Rumbles: Lilly's Dim Sum, B-Side to Close; KWAC Expands Dining Room; Izard's Rock Town Caramels Return

News
This is your last week to eat at popular West Little Rock restaurants Lilly’s Dim Sum Then Some and B-Side. Owner Nancy Tesmer is closing the two eateries after 14 years in business and will move to Chicago to help a family member with health needs. Tesmer and now-Little Rock city director Kathy Webb opened the restaurants in 2002 and have garnered thousands of fans over the years. This week, Lilly’s will be open from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. through Sunday, while B-Side is open Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. Both will close permanently after Sunday.
If you’ve ever visited Kent Walker Artisan Cheese downtown, you know the space could use a little more elbow room. Walker and his team have heard the feedback and are expanding the dining area and taproom into the cheesemaking room. The 500-gallon cheese vat has moved to the back, and crews are building a new wall that will push the office space and cheesemaking room further back. Kent Walker Artisan Cheese will remain open during the expansion, including for lunch, where they serve some rather tasty grilled cheese sandwiches.
November is here, and that means the return of one of the best food-and-drink collaborations in Little Rock. Izard Chocolate has once again teamed up with Rock Town Distillery to produce small batch bourbon caramels for the holiday season. This year’s caramels are made with Rock Town’s 3-year-old straight bourbon. These caramels make great gifts, but they’re just as good to keep on hand for a quick treat. You can find these bourbon caramels at Rock Town Distillery in East Village and Izard Chocolate in Hillcrest.
I don’t need to remind you that the election is a mere six days away, but I do want to give you some incentive to vote early. Just get to the polls, make sure you get your “I Voted Early” sticker and show it to your server at Local Lime or Big Orange (West location only) to get $5 off your ticket. Early voting will end on Monday at 5 p.m.
Arkansas Brews Cruise is officially up and running. The new Little Rock tour company takes guests from brewery to brewery, showing how beer is made and offering plenty of samples along the way. If you and a friend are interested, Arkansas Brews Cruise is offering a limited time special. If you sign up two people, both guests get $10 off the ticket price. Just use the promo code 2FOR10 when you check out online.
In a blow to Little Rock’s dining scene, acclaimed pastry chef Zara Wilkerson has announced she will no longer make desserts for private clients or restaurants. We wrote about her impact yesterday and found out her most popular dessert might still be staying around.
Loblolly Creamery is moving just down the street in the SoMa district and setting up its own shop. We found out what this means for Loblolly’s hours and how soon the new ice cream shop could be open.
By the way, you should be making dinner plans tomorrow night for the Next Course event at the Clinton Library. Here’s a look at the menu and how to get tickets.
Events
[ecs-list-events  limit=’8′ excerpt=’300′ ecs-list-events venue=’true’ contentorder=’date,title,venue, excerpt’]