Ever wonder what other foodies are thinking? Me too. Special thanks to LR foodies Jason and Shelle for their responses!

1. How many years have you lived in Little Rock? I have lived here for 17 years since moving from North Dakota. Shelle has lived here off and on for 30 years but continuously for the last 6.

2. What area of town do you generally find yourself dining at? We try to get all over but I would say that we in Midtown more often than anywhere else. For lunch Shelle works and eats downtown and I am more in Southwest Little Rock.

3. When you’re just in the mood for a casual restaurant, where do you like to go? Layla’s on Rodney Parham would be the go to casual choice for both of us.

4. Is there a certain cuisine you feel needs greater representation in the Little Rock restaurant scene? Shelle would say Thai is underrepresented. I would like to see more local coffee shops open later in the evening. Just a place to go at night to read a book or sit and chat with a good cup of coffee.

5. What’s your Little Rock birthday meal? Last year we went to Ashley’s Sunday brunch for Shelle’s birthday but that is not a tradition. We usually mix it up for our birthdays but we do have an anniversary tradition of going to the Oyster Bar which is where we got married.

6. When was the last time you walked out of a Little Rock restaurant with absolute contentment? We had dinner at the Red Door on Wednesday night. Cheese dip as a starter. Shelle had a chicken alfredo skillet and I had the filet mignon wrapped in bacon. For dessert we had bread pudding and creme brulee. We both walked out perfectly content with our choices. An excellent meal with great service at a reasonable price.

7. Who has the best cup of coffee in town? The easiest question on the list. Mylo’s Coffee at the Hillcrest Farmer’s Market on Saturdays and Bernice Gardens on Sundays has been a revelation for both of us. We look forward to 7am on Saturday all week long. For a cup of coffee at a brick and mortar venue, Mug’s in Argenta is a very strong contender.

Layla’s

8. Can you weigh-in on the great Little Rock pizza debate? Pizza is a pretty personal choice. There are plenty of good options in town and for us it depends a lot on the mood. Iriana’s is very good. We just tried the Holy Shiitake at Mellow Mushroom for the first time this week and it was life changing. But the most consistently excellent choice for us is the Margherita Pizza at Vino’s.

9. What under-the-radar restaurant would you recommend? There are a lot of fine under the radar options in Southwest Little Rock. The locals know about it but it is out of the way for most people living downtown, midtown or in West Little Rock. And that is a shame because I would put the food at a place like Eliella up against a lot of restaurants in town. The people there are passionate about what they are doing. They use fresh ingredients and have an open kitchen to show everyone what is happening. The flavors are great and the prices are extremely reasonable.

10. What’s one word you’d use to describe the Little Rock dining scene? Shelle’s word is blossoming. My word would be improving.

**Please be sure to check out Jason and Shelle’s wonderful blog Arkansas Mirepoix.