Eat Arkansas: December 2007 Archives

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Monday, December 31, 2007 - 07:19:14

A tasty plateful

Kat Robinson's Tie Dye Travels ventures to WLR for a plate of fine Middle Eastern fare at Layla's. She writes:

Can't beat the color of the gyro plate at Layla's. Whether it's the ruddy brown of the gyro meat, the bright green and red of the tabbouleh, the startling white tzatziki, the creamy pita, the dark yellow hummus or the bright yellow marinated onions -- it all just pops like crazy when pictured on a blue plate.

And the taste? It's a palate, too.

Posted by Max Brantley at 07:19 AM | Permalink | Comments [4]

Saturday, December 29, 2007 - 20:27:48

Cooking and snapping

Yes, I've been cooking. And eating. But no time for photographing. Tonight, for example, I made some classic Swiss fondue with good Gruyere, kirsch and a crisp French white. But no photos.

Thank goodness for Joel DiPippa, who got a digital camera for Christmas and shares a holiday report and photo here.

As the year winds down, and we have weather that is skirting dangerously close to winter, a somewhat hearty far was required. There was a basic rice pilaf, with some extra celery and carrots thrown in to the mix for color and flavor. On top of that is a pork loin steak smothered in carmelized onions and a balsamic vinegar/dijon mustard sauce. Completed with a dollop of sour cream seen between the steak and pulled over the rice.

I am pleased to report that a digital camera made its way under the tree this year for me. Unfortunately, the big Christmas Eve dinner was well and truly done before the presents were opened, but I needed to use it on some food.

Posted by Max Brantley at 08:27 PM | Permalink | Comments [0]

Wednesday, December 26, 2007 - 12:42:21

Road Food

On my way back to my hometown for the holiday, I stopped off in Memphis for lunch.

Neely's BBQ, opened by the nephews of the famous Jim Neely, the owner of Interstate BBQ.

I gots the pulled pork platter. With Fries and Beans. Sorry, I should have gotten the slaw or potato salad, but I was craving some fries. And boy were they good.

The sauce was good, but the pork itself was the real standout- tender and smoky. The beans were also the best I've had in a while. Nice and tangy.

Mrs. Belly gots the small BBQ Sammich.

And who can resist the BBQ spaghetti? This is good stuff. Pasta with BBQ sauce and pork- how could you miss?

Stop off at Neely's next time you're in Memphis. You'll be glad ya did. Got a good spot in Memphis/West Memphis to tell us about?

Posted by Belly Boy at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments [10]

Friday, December 21, 2007 - 15:55:31

Ol' Faithful

One of the very few places in Little Rock that I have found to be reliable restaurant every time out is Cafe' Prego. The prices are reasonable, the service is attentive, the wine list is good, and the food is excellent.

Shrimp Crepes with mixed veggies is an excellent light dinner choice-

Myself- I can't seem to steer clear of the eggplant parmesan. A side of pasta clinches the deal- all for about 10 bucks. This dish is easy to botch- I've seen it done too many times, but Prego nails it every time.

What's your Ol' Faithful?

Posted by Belly Boy at 03:55 PM | Permalink | Comments [7]

Perfect filet?

I'm about to shove off for Michigan for Christmas, where I will be greeted by "real winter" (according to my husband) and temperatures that I am just too wussy to handle.

In case I don't make it back unfrozen, I'm leaving you with a parting gift of what, in my opinion, is the perfect way to cook a filet mignon. The first time I tried cooking the filet I used a spice rub that was much, much too spicy for me, but even still I couldn't stop eating because the texture of the filet itself was so amazing. The second time I cooked a filet with this method I used a lot less seasoning, and it was still just as delicious. The outsite is wonderfully charred and the inside is melt-in-your-mouth buttery.

Necessary equipment: cast iron grill pan. There really is no substitution when you want to get the same texture and level of flavor. If you don't have one, I guess you can try it with a different kind of pan, but it just won't be the same.

Method:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Heat cast iron grill pan over medium heat until hot, then lightly oil. Grill steaks, turning once, 10 minutes or until grill marks form (NOTE: 5 minutes per side), then transfer to a shallow baking pan and roast in 6-10 minutes (NOTE: I roasted mine for 8 because I like a rarer steak; the second time I cooked the filets I baked the empty cast iron pan in an oven before adding the steaks, and I cooked the steaks for only 6.5 minutes in the oven). Remove steaks from overn and let stand, loosely covered with foil, 5 minutes.

Posted by Jenny at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments [4]

Monday, December 17, 2007 - 12:48:41

Lunch is on

Velo Rouge opened for lunch today. The new bistro at Markham and Cumberland, well chronicled here, will freature, its owner says "lunch rapide -- a two-course executive lunch combination." Or you can go for the Croque Monsieur or Croque Madame, grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, French style. (One also has a fried egg.)

Posted by Max Brantley at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments [3]

Sunday, December 16, 2007 - 14:40:36

Sushi Cafe

Driving through the Heights yesterday, I saw one of the happiest things I've seen in a while, a blue and red flashing OPEN sign in the window of Sushi Cafe. I had been waiting for this place to open, and the day had finally come.

As a celebration for finishing exams, Jay and I decided to try it out. We arrived around 8 and the place was packed. We had to wait for a little while, but given the size of the place and the level of operating experience (turns out this was only the second day they were open), it was pretty expected.

The orange walls and soft lighting are very warm and the interior is pretty metro without being ostentatious or uninviting. In fact, I loved it. As I said, the place is small with not very many tables, but the liquor bar is welcoming and the sushi bar is long. Sushi Cafe also has an extensive cocktails list in case you find you need to wait, and the wine list didn't look too shabby.

I started out with the baby octopus salad, which was well-flavored with just a hint of hotness:

Jay started with a cucumber salad that was a little too vinegary but was refreshing. For an entree he had the beef tatake with a side of fried rice.

I was not furtunate enough to get to taste the beef, but I was assured that it was very good. I did sample the fried rice, however, and it was light enough so as not to be too greasy.

My dinner consisted of the sashimi dinner, with large cuts of fish and other goodies:

Our dinner was pretty healty, in our minds, so we decided we were entitled to dessert. Most everything involves ice cream in some way. We settled on the tempura bananas:

I must say I've never had a fried banana before, but these were pretty tasty. The batter was very light so the bananas weren't super greasy. I also liked them because they weren't just uber sweet. As you can see, it came with mounds of whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I could have done with a little less whipped topping, but hey, when you're having something fried, why not go all out? Other dessert options included fried ice cream and fried cheese cake. The one un-fried dessert option, green tea ice cream, was not available.

Overall the meal was very good. I ran into a buddy who had just finished eating and he said that other than some service kinks, his meal was great. (My buddy's girlfriend said she wanted to come back every day.) The only service kink we had was that our waiter took a while before realizing we were there, but after that the service was very attentive.

The menu has lots of options for non-sushi eaters as well (my friend got a burger). The place was just about cleared out around 9, so I suggest trying it then if you don't want to wait. Sushi Cafe is also open for lunch.

Posted by Jenny at 02:40 PM | Permalink | Comments [3]