Selected restaurants
Weekly theme 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.
Eclectic
BRAVE NEW RESTAURANT
2300 Cottondale Lane, Little Rock, (501) 663-2677
Chef-owner Peter Brave consistently fulfills his advertised promise of the freshest and highest-quality ingredients with an eclectic New American tenor.
Lunch Mon-Fri, dinner Mon-Sat. Full bar. Corkage fee. Reservations. Expensive. UPDATE! CAPERS
14502 Cantrell Road, Little Rock, (501) 868-7600
An unfortunate attic flood in January turned out to be a good excuse to give this award-winning west Little Rock eatery a physical and menu face-lift, but it still serves eclectic food with Southern flair, with a touch of the wine country thrown in for good measure.
Lunch, dinner Mon-Sat, brunch Sat. Full bar. Reservations. Moderate-expensive.
UPDATE! CIAO BACI
605 N. Beechwood St., Little Rock, (501) 603-0238
Chef Jeffrey Owen has re-tooled his seasonal menu at this stylish, though dimly lighted, Hillcrest cottage to lighten up the fare and the price structure, resulting in good “seasonally inspired, globally influenced” food with an award-winning wine list.
Dinner Mon-Sat. Full bar. Reservations (eight or more). 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 continues to strike culinary gold with an eclectic, slightly eccentric menu in a copper-dominated decor.
Lunch, dinner Mon-Sat. Full bar. Reservations. Moderate-expensive. LOCA LUNA
3519 Old Cantrell Road, Little Rock, (501) 663-4666
Owner Mark Abernathy has given the building and the menu a 20th anniversary face-lift, perking up what uber-foodie Rachael Ray once hailed as “one of America’s best neighborhood restaurants.” Along with a handful of new appetizers, small plates and pasta dishes on the diverse bill of fare remain all the classics: Abernathy’s fabulous Blue Mesa cheese dip, the Loca Luna Seafood Platter and the brick-ovenbaked pizzas.
Lunch Mon-Fri, dinner MonSun, brunch and dinner Sun. Full bar. Reservations (seven or more
people). Moderate. RED DOOR
3701 Old Cantrell Road, Little Rock, (501) 666-8482
Abernathy’s next-door-to-LocaLuna restaurant, which has also had a bit of remodeling, retains some of the Italian entrees from its former incarnation plus an eclectic range of first-rate fish dishes that includes — surprise! — fantastic steaks.
Brunch Tue-Sun, lunch Mon-Sat, dinner daily. Full bar. Reservations (seven or more people). Moderate. UPDATE! SO RESTAURANT/BAR
3610 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock, (501) 663-1464
Marking, with little fanfare, its 10th anniversary and the advent of a new executive chef, this intimate Hillcrest high-end restaurant-cum-neighborhood bar features top-notch entrees with a slight emphasis on seafood (including a raw bar that could still induce some sticker shock), plus a nicely revised Sunday brunch and an extraordinary, lengthy and prize-winning wine list.
Lunch Mon-Sat, brunch Sun, dinner daily. Full bar. Corkage fee. Reservations (six or more). Expensive. TABLE 28
Burgundy Hotel, 1501 Merrill Drive, Little Rock, (501) 224-8051
Chef Scott Rains, who made his culinary bones in the Bay Area and once operated a first-rate Italian place (Horseshoe Vineyard) west of Hot Springs, has remodeled his rathskeller restaurant, with lightening, brightening and modernizing, while maintaining his top-level of cuisine and keeping the $200-a-meal chef’s table that gives the place its name.
Dinner Mon-Sat. Full bar. Expensive.
TRIO’S
Pavilion in the Park, 8201 Cantrell Road, Suite 100, Little Rock, (501) 221-3330
A new physical face-lift has breathed new life into Trio’s, as the New American restaurant walks the tightrope of predictability and spontaneity with agility.
Lunch, dinner Mon-Sat, brunch Sun. Full bar. Reservations. Moderate.