Around the Rock: Lunch at Cache Falls Right Down The Middle

My weekly food views…
A second lunch at Cache, the first since the restaurant’s opening week, was steeped in mediocrity. While the dinner menu looks to be somewhat adventurous, the lunch options of salads, sandwiches and pizzas seem a tad mundane. My turkey melt was good, not great, and certainly nothing so amazing as to inspire a return visit. The house-made chips, along with the daily special of spicy gumbo, however, were quite delicious. Service was adequate and the atmosphere, as one might expect, was sophisticated and hip. But, in the end, food rules the day, and Cache needs to take a few more risks. One of my tablemates said it best, “This place is in need of an identity.” Agreed. Let’s hope they find it, because Cache has the potential to make its mark on the local dining scene.
Someone slap me! It should not have taken yours truly more than two years to dine at The Terrace. My Black Cod Samfaina, a beautiful piece of pan-seared fish resting atop a ragu of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and onions, was absolutely fantastic. While the dish was a tad salty, I was impressed by its rustic simplicity. The Terrace knows their way around an eggplant, which was evident in the Samfaina, as well as our appetizer of creamy baba ghanoush–a now must-get on any future visit to the restaurant.
And the news…
Chili Fights in the Heights, a charity chili cookoff, is set for October 4th.
Westover Wednesday Food Truck Meet-Up is next Wednesday, October 8th from 5:00-8:00 p.m. (6400 Kavanaugh). Come on out!
Solfood Catering is traveling this fall and winter to film their travel/foodie show called “Vegans Get Plenty.” On Saturday, October 11th at 4:00 p.m., come wish them well and make a donation to the trip, while enjoying some food and good company. Dinner is $15. For more details, click here.
Eggshell Kitchen Co.’s latest class features cocktail master Lee Edwards. Click here for the full details on an evening you won’t want to miss.
Big Orange Midtown’s Four Roses Whiskey Dinner is set for Tuesday, October 7th at 7:30 p.m.
The 11th Annual Christmas in the Quarter will be on December 7th from 2 p.m.-5 p.m. Click here for more details.
Pizzeria Santa Lucia’s grand opening is set for October 10th at 5:00 p.m.
Mac-O-Laterns is on October 25th at MacArthur Park.
The Clean Eatery, Little Rock’s newest food truck will be ready to roll for the Main Street Food Truck Festival this Saturday.
Speaking of … The Main Street Food Truck Festival is this Saturday, October 4th from 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Here’s hoping for a rainless event! Quick plug for Kona Ice … they’ll be at the festival!
You know Stone’s Throw Brewing always has an awesome line-up of food trucks throughout the week. News comes that Hot Rod Weiners will now be a Wednesday night regular (4-9pm).
Join The Oxford American magazine for the inaugural concert in their 2014-2015 jazz series at South on Main featuring The Bad Plus! The OA jazz series is sponsored by the University of Central Arkansas College of Fine Arts and Communication. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. with dinner and drinks available for purchase at that time. The concert begins at 8:00 p.m. Single tickets are $30 for reserved seats at tables and $20 for general admission. Purchasing a reserved seat assigns you to a specific guaranteed table. However, seating at that table is family-style, and unless you purchase the entire table, you will be seated with other patrons. General admission tickets are good for bar stools and standing room, available on a first-come first-served basis. For ticketing questions, please contact Metrotix at (800) 293-5949.
On Tuesday, October 7th, Local Lime will be traveling back to the days of TACO KID. From 5:00 p.m. til close, they’ll be offering several of Taco Kid’s beloved original recipes alongside delicious Local Lime margaritas and a full menu. Also, just in time for the upcoming holiday season, the restaurant will debut a new catering menu. This will include an easy to serve taco bar featuring your favorite Local Lime flavors as well as large party serving sizes of salsas, guacamole and cheese dip- sure to be crowd pleasers for any occasion.
HarvestFest in Hillcrest is this Saturday.
And finally…this from chef Jeffrey Owen of Ciao Baci: “A new menu will drop on Monday, October 6th. We look forward to a heartier fare for entrees, including duck leg and breast with Brussels sprout kimchi, a veal chop “for breakfast,” fresh salmon with beets and bernaise, and a squid ink pasta. Pizza will be a seasonal change as well with flavors of tailgating and the state fair playing in heavily. New salads include a harvest tabbouleh with quinoa nuts and grains, and a Chinese chop with miso honey mustard.”

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