Selected restaurants

By The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

LITTLE ROCK — Weekly theme listings reflect a range of dining possibilities in central Arkansas, across a spectrum of settings and price ranges. To read recent restaurant reviews in their entirety, visit

www2.arkansasonline. com/restaurants/. Asian

LILLY’S DIM SUM THEN SOME

11121 N. Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock, (501) 716-2700

Owners Kathy Webb and Nancy Tesmer widen local dining horizons with commendable Pan-Asian food ranging from Pad Thai to Korean Bibim Bop with grilled steak to Japanese noodles sukiyaki-style.

Lunch, dinner daily. Beer, wine. Reservations (six or more people). Bargain.

SAI GON CUISINE

6805 Cantrell Road, Little Rock, (501) 663-4000

The Vietnamese dishes outshine the menu’s Thai and Chinese fare at this Cantrell Road restaurant, where top choices include noodle-filled soups to which meats can be added, like Pho and Bun Bo Hue.

Lunch, dinner Tue-Sun. Beer, wine. Reservations. Bargain.

THAI TASTE

1516 W. Main St., Jacksonville, (501) 985-1854

Central Arkansas’ last surviving Thai restaurant offers delicious dishes deftly seasoned to the customer’s taste in a homey storefront. Stick to the menu rather than the buffet.

Lunch Mon-Fri, dinner Mon-Sat. No alcohol. Reservations. Bargain-moderate.

VANLANG

3600 S. University Ave., Little Rock, (501) 570-7700

The Vietnamese eatery draws a good many Asian customers, perhaps a testament to the authentic nature of its seafood dishes and other items, which come in formidable portions at low prices.

Lunch, dinner Wed-Mon. Beer, wine. Reservations. Bargain. Brazilian

CAFE BOSSA NOVA

2701 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock, (501) 614-6682

Diners who stereotype Brazilian cuisine by envisioning hefty chunks of grilled meat will have their eyes opened by owner-chef Rosalia Monroe’s varied menu, which is strong on chicken, seafood and vegetarian dishes.

Lunch, dinner Tue-Sat; brunch Sun. Full bar. Corkage fee. Reservations (five or more people). Moderate.

GAUCHO’S GRILL

11 Shackleford Drive, Little Rock, (501) 954-8787

The specialty of Jerry Barakat’s South American barbecue restaurant is the churrasco, various grilled meats that are brought table-side for an all-youcan-eat sampling for $24.95.

Lunch, dinner daily. Full bar. Call-ahead seating, reservations for 10 or more. Moderateexpensive.

Weekend, Pages 40 on 10/29/2009