Before we dive too deep into 2014, I wanted to take a look back at some of my favorite, most memorable meals of 2013. It was a wonderful year, especially right here in Little Rock, where the food scene continues to reach new heights. So, without further ado…here we go!
The year started off with an amazing pig roast, attended by 20+ foodies and hosted by Tomas and his fine crew over at The Pantry. Per usual, the service and food at The Pantry were top-notch. It was particularly enjoyable to watch people try parts of the pig they otherwise would frown upon.
While some food memories resided in the warm confines of a restaurant setting, others were found on sidewalks and parking lots. Farmers markets and food truck meet-ups were prevalent this year. We braved the chilly weather one Saturday morning to devour those deliciously flavorful shrimp and grits from The Southern Gourmasion; there was also the night several friends huddled around the fire, roasted marshmallows and ate waffles from the Waffle Wagon.
We consumed fantastic pizza on Vino’s rustic outside deck, with beautiful downtown Little Rock right on top of us. Heck, we drove to Scott, AR and downed a 1-lb, beef burger at 100-year-old Cotham’s. I nearly ended up falling into a legitimate food coma from that meal, not like the fictitious one at Red Lobster, which was a memorable meal in its own right.
We crawled the streets of Boston’s Chinatown in search of the most perfect soup dumplings. We found them.
An insane Memphis road trip found a group of four very stupid dudes hit 18 eateries in 30 hours. We ate donuts from Gibson’s, the tender dry rub ribs from the Bar-B-Q Shop, and the A|M Breakfast from Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen….just to name a few.
During a trip to Dallas, we waited 1.5 hours in line at Pecan Lodge for the best brisket in the world.
A plate of fried grasshoppers was even eaten at a 4-star restaurant in Houston.
We tailgated…oh, we tailgated! Thanks to the Gees (and Erin’s Jell-O shots), we were able to eat, drink and be very merry at War Memorial.
Backyard bbq-ers shined in 2013…none more than Steve Shuler and his amazingly good pork shoulder and baby-back ribs. Thanks, Steve and Jen for having us out to your former house in Benton.
Some of the most favorite memories where the spontaneous ones … like the Tweet-Up at Baja Grill, where ten friends crushed Pig Sooie burritos and blackened shrimp tacos until our bellies just about burst. And when a handful of us met at Hillcrest Artisan Meats, we sat in that small space as you enter the back of the shop and devoured artisan sandwiches.
Simple meals, like when the new crew over at Leo’s treated my kids like royalty, were the special ones.
We drank whiskey for four courses at Big Orange Midtown and listened to the Marcus Roberts Trio while sipping on a David Burnette Old Fashioned at South on Main.
Yes, 2013 was a pretty damn cool year. The fantastic food experiences listed above all had one thing in common: they were shared with wonderful friends and family, and hence…the “we” throughout the post.
Cheers to that!
And here are a few food memories you shared:
“The most memorable meal for me is always our annual pig roast. To have so many of your family & friends together in one place enjoying each other’s company is a true blessing for me.” -Kelly G.
“Our most memorable meal was at Ristorante Capeo. An all-around wonderful dining experience. We had some of the freshest and delicious buffalo mozzarella over juicy Roma tomatoes you will ever eat. The braised pork shoulder roast over soft creamy polenta was mind blowing great. The restaurant is elegant, romantic but not intimidating to anyone. The staff make you feel at home and really know how to prepare and execute a homemade Italian dining experience.” -John K.
“Two of our more memorable food outings were the 5-course ice cream extravaganza at Loblolly and the great night at Vesuvio.” -Jason S.
“Most memorable? How does any meal compare to the Red Lobster? I can’t imagine anything more memorable than that.” –Greg H.
“Broiled salmon with chanterelle cream sauce, homemade.” –Tim J.
“Most memorable meal for me was a turkey sub with all of the veggies and sweet onion sauce on wheat from Subway….I know, but I hadn’t eaten in 36 hours because I was in labor and I wasn’t allowed to eat lunch meat the whole pregnancy, which is usually a staple for me.” –Editor’s note: By mistake, I chopped off they person’s name when during copy/paste and can’t locate original message. Someone, please come forward and lay claim to this awesome quote!
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