The Traveler

Issue date: 4/10/09 Section: Lifestyles

If I had to guess, I would say that most of you think that I probably don't have very much in common with the "Dark Knight."

Yes, I'm talking about Batman.

When you look at it, our lives just don't match up.

He has his Batmobile; I drive a Honda.

I spend most of my nights doing chemistry homework or hanging out with friends while he is usually out pounding wrongdoers to a pulp.

My checking account shows that I'm a few dollars short of his multibillionaire status.

And we could go on.

However, as of very recently, he and I both have something (however loosely) in common: we both had to make the choice of breaking our own rules.

On top of that, Morgan Freeman was somehow involved in our decisions.

There'll be more on that later.

Last summer, Pig-n-Whistle opened its doors in Fayetteville right across from Baum Stadium. For some reason, I have only heard of it very recently, despite its proximity to campus.

The main reason I chose to go was because I heard that Morgan Freeman owned it.

This turns out to be somewhat of a fisherman's tale.

Although I've heard different things from good sources, the most consistent theme on this subject is this: Morgan Freeman essentially "invested" in the Pig-n-Whistle franchise and is sort of a co-owner. However, he does not "own" the restaurant in the sense that he does not work there or, for all intents and purposes, have anything to do with it.

All disappointment aside, I still decided to write about it, and here we are.

While it's not a necessarily a local restaurant, it's also not a large chain. The only other locations of Pig-n-Whistle are located in the Memphis area, which is close enough to Arkansas for my book.

Thus, my rule is only bent, not broken.

So how does Morgan Freeman fare as a restaurateur?

The most immediate thing you will notice is the nice interior.

While it seems like most barbecue places are in old shacks, or at least themed that way, Pig-n-Whistle seems to really bring a chic, modern look to barbecue. The tables are nice wood; the floors and counters elegant stones and marble; the napkins are black cloth.

It's truly a different feel from most barbecue joints that showcase a more "common man" and regional influence.

Different, but nice.

The menu has just about everything we have come to expect from barbecue places, with one pleasant (and less common) addition: brisket.

For appetizers, we started off with an order of hushpuppies and barbecue nachos.

The hushpuppies grew on me, though I was initially pushed away from them by the sweetness from the infused corn.

And what can I say about the barbecue nachos?

Frankly, I have seen those on menus for some time now and have always told myself to never try them. But after deciding against the overpriced barbecue egg rolls, we opted to try them.

I'll tell you right now: they're "nacho" normal nachos.

They're really good, but something felt wrong the entire time. In this case, "wrong" wasn't necessarily a bad thing, because we really enjoyed them. But, something was different.

After hours of deliberation, I chose the half-slab of ribs with potato salad and barbecue beans.

Ding ding ding!

We have a winner.

Their potato salad is my new favorite (it's the same style as Whole Hog, for you Central Arkansas folks).

The beans?

Very good, but what barbecue restaurant doesn't have good barbecue beans?

And the most important part: the ribs.

I ordered them "muddy," which is a mix of their dry rub and barbecue sauce. They were tender and easy to eat, and had an awesome flavor. My only complaint was the dry rub was sometimes clumped together. There were a couple of bites that were so salty I almost fell out of my chair.

Those instances aside, I'd put them up with the rest.

So, is it better than anywhere and everywhere else?

That taps into the great barbecue debate that will never end, and I certainly don't have an answer.

Frankly, I can't even tell you what my favorite barbecue restaurant is. I like Penguin Ed's, Whole Hog and various other places in Central Arkansas, as well as all the other random places I've tried.

Maybe there just is no such thing as "bad barbecue."

Pig-n-Whistle definitely has its own characteristic flavor, and that flavor is tasty.

The price is pretty reasonable for good barbecue, and the environment is differently nice or nicely different.

Even though you probably won't be lucky enough to see Morgan Freeman (although he does visit), I definitely recommend you try Pig-n-Whistle.

Happy eating!

Robert Garner is a staff columnist for The Arkansas Traveler. His column appears every Friday.

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