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The end of this blog.

On January 3, 2015, after golfing with friends, we went to Buffalo Grill in Little Rock. While sitting there and talking the idea out with them, I decided to start documenting every meal I eat at restaurants — every single one — and ranking them on a monthly basis. I kept it up for six months before deciding there was no audience for such a thing, so I quit. But after 18 months of not doing it, I realized I didn’t care about not having an audience as much as I cared about having a reference to every meal in every restaurant in every city that I’d eaten. I started back New Year’s Day 2017, and I’ve been doing it ever since. Altogether, I’m approaching eight years of meals, documented and ranked. And I eat out a lot — last year I ate 421 meals at 234 different restaurants.

I had no intention of ever stopping until earlier this week when I came home inspired from a good conference. I told Liz that maybe I would be done with taking pictures of my food, but I wouldn’t stop until the end of June so I could say I’d done it for eight full years. But then last night when I sat down to rank a recent meal, I told her I didn’t want to. Maybe I’m already done, I said.

I don’t go to Buffalo Grill often — four times in eight years, to be exact — but the boys and I ended up there today. Out of habit I pulled out my phone to take a picture of my salad so I could rank it later. It hit me that I was in the same place that the blog had started. What more poetic end could it reach? So instead of taking a picture of my chef’s salad, I pointed my phone at my boys, eating their cheeseburgers, and I felt a tremendous burden that I loved for so long lift from my shoulders.

Thanks for tolerating my rankings over the years, and for listening to me air my culinary-related micro-grievances. If you’re ever feeling nostalgic about things I ate, feel free to dive into the archive at icleanedthisplate.tumblr.com. You can also keep up with me on my photo-a-day blog, which is still going strong after 14 years.

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Angry Wife Roll and I can’t remember what the other one was called. Wasabi. Little Rock, Arkansas. 5.3.2024.

NOTE TO SELF: It's fine.

Currently ranked last of three May meals.

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Smoked Duck Caesar. Cache. Little Rock, Arkansas. 5.2.2024.

NOTE TO SELF: This is the best addition to my downtown regular lunch rotation of the year so far.

Currently ranked first of two May meals.

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Samantha’s Steak Salad. Samantha’s Tap Room. Little Rock, Arkansas. 5.1.2024.

NOTE TO SELF: Solid. And a nice change of pace from the chopped salmon salad, but if I'm trapped on a deserted island with only one salad, I choose the chopped salmon. Well...if I'm on an actual island, I'll probably opt for beef.

Currently the only meal I've had this month.

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Dine-Out Meals of April 2024, Ranked

I ranked the following based on taste alone. I made no consideration for ambiance or the general dining experience or whatever. I included meals I got to go. I included food trucks, catered meals, and fast food.

Nothing here will make the end-of-year lists.

Should you be interested in the pictures or reading the few words I had to say about each meal, click on the home page and scroll down or see the archives.

Ceasar Salad, Sushi Rolls (shared). Ocean’s at Arthur’s. Little Rock, Arkansas. 4.26.2024.

Bacon Jam App (shared), Wedge, Butcher’s Block (shared). SMOKE. Tulsa, Oklahoma. 4.22.2024.

Loaded Lox, Golden Goat (shared both). The Bagel Shop. Little Rock, Arkansas. 4.21.2024.

Cream Cheese Wontons, Crispy Duck. A Taste of Thai. Fayetteville, Arkansas. 4.24.2024.

Chicken Piccata w/Creamed Corn, Caesar Salad. Charleston’s. Tulsa, Oklahoma. 4.23.2024.

Bacon Cheeseburger w/Fries, Vanilla Milkshake (to go). Braum’s. Alma, Arkansas. 4.25.2024.

Power Bowl w/Bison Sausage, Biscuit. Neighborhood Jam. Tulsa, Oklahoma. 4.23.2024.

Taste of Little Rock (Samples from 40ish restaurants). Little Rock, Arkansas. 4.2.2024.

Chicken Wings, Broccoli & Cheese Casserole, Cabbage. Platnum BBQ (River Market). Little Rock, Arkansas. 4.2.2024.

Mark’s Salad w/Crab Cake, Cheese Dip App (shared). Loca Luna. Little Rock, Arkansas. 4.18.2024.

Hamburger Steak w/Corn, Salad, Oreo Cheesecake. The Feed Bin Café. Caney, Oklahoma. 4.24.2024.

Farmer’s Hash, Strawberries & Cream Pancake. Farmer’s Table Café. Fayetteville, Arkansas. 4.25.2024.

Goat Trail Scramble. The Buttered Biscuit. Bentonville, Arkansas. 4.30.2024.

Southwest Cobb Salad. Bray Gourmet Catering. Little Rock, Arkansas. 4.10.2024.

Pork Chop w/Greens, Yams. The Xperience Kitchen & Lounge. Little Rock, Arkansas. 4.12.2024.

Ora King Salmon. The Bar (Loew’s Hotel). Arlington, Texas. 4.3.2024.

Soft Flour Tacos, Barbacoa Consomé. Yeyo’s. Bentonville, Arkansas. 4.30.2024.

Steak Salad, Fruit Tart. Loews (Catering). Arlington, Texas. 4.3.2024.

Alambres w/Steak. El Mezcal. Little Rock, Arkansas. 4.26.2024.

Lunch Catering (Sandwiches, Turkey Salad). Bray Gourmet Catering. Little Rock, Arkansas. 4.19.2024.

Breakfast Buffet. Marriott Southern Hills. Tulsa, Oklahoma. 9.24.2024.

Spicy Chicken Deluxe Combo. Chick-fil-A. Muskogee, Oklahoma. 4.22.2024.

Breakfast Buffet. Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott. Fayetteville, Arkansas. 4.25.2024. (No photo.)

Chicken Shawerma w/Fries, Baba Ghanouj. Maryam’s Grill. Little Rock, Arkansas. 4.1.2024.

Breakfast Buffet. Marriott Southern Hills. Tulsa, Oklahoma. 9.23.2024. (No photo.)

Oatmeal, Egg Bites. Starbucks. Dallas, Texas. 4.4.2024. (No photo.)

Red Pepper Sous Vide Egg Bites. Starbucks. Little Rock, Arkansas. 4.30.2024.

Chicken Biscuit. Chick-fil-A (Airport). Little Rock, Arkansas. 4.3.2024.

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Soft Flour Tacos, Barbacoa Consomé. Yeyo’s. Bentonville, Arkansas. 4.30.2024.

NOTE TO SELF: I've heard about this place for months (years?) and now that I've been...I don't understand why. Yes, it's different than standard Mexican food, and yes they are clearly using high-quality ingredients, but I don't get the hype.

Currently ranked 17th of 28 April meals.

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Goat Trail Scramble. The Buttered Biscuit. Bentonville, Arkansas. 4.30.2024.

NOTE TO SELF: Not nearly as good as I wanted it to be. Needed some hot sauce for flavor.

Currently ranked 13th of 27 April meals.

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Red Pepper Sous Vide Egg Bites. Starbucks. Little Rock, Arkansas. 4.30.2024.

NOTE TO SELF: Meh.

Currently ranked 25th of 26 April meals.

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Alambres w/Steak. El Mezcal. Little Rock, Arkansas. 4.26.2024.

NOTE TO SELF: Nothing special. Cheesy, greasy.

Currently ranked 17th of 25 April meals.

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Caesar Salad, Sushi Rolls (shared). Ocean’s at Arthur’s. Little Rock, Arkansas. 4.26.2024.

NOTE TO SELF: Finally made it to this place. The sushi is basically Kemuri's (same owner). That salad wasn't worth it. No need to come back -- just stay closer to home and go to Kemuri.

Currently the best meal I've had of 24 April meals.

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Bacon Cheeseburger w/Fries, Vanilla Milkshake (to go). Braum’s. Alma, Arkansas. 4.25.2024.

NOTE TO SELF: I love Braum's. I really do. It's the milkshake/crinkle cut combo. Can't believe this if my first visit since September 2021.

Currently ranked 5th of 23 April meals.

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Farmer’s Hash, Strawberries & Cream Pancake. Farmer’s Table Café. Fayetteville, Arkansas. 4.25.2024.

NOTE TO SELF: The strawberries were good, but it wasn't worth not getting the sweet potato pancake. The eggs were overcooked, and the potato ratio was way off today.

Currently ranked 10th of 22 April meals.

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Cream Cheese Wontons, Crispy Duck. A Taste of Thai. Fayetteville, Arkansas. 4.24.2024.

NOTE TO SELF: Not as good as last month; a little dry. But still better than most meals.

Currently ranked 3rd of 20 April meals.

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Hamburger Steak w/Corn, Salad, Oreo Cheesecake. The Feed Bin Café. Caney, Oklahoma. 4.24.2024.

NOTE TO SELF: That oreo cheesecake lifted this ranking.

Currently ranked 8th of 19 April meals.

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Breakfast Buffet. Marriott Southern Hills. Tulsa, Oklahoma. 4.24.2024.

NOTE TO SELF: The fruit was a crapshoot, the bacon was greasy as hell, but this was better than whatever I would have gotten at Starbonks.

Currently ranked 13th of 18 April meals.

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Chicken Piccata w/Creamed Corn, Caesar Salad. Charleston’s. Tulsa, Oklahoma. 4.23.2024.

NOTE TO SELF: I'm not a fan of chicken piccata, but nothing else looked good either, so I went with it and was pleasantly surprised. Every time I come here, I think I'm going to Redrock Canyon Grill and I'm always reminded that I'm not when i look at the menu.

Currently ranked 3rd of 17 April meals.

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Power Bowl w/Bison Sausage, Biscuit. Neighborhood Jam. Tulsa, Oklahoma. 4.23.2024.

NOTE TO SELF: Biscuit was solid, Power Bowl wasn't bad.

Currently ranked 3rd of 16 April meals.