Around the Rock: Scallions Delivers a Great Breakfast, Three Fold Gets Going

My views…
Little Rock just doesn’t have many good breakfast spots. It’s true … outside of The Root and a few other places, the city really is lacking in the breakfast department. But did you know Scallions is now serving up breakfast (since last May) and doing a pretty damn fine job of it? You can order several things ala carte, like the hashbrown casserole, poppy seed muffin, croissant, hickory-smoked bacon and eggs or you can opt for any of Scallions’ seven entrees. Each is very hearty and really eats more like a brunch. I’d pass on the heavier biscuits and gravy, also called The Bubba ($9.95) in favor of The Roseann ($7.25), a mountainous bowl of house-made granola, fresh fruit, yogurt and honey or even The French Connection ($8.95). This croissant sandwich is stuffed with eggs, bacon, and melted Swiss cheese and comes with fresh fruit and either hashbrown casserole or NaNa’s jalapeno cheese grits. The casserole is good, but do not pass on the grits. Breakfast is served Monday-Friday (7 a.m.-11 a.m.) and Saturday (9 a.m.-2 p.m.).
We’ve written about Local Lime’s green chile stew quite extensively on this site, but it really does bear mentioning again, as I’m not sure how long it will be on the menu and it really is a must-get. Just make sure you ask for it.
I’m certainly no beer expert, and maybe I’m just imagining things, but my Six Bridges Cream Ale at Vino’s just wasn’t quite as tasty as I once remembered it. That’s not to say it was bad, just possibly a little off. What wasn’t off was my slice of cheese pizza, chef’s salad and cheese calzone. The latter, loaded with mozzarella and ricotta, was insanely fantastic and will inspire a return visit in the near future.
Just a reminder: the plain old, regular fries at Big Orange are damn good.
It doesn’t have a huge menu, nor does it have a big name chef, but after three visits in two weeks, I can 100%-without-a-doubt tell you that Three Fold Noodles and Dumpling Co. is one of the better restaurants to hit Little Rock in quite some time. I’m a self-professed dumpling whore, have had thousands in my lifetime, and know these are some of the best pork dumplings I’ve eaten … anywhere. Three Fold also offers noodle bowls, steamed buns and a variety of other dumpling fillings, including vegetable, chicken and turkey (on occasion).
A holiday visit to The Pantry Crest was met with favorable results. Our Pantry’s Board ($19.25), lined with smoked turkey, pork rillette, country, terrine, bratwurst, cheese, bread and liver pate, was all kinds of awesome, as was my grilled Romaine hearts ($8.50) and sample of goulash. As always, the atmosphere was warm and inviting and both the service and food were spot-on.
This is your quarterly reminder that Burge’s smoked turkey salad should have a street in Little Rock named after it.
I paid a quick visit to the new Lost Forty Brewing, and like many of you, came across large crowds but also dynamite food and beer. Large hipster turnouts aside, this place should have staying power, based in large part to the aforementioned nibbles and brew.
And the news…
On January 13, Sweet Love is celebrating its 3rd birthday with a “buy 1 get 1 free cupcake” special.
As of January 3rd, Forty Two will be open for lunch on Saturdays (11 am-2 pm). “We are ecstatic to announce we have opened to the public for lunch on Saturdays. We will be featuring our full menu along with four daily specials,” says executive chef Stephen Burrow.
Capeo’s next 3-course wine dinner is set for February 9th at 6:30 p.m. and features octopus sautéed with beans, baked penne pasta with lamb ragu and veal scallopini, along with Hahn Estate wine pairings. Cost is $55 per person (includes tax). For reservations, call 501-376-3463.
Eggshells Kitchen Co. has plenty of great classes coming up. Chef Brian Kelley’s Knife Skills class is set for January 16th and Lee Edwards from Yellow Rocket Concepts will be leading a Cocktails 101 session on January 19th.
South on Main and Lost Forty Brewing are teaming up for a 4-course beer pairing dinner on January 13th. Cost is $65 per person (excluding tax and tip). They event is currently sold out, but if interested, please contact the restaurant to be put on a waiting list.