Last week when the last blast came through, Fort Smith Eats posted pics from readers of snow treats, including this snow ice cream from Lauren Hendricks.  Well, we seem to have been blessed with our own snowful bounty today.  So, how about it?  Share your photos of snow treats and the things you eat to warm up by sending your photos to kat@tiedyetravels.com.   

On the jump, a recipe for snow ice cream you can make yourself.

Continue reading "Snow Treats." »

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The highly recommended Luigi’s Pizza and Pasta came up on our food wheel (I kid, there’s no food wheel, just a list of places people tell me I need to check out) this morning, so around noon we ventured to Bryant for lunch.

I thought this was just a regular neighborhood pizza place until we walked through the doors and saw the fine pendant lights, dark furniture and painted walls. Some time and effort’s gone into this place, that’s for sure. And if the menu’s to be believed, Luigi’s is in its 40th year.

After we were seated, our waitress quickly brought us iced tea and garlic bread with cheese ($3.99). While the serving was about average, the amount of gooey cheese atop was certainly generous. The marinara is of the mature variety, cooked through with love and devotion and that sort of flavor you only find through years of patient work.

Continue reading "A Little Love for Luigi's." »

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Still making your Valentine's Day weekend plans? He're's a real winner that won't put you out a lot of money. The 6th Annual Eureka Springs Chocolate Lovers Festival is Saturday, February 13th at the Best Western Inn of the Ozarks Conference Center. From 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., enjoy four chocolate fountains (dark, milk, white and red), sample chocolates from dozens of vendors, and consume delicate morsels of decadent delight. Some 8000 piece of chocolate will be shared with attendees (that means you're not paying more than your attendance fee just to sample). There will be lots of door prizes, chocolate ice cream, chocolate drinks, even chocolate body-care products.

The price? Just $10 for adults and $6 for children. I've been to chocolate tastings and this sort of event before, but I've never, never seen admission so low. Worth driving up, even if you can't stay in Eureka Springs overnight. For more information, contact Pam Hinson at (479) 253-7603 or check out the event website.

Posted by Kat Robinson | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bravo Cucina Italiana is under construction out at The Promenade at Chenal. The Ohio based BRIO Restaurants Group, which has locations of Bravo and Brio in 27 states, will open the new restaurant in March.

According to its website, "BRAVO! is white-tablecloth casual dining at its best with great tasting Italian food and inviting atmosphere under a fun, family-friendly Roman ruin decor. BRAVO! specializes its Italian menu on a broad choice of fresh, made-to-order, authentic Italian food for lunch or dinner as well as creative, seasonal specials, Italian take out and event catering."

A quick browse through the Kansas City menu (Little Rock's menu is not yet available) shows the expected "pinini", salads, pizzas and pastas you'd expect from an Italian joint, with a few upscale and new dishes like meatball shooters, espresso-topped gelato and what appears to be a full coffee drink selection. More info can be gleaned from the company website.

Posted by Kat Robinson | Permalink | Comments (1)

I have been waiting a long time to revisit Ed Walker’s Drive-In and Restaurant in Fort Smith. Some dear friends of mine took me there back in December 2007. They had something to show me, something massive.

That something massive is Ed Walker’s Giant Cheeseburger ($25.99): five pounds of well seasoned beef topped with cheese tucked into a custom made bun and cut into eighths, with a side platter of “everything” (lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions and condiments). It’s about every synonym for large you can think of, and I bow to the person who can eat it in one sitting.

But...

Continue reading "Burger Bonanza." »

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I got an e-mail tonight from "Dave Wrinkle," taking vivid exception to a kind review of Dub's, a Scott area burger joint.

Let Dave speak (unedited except for one trim for defamation considerations):

Have any of the ark times staff ever eaten at Dub's?

I mean normally your food write ups...are...pretty..'ON target" and many people read and act upon your suggestions.

I have tried the Dubs..and it was weak...meat was sams....frozen cheap meat..and very cheap no flavor..buns were...Sam's club....food was not great...place was a walk up crappy old 1965 junky nasty place.  I guess you could say..it had personality...but the food was just average. not a great burger...

I could not understand?   Why do some people....get write ups.and others get ignored?

Continue reading "Food reviews: Cage match" »

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Cynthia Webster sent in this mention today... about a vodka tasting at Diversion tonight.   But there's a twist.  The folks from Ciroc Vodka will be coming in to share their two new flavors, Red Berry and Coconut.  After that tasting, patrons will have a chance to design their own cocktails.  It's tonight at 5:30.  Hor d'oerves are also covered with the $15 fee.  More information on the jump.

Continue reading "Special Tasting." »

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Ladies, looking for an excuse to get out of the house and eat good food? Capi's is hosting Ladies' Night Out Monday, February 8th 6-9 p.m. Enjoy drinks, a tapas bar and a chance to spend time learning about yoga from Barefoot Studio, fashion from Beyond Cotton, luxuries from Powder and Smoke and facials from Glo Limited.

It's $25 -- which covers your food and your cocktails. For more information or to RSVP, call (501) 225-9600.

Posted by Kat Robinson | Permalink | Comments (0)

Continue reading "Doin' Cue on a Monday Night." »

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We already have the hot water going for cocoa at the house.  Provisions are stocked, sweaters have been pulled out of the closets and the DVD player is operational.

So, what sort of foods do you warm up with when it's cold?  Ardee-ann shares this:

"Some of the meals that are at their very best during cold weather, IMHO, are beans with cornbread, chili, chicken and dumplings, vegetable soup with okra and duck gumbo with sausage in it. These are all heart and soul warming meals."

Since so many of our Arkansas Times readers are home today, I figured it might be a good time to talk about the foods that keep us warm.  Post your comments or send your recipes, suggestions and photos to kat@tiedyetravels.com.

UPDATE:  Lu Lu Belle writes:

"How about some crab cakes?  Maryland, lump, benedict, panko-crusted, hollandaise covered, chipotle covered, curried, baked or fried.....Do it your way !!
 
Kat, I like to purchase 6 oz. canned crab at the dollar store for $1.50 to $1.75 packaged by Bumble Bee or Chicken of the Sea !!  I use it mostly for hot crab dip but I'm out of chips today."

I'm thinking, everyone took home all the bread, eggs and milk from the store yesterday, I might have to share my bread pudding recipes soon.  Some even include bacon.  Whadya say?

Posted by Kat Robinson | Permalink | Comments (4)

Chef Jeff Henderson is a remarkable man.  Sure, he started out on the skids and spent nearly a decade in the slammer for drugs -- but he found a passion for cooking that took him from nothing to everything.  His drive and skills brought him from the bottom of the barrel to the Chef de Cuisine at Caesar's Palace... and eventually on to his own TV show, The Chef Jeff Project on Food Network.

Chef Jeff will be speaking at Pulaski Technical College's Campus Center Main Hall at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday.  It's free and open to the public.  For more information, check out the PTC website.

Posted by Kat Robinson | Permalink | Comments (0)

There's a place I adore in New Orleans' Central Business District, a block off the streetcar line tucked into a rescued warehouse. A place where we go to chill out, watch great music and acts, and have fine coctails and eats.

For some reason, SpeakEasy reminds me very much of Le Chat Noir. Same dark interior, same eclectic music wafting through the crowd, same laid back yet hep ideas on food and drink. Can this Louisiana Street dive really bring the slightly Bohemian spirit to downtown? More on the potentials of this supper club over on Tie Dye Travels.

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According to Foodimentary Guy, today is National Peanut Brittle Day. The notice turns my thoughts to the sweet nut-dotted confection and its many variations. Arkansas Peanut Brittle is actually one of those rare dishes that can truly be considered a state food.

The town of Arkadelphia itself is blessed with two of the best brittle makers known to man. As far as the average consumer knows, Arkadelphia is about the only place that can send you some of that great brittle directly to your home. But there are a few other places you might give a try. More brittle banter after the bounce.

Continue reading "Big on Brittle." »

Posted by Kat Robinson | Permalink | Comments (1)

Let's hear it for the working class.  That's most of us, right?  65th Street Diner is the sort of place the blue collar sort congregate at for a good meal and a sweet treat during the lunch hour.

This is the sort of place where the colloquial Little Rock-styled greeting of "Good to see ya" is uttered back and forth -- both as a greeting to passers by and by individuals wanting to cut short the conversation so they can dive into their dinner. 

The diner's open for breakfast and for lunch -- and that lunch if you get it off the line is $6.50.  And if you're lucky, you might end up with a plate of fried chicken like that thar photo.  More on the jump.

Continue reading "Blue Collar Blue Plate." »

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Ever want to have a "do-over" for something you did years ago? I've been having that sort of sensation when it comes to Facci's Italian Ristorante in Hot Springs for quite some time.

We've stopped in from time to time since way back when it was in the little building a lot down from its current location, a little weekend date place for myself and the hubster before we were married. Day after we tied the knot, we ate our first post-marriage meal there. Day after that... the restaurant burned down. I kid you not.  Of course, they moved and rebuilt and moved again.

So back in 2007 I went and wrote it up for my personal blog, Tie Dye Travels. I've wanted to recommend it to you for some time, but I go back and I look at the photos I took then, and I'm just embarassed.

No more. The trip to Oaklawn may not have been a profitable one as far as the ponies are concerned, but it was fruitful as far as photos go, and I can now point you over that way and let you read more about the little restaurant that could -- and did -- survive fire and relocation along Central Avenue. Cheers.

Posted by Kat Robinson | Permalink | Comments (1)

Saturday only, the big day of the year for hungry folks at Oaklawn Racing Park. That’s the day you can pick up one of these for fifty cents and wash it down with a soft drink for a dime.

I ventured down Hot Springs-way early Friday morning to find out more about the legendary Oaklawn Corned Beef Sandwich. Chef Bill Graham gave me the goods on this salty and savory racetrack tradition. Learn more, on the jump.

Continue reading "The Real Deal." »

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Za Za co-owners John Beachboard and Scott McGehee have formed a new company with a group of national restaurateurs in order to begin franchising their popular wood-oven pizza and salad restaurant. The new company, which includes former Kentucky governor and former KFC chairman and president John Brown, is contractually obligated to open at least five franchises in 2010, though Beachboard said his partners hoped to open between 20 or 25.

Initially, the company will target Florida and Kentucky, according to Beachboard. There’s a good chance, he said, that he’ll be moving to South Florida to open the prototype franchise in the near future.

Beachboard said that he and McGehee are minority owners in the new company, though they retain full ownership of the original Heights location and future Conway outlet. The pair will also control franchising in Arkansas and surrounding states. Otherwise, Beachboard wouldn't divulge the terms of the deal.

Tony De Salvo and Mike Sloane are the other two partners in the company. De Salvo, together with Brown, started and sold the Salad Creations franchise. And Sloane was one of the original franchisees of Papa John’s.

Beachboard said that he and McGehee had signed a lease on a space near Hendrix College in Conway, but were waiting on a liquor license.

Posted by Lindsey Millar | Permalink | Comments (5)

It's back -- the wintertime installment of Argenta Restaurant Week begins Monday, with $8 two-course lunches and $25 three-course dinners at several of the district's popular restaurants -- including Cornerstone Pub, Cregeen's Irish Pub, Margo's Catfish Diner and Deli, Reno's Argenta Cafe, Ristorante Capeo, Starving Artist Cafe and Ump's Pub and Grill. 

This time around, diners have an added bonus.  Each time they dine, customers can register to win one of several items.  Prizes include jewelry valued at $1000 from Stanley Jewelers and Gemologists, 4 nights at the Baker House Bed and Breakfast, two necklaces from the Argenta Bead Company, a pottery class at Claytime Studios, and a $100 Gift Certificate to the Argenta Market, slated to open in March. 

Find out more at the Argenta Restaurant Week website.

Posted by Kat Robinson | Permalink | Comments (0)

No, that's not an old sign.  Gaucho's Grill has moved back to its original Rahling Road location.  The churrascaria reopened in its former location January 4th with its original menu.

And word is that The Hop (the Cantrell Road location, not the similarly named The Hop downtown) is temporarily closed.  Phone number is disconnected.

Posted by Kat Robinson | Permalink | Comments (1)