Finally back on the Triple D road - Doing Little Rock

When I got to my 750th Triple D place in February 2020 I had no idea what was coming up in the world.  I was hoping to continue my travels for work and being able to check more Triple D places along the way.  Then Friday the 13th of March happened.  My travel job and for all intents and purposes the world came to a complete standstill.  COVID hit!  I was one of the lucky ones (at least that's the way I see it) I still had to go to work back at Dulles, many of my friends were stuck inside their homes (as I write this, many still are!)

As August came and some of the country was starting to slowly come back to a new normal I decided it was time to hit the road and start trying new Triple D places.  The flights have been very light due to a reluctance of many to travel so I was able to go for a quick 3 day trip to Little Rock, Arkansas where Guy had visited 6 places.  I left Dulles on an early morning flight and after a short connection in Chicago I arrived in the capital of Arkansas about 11a.  After getting a car I headed a few miles into the city to start my journey.  

"The Root Café" is a small place that features farm to table organic fare, with an emphasis on sandwiches and salads.  I thought that it was open for table service but they only were set up for takeout.  This is the new world we're in and although it's not the way I'd like it, it is the reality of 2020!  I had to call (from their parking lot) to make an order and I chose one of their specialties, Bratwurst "State Fair" style.  They were so busy that it was an almost 30 minute wait for the food.  I thought to myself, "this better be good!"

While I waited I told one of the very friendly "Car Hops" why I was there and she went and had the owner come out to deliver my meal.  He was a very nice and gracious guy and signed my book, then thanked me for coming in.  I drove off to clear a spot for others coming in to get their food.  I got to my hotel and sat in my car to enjoy the meal.  It was worth every second of the wait!  The Brat had a nice soft roll and was topped with peppers, onion, a slightly spicy mustard and garlic aioli mayonnaise.  On the side was a micro green slad with a creamy Italian dressing.  The entire meal was delicious, I think  could have eaten 3 of the brats!  The Root is a great place and I hope they can get back to full sit down service soon, definitely worth a visit when in Little Rock!

After a short break I decided to try a place in downtown Little Rock.  "Bruno's Little Italy" is a family run authentic Italian place, but is open only for take out.  I checked out their menu on their Facebook page and decided to try the dish they made for Guy, Bruno's Lasagna and also get the Toasted Ravioli as an appetizer.  It took about 10 minutes to get there and they had a small area to pull in and wait, they call it "No Touch" service.  Bruno's has a small outdoor seating are covered by an awning, which are temporarily closed.

I wasn't able to get my book signed because there a number of cars waiting in line to get their food and it was blocking the street!  I did tell my server why I was visiting but it was just too busy, man I hope this thing ends soon!  I returned to the hotel to have dinner "in".  The meal came in two take out boxes and included a loaf of bread.  The cheese-filled raviolis were filled with ricotta cheese and breaded with panko and deep fried with a Bruno's Meat Sauce on the side for dipping.  They were crispy and tasty  I grew up with ravioli and always like to try it however it's made.  The Lasagna was really good and a bit surprising to me as it was mostly meat.  It features chopped beef, pork and sausage as the base with just a small portion of cheese, very unusual for a guy who grew up with ricotta as the base of lasagna!  It was good but the sausage had a real spicy bite to it.  The real surprise to the meal was the bread, some of the best I've ever had, still warm from the oven (even after the drive back to the hotel).  A very good Italian meal and a wonderful way to close out my first day in Little Rock!

 

My second day in Little Rock began in a storm, a Thunder Storm!  While watching the local weather, I noticed Oklahoma City was on the map and that made me think maybe I could make a trip to OKC to get to the last 3 places there.  t would be a 5 hour drive each way and although long it was doable, but only on my last day here.  I looked at the 3 places and one place is a food truck and hadn't posted where they would be and the other is closed on the weekend and I would be making the trip on a Saturday, so sometimes I am a bit aggressive on my trips and all the signs were pointing to, don't go!  Oh well, it was a thought.

I made a reservation on Yelp for my next place, but it was open for dine in. "North Bar" is a small restaurant pub in North Little Rock.  I went in and was seated at a small table.  I had just seen their episode and checked the menu on line so I knew what I wanted.  I chose two appetizers and the local brewed root beer.  

While I waited for the food I was approached by the owner.  One of the things I do as soon as I get to a place is check-in on Facebook.  She had seen my check in and came over to talk and I told her abut my travels, before I left she signed my book.  I ordered a half serving of their Brussels Sprouts and an order of their Egg Rolls.  I was the first customer when they opened and by the time I left the place was full and was also doing a big carry out business.  Every meal I saw looked really good.  The Egg Rolls were filled with chicken and veggies and wrapped in a whole grain won ton wrapper and sweet an spicy jam sauce.  The Sprouts wee pan fried with parmesan cheese and honey sauce.  I also ordered that they called "Diamond Bear" a local root bear called Big Rock Root Beer.  The Egg Rolls were good, very crispy but I found the sauce a bit spicy, which means it's really not that spicy as I don't like spice.  The sprouts were awesome!  Better than I expected!  The sweetness of the honey sauce worked really well with the tartness of the sprouts, I'd eat those everyday!  The root beer was not too sweet but very tasty.  They even gave me a drink for the road!  

I then headed out to another place in North Little Rock.  "Flyway Brewery" is basically a micro brewery that also served pub grub.  Their dining room was closed but they cleared out their parking lot and set up 17 tents with tables and chairs seating about 10 in each tent.  They also created a drive thru for those ordering take out.  I went to the hostess who took my order,  I chose a Berry Wheat beer and a soft pretzel. 

The beer and pretzel came almost immediately after I took a seat.  The beer had a blueberry aroma and taste and although I'm not a huge beer drinker, it was very good!  The pretzel was soft and very tasty and had a honey mustard dip that had the slight taste of a mustard based barbecue sauce.  Flyway has about 10 different beers on tap all made in site and will be restarting their Growler service when the Pandemic subsides.

Normally I keep this blog to Triple D places only  but was able to try a non show restaurant that I found while looking at Google Maps Triple D restaurant.  I saw a place in North Little Rock that looked interesting so I decided to try it.  "Lindsey's Hospitality House" is a place that would fit in very well on the Triple D.  It is a family owned place that opened in 1956 and features barbecue and soul food.  As I entered I was warmly greeted by the staff.  You order at the counter then take a seat in the dining room.  I decided to try the Fried Chicken Dinner with baked beans and potato salad. Since they cook to order I was told it would take about 20 minutes, which was fine.  To a guy who's fried chicken knowledge is KFC, real home made fried chicken is a treat.

My meal came out and it was delicious!  The chicken was crispy and moist.  The beans were in a sweet barbecue sauce, the potato salad was just like mom made growing and very comforting.  They even had The Food Network on so I could watch Triple D as I ate!.  Lindsey's would be a good Triple D place: really good and comforting food, and a friendly family run place!  It's funky so I hope if Guy returns to Little Rock, he'll find it.  I was able to talk to the manager and she was very nice!  I left full, but a good full!

My last day in Little Rock started with my Taco Tuesday, only it was on a Saturday.  I drove to the northwest side of the city to a place that was in a former gas station.  Gas stations seem to be popular places for small eateries, there's Fuel in Charleston, SC and Steuben's in Denver to name just two.  I arrived at "The Fold Botanas Bar" when they opened and was seated at the bar.  The place is bright and warming.  I looked over the menu which specializes in Mexican fare.  I decided to get the Taco Plate which featured a choice of 3 street tacos.  They feature 11 different tacos and I chose an Al Pastor, Chopped Bison and Shredded Steak tacos which was accompanied with spicy red rice on the side. 

The meal came out and it was great.  I'm not the biggest fan of Mexican food but thee street tacos served on corn tortillas were really good.  They all had a small spice bite but were fresh with crispy vegetables inside.  The rice was mixed with chili powder and had a nice spice bite.  When I finished my server took  my Triple D book back into the open kitchen where the chef signed it. A very good meal.  I was the first to arrive but as I left the place was packed both inside and on the outdoor patio.

My last meal in Little Rock would in the Historic Hillcrest District of the city.  It's an area of old homes, shops and restaurants.  Little Rock, in my opinion, is a very small city, I was really surprised flying in seeing very few high rise buildings.  It is the capital of Arkansas and small capital building is topped with a golden dome.  "La Terroza Rum and Lounge" is an interesting restaurant specializing is South American and Venezuelan cuisine and celebrating all things rum.  They have closed their indoor dinning room but have a terraced deck with seating for about 40. I was given a table on the lower terrace under a tree that provided some shade although the temperature was in the upper 90s! My server was awesome!  He explained the menu and what Guy had made on his visit.  He also got the Head Chef to come and sign my book.  The chef arrived at the table with a huge smile and pictures of Guy's visit.  

I decided to get an appetizer and a main meal, a big meal to celebrate a great visit!  I chose the small charcuterie tray and the Tilapia dinner.  The charcuterie tray had two types of cheese, a semi hard variety and the hard Manchengo cheese.  There were two types of cured meats along with toast points and a small bowl of what I thought was a sweet plum sauce but turned out to be a beet juice oil that was extremely spicy, I was glad I had the bread to kill the heat!  The meats and cheeses were very tasty, it was a good choice.  As I was finishing the charcuterie my tilapia meal came.  A huge filet toped with a lemon cream sauce (very lemony) topped with capers.  A huge side of vegetables accompanied the meal.  It was tender and delicious, one of the best tilapia meals I've ever had.  It was a great way to end my Little Rock adventure.

As I headed out and made my way home I had been fortunate to have some great meals but was even more impressed with the folks I met!  Everyone was super friendly and made me feel welcome from the time I landed in Little Rock until I departed.  I headed home with my Triple D count at 756!