meal and a heated debate. We were able to carpool over to Big Orange Midtown. Conveniently located just off University, the restaurant has a great vibe and I love sitting upstairs, as I am a bit of a people watcher.
Similar to politics, diets can be a touchy subject, but they both wanted to start with an order of the chips and cheese dip, so I thought we were going all out for the entire lunch. The salty chips and creamy dip came and we talked and ate with no regard for calories. When it came time to order our burgers, I ordered the Petit Jean Bacon and Cheddar burger with a side of Sweet Potato Fries. This burger is my favorite, and at the right time of the year it comes with a thick-cut Arkansas heirloom tomato. The fries are perfectly sweet and salty dipped in the Mango-Curry Ketchup or house made BOB sauce. Then Jon and Chris, being two savvy political masterminds, sidestepped the great burger debate all together by ordering the Big Orange House Salad and a Smashed Avocado Burger with house-ground turkey patty.
The battle for best burger rages on and I am happy to be caught in the middle. Do you think you have a burger contender? Let me know and we can go decide together. But be sure to visit Big Orange first, because they are going to be hard to beat.
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