Around the Rock: An Evening at South on Main

Welcome to “Around the Rock,” a weekly peek into my culinary adventures and a means to keep you in the loop with all the happenings in our Little Rock food scene.
I finally checked out South on Main during the evening hours. No surprise, the entire dining experience—from the food, to the atmosphere, to the service—was fantastic! My early on expectations for this restaurant were set pretty damn high, and thus far, South on Main has exceeded all of them. Highlights from our dinner included the soft shell crab appetizer with a sweet and tangy slaw, my wife’s perfectly cooked drum, and a sensational preparation of fried rabbit boudin. Head mixologist David Burnette also delivered with a top-notch Old Fashioned, served with hand-carved ice.
Down the road from South on Main, I enjoyed lunch with Lee Edwards at Brewsters 2 Café and Lounge. The joint is characterized by friendly service and soul food that can hang with anyone’s. Be sure to order the fried catfish, purple hull peas, yams, and greens. Thank me later.
The 10th Annual Arkansas Chef’s Culinary Classic was held on Tuesday night at the convention center here in Little Rock. Chefs from all around the state competed for top honors in the categories of: appetizer, soup/salad, entrée and dessert. Afterwards, the general public sampled all their wonderful creations. Later on, I’ll have an update of who won what, but I can tell you that my personal favorite was a charred shrimp appetizer prepared by Chef Arturo of the Capital Hotel. Compliments to the Arkansas Hospitality Association for hosting a great event.
A few local foodies got together Friday afternoon for an impromptu lunch at Hillcrest Artisan Meats. Half the group got burgers and the rest opted for sandwiches. All goers left happy…from what I could tell. H.A.M. continues to churn out a consistent product on a daily basis. Tip of the hat to Brandon, Tara, and their crew.
Heads up! Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I highly recommend contacting Mitchell from Freckle Face Farm to reserve one of his turkeys (no hormones or antibiotics, fed a non-GMO feed).
Event alert: Youth Home’s newest annual event, The Next Course, will be held in the Great Hall of the Clinton Presidential Library, on Thursday, October 3 at 7 p.m. Chefs will lead guests in an instructional culinary experience, course by course. Individual seats start at $100 (purchase tickets at YouthHome.org). All of the proceeds from the evening will be used to purchase power generators for Youth Home’s main campus located on Colonel Glenn. Youth Home is a private, non-profit psychiatric treatment center for emotionally troubled adolescents and their families.
Here’s hoping the newly opened Fonda (in the old Faded Rose and Bumpy’s location) makes it. We checked the place out for dinner the other night and left with mainly favorable opinions. I particularly enjoyed my Razorback Burrito (filled with tender pork shoulder) and the pineapple chipotle margarita.
Still waiting on a response, Big Orange.