A beautiful day to be on the road. We took AR 16 south out of Siloam Springs. The first few miles are fun, narrow and curvy. Then we cut south on N. Jackson Highway. Not sure how this could be called a highway. It was a rural Arkansas 2 lane mostly straight, that gives you a tour of the rustic Arkansas rural life. A scenic country few miles that delivered us into the town square in downtown Lincoln. As we pulled into town the city cop saw the orange sports car and flipped on his radar, hoping to make a few bucks for the city coffer. Sorry dude, I saw you first. You are going to have to be quicker on the draw. So, watch out for the local deputy dog when you pull into town.
Several of the buildings downtown look like they are about to implode from neglect and decay. But not La Villa. It is the bright spot. Renovated and nicely decorated inside and out; it truly stands out, shining like a diamond in a goat's butt. The town square is charming, even with some of the dilapidated structures that circle the centerpiece of the square, an unidentified building that may have been City Hall at one time in its life.
Inside the old building, now La Villa, is a showcase example of what an ingenious architect and interior designer can do to revitalize these old structures. A pleasant surprise, unexpected. A hint of Mexican décor, but nothing gawdy. It is a very comfortable environment.
The special today was the Alambre, my wife's choice. I have never had this. I tasted of it and it was delicious, I would describe it as a meat lovers pizza without tomato sauce and the crust. It is a pile of chicken, steak, ham and bacon sautéed bell peppers and onion. Beans, rice, guacamole and sour cream on the side. This is a great meal, try it.
Conspiracy theory here. Can you guess what the number 20 is on La Villa's combination menu. Yep, my favorite a Chili relleno and a taco.
I have had some of the worst chili rellenos in Arkansas' Mexican restaurants, that exist on earth. Not wanting to experience that today, I asked the waitress how they were prepared. The cute, but clueless young lady struggled to describe them. One of the other waiters heard the question and chimed in "A good sized poblano battered fried and covered with queso." Ok, I am in with that! It was good.
The food and service were fantastic! The flavorful salsas and crisp chips set the tone for the meal. Plates of food that were worth the drive. A very unusual find, hiding in a small town....in Arkansas! read more