ARE WE THERE YET?

Cotham's serves burgers with a dash of history

Diners at Cotham’s Mercantile in Scott are surrounded by a museum’s worth of old-time merchandise and collectibles.
Diners at Cotham’s Mercantile in Scott are surrounded by a museum’s worth of old-time merchandise and collectibles.

SCOTT -- To judge from the ramshackle exterior, this could be the setting for a Southern Gothic movie.

Weathered wood columns much in need of paint hold up the rust-flecked porch roof of corrugated metal. Rust is also advancing on the Coca-Cola sign above the entrance. Out back lurks Horseshoe Lake, a swamplike body of stagnant water studded with dead and dying trees. About all that's missing is an eerie soundtrack.

Inside, Cotham Mercantile's original purpose is evoked by shelves cluttered with dusty hardware and other merchandise of the sort that might have been for sale after it opened in 1917 as a general store. Originally serving plantation owners and sharecroppers, the building also functioned as an Army commissary and a lockup for miscreants awaiting trial by a circuit-riding judge.

In 1984, a small eating area was opened to offer lunch to locals. The rest is history. Bill Clinton became a patron in his gubernatorial years, and Sen. David Pryor was a regular. President George W. Bush supposedly stopped by once and ordered a chocolate fried pie. During weekday lunch time, prominent personages in suits mingle with farmers in overalls.

Given this jumbled ambience, Cotham's is ready to strut its stuff during these year-end holidays. It's a quick road-trip destination where central Arkansans can expose out-of-town relatives or friends to a rustic stereotype of Natural State life. It's closed today and Friday for Christmas, but open again on Saturday as well as Monday through Thursday of next week. The regular schedule resumes Jan. 2.

Cotham's food is hearty and flavorful, headlined by the monster Hubcap Burger, packing just over a pound of beef. In supporting roles are the likes of scrumptious onion rings and crispy fried green tomatoes. The Mississippi Mud Pie is an eye-popping dessert of vanilla ice cream tucked between layers of chocolate cake and topped with hot fudge and whipped cream.

Daily specials fulfill the Down South stereotype: fried pork chops on Monday, chicken and dumplings on Tuesday, homemade meatloaf on Wednesday, southern fried chicken on Thursday. The menu's fried sides also include pickles, green beans and (yikes!) jalapenos.

But this place is more than a calorie-crazy eatery. Funky inside and out, it qualifies as a themed attraction. In fact, it is billed by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism as a "museum."

Management's sense of humor is evident in an oddball counter display inside a glass cube. A sign identifies the fuzzy object as "Adolf Hitler's Mustache."

As the whimsical signage recounts, "April 1945, [Soviet] Jeep driver Pvt. Peekop Andropof personally removed this artifact from the partially charred remains of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. ... He subsequently lost the artifact in a 'floating crap game' ... to a 1st Sergeant R.E. Huntley, 1st Inf. Div. U.S. Army."

The "mustache" resembles a dark-skinned centipede, and a hearty chuckle is an appropriate response. Also worth a hoot is a sign with a touch of French: "Les Cotham's, Where the Elite Meet to Eat." It hangs next to an image of a Hubcap Burger, framed like an automobile hubcap by a rim and tire.

There's a newer Cotham's as well, in an urban setting at 1401 W. Third St. near downtown Little Rock. Its menu is similar to the original, but it's just another restaurant. Cotham's Mercantile in Scott is something else again.

Cotham's Mercantile, 5301 Arkansas 161 S., Scott, is normally open 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday-Saturday. It's closed today and Friday, as well as Jan. 1. Call (501) 961-9284 or visit cothams.com.

Weekend on 12/24/2015

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