Dining
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B Breakfast L Lunch D Dinner $ Inexpensive (under $8/person) $$ Moderate ($8-$20/person) $$$ Expensive (over $20/person) CC Accepts credit cards
WHAT’S COOKIN’ TACO BEER BURRITO, a new restaurant and taproom from the team behind Blue Canoe Brewing, has opened at 419 E. Third St., in the former home of Brown Sugar Bakeshop, next to Blue Canoe. The beef, chuck roast and chicken that feature in the burritos and tacos are slow-cooked for six to eight hours in Blue Canoe beer. Key lime pie and plantains served with Loblolly ice cream are the dessert offerings. Margaritas on tap come in classic lime, strawberry lime, coconut pineapple and peach mango varieties. The hours currently match the brewery’s: 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. The phone number is 503-1821. IT’S THE BUSY SEASON for food and drink events and festivals: From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 12, the Park Hill Business and Merchant Association hosts its third Patio on Park Hill event at the Lakehill Shopping Center (on JFK Blvd. between E and I streets and across from Park Hill Elementary School). The entry fee is $1 (kids under 12 get in for free). There’ll be music from DeFrance, Federalis and Jeff Coleman and The Feeders and craft beer. Food trucks the Black Hound BBQ, The WunderBus, Southern Gourmasian, Slader’s Alaskan Dumplings, Katmandu Momo, Hot Rod Wieners, Loblolly Creamery and Brown Sugar Bakeshop will also be there. From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, May 13, Arkansas Times and the Argenta Arts District are teaming up for the inaugural Arkansas Times Firkin Fest, a celebration of unique craft beer. Tickets ($35 in advance, $40 at the event) include (besides beer) food from Arkansas Ale House, @ the Corner, Cafe Bossa Nova, Damgoode Pies, Old Chicago Pizza, Skinny J’s and Zaffino’s by Nori and music by The Libras and Isaac Alexander. The inaugural Black Food Festival, presented by the Arkansas Association of Black Professionals, will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at Philander Smith College. Vendors include Brown Sugar Bakeshop, The Veg, K Hall and Sons and Philly Phresh Water. LOOKING AHEAD: The International Greek Food Festival returns to Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church May 20-22. At 6 p.m. Friday, May 20, there’ll be more than 300 wines to sample at Arkansas Times Celebrate the Grape at Argenta Plaza in North Little Rock. Buy tickets for $30 in advance (bit.ly/ grape16) or $40 at the door. 36
MAY 12, 2016
ARKANSAS TIMES
A STAR: The All-American pizza is a Grady’s standout.
A new Grady’s It’s just as good as the original.
F
or 35 years, the owners of Grady’s Pizza and Subs stayed tucked away in a strip center on 12th Street, a couple of blocks east of where Mississippi dead ends, serving up excellent pizza, subs and salads. But Grady’s shook things up a couple of weeks ago, opening a second location at 10901 Rodney Parham, on the Shackleford side of the Kmart parking lot that once housed Lone Star Steakhouse and, more recently, Ponchitos Mexican Grill. Wisely, Grady’s owners didn’t stray from the formula that has been successful since 1981. The new Grady’s only improves on the original: The new spot is larger, brighter and, while not fancy, it’s a bit more upscale. This Grady’s is
more easily accessible to West Little Rockers. Rather than just beer and Sutter Home labels, there’s a full bar and a nice selection of beers and wines. The menu is like the original with six pasta dishes added. At the 12th Street location your only option is to pick your pasta, sauce and meat for a mix-andmatch dish. Grady’s skews toward St. Louis-style Italian, so in that spirit we started with the toasted ravioli ($4.75 for six). They were crisp and filled with gooey mozzarella. The homemade marinara was exceptionally fresh and tasty. We could have gone after it with a spoon. Grady’s makes its soups and chili daily, and we ordered both — a bowl of
NOW TWO CONVENIENT LOCATIONS LITTLE ROCK • NORTH LITTLE ROCK
Every Day SALE! MEIOMI PINOT NOIR $20.99 $16.99 LA GIOIOSA, ITALY MOSCATO $8.99 $5.99 DIAMOND BEAR (ALL FLAVORS) $14.49 $11.99 DOS EQUIS (ALL FLAVORS) $7.99 $7.19 LOST FORTY (ALL FLAVORS) $8.99 $7.99 WEDNESDAY IS WINE DAY 15% OFF • WINE CASE DISCOUNTS EVERY DAY • WE GLADLY MATCH ANY LOCAL ADS HURRY IN! THIS SALE EXPIRES MAY 18, 2016
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Every Day CUTTY SARK SCOTCH $30.99 REMY MARTIN 1738 $57.99 CROWN ROYAL RYE $29.99 VILLA MASSA LIMONCELLO $24.99 GABBIANO PINOT GRIGIO, CHIANTI $9.99
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LITTLE ROCK: 10TH & MAIN • 501.374.0410 | NORTH LITTLE ROCK: 860 EAST BROADWAY • 501.374.2405 HOURS: LR • 8AM-10PM MON-THUR • 8AM-12PM FRI-SAT •NLR • MON-SAT 8AM-12PM
ST. LOUIS STYLE: The toasted raviolis.
chicken noodle soup ($4.95) and a cup of chili that paired with half a homemade meatball sandwich for $7.95 as one of the “meal deals.” The soup’s broth was rich and filled with oodles of thin noodles and small shreds of chicken breast. It was hearty and tasty. The chili was standard issue with chunky ground beef, plenty of beans and lots of tomato. It’s nothing special, but we still finished it. The half sandwich included two plump meatballs — not overly herbed or spiced, but good — on a basic hoagie roll with that fabulous marinara. It would have benefitted from more mozzarella. Grady’s offers plenty of predetermined ingredient selections on its pizza, or you can build your own. And there are almost limitless choices when you factor in size (11-, 14- or 16-inch); crust (traditional, seven-grain whole wheat and gluten free [11-inch only; add $1.25]); sauce (homemade red sauce, alfredo, Mama Rosa, olive oil and garlic, salsa, sour cream or barbecue), and cheese (premium mozzarella or Steve’s St. Louis blend of cheeses). We went for a 14-inch All-American (ground beef, pepperoni, purple onion and fresh mushrooms) on traditional crust with the homemade red sauce and Steve’s blend of cheeses. It was $16.95, and though the menu didn’t mention it, we saw that we were charged an additional $1.50 for the Steve’s cheese — a blend of mild cheddar, Swiss and pro-