The city’s most important annual dinner is just two months away. Little Rock’s No Kid Hungry dinner will be hosted at South on Main on Monday, Oct. 16, and the list of participating chefs is one that cannot be missed:
- Matt Bell, South on Main
- Ben Brainard, Yellow Rock Concepts
- Jason Campbell, Mary Eddy’s Kitchen x Lounge, Oklahoma City
- John Currence, City Grocery Restaurant Group, Oxford, MS
- Anthony Valinoti, Deluca’s Pizzeria
Tickets to the dinner are $175. All proceeds go to benefit No Kid Hungry, which works to end childhood hunger in Arkansas and the rest of the country. At one point, Arkansas was the worst state in the nation in terms of food insecurity. Now, Arkansas has the distinction of the biggest increase nationwide in the number of summer meals given to hungry kids, and this fundraiser is one direct reason for the transformation. If you’ve never been, just know that this is the best dinner in town for a reason. The food, the atmosphere and the cause are all well worth the price of admission. Just make sure you get your tickets early; they will not last very long.
After multiple owners tried and failed to make The Main Cheese work, it’s Whole Hog Café’s turn to try. The Arkansas barbecue restaurant chain is putting in a location at 14524 Cantrell Road in the shopping center with Senor Tequila. The location has had trouble drawing a crowd with the single entrance releasing into a constant flow of traffic, so it remains to be seen if Whole Hog’s name recognition can overcome that obstacle. The Main Cheese opened in 2014 and switched owners three times over the years. The most recent owner was Ryan Merritt-McGehee, who is still operating The Clean Eatery, a meal-service company that delivers healthy fare to customers’ doors.
After burning to the ground in a fire in early 2016, longtime Conway institution Stoby’s Restaurant is open today. It took construction teams more than a year to clear out the old structure and rebuild. While the new, bigger restaurant will definitely look different to its fans, not much of the menu is changed. However, Stoby’s will be dine-in only for a couple of weeks while the team gets used to the bigger crowds. After that, Stoby’s promises the drive-thru will be up and running. Stoby’s is just one Central Arkansas restaurant that had to rebuild after a 2016 fire. Midtown Billiards reopened last month, and Three Sams BBQ Joint should be opening again in a few weeks.
If you missed the last round of tickets for kBird’s Khantoke dinner, you will want to be ready to send an email tomorrow afternoon. At 2 p.m., tickets will go on sale for six dinners on weekends during the fall. The dates are Aug. 26, Sept. 9, Sept. 23, Oct. 21, Nov. 4 and Nov. 18. To get your tickets, send an email tomorrow at 2 p.m. to kbirdlittlerock@gmail.com. Include how many tickets you want to purchase and which of the three dates you would like to attend. We went last year to this stunning, multicourse Thai dinner and were absolutely blown away. Richard Glasgow serves up close to a dozen Northern Thailand dishes family style, each with a story about the food and the region. Tickets to the dinner are $49 and will sell out almost instantly; last year they were gone in less than 10 minutes.
Want to know where to take your out-of-town foodie guests? We’ve got the answer. Here are the 12 top spots your friends won’t want to miss.
A hidden gem in the River Market, Skye’s Bistro consistently puts out excellent dishes. We stopped by this week for a peak at the restaurant’s new menu.
Events
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Specials
Yellow Rocket Concepts has unveiled its specials for the month of August:
- Big Orange: Pineapple BBQ Chicken Sandwich and Key Lime Pie Milkshake
- Local Lime: Fried Avocado Tacos with pineapple, lime slaw, and pickled carrots and onions
- Zaza: Ahi Tuna Niçoise Salad with Arkansas cherry tomatoes, green beans and roasted potatoes
Ristorante Capeo’s weekly special is a fresh fish entree. The risotto of the week is made with vegetables.
