News
The space once occupied by Brown Sugar Bakeshop has a new tenant. Next-door brewers Blue Canoe are taking over the space for a new taco bar. Taco Beer Burrito will serve up a streamlined menu of Mexican favorites, featuring meat slow-cooked in Blue Canoe’s beer. Taco Beer Burrito will have a separate entrance and 16 taps, allowing Blue Canoe to feature its own special brews as well as beers from around the state and beyond. The grand opening for Taco Beer Burrito is set for sometime in April.
Two giants in Central Arkansas’ food scene are coming together for one afternoon only. This Saturday, Lost Forty Brewing will head down to Hot Springs for a special beer dinner with the stellar Deluca’s Pizzeria Napoletana. Lost Forty’s John Beachboard will be taking over the oven to make pizzas, while Deluca’s owner Anthony Valinoti will serve up (and presumably enjoy) the beer. The can’t-miss event starts at 11:30 a.m. and goes until 4 p.m. It’s a great excuse to get down to Hot Springs for the day.
A quick phone call to La Hacienda on Cantrell Road turned up that the restaurant is still planning to close soon for renovations. A manager at the restaurant tells me that he is awaiting word from the architect before he can proceed. For the moment, La Hacienda remains open, keeping its regular hours. We’ll let you know as soon as that changes.
Congratulations to Prestonrose Farm and Brewing Co. in Paris, Ark. The nanobrewery has been brewing up its first batches for over a month now and has announced its opening day will be this Friday. At the moment, Prestonrose beer can only be purchased in growlers; the operation is too small to sustain a taproom at the moment. Prestonrose’s four beers can be purchased at the farm or at Paris Farmers Market.
It seems like every week Chef Shuttle is adding new delivery options for its customers, but this one is big: starting March 31st, Chef Shuttle will be delivering Girl Scout cookies directly to your doorstep. This extremely tempting service will be offered through July 1. By the way, you can get Chef Shuttle tonight and avoid paying the delivery fee by using the promo code “LetsEat.”
I hope I don’t need to remind you that Valentine’s Day is Sunday. If you haven’t already made your dining plans, you might be too late, but please check our Valentine’s Day dining guide and call to see if you can get a seat at your favorite restaurant.
One of those restaurants you might want to check out on Valentine’s Day is Table 28. We previewed the amazing dining room renovation at the outstanding restaurant this week.
Don’t miss the delicious looking new cocktail menu that pays tribute to Prohibition-era cocktails from The Pizzeria at Terry’s Finer Foods.
The Southern Gourmasian’s Justin Patterson is one of the city’s most unique and talented chefs. Check out our Food Insider with Patterson here.
Events
February 10 Wine + Chocolate Pairing at Colonial Wine and Spirits – From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Colonial Wine and Spirits will be pairing wines with Cocoa Rouge chocolate from Bryant’s Arkansas Fresh Café. It’s a great chance to do some one-stop shopping for a Valentine’s Day treat.
February 10 Izard Chocolate Tasting at Mylo Coffee Co. – If you haven’t had your fill of chocolate by this point, stop by Mylo for a sampling of some of Nathaniel Izard’s dark chocolates. Izard will also be selling his chocolate caramels at this event. It goes from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m.
February 13 Calling All Coffee Lovers at Eggshells Kitchen Co. – Wake yourself up at Eggshells Saturday morning with a free cup of coffee. Every 15 minutes, Eggshells with demonstrate three popular coffee-brewing methods while keeping the java flowing for customers.
February 18th Roxy’s Twisted Sandwiches Soft Opening – New Central Arkansas food truck Roxy’s Twisted Sandwiches will make their opening official by setting up shop at Flyway Brewing in North Little Rock.
February 23rd Stone’s Throw February Beer Dinner with Southern Gourmasian – The monthly beer dinner is back, the five course dinner with beer pairings is always a hot ticket. Call 501-313-5645 to reserve; $50 for one, $90 for two.
March 5 Putt Putt Pub Crawl benefiting United Cerebral Palsy of Arkansas – The Putt Putt Pub Crawl will take place in the in the River Market on March 5th from noon until 4. Nine River Market bars will have putt putt holes in their establishments along with Dos Equis drink specials. Entry is $25 a player and includes an event t-shirt, koozy and sunglasses. Sign up here.
March 10th Tiki Night at Trio’s – Trio’s Restaurant will host Tiki night featuring craft Tiki cocktails,pupus and other island themed treats, special musical guests and prizes for most fun costumes. Cost will be $30 and will require reservations (available soon) in the Trio’s Pavilion from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m.
Specials
Take a look at the February specials from Trio’s Restaurant here. Trio’s has a number of featured items that look fantastic, including a San Francisco cioppino and a tri-tip chimichurri.
Yellow Rocket restaurant are offering a special dish in February at the following locations:
- Big Orange – Frito Chili Pie Burger and Lucie’s Shake
- Local Lime – King Crab and Shrimp Enchiladas with Poblano Pepper Sauce
- ZAZA – Fiji Apple and Endive Salad