CHEAP EATS: Hop goes downtown, keeps old-fashioned sizzle

By Eric E. Harrison (Contact)

LITTLE ROCK — The Hop has been a venerable institution on Cantrell Road for years. Alas, high property values and high rents are about to do what a traumatic change of ownership and even road construction that made access next to impossible couldn’t: Force the place to close.

Luckily its owners have already established a second location downtown to carry on the legacy.

The new Hop, East Markham and Scott streets, doesn’t look like a classic ’50s diner on the outside, or really on the inside, despite the ’50s and ’60s paraphernalia designed to give it that baby-boomer-nostalgia feel. We’re talking Bobby Vinton and Johnny Mathis album covers; Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Betty Boop iconography; framed period magazine covers and ads; small collections of period radios and cameras.

But the food will provide a through-line - burgers, sandwiches, salads, ice cream and shakes, foot-long dogs, fried stuff and frito chili pie.

Alas, we wish the place were a little better organized.

The one cash register/one cashier setup works fine when the place isn’t busy. But on a recent weekday lunch, when a flood of folks attending events at the nearby Statehouse Convention Center descended and there were as many as 20 people in line at any one time, it took nearly a half-hour to order.

The irony is that only a couple of minutes later, just as we were settling at a just-emptied table, our Hop Cheeseburger ($5.25) was out of the kitchen.

It was hot, juicy and tasty, with a thin slice of hot-pepper cheese (American, cheddar and Swiss are the other options) and three pickle slices, and without the lettuce, onion or tomato we asked be left off. (Add mustard and ketchup from bottles on the table; add mayonnaise, if that’s your thing, from packets available at the condiment station on the central pillar.)

Decent-to-excellent sandwich options include the (named for the lady at the cash register) Iris Turkey and Swiss ($5.95) on grilled parmesan sourdough bread and a Reuben ($5.95) we remember fondly from the Cantrell Road location, with plentiful sliced corned beef and Swiss with just the right amount of sauerkraut and Russian dressing (Thousand Island is an option) on grilled rye. Half sandwiches are available for $4.25.

Sandwiches come with chips and a pickle spear; for $1.25 you can get the $1.35 a la carte fries, a little soft but nicely golden brown, in lieu of chips. Our fries didn’t show up with our turkey sandwich to-go order - someday we’ll learn to double-check the bag before we leave - but Iris made good on them on our second visit.

The fries are also available in a sampler basket, any three fried items for $4.95; we got a chance to try the crisp but not that flavorful onion rings and the zippy fried mushrooms that way.

Seating is at a half-dozen gray Formica-like-topped tables and chairs, and another half-dozen elevated black Formica-like-topped tables andstools. Additional stool seating is available along the counter and around the central pillar. Four TVs offer news and sports programming at lunchtime.

The Hop II has the same advantages and disadvantages of location that have affected the many unsuccessful predecessors in this space.

Among the plusses: The corner spot allows for nice views out either window of the downtown hustle and bustle, including the trolley stop and the foot traffic going between the convention center and the River Market and vice versa.

Among the minuses: Although it’s a nice spot if your office is within walking distance, if you’re coming by car, your parking options are limited. There’s a usually crowded pay-to-park lot across Scott Street and onstreet meter parking within a couple of blocks if you’re lucky. Otherwise we recommend parking near the Peabody or Capital hotels and spending a buck to take the trolley.

The Hop Address: 201 E. Markham St., Little Rock Hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday Cuisine: Diner Credit cards: V, MC Alcoholic beverages: No Reservations: No Wheelchair accessible: Yes Carryout: Yes (501) 224-0975

Weekend, Pages 69 on 04/04/2008