Weekly listings reflect a range of dining possibilities in central Arkansas, across a spectrum of settings and price ranges. Restaurant reviewers' visits are anonymous and all expenses are paid by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Bargain means a meal (without beverage or dessert) is typically less than $12. Moderate is $12 to $25. Expensive is $25 and up. To read recent restaurant reviews in their entirety, visit arkansasonline.com/restaurants.
Italian
BRUNO'S LITTLE ITALY
310 Main St., Little Rock, (501) 372-7866
The downtown return of the venerable Italian restaurant, now in its fourth location and still specializing in handmade Southern Italian pasta dishes with hearty red sauces, maintains more than six decades of transitions and recipes more than a century old, with a decor that blends modern with nostalgia (including the return of the pizza window), plus improved food quality and plate presentation.
Dinner Tue-Fri. Full bar. Moderate.
UPDATE! CAFE PREGO
5510 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock, (501) 663-5355
The folks who last year took over ownership of this popular funky Italian-focused spot in the Heights have increased the size of the menu and the wine list, and food and service are still tops.
Lunch Mon-Fri, dinner Mon-Sun. Full bar. Reservations. Moderate.
CIAO
405 W. Seventh St., Little Rock, (501) 372-0238
This downtown triple storefront continues, as it has for years, to serve hearty Italian specialties with a European flair and a charming, seedy elegance, well suited for a business lunch or a pre-show dinner.
Lunch Mon-Fri, dinner Thu-Sat. Full bar. Corkage fee. Reservations. Moderate.
UPDATE! RISTORANTE CAPEO
425 Main St., North Little Rock, (501) 376-3463
The addition of a wood-burning pizza oven, now putting out Neapolitan-style pies and calzones, and a new lunch menu have given a couple of new dimensions to this coy, cozy, high-end predominantly Northern Italian restaurant serving sumptuous pasta dishes, hearty grilled meats and rich desserts -- with an impressive wine list in a renovated, century-plus-old building in the heart of the trendy Argenta District.
Lunch Tue-Fri, dinner Mon-Sat. Full bar. Corkage fee. Reservations. Expensive.
VESUVIO BISTRO
1315 Breckenridge Drive, Little Rock. (501) 246-5422
A recent move from a dimly lit hotel rathskeller has been a success: The new place seats twice as many diners, its popular menu of mostly Northern Italian specialties has remained more or less intact and it has expanded its wine list.
Dinner daily. Full bar. Reservations. Moderate-expensive.
ZAFFINO'S BY NORI
2001 E. Kiehl Ave., Sherwood, (501) 834-7530
There is a decidedly casual feel about this ambitious Sherwood family eatery, where proprietor Nori Fryar is staking out a kind of median between budget menu and three-star cuisine, specializing in unpretentious and substantial Italian dishes, including pasta with rich sauces and a top-notch veal preparation.
Dinner Tue-Sat. Beer, wine. Corkage fee. Reservations. Moderate.
Weekend on 08/06/2015