Food helps build community and the only way to keep this ball rolling is if each of us continue to try out new and different things. With that said, I’ve made a call to TMR readers to try out new (to them) options throughout the area and share with me their thoughts. Below is a collection of actual responses. If this strong participation continues, we’ll make this a regular thing. Simply put, I encourage you to keep discovering new restaurants, dishes, baked goods, coffees, and just about anything related to food and drink. Then share it with me through a direct message on Facebook. Then I’ll share with our audience.

“Yesterday we had breakfast for the first time at Red Door on their shady porch. The Crab Cake Eggs Benedict were very good. Two beautiful and perfectly cooked poached eggs on top of the crab cakes on top of asparagus on top of Wolfermann’s delicious English muffin. Outstanding service! Our coffee cups were never empty. My only suggestion is to add a couple of fans–like at Brave New Restaurant. Servers were masked and social distancing was great.”-Phyllis B.

“We went to Carmen’s Tacos Sunday. It was excellent. In the parking lot of the old Eureka Springs high school.”-Garrett B.

“I finally got to HallBros2Go early enough yesterday and got to try the soul tacos and candied yams! Everything was delicious and service was 💯.”-Ashley B.

“Tried Megumi Yakisoba and Sushi this evening on my way back to LR from Hot Springs. I was too hungry to make it back to LR, so I tried one of the many food trucks that are popping up on E Grand Ave. I got the chicken and shrimp combination fried rice and an order of spring rolls. Everything was super fresh and cooked to order. The clerk was super nice and brought my order to my vehicle. I really enjoyed my food and the portions were huge. I ate maybe 1/4 of the rice and 1 spring roll. One thing I really appreciated about the spring rolls is the cabbage inside still had some crunch to it, not overcooked at all!”-Stacy H.

“On your recommendation, we tried Grumpy’s Getaway in Rosebud. My husband had the chicken fried chicken and I had a vegetable plate. We will definitely make the drive again soon. (Plus the dining area is very spacious so easy to social distance).:-Vickie K.

“We tried Certified Pies. I love it. Certified Truth wings are so good. Liked the pizza a lot too! Hard to find, but worth it.”-Laura K.

“Just had The Bacon from Grilled Sandwich Company. It was amazing!”-Debra W.

My wife and I had planned to go to Maddie’s Place for her birthday last weekend, but they closed for a much-deserved holiday break. We quickly decided to try a place neither of us had been to – Cypress Social. No time for a reservation, but we were quickly seated near the bar. We had the cornbread muffins with caramelized onions and jalapenos as an appetizer. Really, REALLY good. Moist, great texture, and the flavor was really balanced. They came with a roasted red pepper butter as well that my wife just loved. I ate three of the five and could have eaten more if there had been any. My wife had the teres major steak–a cut I was not familiar with–with bacon marmalade green beans and garlic roasted potatoes. I had the fried catfish with slaw and hush puppies, because if a true Southern restaurant can’t hit the mark with catfish, it’s not worth re-visiting. Well…the catfish was excellent. Light, crispy, not greasy at all. I’m not a huge slaw fan, but this was very good. Heavy on the mayo – likely Duke’s, if my taste buds are correct – which I liked. Hush puppies were lackluster, but at that point I didn’t care. My wife’s steak was cooked a perfect medium rare with a nice peppercorn sauce. Really tasty and tender, although it could have used a little more salt for my taste. She commented she wished we had saved a cornbread muffin to sop up the bacon marmalade! Again, I’m not a huge fan of green beans, but these were really good. Potatoes, too. Portion sizes were appropriate for the price, too. Then dessert. Oh boy…huge chunk of cookie butter cheesecake. Outstanding. Service was quick and friendly as well. Overall, a wonderful first impression and we’ll definitely be back.”-Keith M.

“Grill Pollo is awesome !!! It’s the best chicken I’ve had in awhile! They have great sides too.”-Fara D.

“So we did your challenge tonight and tried Bennett’s by Keith and Co in Sherwood! The food was excellent. We had the Bennett’s Trio (guac, queso, salsa) it was all fresh and delicious. We both ordered specials (which weren’t volunteered to us by the server, we had to ask if there were any). Husband had ribeye with green beans and mashed potatoes. I had scallops with fennel and shrimp risotto and asparagus. Everything was cooked perfectly and was delicious. We just had NO ROOM for dessert. Service was pretty good although we saw bread being brought to all the tables that the other server had-we weren’t offered any. The only person wearing a mask was the seating hostess. I respect that they don’t choose to serve alcohol, but it doesn’t make you want to sit and linger like you would at a nice dinner, having a glass of wine. Or, like I would anyway!!! nother thing I will say, their kitchen was very quiet, and the atmosphere and decor was very nice. Everything we saw coming out of the kitchen looked delicious. Hope this is helpful for your challenge and thanks for offering it!”-Mandy W.

We had Ol’ Bart Southern Eats today! Great BBQ and the best baked beans I’ve ever had!”-Fara D.

“I don’t know if this counts, but I’ve always gone to Leo’s for breakfast if I went. My coworker and I used to take turns maybe once a month making a Leo’s run for a Denver omelette, their hash browns. I had never been for lunch, though. Today, I was craving a burger – I hadn’t eaten one in a while and wanted to find a local burger I hadn’t tried before now. Of course, I looked into local burgers nearby and was surprised to see Leo’s on the list. I decided to try them for lunch today. I don’t go past Leo’s very often so I’d forgotten just how charming it is. It seems they’ve added some more outdoor patio seating since the last time I’ve been (probably at least a few years). I ordered at the side window and waited for my lunch – I got a bacon cheeseburger and fries. I didn’t have to wait very long. Fifteen minutes, maybe. The burger was good – a decent portion of bacon and a good melt on the cheese. The stand out was the fries – largely portioned, well-seasoned, and just the right balance of crisp/softness. It was obvious to me that my fries were just out the fryer – they were hot! I was planning on bringing it all with me to work, but I didn’t make it past the picnic table out front. My only issue was parking – there’s not much parking there, but I parked on a nearby side street and walked a bit to Leo’s. Overall, a great experience! Next time I’m going Greek with a side of fries.”-Heidi C.

“Tried Rivera Italian and it was really good!”-Crystal C.

“I finally was able to make it to Cypress Social. Shrimp & Grit cakes (at least I think that’s what it was called), EXCELLENT! I’ll be back.”-Lori N.

“The new Italian restaurant in NLR called Rivera Italian food. My family took me there on Sunday for my birthday. When we walked in the smell was scrumptious. I’m very picky about Italian food, not just because I married into the Bruno Family but my family is Italian and British. I was very pleased. I had the special The tour of Italy so I could try a few things. The Alfredo sauce was excellent, the chicken parmigiana was great, the Lasagna had great flavor but was only about 1 1/2” thick. My family always made it much thicker. I didn’t have the shrimp or the salmon. My niece & brother hogged it. At the end they brought me a slice of Lemoncello cake that was to die for. Also all people working their wore masks, FYI.”-Sherry B.

“Stephanie and I tried out Ludwig’s Bakery this weekend. If you haven’t had the nutty cinnamon roll yet, remedy this ASAP. It’s it my top 5 now!”-Shannon D.

“Waffle Press Co. is a nice addition to the breakfast/brunch options in LR.”-Mayme G.

“I tried Tacos Godoy at The Filling Station NLR and it was amazing!”-Trey P.

“Geraldi’s in Fayetteville. Hole in the wall, tucked back next to a laundromat. One of the best Italian meals I’ve had in forever. Spaghetti and meatballs! Chicken parm sandwich! Homemade tiramisu!”-Joanie F.

“We recently moved to Maumelle. There’s a great permanent food truck called Tailgators 2 Go. We love it!! Great burgers and so cute. Behind Akel’s on Maumelle Blvd. We went back tonight.”-Beth S.

“Saw the new post about mentioning new places and wanted to mention Taj Mahal Indian Kitchen in Little Rock. Our family is fairly clueless about Indian food but wanted to try something new. We’ve ordered takeout twice, both with delicious results. Tonight, I had the chicken tikka masala. It was fabulous and will also be my lunch tomorrow. The naan, amazing. Mozzarella naan is my favorite so far. Husband had a chicken kabob and enjoyed that too.”-Michelle M.

“Morning Routine Poutine at the Breakfast Tray Food Truck in Conway was a home run for breakfast with a first try of 7 brew! Then a cheeseburger from Kotaro that rocked my world for dinner! Conway has it going on!”-Morgan W.

“Friday night we went to The Mighty Crab new to us. My husband had the catfish and I had the shrimp. They were served with Cajun fries.”-Sheila W.

“Tried Honduran baleadas at El Sur food truck today. They were good!”-Anna S.

“I wish I would have taken pictures but we went to Taqueria los Agaveros. It was to die. That birria 😍.”-Sara H.

“Few weeks ago my wife & I tried pork cheek for the first time. We really like it. I would suggest trying. If you like pork belly it’s similar just a different cut of meat.”-John L.

“We went to Houston’s in Memphis today. Went to a local Memphis favorite Huey’s Restaurant In Memphis Tn on popular after a football game Saturday. I used to go there when I was school in the early 90s, it was so good. The Turkey burger with smoked cheddar was perfect. My husband said his hickory burger was excellent. The staff was nice, quick and handled the extra crowd well. I will not give my thoughts about Houston’s here.”-Erin C.

“Tried Allsopp & Chapple Restaurant + Bar for the first time Friday night. Fantastic! Won’t be the last time!”-Toni W.