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« May 2008 | Main | July 2008 »
Monday, June 30, 2008 - 19:20:30
Gridley's moves west
Kat Robinson reports from the Arkansas highway:
Well, after six months of being empty, the Fudge Factory at Pickles Gap Village is open once more. Better still, it's also the home of Gridley's BBQ -- a Memphis favorite branching out to Highway 65. We stopped by on seeing the signs this morning -- and were shocked, SHOCKED that we happened to stumble in on the restaurant's opening day. No matter. Though the beef brisket wasn't available yet (it's marinating in its cola marinade) the chicken was smoky and delicious, and any barbecue connoisseur could find a good choice in one of the four sauces we were offered. We'll be going back -- with my camera -- at some point in the near future. The picture, by the way, is from my little cell phone. Amazing technology, cell phones..
Thursday, June 26, 2008 - 23:11:52
Chocolate. Beautiful Chocolate.
If you are like me, a candy bar just won’t cut it. My dad says that I’m a food snob, but I just don’t think that he understands me. Luckily for me, a new store in the River Market, Cocoa Belle does. Its grand opening is this Saturday, and let me tell you this: Cocoa Belle is for serious chocolate lovers. Carmen Potillo, Cocoa Belle’s owner and chef is a Little Rock native and a graduate of The Notter School of Pastry Arts in Orlando. Now she’s made her way back home to share what she has learned in school, and I, for one, am so glad that she has.
Potillo tempers her own chocolate and makes truffles of too many varieties to name. She uses all kinds of ingredients that one doesn’t immediately associate with chocolate treats like cognac, liqueurs, and even herbs. Her signature dark chocolate truffle is made with her own custom blend of chocolate and is topped with flecks of gold leafing. One other sweet that stands out is the Key Lime Pie Truffle. It is made with a white chocolate key lime ganache and has a graham cracker and key lime zest crust.
You can find Cocoa Belle in the River Market right next to Shaka Smoke Lodge starting this Saturday at 7 am. Ms. Potillo looks forward to meeting you and I know that you look forward to meeting her chocolate.
The only downside? Our diets don't need this right before bikini season.
--Jessica Kokinos-Havel
Adding a little spice to your life just got easier.
If Donnie Ferneau could bottle whatever it is that he does to food that makes it so darn yummy, he could be a millionaire. Oh wait… he has bottled it! Ferneau Seasoning Signature Blend is a special seasoning developed by Donnie Ferneau, himself, and is now available for the bargain price of only $5.50! Supposedly, you can use the seasoning on anything from chicken and pork to steak and roasts. Donnie says that they use it on everything (even salads!) at his restaurant, Ferneau, in Hillcrest. Because he uses all of the good stuff like Turkish oregano and Hungarian paprika, and none of the bad stuff like sugar and MSG, Ferneau’s Seasoning stands apart from all its supermarket competitors. Not to mention the fact that it is crafted by one of Arkansas’s own favorite chefs. Just one more reason to be proud of Arkansas, folks.
Donnie’s proud and dutiful father, Don Ferneau Sr. is up at the crack of dawn on Tuesdays and Saturdays selling his son’s creation at the Farmer’s Market in Little Rock. When you go, buy that man a cup of coffee! He’s probably been up since 4:00 am and he deserves it!
--Jessica Kokinos-Havel
Wednesday, June 25, 2008 - 11:50:23
Arkansas blueberries
Julie Woolfolk, who took this photo for her own blog, graciously shares it with us, too.
I thought everyone might enjoy the first blueberries from our bushes this year. Picked them fresh this morning and had some for breakfast with lemon creme cake.Yum. Blueberries are part of the very few things I like about summer.
Monday, June 23, 2008 - 16:22:38
Bossa Nova brunch: It's boss
Brunch to me is a big deal. It’s less like an ordinary meal and more like a mini-vacation. Brunch and vacations are the only good excuses for drinking champagne before noon.
Recently I had brunch at Bossa Nova, a Brazilian restaurant and a Hillcrest standard since 2002. I love Bossa Nova, not just because the food and coffee is always delicious, but also because the atmosphere is relaxing and exotic. It takes me away from Little Rock the moment I walk in the door.
On this particular day I chose the French toast ($7.95), which is served warm, buttery, and sprinkled with a thick layer of grainy sugar. The scrambled eggs served on the side where light and fluffy and not even slightly under or over cooked. (A skill I have never mastered, even after culinary school.)
The salmon cakes (below), which were that day’s brunch special, were very fresh, crispy, and beautifully browned.
The most impressive thing on Bossa Nova’s menu has got to be their juice selection. The very knowledgeable waiter, Jacob, filled me in on all the exotic choices. We tried cashew juice ($2.75) first. Jacob informed me that cashews are not nuts as commonly thought, but instead they are the stems of a fruit called the cashew apple. Who knew? The cashew apple’s juice is very sweet with a tropical pineapple kind of flavor, only much richer. Next we ordered Acai juice ($2.75), a favorite among health food connoisseurs for its excellent anti-oxidant properties. This juice is so sweet and rich that it almost tastes like a mocha latte. Of course, for the less adventurous, they also serve your basic fresh squeezed orange juice ($4.25).
--Jessica Kokinos-Havel
Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 11:02:37
Update: Chip's Barbecue
CHIP'S BARBECUE This place has been operating since 1961. This was our first trip ever, even after living in Central Arkansas all our life. We ordered the rib dinner, 10 ounces of delicious thick loin back ribs, and the 8-ounce chopped beef dinner. The restaurant touts that the majority of their recipes are from scratch. The sides we ate were downright great, not like institutional food service stuff sometimes served elsewhere. The two diagonally cut buttered French bread slices were huge and came with both dinners. The barbecue beans were thick with flavor. The slaw had just the right balance of cabbage and sauce. We're kind of particular about our potato salad. So we asked about it and were offered a sample. It passed the test. It's a tasty mix of potato, onion, chunks of boiled egg and other seasonings in a mayo base. They offer several heat levels of barbecue sauce. We liked the mild. We're just betting that the other appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches and desserts on the menu are probably kin to what we enjoyed. 9801 W. Markham. No alcohol. CC $-$$ 225-4346 LD Mon.-Sat.World tour
In what’s becoming a world tour of cuisine, Little Rock restaurateur Jerry Barakat has yet another concept for the Village at Rahling Road. At 3 Rahling Circle, in the space that previously housed Gaucho’s (Brazilian) and Blue Agave (Mexican/Caribbean), now comes Amalfi’s, which, as any student of geography might guess, will specialize in authentic Italian cuisine. Barakat is currently working with two chefs to develop the menu, which will feature Northern and Southern Italian fare. The restaurant will open in mid-July.Mimi's: My, my
Farm to market
Ferneau food
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