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« July 2008 | Main | September 2008 »
Wednesday, August 27, 2008 - 11:07:27
If you happen through Crawfordsville...
A back room mural at Uncle John's.
...stop in at Uncle John's. It's THE place to eat. No matter that it's the only place to eat in the tiny, three-block town west of Memphis, Uncle John's serves up Italian-meets-homestyle-Southern fare that's worth a detour: catfish, ribs, heaping portions of spaghetti, homemade ravioli and spaghetti and meatballs.
The restaurant began, informally, in the early '80s, when local rice farmer John Marconi started preparing his favorite heirloom dishes with ingredients out of his garden. You can taste the authenticity in the toasted ravioli appetizer, stuffed with beef and herbs, lightly breaded and dusted with a sprinkling of Parmesan.
We also sampled an entrée of spinach-and-beef-stuffed shells topped with the house Alfredo, with plenty of thick slices of buttery garlic toast on the side. At a table nearby, we couldn't help but eye an Italian roast sandwich, stacked high with all the fixings on a toasted French bread. Next time.
Make sure, too, you check the restaurant's backroom, where a local artist is painting a mural that promises to include all of Crawfordsville's citizens. 5453 Main Street. Beer. CC $-$$ 870-823-5319. LD Tues.-Fri., D Sat.
The restaurant business is hard
A Hillcrest tipsters reports that following a staff meeting last night, the coffee house and restaurant Laughing Moon shut down this morning.After previously shuttering its dine-in operation, Bennett’s Market and Catering has closed its Rock Creek Square storefront to focus exclusively on contract catering.
After only a few months in business, Zapata Grill, on Warden Road, has also closed.
Sim's moving?
Update: A man working behind the counter of the 33rd location confirmed that the restaurant was planning to move into a "nicer place" nearby, likely before Thanksgiving.Sims BBQ has applied to the Capital Zoning District Commission for a conditional use permit for 2415 S. Broadway. That's the old Movie Gallery space in the strip mall on the corner of Broadway and Roosevelt, less than a mile from the original Sims on 33rd Street. Does that mean the original, open on 33rd since 1937, might be closing? When reached by phone, owner Ronald Settlers had no comment.
Friday, August 22, 2008 - 14:47:58
Update: Aisha's
AISHA'S We made two wrong assumptions about this new location in North Little Rock. First, we thought the restaurant had closed the Little Rock location and moved north of the river. Wrong. This Aisha's is a new third location. Second, we're so used to everyone else serving "wings" as chopped small pieces for hot wings. But here they serve whole wings with about a dozen sauces available. We got three extra large ones in a wings plate that also came with fresh, hot fries. A bargain at $4.29. We also sampled a half-pound pork rib dinner with potato salad and tomato relish for $6.99. The three large meaty ribs were lightly covered in a mild barbeque sauce. And one more in the group ordered the three piece catfish fillet dinner with fries, coleslaw and hush puppies for $7.99. The crunchy, hot fillets covered the dinner plate with sides underneath. We could eat a bowl full of the coleslaw and hushpuppies. If you can't decide what to order, there’s sampler dinner of one rib, one catfish fillet and one chicken wing with fries — only $5.99. We were very tempted by the desserts offered. So we planned ahead to leave room for sweet potato pie and pecan pie by not eating our whole meal and taking our leftovers home. You’d be well advised to plan ahead, too. 3824 JFK Blvd., NLR, 379-9074, 2900 S. University, LR, 562-4555, 1106 W. 16th St., Pine Bluff, 534-2969, no alcohol, CC, LD, Mon.-Sat., $-$$.Coming soon: Taziki's Greek Fare
Longtime restaurateur and former state Rep. Jim Keet, in partnership with his sons Tommy and Jake, hopes to open Taziki's Greek Fare mid-September in the Cantrell Heights Shopping Center. The Keets are the first franchisee of the 10-year-old Mediterranean chain, based in Birmingham. It's yet another fast casual chain, though Keet boasts that the freshness of ingredients and “high quality, reasonably priced” wine list will set Taziki's apart. You can see a menu at tazikis.net that'll largely resemble the Little Rock branch's.Thursday, August 21, 2008 - 08:26:17
New Wine Bar: Just Help Yourself
A new wine bar, The Wine Cellar, is coming to Fayetteville this month. It will be located in the Metro District Building next to the Nadine Baum Studio. The Wine Cellar will feature the use of self-service Enomatic wine dispensers. These machines are hooked up to the wine bottles and pour the wine directly into the glass at the push of a button. The customer will be able to choose between purchasing a taste, a half glass, or a full glass of wine. There will also be a full bar and premium beer list. No word yet on the food (if any) that will be served.
The Wine Cellar
509 W. Spring Street, Fayetteville, AR 72701
Tuesday, August 19, 2008 - 08:43:43
What's your bbq pleasure?
Just for fun, a musical tour of the country's barbecue. The musicians favor vinegary North Carolina barbecue.
Moral: Barbecue is not a verb.
Pub grub -- Dive in!!!
Meet Your Waiter
Watermelon weather
Brave new ventures don't always work out
Pizza patrol
Grady's: Still comforting
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