white water tavern

tzatziki w cukes & olives

watercess w parmesan

braised chicken

white water tavern. yeah. there's a smoking ban inside and a new cook in the kitchen. in front of the wwt, we were met by some 50 plus~ers that informed us they were going to burn one in the parking lot. inside, there is a steady trail of nicotine addicts heading out the side door to smoke the legal stuff. ok, odd mix of people but don't let that over shadow the dinner. the food is WONDERFUL. the night i was there, the taste and presentation (minus the apple tart on a paper plate) rivaled Ashely's, yes, that Ashley's. this particular meal was lick your plate good. for starters we had the tzatziki with warm pita, cucumber and olives, yum. next up, watercress salad with lemon vinaigrette, super yum. (don't under estimate the deliciousness of a simple salad) and for the main course; braised chicken served over semolina with fresh sauteed spinach ~ super, duper yum. no kidding. we ended it with a slice of arkansas black apple tart. dinner for two ~$33. The chef reminded me of Charlie from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.  Seriously ~ check out the White Water Tavern for dinner and don't forget to tip the cook.

White Water Tavern

2500 West 7th Street
(501) 375-8400

note: kevin, the new chef is totally veg friendly. the menu changes daily. give 'em a call & ask about vegetarian menu options before you go.

Faby's is Fabulous

roasted salsa!

road trip! looking for some tasty mexican food, not the hum drum b.s. that's being churned out at the most popular mini-mexi chains around the central arkansas area, i headed to conway. not that little rock doesn't have some unique sit down mexican restaurants, only b/c i reached out to my lovely latina resource late. we decided on Faby's located in small strip mall. pulling up looked bleak. only one freakish looking dude eating away & staring up at a tv. hmmm. we ventured in and are sure glad we did. within seconds we had thin (yes!) chips and roasted salsa (yum!). we ordered up a starter of guacamole (Mmmm) and while finishing up on the guac, a gratis mini bowl of frijoles borrachos (perfectly tender & super flavorful!) arrived.  i, trying to recapture a taste from the past, ordered a stuffed avocado - a deep fried ½ avocado "stuffed" with skrimps and cheese. my entrée came with rice, refried beans (super delicioso) and a taco wrapped in a homemade tortilla and filled with my choice of meat ☞ beef. the beef was a super tender & super tasty skirt steak. needless to say, i was stuffed after the meal. but after the server cleared our table a bonus slice of chocolate cake arrived. right, faby does not want you to leave hungry. we didn't. GO TO CONWAY.

guacamole!

free frijoles borrachos!

skrimp stuffed avocado & beef skirt taco

free choco caramel cake!

Faby's Restaurant (Mexican & Continental Fare)

2915 Dave Ward Drive, #1

Conway

501-329-5151

note: comb the menu, there are some real treasures if you read each description and don't order the same ole slop you normally do. you will be pleasantly surprised. look into my eyes, do not look around my eyes, you will drive to conway and eat at Faby's. the salsa is worth the trip, yo.

Green Corner Trolley Food Cart

Lori in the window of her cool food trolley which was made in North Little Rock!

thanks to a friend who heard it from a friend that there is a new vegetarian lunch wagon parked near vinos, we decided to hit it one late monday afternoon. the weather permitted us to sit outside at one of the two picnic tables provided. we had a long and enjoyable chat with lori, the owner of GREEN CUISINE which serves up vegetarian sandwiches and interestng sides of sweet potato slaw, red quinoa and angel hair pasta salads. I had the daily special that was sort of a ratatouille on ciabatta roll and a side of sweet potato slaw. delish. never would have thought to make a slaw out of sweet potatoes! Lori let us sample the cold angel hair pasta salad and it was truly tasty and the red quinoa salad was Mmmmmmmmmm. check her lunch trolley out: she's parked on Chester Street between 6th & 7th in a fenced in parking lot across the street from the fire station. go.

Green Cuisine
Chester Street between 6th & 7th

is this cooking? really? UPDATE

lrb went to the kitchenco soup night: crawfish corn chowder & mushroom wild rice "cooking class". cooking class is in quotes because i am not sure the instructor cooked anything...scanning files, scanning files, oh, yeah, she cooked the wild rice.  the southwestern part of the chowder was sprung on the class after we got there & were given a typo ridden recipe handout, as you can read online, the southwestern is omitted.  the bulk of the SOUTHWESTERN crawfish corn chowder recipe was opening off-brand cans of corn, creamed corn, cream of potato soup and jarred salsa, that's right, and dumping them into a le creuset dutch oven. i am sure if that le creuset pot could've screamed, it would have.  the class should be labeled as EASY/BEGINNER/RETARD and definitely isn't worth the $39.95 price tag, especially when we were being served up generic kroger brand ingredients. may i remind you that The Fresh Market is a hop, skip & jump away from kitchenco? ugh. it seemed the recipe was being test driven right then and there. not a family fav and Karol couldn't even recall the name of the magazine she ripped it off from. yes, lrb has high expectations and you should too.

UPDATE: the morning after the demonstration of pouring generic brand canned vegetables and soups into a pot and warming them up, i gave kitchenco a call. i spoke to jennifer and gave her a list of reasons why the class, was, uh, not a cooking class but rather something more akin to a recipe that one would find on the label of a can Campbell's soup. she listened and with a "we'll see what we can do" said she'd pass my comments on to jay, the manager, and he would return my call. 2 days later - no call from jay.

let me guide you to the purple rain

grape juice. you’ve never had grape juice until you’ve had FRESH JUICED GRAPE JUICE. i bought some 99¢ per lb seedless black grapes and here is the result. super sweet, pleasantly purple and tastes NOTHING like the bottled grape juices i’ve sampled. the taste is closer to that of homemade grape jelly. yeah. MMmmm.

WOKa WOKa Custom Stir Fry

coming soon to maumelle: WOKa Woka Custom Stir Fry. the menu looks a lot like Genghis Grill. hopefully, here, you'll get lunch without the colon blow.

WOKa WOKa
Custom Stir Fry
1800 Club Manor Drive #1
Maumelle
(501) 803-9083

mt. fuji

sashimi & tempura dinner!

dessert

mt. fuji. umami. comfortable. fun. never too crowded. good people watching and great service. sashimi & tempura dinner. it doesn't get any better. the meal begins with miso soup and an iceberg lettuce salad. the dinner comes with my perennial fav: seaweed salad. shrimp dumplings, veg and shrimp tempura, 3 kinds of sashimi and deep fried pork pack the bento box. YUM. the grand finale is a scoop of ice cream topped with a sabre pierced cherry. it's a celebration for your mouth. have one. $21.95 and worth every cent.

Mt. Fuji

10301 N. Rodney Parham Road
Little Rock

501.227.6498 

b side brunch, yo.

blueberry soda

b side. brunch. yum. order a fresh juice soda ($2.99), made in-house with real fruit, simple syrup and carbonated water. super refreshing. i didn't even look at the entire menu before i had decided what i was ordering for brunch. vegetarian hash ($7.99) with a poached egg ($1.99) on top. yes, that is a poached egg, not a dollop of sour cream. the poached egg was perfectly poached with a soft yolk. the potatoes were delivered as promised ~ crunchy. the roasted tomato was a welcomed addition. seasoned perfectly, no need to add salt or pepper. go. wed-sunday 8am-2pm. 

 B Side

 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road

501-554-0914

vegetarian hash topped w/ poached egg. photo by mbracy

surprise harvest!

jealous much?

most likely the last garden harvest this year. yum!

damn good veggie sandwich

i am still on my Ezekiel bread kick. this is a super healthy sandwich to try. here's your shopping list:

ezekiel bread (get over the damn bible verse & buy it, it's in the freezer section of kroger & whole foods)

½ ripe avocado

broccoli sprouts

maille dijon mustard

spike

1 super thin slice of red onion

cucumber, sliced lengthwise, same size as toast

pepper

cheese ( i used used butterkase cheese from kroger)

toast bread. turn on toaster oven or broiler. spread avocado on 1 slice of toasted bread, top with a liberal shake of spike and cover with cheese. place in broiler to melt cheese. on the other slice of toasted bread, add dijon mustard, cucumber, pepper, onion & sprouts. when cheese melts, remove from oven and place sammy together, cut diagonally and eat. YUM! healthy & delicious! freakin' do it.

buen provecho!!

 

this taco truck is parked next to sonic on geyer springs road - between 65th & the interstate. Los tacos están buenos and the service is friendly. i ordered up a chorizo and barbacoa (beef). fresh, super tasty and don't forget to top it with a squeeze of lime and a squirt of green (mild) or red (hot) salsa. no place to sit, but we grabbed a table at sonic and ordered up a strawberry limeade to wash it all down. tacos are $1.50 each. go. it's muy bueno!

 

keep drivin'

if you are hungry and looking to eat and are on baseline road and see this taco truck...keep drivin'.

"bloggers give me bad reviews."

Terry's Finer Foods Restaurant

squatty water glass & butter bowl

Terry’s Restaurant. yeah, the food is good but the set-up is awkward. we had the choice between sitting at a two top next to the store’s seafood cooler or a two top near the front entrance and next to the doorway leading into the store/kitchen. ugh. ok, so, when you make your rezzie, ask for one of the tables near the bar. the tables are set when you arrive with a butter bowl (cute), a wine bottle full of iced water and very squatty and very unusual water glasses. the ‘decorative’ plates are just weird grandma. bread came out first & is nothing special. next up, an overly dressed mixed green salad followed by a bone in ribeye steak ($32) ordered with a side of morel mushroom sauce. the sauce was forgotten and my dinner date was done with his entrée before the sauce made it to the party. turns out, it wasn't worth the wait - it had a very strong taste of pure beef boullion cubes. the steak was delicious, seared crispy on the outside and cooked perfectly medium rare inside. the side of shoe strings fries were yum. i wrapped it all up with a silky smooth and wonderfully crunchy crème brûlée. all in all, the food is good, but the space is uncomfortable --- not a place to linger, but we did close the joint --- at 9pm. ah, little rock. the steak is worth the visit. dinner is served tuesdays through saturdays.

Terry's Finer Foods Restaurant

5018 Kavanaugh Blvd

(501) 663-4152

bone-in rib eye & shoe string fries

crème brûlée

Skrimp Salad

skrimp salad

skrimp salad. a decadent and delicious lunch. takes about 6 minutes to prepare. help yourself out and pick up a small package of precooked skrimps for less than a 5 spot at whole foods. atop fresh greens or betwixt bread, you decide. use a mix of yogurt and mayo to achieve a non gloppy and creamy consistency. here’s how:

you’ll need:

1 lb cooked skrimp, sliced lengthwise
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 tablespoons, red onion, finely chopped
mayo, about a heaping spoonful
yogurt, same as above
Beau Monde seasoning, a bunch of shakes
Slap Ya Mama seasoning, like 1-2 shakes
Freshly ground black pepper, LOTS
Freshly squeezed lemon juice from ½ a lemon
Extra Virgin olive oil (dark & yummy - the salad dressing or dipping kind)
greens or bread

in a large mixing bowl, add sliced skrimps and sprinkle with Beau Monde. Add celery and onion. add the mayo & yogurt --- err on the side of being skimpy. add sprinklings of Beau Monde and a dash of Slap Ya Mama, 20 grinds of black pepper. When you wrist gets tired add 5 more grinds. Hit with some lemon juice and blend with a folding action using a large spoon or spatula. If you want more mayo, go ahead, but be careful. Now, plate on top of some greens that you have added lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper. YUM.

hamburger at the hop

the hop. feeling a burger, i hopped in the car and landed at the hop. the counter dude was super cool. commented that the smile i flashed to him was fake. funny, b/c it was. the banter was fun. he up-sold me, i like that, but this is where the good times end. the hamburger patty tasted like liquid smoke. i guess my palate could be off and it was A-1, but either way...BOO. what happened to the plain salt & pepper patty and griddled fat goodness? huh?

The Hop

7706 Cantrell Rd

(501) 219-2200

note: the fried pickles were super good.

chicken salad, YUM!

chicken salad. forget the bread and gimme a fork. this chicken salad is simple and can’t-get-enough delicious. make it easy on yourself and buy a Whole Foods rotisserie chicken & use the breast meat. it goes down like this:

you’ll need:

cooked chicken breast, diced
mayo
beau monde seasoning
2 celery ribs, diced
Coleman’s powdered mustard
white pepper
a pinch of cayenne pepper, ground
a couple grates of onion, about ½-1 teaspoon
½ lemon, freshly squeezed

you’ll do:

in a mixing bowl, grate the onion, dice and add celery, add a few shakes of Beau Monde seasoning. dice chicken breast and add to bowl. add white pepper, cayenne pepper, powdered mustard and another few shakes of Beau Monde seasoning. Add mayo - and stir. add lemon and stir. add more mayo to make it creamy but not gloppy. got it? good.

oh, hell yes.

a cheeseburger with boursin cheese. fantastic!salt & pepper the patties and grill. resist your urge to mash on them while they grill and err on the side of undercooking, ok? after they rest, they'll be perfecto. butter & griddle buns, smear on maille dijon mustard. throw on a pickle and slice of tomato. here's where the fabu comes in: add a hunk of boursin cheese - any savory flavor. the cheese that i had planned to use was moldy in the fridge. a happy accident? i think not, it was a divine culinary intervention. this was the best damn burger i’ve had in a loooooooong time. i love me.

beef o'brady's

beef o’brady’s. maumelle has been my recent stomping ground and when the combination of hunger and maumelle came about, i had a hankering for an upscale sammie - to go. i got one, a cuban hot pressed ($7.99), and it was pretty damn good. i have not had the pleasure of savoring an authentic pressed cuban from a miami dive, (but, i will) so, this review is based on, well, nothing more than taste. it was super delectable. there.

cuban hot pressed sammie

Beef O’Brady’s
115 Audubon Drive
Maumelle

(501) 803-3500

Fresh Spinach Soup!

spinach soup. go ahead, make fun of the color, but this is soup is a hug in a bowl. super quick, ultra airy, velvety smooth and fresh. start with butter and onions, add flour to make a velouté then use a blender to chop and aerate. easy. here’s how martha taught me to do it:

you’ll need:

2 bunches spinach, ends removed, washed
1 yellow onion, chopped finely
5 tablespoons butter
white pepper, finely ground
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon flour
stock (chicken or veg)
cream (totally optional)

boil a large pot of salted water. blanche spinach for 30 seconds, remove with spider and place directly into a salted ice bath. swirl with your hand. when spinach is completely cooled. remove from ice bath and squeeze out excess water.

in a dutch oven, add butter, when butter melts add onions. sauté for at least 6 minutes do not brown. salt and pepper the onions. when tender, add flour and stir for at least 1 minute. do not brown flour. add stock until the consistency of heavy cream. bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. there’s your velouté. put velouté in a blender with the center of the blender cap removed. if you choose not to remove the center piece of the blender top, you will have a mess on your hands, try it and see. add velouté to blender to fill blender about ⅓ full. add ⅓ of the spinach and blend. repeat until all velouté and spinach are blended. add soup back to dutch oven and warm through. adjust consistency with stock. serve with a splash of cream. FRESH.

note: after you blend the soup, warm gently and do not bring back to a boil that will darken the green color. don’t do it! you want it fresh green!