New eateries
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
New eateries Grand opening today at Tropical Smoothie in the YMCA building
- Cheree Franco
- Tropical Smoothie in the downtown YMCA building
Go check out the new Tropical Smoothie in the refurbished downtown YMCA building at 324 Broadway. Forget the smoothies — go just to check out the building. A co-worker and I trekked the eight blocks or so for lunch today (special on flatbread sandwiches, at $2.99, and $0.99 Mango Magic smoothies), and we found the place bumping with banners, balloons and radio folk. Don't worry, that line goes quickly!
The food was decent, but the buzz is the location. If you're veg, forgo a veggie take on a flatbread (the Caribbean Luau, minus the chicken, was piles of lettuce and a generous dose of spicy brown Jamaican jerk sauce folded into a soft pita) and shell out for the hummus veggie sandwich. My co-worker gave her Honey Ham and Swiss flatbread rave reviews, and it did look good — thin slices of deli ham, fresh greens and a milky honey sauce. Added bonus, these flatbreads are only $3.99 not on sale, and they're the perfect amount for a light lunch. The Mango Magic smoothie was a bit watery for my tastes — more a slushy than a smoothie, really — but I'm willing to give the smoothies another go on a less busy day.
That's because I plan to return, again and again — and frankly, that decision has little to do with the food. The interior of the old YMCA building, at least the part occupied by Tropical Smoothie, is gorgeous. It's very European, this idea of fast food served up in an archaic, artistically crumbling structure. And I'm a huge fan of that shabby-chic, patchy-paint aesthetic — particularly when it's paired with 82-year-old Corinthian columns and fabulous Spanish tilework. The enclosed courtyard (which closes at 5 p.m., an hour before the cafe closes) is breezy and comfortable, with umbrella-covered tables, one of those spitting lion wall fountains, and an overhead U of Spanish tile roof, framing a view of the towering Metropolitan Bank. Don't trust our sad little cell-phone images...this first glimpse of what we can expect from the Y building is worth seeing for yourself.
- Cheree Franco
- Tropical Smoothie in the downtown YMCA building
- Cheree Franco
- Flatbread and half a Mango Magic smoothie
Posted by Cheree Franco on | Permalink | Comments (2)
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Vegetarian / Food Trucks / New eateries New on Little Rock streets: the Royal Kabob Wagon
- Cheree Franco
- Royal Kabob Wagon at Boone and Park streets
Had to jet home during lunch and take care of a couple of blah-tasks (bills, cleaning, etc.), so I was just planning to dump hummus on spinach and call it a salad. Luckily, the Royal Kabob Wagon has taken up residence in a parking lot near my apartment, changing my plans on the spot.
Little Rock newest food truck is owned by Roy Windham, a Pulaski Tech culinary school grad and self-professed hippie. He met a couple of guys from Vermont at Wakarusa, hopped aboard their food truck and went to a few more music festivals, then stole all their recipes, came back to Little Rock, bought and revamped an old lemonade truck and parked off Boone St./Markham, across from Arkansas School for the Deaf. And that's how Burlington's Ahli Baba Kabob Shop came to Little Rock, disguised as Roy Windham's Royal Kabob Wagon, in a nutshell. Or rather, in a pita.
Posted by Cheree Franco on | Permalink | Comments (8)
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
New eateries / Cooking classes Kent Walker Artisan Cheeses
- courtesy of Kent Walker Artisan Cheese
Last summer, you might have come across a guy with a folding table and platefuls of cheeses set up outside The Root’s front door some sunny Saturday. That guy was Kent Walker, and those cheeses are the culmination of a mid-level computer science career, a summer in an Oregon winery and a bad economy.
For Walker, it started as a hobby. An Arkansas native and UALR grad, he left a Denver, Colo., job designing websites for Lockheed Martin to marry a Little Rock girl. High tech jobs were hard to come buy, so he picked up a handful of foodie jobs — a natural fit, since his parents have always been in the food business. One of those jobs was helping with summer harvest at Montinore, a winery near Portland, where he met an amateur cheese-maker who showed him the basics. That was four years ago.
Back in Little Rock, Walker began making cheeses in his home kitchen, trying all sorts of milk, cultures and processes to discover the varieties he liked best. He made his first press out of Cool Whip tubs and aged the cheeses in his vegetable crisper for two to eight months. And he got back into the computer science business.
“I was working with a friend, handling his business accounts, and he decided to get out of it. The accounts were mine if I wanted them. That’s when I realized that I’d be essentially starting my own business,” Walker said. “So I decided if I was going to start my own business, why not do something I’m passionate about?”
He passed on the accounts and drafted a business plan. Soon he had found a handful of distributors to carry his cheeses. In the summer of 2011, Kent Walker Artisan Cheeses was born. And his home kitchen was too small to contain it. “One gallon of milk makes one pound of cheese,” Walker said. “At this point, I’m making about 110 pounds of cheese a week.”
He moved his operations to the empty industrial kitchen at the Cathedral School at Trinity Episcopal, spawning a new life for the kitchen as a community kitchen incubator. “They were looking for someone to use the space,” Walker said. “So they just donated it to me. Other people heard and asked to use it when I wasn’t using it, and now it’s become a community incubator, where small businesses can rent it for a day fee.”
Posted by Cheree Franco on | Permalink | Comments (1)
Friday, February 10, 2012
New eateries Maduro Cigar Bar on Main opens tomorrow
Downtown puffers, rejoice! The new Maduro Cigar Bar and Lounge opens to the public tomorrow at 109 Main Street, just south of the Statehouse Convention Center.
Owner Michael Peace said he's been thinking about opening a cigar bar for 12 years, but only began deciding on where the bar would be and what it would stock around two years ago. Maduro features over 200 boxes of cigars, a walk-in humidor, two 6 x 4 foot stand-up humidors, a state of the art air filtration system, free wi-fi and several big-screen TVs. In addition to stogies, customers will be able to select from a full bar featuring fine wine, port, scotch, bourbon, rum, tequila and more, including 30 cocktails with recipes unique to the bar. Those looking for something a little less potent can try Maduro's French press coffee or tea offerings.
Peace said the bar, which features a "Latin-inspired" decor with red walls and brown leather chairs, will have a "rolling soft opening" for a week before their grand opening next Friday night. The bar will have limited food offerings for now. "We're going to do some food, like smoked salmon and meat and cheese trays, but not a full restaurant menu," Peace said. "We might do more food later on, but for now it's very minimal." Visit their Facebook page for more info.
Maduro Cigar Bar and Lounge
109 Main Street
(501)374-3710
www.madurolounge.com
Hours:
Mon.-Thu.: 10:00 am - 11:00 pm
Fri.-Sat.: 10:00 am - 12:00 am
Sun.: 12:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Posted by David Koon on | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
New eateries New Newk's in town
Little Rock can no longer say we have no Newk's.
Sean Sylvester and partners in Mkuze Ventures are remodeling the building that held Shorty Small's off Warden Road in North Little Rock for a Newk's Express Cafe, set for a mid-May opening.
Newk's will serve soups, salads, sandwiches, California-style (thin crust) pizza and beer and wine. Sylvester said the food will be fresh — "no microwave, no grease" — and the atmosphere "upscale bistro." Service will be fast, and only one item on the menu will be over $10.
After the remodeling is done, Newk's will seat 160 inside and another 44 outside on a patio to be added.
Sylvester's group also owns the Newk's franchise in Hot Springs; Sylvester was formerly the director of operations for Applebee's restaurants in Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Posted by Leslie Newell Peacock on | Permalink | Comments (2)
Monday, February 6, 2012
New eateries Forget popcorn, go for okra at Riverdale 10
The Riverdale 10 movie house on Cantrell Road is giving new meaning to the phrase "dinner and a movie": It's now serving meals, both for take-out or eat-in right there in the theater.
A reader and foodie asked us to find out what the "Hot Food Fast" sign at Riverdale referred to. Assistant manager Anthony McKinney clued us in. The theater — for the past two months, we blush to acknowledge — is selling fried catfish, fried shrimp, chicken strips, chicken fries, tater tots, corn dogs, cheese fries and, yes, fried okra to moviegoers. The food comes in a styrofoam container. Here's the kicker: It's cheaper to eat three pieces of catfish with french fries, hushpuppies and a drink ($7.75) than it is to order a small popcorn and a small soda ($8). Fried chicken combos are even cheaper, and chicken sandwiches cheaper still.
So, we asked, doesn't this mean the theater will need a super clean-up after each showing? That not only will popcorn and Coke stick to your shoes as you exit, but you might squish a catfish fillet dropped by the guy down the row from you? "That's why we have to be on top on cleaning," McKinney said. He said the theater has a "great crew."
The idea came from manager Stacy Ford, who saw something similar at a movie house in Dallas. So far, it's been a success at night, McKinney said. And how long does it take to get your food? "It's fast, like the sign says," McKinney said, cooked to order in the Riverdale kitchen that, until now, wasn't living up to its potential.
Posted by Leslie Newell Peacock on | Permalink | Comments (2)
Event Calendar
-
Re: All-new menu at Juanita's
Great news, as long as he doesn't change the cheese dip!
-
on May 25, 2012
via mobile
-
Re: All-new menu at Juanita's
This is potentially some very exciting news. Let's face it: food was never the first…
- on May 25, 2012
-
Re: Fletcher pulls a fast one: Rocket 21
Actually, Leslie, Rocket Twenty-One didn't exactly "win the Breeder's Cup." She ran 13th out of…
- on May 24, 2012
Top Commenters
Site Index
News
Cover Story / Arkansas Reporter / The Week That Was / Smart Talk / The Insider / The Observer / Editorial / Max Brantley / Ernest Dumas / Gene Lyons / Bob Lancaster / Words / Guest Writer / Letters
Entertainment
A&E Feature / To-Do List / In Brief / Movie Reviews / Music Reviews / Theater Reviews / A&E News / Art Notes / Graham Gordy / Books / Media / Dining Reviews / Dining Guide / What's Cookin' / Calendar / The Televisionist / Movie Listings / Gallery Listings
Fox16 Local News and Weather
-
Student threatens to shoot another student via text
May 25, 2012A Lakeside Junior High student is in police custody tonight after texting a threat to shoot another student. fox16.com /more/ -
Lonoke Co. recounts votes after 200+ votes missed
May 25, 2012The Lonoke County Election Commission says between 200 and 300 votes from one of their precincts were never counted Tuesday night and as a result, they're conducting a full recount... fox16.com /more/
This Week's Cover
Quick Links
Special Publications
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
