A look back on what’s been going on around Little Rock.
A few weeks back, I checked out Chuy’s on a soft opening. We kicked off the complimentary dinner at the much ballyhooed restaurant with a small bowl of guacamole and a standard margarita on the rocks. The guac was smooth and creamy, not bogged down with too many ingredients, which I often like—yet something lacked with this version. I’m thinking a little cilantro and a squeeze of lemon would have done wonders for the appetizer. The margarita was fairly pedestrian, certainly not memorable, but a perfect libation to wash away the pains of any long work week. My Elvis Presley Memorial Combo entree was filled with enchiladas, all well-executed and tasty. I especially enjoyed the plate’s refried beans, which had a thicker consistency than most you’ll find in Little Rock. All and all, Chuy’s Little Rock is exactly how I remembered with my Texas experiences—very solid Tex-Mex food with a fun atmosphere. This West Little Rock location should do very well.
Here’s my latest stint on The Alice Stewart Show with Dan Walker and Michael Roberts.
I’ve been hitting up several of our wonderful farmers markets on the weekends. It’s really tough to beat a cup of Mylo’s coffee (and one of their pastries) on a Saturday morning at the Hillcrest Farmers Market. From there, I generally mosey over to The Southern Gourmasian food truck for the omelet with shiitakes and carmelized onions. Before heading out, I typically stop by the North Pulaski and Freckle Face Farm booths to stock up on meats and vegetables. Sunday’s Bernice Garden Farmers Market is just as good. I generally go to one farmers market or the other each weekend and encourage you to do the same. Support local.
Just get the shredded chicken salad bowl at Rock N’ Tacos and thank me later.
The Southern Gourmasian’s Omelet
We had a great LR Foodie Feed-Up at Baja Grill out in Benton last week. Our 16-person turnout included Twitterers: @jkeller459, @MosaicGrl, @KDReep, @Daniel_P_Walker, @hillbillypharma, and @alicetweet. Please go follow all of these accounts and really become an active part of the Little Rock social media food scene. It’s a growing community, filled with great people. Also, keep a lookout for our next gathering. We’ll try to do these informal meet-ups every few weeks. All are welcomed (kids included). Special thanks to Craig at Baja Grill for showing us a great time. He and his hospitable crew are churning out some delicious food.
A tip of the hat goes out to The Gees and The Shulers for making my family’s first Arkansas Memorial Day Weekend a truly memorable one. Their parties produced some of the best barbecue I’ve ever eaten as well as fantastic company. Kelly (and friends) did the whole damn hog and Steve smoked two pork butts and nine racks of baby back ribs. Insane! Thanks to you and your families.
I highly recommend the breakfast burrito (with grilled veggies) at Milford Track. The eggs inside are light and fluffy and the vegetables are cooked just right.
On Friday, I’ll be at the Southern Roots: An Evening of Local Food and Farmers. Won’t you join me?Finally…this Saturday, five super cool dudes will be heading to Memphis for an All Weekend Food Bro Trip. We plan to hit up 15 of the city’s top eating establishments and promise to tell the world our story if we make it back alive. I’m pretty sure nothing like this in the history of mankind has even been attempted.
