Our daughter, son-in-law, and three grandchildren, ages 3 1/2, 2 1/2, and 1 live in Texarkana, Texas. Texarkana is a bifurcated city with some of it in Texas and some of it in Arkansas. The state line runs through the middle of the post office (the post office is the number one tourist site in Texarkana according to Tripadvisor). The two Texarkanas share some public services but are otherwise separate governmental entities. I thought it would be nice if the whole family could partake in one stop on the breakfast tour. I had been to and ate in both Texarkana, Texas and Texarkana, Arkansas. To stick with my criterion of I finding breakfast in a town I've never been to I got on the internet and searched a 30 mile radius from my daughter's home. Thirty miles was the maximum I figured the three little ones could tolerate without being complete basket cases at breakfast.
I found nothing and I was ready to drop the family breakfast idea when I came across an interesting looking place on the Arkansas side of the border. The mailing address was Texarkana, Arkansas but the restaurant's website stated it was located in the community of Greenwich Village south of Texarkana. There is also an official state highway sign indicating you are entering Greenwich Village so that was good enough for me. I've never been to Greenwich Village, AR which is about 9 square miles in size and has maybe 200 people at the most. I knew it was bending my rules a little but it was a loophole I was jumping through and I'm glad I did.
I found nothing and I was ready to drop the family breakfast idea when I came across an interesting looking place on the Arkansas side of the border. The mailing address was Texarkana, Arkansas but the restaurant's website stated it was located in the community of Greenwich Village south of Texarkana. There is also an official state highway sign indicating you are entering Greenwich Village so that was good enough for me. I've never been to Greenwich Village, AR which is about 9 square miles in size and has maybe 200 people at the most. I knew it was bending my rules a little but it was a loophole I was jumping through and I'm glad I did.
Three Chicks Feed, Seed, & Cafe
Greenwich Village, Arkansas
Where's the third chick?
Early on a Friday morning we packed everyone into two cars. It was akin to Napoleon preparing his army to invade Russia but we managed to get off. The Three Chicks website stated that the cafe opened at 8 AM on weekdays. We drove the 21 miles to Greenwich Village and arrived about 8:30 AM. Then, DISASTER! As we pulled into the parking lot we were greeted with a large banner that said the cafe opened at 10 AM on weekdays and 8 AM on weekends. Hey Chicks! You got to change the information on your website.
We released the kids from their car seats to let off some steam while I tried to think this through. Although the kids were having fun chasing a couple of puppies there was no way we could wait until 10 to eat. So it was off to Cracker Barrel back in Texarkana. I could go on and on about Cracker Barrel but I'll just mention one thing. PUT BLINDFOLDS ON THE CHILDREN WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP TO THE DINING AREA.
Plan B was to go back to the Three Chicks Feed, Seed, & Cafe the following morning (Saturday). My daughter and son-in-law had an engagement that day and could not go. They wanted us to take the three grandchildren. The Healthy One and I have an adequate man-to-man defense but our zone defense sucks so the one year old ended up at home with a sitter eating Cheerios.
It was really too bad because she loves eggs. As I learned at Cracker Barrel, she likes her eggs "double scrambled". That is, she takes her order of scrambled eggs and with both hands she re-scrambles them before consumption.
AMBIENCE: Three Chicks Feed, Seed, & Cafe has been in operation for about 7 years. As you might have guessed, the establishment is owned and operated by three women. If you use the restroom, you can see the three chicks staring at you from the wall as you take care of business. It is a bit unnerving.
The cafe is attached to a substantial feed and seed store. After getting out of the car (where I just managed to avoid stepping in a pile of dog shit) we took a peek inside the store. It looked like you could buy just about anything for your livestock and garden needs. As opposed to the merchandise in the Cracker Barrel store our grandchildren, G & K, showed little interest in swine show feeds and Happy Jack animal medications.
We followed the signs to the cafe. You walk down a small hallway to a double door made of corrugated metal and old two by fours. It looked like the entrance to a cow barn. This door dramatically lowered my expectations. I half expected to be eating out of a trough.
Upon opening the door I was absolutely gobsmacked! The place looked beautiful. I now know not to judge a restaurant by its door.
G & K took off like a shot. They were not about to sit down at a table. Children must have some internal radar that directs them to either fun or trouble or both. The two of them raced through the cafe and out back where they found a myriad of toys and all sorts of farm animals. As I was watching G & K run around having a great time, a humongous turkey sidled up to my leg. This turkey must have had free rein in the feed store.
A young girl walking by on her way to feed the goats said, "That's Trey, he's real nice". Yes, I'm sure Trey is real nice. He stood by my leg like a dog waiting to be petted. How do you pet a turkey? Do you scratch him behind the ears? Do turkeys even have ears?
Meanwhile K had found a set of golf clubs to carry around. K isn't really happy unless she is carrying at least three or four objects.
After a considerable amount of time we finally got G & K to come into the cafe and sit at a table. K had a hard time parting with her golf clubs and insisted they be part of the table decor.
Early on a Friday morning we packed everyone into two cars. It was akin to Napoleon preparing his army to invade Russia but we managed to get off. The Three Chicks website stated that the cafe opened at 8 AM on weekdays. We drove the 21 miles to Greenwich Village and arrived about 8:30 AM. Then, DISASTER! As we pulled into the parking lot we were greeted with a large banner that said the cafe opened at 10 AM on weekdays and 8 AM on weekends. Hey Chicks! You got to change the information on your website.
We released the kids from their car seats to let off some steam while I tried to think this through. Although the kids were having fun chasing a couple of puppies there was no way we could wait until 10 to eat. So it was off to Cracker Barrel back in Texarkana. I could go on and on about Cracker Barrel but I'll just mention one thing. PUT BLINDFOLDS ON THE CHILDREN WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP TO THE DINING AREA.
Plan B was to go back to the Three Chicks Feed, Seed, & Cafe the following morning (Saturday). My daughter and son-in-law had an engagement that day and could not go. They wanted us to take the three grandchildren. The Healthy One and I have an adequate man-to-man defense but our zone defense sucks so the one year old ended up at home with a sitter eating Cheerios.
It was really too bad because she loves eggs. As I learned at Cracker Barrel, she likes her eggs "double scrambled". That is, she takes her order of scrambled eggs and with both hands she re-scrambles them before consumption.
AMBIENCE: Three Chicks Feed, Seed, & Cafe has been in operation for about 7 years. As you might have guessed, the establishment is owned and operated by three women. If you use the restroom, you can see the three chicks staring at you from the wall as you take care of business. It is a bit unnerving.
The cafe is attached to a substantial feed and seed store. After getting out of the car (where I just managed to avoid stepping in a pile of dog shit) we took a peek inside the store. It looked like you could buy just about anything for your livestock and garden needs. As opposed to the merchandise in the Cracker Barrel store our grandchildren, G & K, showed little interest in swine show feeds and Happy Jack animal medications.
Upon opening the door I was absolutely gobsmacked! The place looked beautiful. I now know not to judge a restaurant by its door.
G & K took off like a shot. They were not about to sit down at a table. Children must have some internal radar that directs them to either fun or trouble or both. The two of them raced through the cafe and out back where they found a myriad of toys and all sorts of farm animals. As I was watching G & K run around having a great time, a humongous turkey sidled up to my leg. This turkey must have had free rein in the feed store.
A young girl walking by on her way to feed the goats said, "That's Trey, he's real nice". Yes, I'm sure Trey is real nice. He stood by my leg like a dog waiting to be petted. How do you pet a turkey? Do you scratch him behind the ears? Do turkeys even have ears?
Meanwhile K had found a set of golf clubs to carry around. K isn't really happy unless she is carrying at least three or four objects.
After a considerable amount of time we finally got G & K to come into the cafe and sit at a table. K had a hard time parting with her golf clubs and insisted they be part of the table decor.
I appreciated her dedication to the game but insisted they disappear. Fortunately, she complied and we got ready to eat.
5 out of 5 stars
FOOD: The menu is refreshingly uncomplicated. There's a total of six breakfast entrees. I ordered the Chuck Wagon Special Breakfast which consisted of two eggs, two pancakes, and a large piece of ham.
There is a world of taste difference between farm fresh eggs and store bought eggs. These eggs must have been laid a few minutes before they were scrambled because they tasted incredible. I wanted to get up from the table and go out back and personally thank the chickens for a job well done. The pancakes were excellent as well. My personal preference is not to wreck the taste of a great pancake by drowning them in syrup. These beauties required only a whisper of syrup. Completing the trifecta of food items was the ham. It was perfectly grilled and had a nice smoky flavor.
We ordered the same entree for the kids to split. Here is G cutting into his pancake. G eats Viking style; using a knife in one hand to cut and then using the other hand to pick up the food and shove it into his mouth. I'm not quite sure what the dice were doing on the table or where they came from. Maybe he plays craps at daycare.
There is a world of taste difference between farm fresh eggs and store bought eggs. These eggs must have been laid a few minutes before they were scrambled because they tasted incredible. I wanted to get up from the table and go out back and personally thank the chickens for a job well done. The pancakes were excellent as well. My personal preference is not to wreck the taste of a great pancake by drowning them in syrup. These beauties required only a whisper of syrup. Completing the trifecta of food items was the ham. It was perfectly grilled and had a nice smoky flavor.
We ordered the same entree for the kids to split. Here is G cutting into his pancake. G eats Viking style; using a knife in one hand to cut and then using the other hand to pick up the food and shove it into his mouth. I'm not quite sure what the dice were doing on the table or where they came from. Maybe he plays craps at daycare.
Both of the kids are "little dippers". They pour the syrup onto a specially requested dish and then dip the pancake piece before ingesting.
G and K both loved their pancakes and eggs; the ham not so much. Grandpa, the human garbage disposal, ate their ham.
The Healthy One got the French Quarter Breakfast which consisted of french toast, scrambled eggs with cheese and ham. There was no granola on the menu. You would think that a cafe that was part of a feed store would have the grain to bake up some granola but I have the feeling there is not a big demand for granola in Southeast Arkansas. The Healthy one thought the french toast and eggs were fabulous. She didn't eat her ham. Guess who did?
5 out of 5 stars
COFFEE: Truthfully, I can't remember what the coffee was like. I do remember keeping it away from G's hands and arms which always seemed in motion. The last time I sat next to G at a restaurant, I ended up with a whole large cup of chocolate milk in my lap. I'm assuming the coffee was alright.
3 1/2 out of 5 stars
SERVICE: Our waitress was named China. I'm sure there is a good story behind that name but I didn't get a chance to ask her about it because I was busy making sure the grandchildren didn't climb into the goat pen. China did a great job and didn't seem intimidated by the grandchildren. She set me up with some coffee to take out back while watching G & K. I tried to take a selfie with my new friend Trey but was completely unsuccessful.
COST: $20.00 including tip. This food is a huge bargain.
A FEW WORDS ABOUT GREENWICH VILLAGE: Just so you don't confuse Greenwich Village NY with Greenwich Village AR, I'll point out a few differences.
TYPICAL GREENWICH VILLAGE, NEW YORK RESIDENTS
TYPICAL GREENWICH VILLAGE, ARKANSAS RESIDENTS
TYPICAL GREENWICH VILLAGE, NEW YORK TRANSPORTATION
TYPICAL GREENWICH VILLAGE, ARKANSAS TRANSPORTATION
TYPICAL GREENWICH VILLAGE, NEW YORK PET
TYPICAL GREENWICH VILLAGE, ARKANSAS PET
TYPICAL GREENWICH VILLAGE, NEW YORK RESIDENTS
TYPICAL GREENWICH VILLAGE, ARKANSAS RESIDENTS
TYPICAL GREENWICH VILLAGE, NEW YORK TRANSPORTATION
TYPICAL GREENWICH VILLAGE, ARKANSAS TRANSPORTATION
TYPICAL GREENWICH VILLAGE, NEW YORK PET
TYPICAL GREENWICH VILLAGE, ARKANSAS PET
BURN THOSE BREAKFAST CALORIES OFF:
- - Keeping up with the grandchildren.
-
May 13, 2017
NEXT UP: An epic 14 state trip in the Midwest this coming October: OH, MI, IN, WI, IL, IA, MN, ND, SD, NE, KS, MO, KY, & WV.
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