LITTLE ROCK — Weekly theme listings reflect a range of dining pos
sibilities in central Arkansas, across a spectrum of settings and price ranges.
To read recent restaurant
reviews in their entirety, visit
arkansasonline.com/ restaurants ACADIA
3000 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock, (501) 603-9630 Three-course, prix-fixe dinners on Mondays and Tuesdays are one of the area’s top restaurant values at owner-chef James Hale’s homelike Hillcrest spot, with a creatively eclectic, seasonally changed menu and superlative wine list.
Dinner Mon-Sat. Full bar.
Corkage fee. Moderate.
BRAVE NEW RESTAURANT
2300 Cottondale Lane, Little Rock, (501) 663-2677 Chef-owner Peter Brave fulfills his advertised promise of the freshest and highest-quality ingredients with an eclectic New American tenor; the spacious deck overlooking the Arkansas River is one of Little Rock’s loveliest dining venues. Lunch Mon-Fri, dinner Mon-Sat. Full bar. Corkage fee.
Reservations. Expensive.
CAPERS
14502 Cantrell Road, Little Rock, (501) 868-7600 With wine country flair and Southern fare (Gulf seafood, fried catfish, fried green tomatoes with homemade tomato jam, etc.), Capers caters to classy couples and ladies who lunch.
Lunch, dinner Mon-Sat, brunch Sat. Full bar.
Reservations. Moderateexpensive.
CIAO BACI
605 N. Beechwood St., Little Rock, (501) 603-0238 A new chef has raised the cuisine level at least one notch at this stylish Hillcrest cottage with an award-winning wine list.
Dinner Mon-Sat. Full bar.
Reservations (eight or more people). Moderate-expensive.
COPPER GRILL
300 Third Tower, 300 E. Third St., Little Rock, (501) 375-3333 Capers and Cajun’s Wharf magnate Mary Beth Ringgold has struck culinary gold with an eclectic, slightly eccentric menu in a copper-dominated decor.
Lunch, dinner Mon-Sat. Full bar. Reservations. Moderateexpensive.
ROCKET TWENTY ONE
2601 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock, (501) 603-9208 The remodeling of the bar and dining room are complete (the “Blue Dog” theme is noteworthy, notable and dominant), and the name has changed, from Ferneau to Twenty One, but Chef Donnie Ferneau still holds forth in his kitchen, adding specials of his own creation to a new menu that now focuses on steaks and other 1920s American (rather than New American) cuisine.
Lunch Mon-Fri, dinner Tue-Sat. Full bar. Corkage fee.
Reservations. Moderateexpensive.
UPDATE!
1620 SAVOY
1620 Market St., Little Rock, (501) 221-1620 A complete remodel, from the outside in, featuring a lot of nods to 1920s Art Deco, plus a menu that retains some of the favorite items (including Smoked Duck Caesar, Dover Sole and Grand Marnier Souffle) from the former 1620 but also incorporates new dishes by holdover chef Tim Morton and new chefs Payne Harding and John Masching are the defining elements of this chic old-new eatery.
Dinner Mon-Sat, brunch Sun. Full bar. Reservations.
Moderate-expensive.
SO RESTAURANT BAR
3610 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock, (501) 663-1464 There’s still an emphasis on seafood (including raw bar) at the intimate Hillcrest establishment that remains on the area’s top restaurant rung. Lunch Mon-Sat, dinner daily. Full bar. Corkage fee.
Reservations (six or more).
Moderate-expensive.
TRIO’S
Pavilion in the Park, 8201 Cantrell Road, Suite 100, Little Rock, (501) 221-3330 Trio’s walks the tightrope of predictability and surprising with as much agility as any central Arkansas restaurant;
the Sunday brunch absorbs some of the flavor of Capi Peck’s now-defunct Capi’s.
Lunch, dinner Mon-Sat. Full bar. Reservations. Moderate.
Weekend, Pages 47 on 11/08/2012