Despite a menu that changes daily and some recent expansion of the business to include dinner hours, there’s a certain sense of stability to E’s Bistro in North Little Rock, an eatery that lands somewhere between tea room and fine dining.
To hazard a guess, that sense of personality and purpose derives from the establishment’s chef and presumably the E behind the bistro, one Elizabeth McMullen. According to the biography on the restaurant’s website, Chef McMullen has served the likes of Bill Clinton, Neil Diamond and Bob Vila of This Old House in a past catering business.
As to the present venture, Clinton would probably be comfortable here (where wouldn’t he be?), and Mr. Vila could relate. Neil Diamond, though ... well, it’s hard to say. Located on the backside of Park Hill on the busy JFK thoroughfare, the establishment doesn’t face the road from its space in the Lakehill Shopping Center. However, it’s as close to the street as you can get, so finding it is no problem. Nor should parking be an issue with all the space the shopping center has.
Indoors, E’s is small enough to feel intimate, even cozy, but not so tiny as to feel cramped. There are only about a dozen tables to be had. I confess I didn’t do an exact count, and it would have been thrown off by a big party that had pushed a few tables together anyway. And that’s something that’ll be needed for parties larger than four.
The look itself is quite refined. The walls feature what I’d guess are oil artworks of landscapes and rustic country life, and all appeared to be for sale as well. Higher up on the wall, built-in shelving showcases glassware and other assorted knickknacks to add a pop of color to things, mostly red, which stands in contrast to bright-white walls, made even brighter by ample natural light. Overall, the general feel is very much more art gallery than grandma’s kitchen. Again, refined is probably the right word.
And the same should probably be said for the menu, which deserves a little elaboration. On the one hand, a selection of five salads and two sandwiches appear to be the only recurring dishes, with all the other entrees separated out into daily specials. However, our server informed us on a recent Tuesday visit that one of the two specials wasn’t up that day, yet one special each from Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were available. So, it’s probably not a bad idea to just ask what the offerings for the day are, because the potentials are all very enticing.
What are those, exactly? Well, a typical day appears to offer at least one vegetarian entree and one with meat. Tuesdays, for example, feature butternut squash lasagna (this was unavailable on our visit) or chicken and dressing. Wednesdays: meatloaf, tomato pie or a flatbread sandwich of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, mustard, mayo and sriracha. Chicken enchiladas, quiche and a ham sandwich all make appearances, with Friday being a seafood-centric meal day. The specials are crab cakes and grilled salmon salad with a vegetarian-friendly sweet potato and black bean enchilada casserole rounding things out.
To try to stamp a label on the cuisine would be a challenge. There are obviously Southwest influences, but some of it is just old-fashioned soul food with a gourmet twist. Most dishes include a side salad, and a few also have a veggie of the day.
It’s not extensive or overly elaborate, but has a subtle sense of rightness that will make a ladies group from church or a couple looking for a quiet night out feel right at home.
THE DISH: OUR REVIEW
Chicken and dressing ($8.95)
With its side of veggies and a cranberry-orange relish, this dish felt a little like Thanksgiving in May, sans turkey. And the taste wasn’t too far off. Rather than a chicken breast smothered in dressing, it was served as dressing with shredded chicken in it. The combination worked well, even better than some holiday dinners I recall, with a chicken that was nice and tender. The side veggies, a mix of peas, green beans, asparagus and peppers — weren’t quite as flavorful as the dressing — but provided a nice balance. The side salad was a standout for its tangy-but-sweet champagne vinaigrette. The only setback for me was that the portion, while perhaps sensible, wasn’t entirely filling. Something this good deserves to come in bigger bulk. (sw)
Sweet potato and black bean enchilada casserole ($9.95)
This dish was listed as a daily special on Fridays, but I was delighted to find it available on a Tuesday. As promised, the smallish serving of casserole had chunked sweet potatoes and black beans layered between sheets of corn tortilla and cheese. The beans and sweet potato did the heavy lifting when it came to the flavor of the dish, and though the casserole was light on the typical Mexican spices, it did taste quite fresh. When it came to that spice, the decorative dots of red sauce on the sides of the plate did liven up the dish nicely in the expected enchilada-sauce ways. And I wouldn’t doubt it if the red sauce had been made in-house. The side salad of mixed greens with tomatoes and the champagne vinaigrette was a nice complement to the meal. (mt)
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RESTAURANT INFO:
Location: 3812 John F. Kennedy Blvd., North Little Rock
Phone: (501) 771-6900
Web: esbistronlr.com
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m.-2 p.m. lunch; 5 p.m.-8 p.m. dinner, Sunday 11 a.m.-2 p.m. brunch
Prices: $3.95-$14.95
Alcohol: N/A
In a nutshell: At E’s Bistro, diners can expect fresh-tasting, gourmet dishes in a cozy atmosphere. It’s a ladies-who-lunch spot with a menu that caters to vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. The menu has sandwiches, salads and daily specials that include grilled salmon, a few casseroles and a quiche or two. It’s open for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch.