Eat Arkansas

FuLin Chinese Restaurant used to be that fancy place we’d dress up and go to on special nights when I was in high school.  The food was good, the prices (at the time) were a little high, but it all seemed so formal.

I missed the little coffeeshop in Hillcrest where my peeps would gather on the odd Friday night to sit around and commiserate.  Sure, there are all sorts of places you can go to have coffee in the evenings, but finding a place open past 9pm that didn’t care if you hung out on the furniture and took up space for hours at a time? 
So I’m glad to see The House go into the old Sufficient Grounds/Laughing Moon Cafe slot on North Palm.  Sure, the location is plagued by a lack of decent parking (and believe me, I did notice the new fence put up across the side of the Kroger parking lot), but it has charm in the way only an old, beloved house can have.

Too hot for pasta?  The heck you say.  Within the air conditioned comfort of Pia’s Italian Restaurant in Conway, warm and delightful pastas accompanied by cold refreshing beverages are a diner’s delight — especially when they come with a sauce this good.  I found myself spooning up the incredibly rich and deep Cardinal sauce that accompanied my Tortellini ($11.99) with favor and gusto on a recent visit.  It’s a very good balance between the rich marinara and the creamy Alfredo with a healthy wine reduction included.  I am all about that.

There’s something great to be said for a well-balanced lunch.  That delicate association between salt and sweet, tangy sharp and bland, cruspy and soft — the more you put on each side of the see-saw of the tastebuds, the more exciting a meal can be.

For the Farmers Market at the Little Rock River Market.  The big season opens at seven this morning.  Not only is it the 35th anniversary of the Little Rock Farmers Market (wow, I didn’t know it was almost as old as I am!), there’s all sorts of neat stuff going on — including appearances by two of the chefs from Bravo Network’s Top Chef program from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Lots of great offers and several days of celebration to follow.  Check out the special 35rh anniversary website for more information.

The Station, a grocery and deli, will open, likely in mid-November, in the space that previously housed Little Rock Paint and Wallpaper, in the wedge where Kavanaugh and Markham meet in Stifft Station.

Obviously, if you are reading this blog, you love food. You think about it, you read about it, you probably even dream about it.

A word about blogging…In response to Scott McGehee’s letter to the Arkansas Times. (Scroll about ¾ down the page.)

Obviously, if you are reading this blog, you love food. You think about it, you read about it, you probably even dream about it.

Obviously, if you’re reading this blog, you love food. You think about it, you read about it, you probably even dream about it.