Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Hill Records Showcases Talent May 3 At George’s Majestic Lounge
The Fat Chef wins BIG in Best of Northwest Arkansas Contest
The Hill Records showcase returns to George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville at 5 p.m. May 3. The University of Arkansas-led record label will host the event featuring Pat Ryan Key, Foxpaw, H3ADCANNON, Luke Howard with Midnight South, Adam Posnak, YRLY and Richard Neff.
“Hill Records is a music business project at the University of Arkansas modeled upon the idea of student-run record labels at other institutions,” explains Jake Hertzog, who is the faculty advisor for Hill Records. “Hill Records has a core staff of student officers and a board of faculty advisors from different departments at the university with broad expertise. We primarily work on releasing and promoting music, hosting live events, and offering a menu of promotional services for musicians. Additionally, Hill Records serves as a springboard for our department to collaborate with other departments and organizations on music industry research.”
Doors for the showcase open at 4:30 p.m., and music starts at 5 p.m. Admission is free with student ID and $10 for everyone else.
Cinco De Mayo
The Railyard Live season begins with a Cinco De Mayo Fiesta at 5 p.m. May 5. The evening will include authentic Mexican music, dance and food presented in collaboration with Al “Papa Rap” Lopez. There will be performances by Chinelos Morelenses Unidos en Arkansas, Ballet Folklorico Herencia de Mexico, Mariachi Amistad and MC Papa Rap. Food from Food Truck de El Chefe, Smok’d TX BBQ and Lo-Intervention by Onyx will be available. For more information, check out railyardlive.com or the Facebook event page. All Railyard Live shows are free, but tables are available for reservation at some events for $20. Check their website for availability.
Lorrie Morgan
Country music star Lorrie Morgan has two shows planned at the Cherokee Casino in West Siloam Springs. Her first show will be at 8 p.m May 5 at SEVEN Bar, and the second will be in the Lee Creek Tavern at 8 p.m. May 6. Both shows are free. Guests must be 21 or older.
Morgan is a prolific performer. She got her start as a teenager on the Grand Ole Opry singing “Paper Roses.” Her first three albums, “Leave the Light On,” “Something in Red” and “Watch Me,” all earned platinum awards. Her “Greatest Hits” collection is also platinum. Learn more about Morgan at lorrie.com.
BENTONVILLE
• Soul Nite with Ms. Val Harding & Wall Street Band happens at 9 p.m. May 6 ($10-20) musicmovesar. com/events; Johnny Rawls and the Fred Olsen Blues Band play at 7 p.m. May 15 ($25-35); and Funk Factory performs at 7 p.m. May 27 ($15) at Meteor Guitar Gallery, 128 W. Central Ave.
• Doors open at 6 p.m. for Old Crow Medicine Show with Brittany Spencer May 12 on the Momentary Green at The Momentary, 507 S.E. E St. themomentary.org/calendar/brittney-spencer-and-old-crowmedicine
EUREKA SPRINGS
• Little River Band plays at 7:30 p.m. May 7 ($5-$85) at the Eureka Springs City Auditorium, 36 S. Main St. theaud.org.
• The Beatles Singalong with Michael Garrett happens at 5 p.m. May 3; Los Roscoes play at 5 p.m. May 5 and 7 p.m. May 6; The Wild Turkeys perform at 7 p.m. May 6; and the Mamma Knows Best Drag Brunch starts at noon May 7 at Wanderoo Lodge & Bar, 216 W. Van Buren. 3636755; facebook.com/wanderoolodge.
• Sean Harrison plays at 5 p.m. May 6; Statehouse Electric plays at 6 p.m. May 7; and Rebecca Jed plays at 6 p.m. May 14 at Gotahold Brewing, 409 W. Van Buren, facebook.com/gotaholdbrewing.
• Trevor Trula Band performs May 6; Pretend Friend plays at 9 p.m. May 7; and Marcia Brady brings back the ’90s at 9 p.m. May 13 at Chelsea’s Corner Bar, 10 Mountain St. Free. 2538231; chelseascafeeureka.com.
• Buddy Shute & the Motivators play from noon to 4 p.m. May 1 at New Dehli Cafe, 2 N. Main St. newdelhieureka.com
FAYETTEVILLE
• Mat Kearney with Birdtalker plays at 7 p.m. May 2 ($21-41) at the Walton Arts Center, 495 Dickson St., waltonartscenter.org.
• Latin Dance Night starts at 6 p.m. May 1; Danny Mullen plays at 6 p.m. May 3; Ben Harris performs at 5 p.m. May 4; JerGriffin starts at 8 p.m. May 5; and Gavin Sumrall plays at 8 p.m. May 7 at Six-Twelve Coffeehouse, 3980 W. Wedington Drive. 856-6382; facebook.com/sixtwelvecoffeehouseandbar.
• Elizabeth Bainbridge plays at 5 p.m. May 6 at the Inn at Carnall Hall, 465 Arkansas Ave. facebook.com/ElizabethBainbridgeMusic.
• Pat Byrne and Beat Root Revival with support from Meadow Makers perform at 7 p.m. May 7 at Heartbreak House, 229 N. Block Ave. Free but registration required at EventBrite. Search Black Fret.
• Brother Moses with Banzai Florist play at 8:30 p.m. May 4 ($12$15); happy hour with Divas on Fire
starts at 6 p.m., May 6 and then Opal Agafia plays an Ozark Mountain Soul Festival pre-party show with Mountain Sprout at 9:30 p.m. May 6 at George’s Majestic Lounge, 519 W. Dickson St. 527-6618; georgesmajesticlounge.com.
• The Rap Rock Show featuring The Dryline, Sam Price, MaeDae, Reno Mix and Bobby Williams and others starts at 8 p.m. May 7 at Nomad’s Trailside, 1863 N. Pluto Drive. facebook.com/nomadstrailside.
• Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit perform at 7:30 p.m. May 6 ($60 and up); Taylor Swift night happens at 7:30 p.m. May 7 ($12); Black Label Society rocks at 7:30 p.m. May 13 ($35); and Collective Soul plays at 7:30 p.m. May 21 ($35) at JJ’s Live, 3615 N. Steele Blvd. jjslive.com.
• Jess Harp and Adam Faucett play May 7 ($10); The King Cabbage Brass Band performs at 10 p.m. May 13 ($15); Dylan Earl, Kathryn Legendre and Dollar Country play at 9 p.m. May 20 ($10) at The Smoke and Barrel Tavern, 324 W. Dickson St., Suite 2. facebook.com/TheSmokeAndBarrel/events
• Deepwood Mac, a Fleetwood Mac Tribute, happens at 7 p.m. May 6 ($15-20) at Prairie Street Live, 509 W. Prairie St., Fayetteville.
FORT SMITH
• Lainey Wilson plays at 7 p.m. May 5 ($15-20) at The Majestic,
817 Garrison Ave. 551-2424; majesticfortsmith.com.
• Chelcie Lynn: The Tammy Tour starts at 7 p.m. May 1 at Temple Live, 200 N. 11th St. 222-6186; fortsmith.templelive.com.
• Jessica Horn Band plays at 7:30 p.m. May 6; Rockin Horse Rebellion starts at 6:30 p.m. May 7; and Brooke White Band plays at 8 p.m. May 14 at Hero’s, 1002 Garrison Ave. facebook.com/DiveInHeros/events.
LOWELL
• Jamie Lissow performs at 6:30 p.m. May 6-7 ($18) at The Grove, 808 S. Bloomington. grovecomedy.com
ROGERS
• Miranda Lambert & Little Big Town perform at 7 p.m. May 8 ($30 and up) at the Walmart AMP, 5079 W. Northgate Road. waltonartscenter.org/AMP.
• The Railyard Live series continues with the Cate Brothers with Handshake Saints at 8 p.m. May 6; and Funk Factory with Chris Cameron Band happens at 7 p.m. May 7 at the Butterfield Stage in downtown Rogers, 101 E. Cherry St., railyardlive.com.
• Jeff Horton Band plays at 8 p.m. May 14 at Good Vibrations, 2500 N. 17th Street. facebook.com/good.vibrations.79
SPRINGDALE
• Scott James performs comedy at 7:45 p.m. May 5; Patti Steele performs at 6 p.m. May 13 at Black Apple Hard Cider, 321 E. Emma Ave. Free. 751-0337; facebook.com/blackapplehardcider.
TICKETS
• Tickets are on sale for Jon Lovitz, June 9-11; Kevin Nealon, Sept. 9-10; Bruce Bruce, Dec. 9-11 at The Grove Comedy Club, grovecomedy.com.
• Tickets are on sale for Sawyer Brown, Easton Corbin and Heath Sanders June 24; and Jeff Dunham on June 25 at Black Oak Amp 1728 State Highway H in Lampe, Mo. blackoakamp.com
• Tickets are on sale for The Bandwagon Tour with Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town and The Cadillac Three, May 8; Whiskey Myers with Shane Smith and Goodbye June, May 14; KING + COUNTRY, May 21; Halsey, May 25 and Cody Jinks, May 27; at the Walmart AMP in Rogers. amptickets.com.
• Tickets are on sale for Fresh Grass music festival May 20-21 and FORMAT festival Sept. 23-25 at The Momentary in Bentonville. themomentary.org.
• Tickets are on sale for Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on June 9 ($65-$85) at Eureka Springs City Auditorium, 36 S. Main St., Eureka Springs. 253-7788; theaud.org.
• Tickets are on sale for Fayetteville Roots on the Avenue June 17-19 ($45-$135) featuring
Iris Dement, Anna Egge, Leyla McCalla, Black Opry Revue and Bony Light Horseman at Fayetteville Roots HQ ; tickets are also on sale for Fayettevilel Roots Festival featuring food events and music by The Wood Brothers, Taj Mahal, Bettye Lavette, North Mississippi Allstars, Brady Blad Sr. & The Hallelujah Train, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway and more happening all over downtown Fayetteville. Tickets and more information fayettevilleroots.org/ontheavenue.
• Opal Agafia’s Ozark Soul Festival featuring Opal Agafia, Stickley Trio, Aaron Kamm and the One Drops, The Hill Benders, Mountain Sprout, The Burney Sisters, Chucky Waggs, Rachel Ammons, Pretend Friend, Red Oak Ruse, Patti Steel and Dime Trip. More information at facebook.com/OpalAgafiaMusic
Send info about your upcoming concerts and events to Monica Hooper, music editor, at mhooper@nwadg.com.
Northwest Arkansas diners have spoken! Open less than one year, The Fat Chef is already earning hearty acclaim throughout the region. In the recent Best of Northwest Arkansas contest, the eatery was nominated in five categories and took home two Gold awards for Best Steakhouse and Best Seafood restaurant, and three Silver awards for Best Fine Dining Restaurant, Best Romantic Restaurant and Best New Restaurant.
It all began a few years ago with a chance stop at charming space that is now home to The Fat Chef.
“Seven years ago, my wife and I stopped by this building on our way home when we lived out at Rocky Branch on Beaver Lake,” began Richard Fleener, who owns The Fat Chef with his wife, Christine. “We had struggled to find the kind of restaurant that offered quality sit-down dining without having to go all the way into Bentonville, Rogers, or Fayetteville.” When Richard and Christine left that little log cabin building they joked about how ‘someday’ they were going to return to make it into a world-class restaurant. Fortunately for us, that’s just what they did.
The Fat Chef opened in June 2021, and is already making a name for itself with their prime steaks, fresh seafood and an amazing selection of distinctive menu items and homemade desserts.
“Our chef is a seafood specialist,” said Christine. “We fly in fresh fish for specials every week. We have a corn
“Our menu is unique in that every meal comes with the veggie of the day, starch, salad, and warm bread with herbed butter.”
– Christine Fleener
soufflé that people eat every time they come. We hand cut our Prime Steaks daily. People say we have the best steak in Arkansas. And every Wednesday we feature Prime Rib.”
Starting with the appetizers, one quickly discovers this is not your average eatery. Take the Crab Rangoon Dip, featuring magnificent fresh crabmeat mixed with bechamel cream and scallions served bubbling hot with fried wonton chips. Or check out the Pistachio Encrusted Brie Cheese atop wilted spinach, served with a quail egg and toast points. And these amazing culinary creations that are only the beginning of The Fat Chef experience.
The entrees include a tempting
assortment of prime steaks and some original fresh fish creations you won’t find anywhere else. A fresh water favorite is the Great Northern Walleye, either parmesan and fresh herb encrusted or classically seasoned and pan seared to a golden brown. Another popular seafood dish is the Classic Shrimp Scampi. It features five colossal shrimp with fresh lump crab in a traditional scampi butter served with fettuccine and toast points.
One of the things that stands out at The Fat Chef is the fact that the meals are not ala carte.
“Our menu is unique in that every meal comes with the veggie of the day, starch, salad, and warm bread with herbed butter,” Christine said. “We want you to enjoy a complete meal without getting charged for every side.”
And beyond the impressive menu there is something else that makes this culinary experience special, and that is your hosts.
“We are running a family place,” Richard said. “It’s our own little ‘Mom & Pop’ establishment. When you stop by, you will meet all of our family – myself, my wife, Christine, and Joan, our mom. Our wish is that you will come in and relax, enjoy your meal in our non-rushed atmosphere, and taste the best steak and seafood there is.”
In other words, The Fat Chef is by no means fast food. It is designed and intended to offer a dining experience meant to be savored and enjoyed.
“I believe The Fat Chef is special because we are not a chain,” Christine said. “We provide the highest quality of food available, great service, and a chef who is so creative!”
Recently, they expanded their hours and menu to include breakfast and lunch. “We are doing breakfast and lunch Wednesday through Friday from 10:00 to 1:30, and Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 to 2:00,” Christine said. “We have all homemade biscuits, gravy and sausage and classic eggs benedict for breakfast. And for lunch we have a humungous club sandwich, beer battered french fries, and much more.”
Of course, if you want to really know how good a restaurant is, look at the customer reviews. In the short time The Fat Chef has been open they have garnered an impressive string of five-star Google ratings. Here is just a sample:
“Absolutely wonderful experience at The Fat Chef. The service was great and the food was so yummy! The menu had a great variety of food to choose from plus the nightly specials! We had a tough time picking our meals because so many of the entrees sounded great! We will definitely be planning our next visit back soon! Thank you!!!” – Satisha C.
“I had one of the best meals I had in a long time here. The service was great and all the food from the appetizer to the main entry was superb. I am here visiting family that is moving to the area, and I fully understand why they said we had to try this place.” – Dave S.
“Christina was our waitress and the owner, she was so delightful to talk to and made us feel very welcome! We first had the house salads and bread with herb butter. We also had the Walleye and the Shrimp Scampi with the fettuccine and cream sauce. Best fish I have had in a long time! Everything was delicious and we will definitely be back soon!” – Lindsay B.
“We are thrilled to be part of the community,” Christine said. “We are just two people who love what we do. We want to share our vision of what is delicious in a cozy, friendly atmosphere. We are a family run business and hopefully you feel the love when you dine with us. We are so very proud of what we have started and hope to be around for special occasions for many, many years!”
Follow The Fat Chef on Facebook and check out the weekly specials.
“We are blessed to have your support and patience as we open our doors to you,” Christine said. “Please tell your friends and family we are ready for them!”