Adam & Eats: A House Divided — Part One

 

Editor’s note: Adam Brandt is a graduate from the Cobra Kai School of Culinary Callousness, where he received their highest award, the Red Apron of Merciless Eating. Aside from eating and talking about eating, he makes pots, paintings, prints, books, photographs, and generally, a big mess. He has been the studio assistant at Mudpuppy Pottery for almost nine years and is attending a local university in a desperate attempt to earn a biology degree. Feel free to give him a hard time.

In the Spring of 1992, Benson “Ben” Canoy started a little diner and named it after his Grandfather who had passed his middle name on to him. In the Spring of 1997, Ben sold Benson’s Grill to Don Tate, who still owns it. After over 12 years of people asking him when he was going to open a new restaurant, Ben opened Lucy’s Diner, which he named for his mother Lorena “Lucy” Canoy.

This is a two-part article about those two restaurants. This week we’ll talk about Benson’s Grill.

Benson’s is a greasy spoon. That is said, not in a negative way, but in a very loving and endearing way. Everybody falls on hard times and when we do, we eat. We eat comfort food. And by those standards Benson’s has been comforting the people of Fort Smith for almost 20 years.

Whenever I listen to “Nighthawks at the Diner” by Tom Waits I always think of Benson’s and the people that fill its booths. Especially the part in the introduction to “Eggs and Sausage” when he talks about a “dangerous veal cutlet” trying to beat up his cup of coffee and the coffee not being strong enough to defend itself. There is something to be said about the endearing qualities of a cheap cup of coffee.

When you enter Benson’s you are greeted with, in my case especially, “Howdy, Honey. Take a seat and I’ll be with you in just a minute.” It never fails. Speaking of which, does anybody else miss Darlene? Anyway, you pick a spot and unload all your troubles in the wooden booth. Your waitress comes by takes your drink order, fills it, and jots down what you’ve picked from the menu that’s on the table. Within minutes, you are watching your order being made on the flat top grill behind the counter.

While you wait the usually brief period of time between ordering and eating you get to take in the décor that makes you feel like you’re sitting at your Grandpa’s kitchen table again. The illusion would almost be perfect, but for the terrible jukebox. There is only so much on can stomach of Black Oak Arkansas and Stevie Ray Vaughn battling it out with so-and-so who is hot in the Top 20. Despite the jukebox, Benson’s provides a real family table kind of experience. Don’t even think about swearing at Grandpa’s table, because he’ll ask you to leave. Believe me, I’ve had to leave before.

One of the best things about Benson’s is that everybody is welcome there. From your old guys at the bar who have their own coffee cups behind the counter, to the young punk kids with their pink mohawks and pierced faces. Everyone has a place at Benson’s.

Let me tell ya’, I’ve been eating at Benson’s for a long time and there are very few items on the menu that even come close to disappointing. They are all wonderful. Their cheeseburgers are definitely in the Top Five in Fort Smith. In fact the cheeseburgers only keep getting better over the years. Plus, you can get it with a side of fried okra. You can’t beat that.

The Breakfast Special always hits the spot. If you want to fill your belly for the next couple of days, I recommend the Mamma’s Mexican Surprise. Or you could go with my personal favorite, the Chili Size with jalapenos and a side of tater tots. It warms the tummy just thinking about it.

Overall, Benson’s is a great place to eat your troubles away and will always have a special place in the hearts of the people of Fort Smith. If you haven’t eaten there, you should, especially if you are feeling a little down in the dumps.

Tune in next week when we’ll discus the other half of this family affair, Lucy’s Diner.

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When he’s not beating his eggs, Adam makes time to respond to e-mails that get past his hard-ass spam filter. You can try to reach him at [email protected]

Adam also has this thing called Sandwich Control.