[food adventures] Good Eats Lately: NWA

D and I have been here in Fayetteville going on four months and we've eaten our way through a good portion of the food trucks and restaurants around town. We have our favorites and we have a long list of spots still left to check out. Here are some places we've tried and love.

Apple Blossom Brewing Company
Fayetteville
Grilled polenta: tomato, squash, corn salad, buffalo mozzarella, balsamic pesto viniagrette over grilled polenta. Seems to be a strange choice for an order at a brewpub, but trust. This dish is awesome. We order it EVERY.SINGLE.TIME.
Going back for...
Fayettechille Weiss on the patio after a full day of sand volleyball at Veterans Memorial Park.

Grub's Bar and Grille
Fayetteville
Buffalo chicken sandwich: absolutely huge - so share or come hungry. Fried to perfection and smothered in blue cheese dressing, what's not to love?!?
Pizza dip: good, but could easily whip this up at home. And probably will thanks to lots of Pinterest posts.
Going back for...
Trivia (now that the students are gone!), fried pickles and half price patty melts on Tuesdays (AFTER the gym).

// photocredit: my own and allrecipes.com //

Meiji
Fayetteville
Chirashi: the premium platter serves up a selection of super fresh fish on top of sushi rice (Meiji's is cooked to perfection - mushy rice seems to be the norm around here). Also comes with with squid and seaweed salad. Fish selection of the day was octopus, salmon, yellowtail, superwhite, maguro.
Grilled Shishito Peppers: basted in soy, these semi-spicy skewers of peppers were perfection. Hoping that we can find some at one of the local Asian Supermarkets.
Going back for...
The exact same meal, plus a bottle of sake. And the Tune Poke...see the next listing.

Wasabi
Fayetteville
Hawaiian Poke: spring mix tossed in a spicy ponzu, topped with a generous amount of maguro pieces,  seaweed salad and roe. I have a love for poke thanks to our trips to the Hawaiian Islands - such an easy way to eat fresh fish! And a refreshing change from the heavy rolls of NWA...where cream cheese, tempura crumbs, spicy mayo and eel sauce are king.
Going back for...
The patio! And a tall glass of Sapporo on a summer night.

// photo credit: luvmetender and my own //

Cafe Rue Orleans - Avenue Seafood Lounge
Fayetteville
Oysters: the meatiest, freshest, most delicious (seriously) Gulf oysters I've ever had. Briny and soooo good - we just kept ordering more. We lucked out stopping in here after a few hours sampling beer with Hogshead Tours. *UPDATE* We went again on a Friday night and had THE BEST oysters...AGAIN. Turns out they get them in fresh on Thursdays.
Going back for...
Brunch upstairs in their dining room (although the building is strangely in the center of a run-down motel). Eggplant Napolean, Shrimp and Grits, mimosas - sounds like a perfect nap-inducing Sunday brunch.

Arsaga's at the Depot
Fayetteville
Salted caramel chocolate chunk cookie: Self-explanatory. If you like salty and sweet, this is the treat for you.
Ethiopian Michele Yirgacheffe: French pressed for a deeper flavor. Medium, but complex - fruity with a touch of cocoa. My go-to is the Farmer's Market Blend when I'm drinking a whole pot, but this is perfect for a one-cup sitting.
Going back for*...
Salad Nicoise (had this for brunch a few weeks back...delish!) and the Butterbean - espresso pulled over butter?! Sign me up. *Arsaga's has never disappointed, everything we've had, we've loved! I'd go back for it all.

La Hacienda
Fayetteville
Stuffed, fried avocado: This is an off-menu special, so make sure you ask for it! It's a grenade...avocado stuffed with steak and cheese, battered and fried. AND smothered with queso. Voila! Three day's worth of calories and worth every bite. But the queso served with the chips was goopy, and room temp, ick. And margaritas were pre-mixed and weak. Sticking with la cerveza next time.
Going back for...
Fried avocado, chips and salsa, and Pacifico on the covered second-story deck. 

// photo credit: my own and freeweekly.com //

Crepes Paulette
Bentonville Food Trucks
Elvis: bananas, bacon, peanut butter, dark chocolate ganache
Thai: chicken, cabbage, cilantro, sunflower seeds, peanut sauce
Going back for...
EVERYTHING, but have my eye on the sweet and salty caramel with pecans.

Big Rub BBQ
Bentonville Food Trucks
Jordan sandwich: Costini bun, burnt ends, shredded cheese, blue cheese, bacon and brisket sauce. Best thing we've eaten in a long time. I mean it's essentially a maxed out burnt ends sandwich, can't go wrong.
Going back for...
A repeat of the Jordan sandwich and Hero taco (brisket, Doritos, avocado, cheese...sounds like a yummier Doritos Locos).

Trick Dilly Tacos - "no son los tacos de tu papa"
Bentonville Food Trucks
PorkDilly taco: smoked pork belly, queso fresco, shaved radish, green apple. Super rich and meaty pork belly - cooked perfectly with a little crunch. Yum!
Smoked brisket taco: brisket, pickled watermeloon, daikon sprouts, stonefruit bbq sauce. This was just *meh*. Flavorless brisket, but good crunch and zest to watermelon and sauce.
Going back for...
Finger-lickin' tater salad made with bacon lardons, oh and it's the warm German style. Just grill me up a brat and I'm in heaven (brat taco in the works?).

// photo credit: my own and yachtcluboncollege.com //

Zuppa Zuppa Soup Kitchen
Yacht Club Food Trucks, Fayetteville
Corn chowder: rich, creamy and spicy take on corn chowder. And man is it GOOD. Sweet corn is a fave of mine, so naturally corn chowder is right up there with elote on my Top Ten list. Order this, you won't be disappointed.
Ensalate erotica: greens, strawberries, sunflower seeds, red onion, cucumber, avocado and feta. Topped with the most flavorful and delicious balsamic-y viniagrette dressing you've ever had. I think we licked the bowl.
Going back for...
The chowder of course. But gotta try the crostinis and dumplings.

Baller Food Truck
Fayetteville
Bacon cheeseburger: hamburger meat blended with melty velveeta, breaded with bacon, fried and topped with all the fixin's. Why grill when you can fry?
Mac n' cheese: Just like it sounds, but better. Batter a ball of super rich (not mushy!) mac n' cheese and throw it in the fryer. Soooo gooood.
Buffalo chicken: shredded chicken with buffalo sauce, rolled in Doritos and fried and served with ranch. Yummy, but not as yummy as the top two.
Going back for...
Banana + nutella. Is there any way this won't be amazing?

The Pie Hole
Food Truck, Little Rock (at Block Street Block Party)
Ice box lemon pie: tart and creamy with a not-too-sweet graham cracker crust.
Going back for...
Oatmeal creme pie. Have always been a sucker for the Lil' Debbie version, Pie Hole's looks divine.

// photo credit: my own and freeweekly.com //

Burton's Creamery
Shulertown Food Trucks, Fayetteville
Mocha Lisa: soft-serve shake blended with fudge and Onyx cold brew/grounds
Salty Dog: waffle cone, vanilla soft-serve, rolled in crushed pretzels, injected with caramel
Going back for...
"Pup cups" the friendly folks at Burton's have on-hand so our furry friends can have a treat too.

[staycation] + [sightseeing] Fayetteville Spring Break '15

We spent Arkansas' spring break hangin' at home in Fayetteville, playing host + hostess to D's pal, and exploring the University of Arkansas campus.

Sunshine and warm temps lured us outside for a stroll down the Frisco Trail - part of the Fayetteville trail system that connects our place in South Fayetteville with Dickson Street...and beyond. Bayla and I have become regulars on this part of the Frisco and at our favorite pitstop, Arsaga's Coffee Roasters. They're a family-run business and are doing it all right. Small batch roasting, great atmosphere (old train depot), tasty/quality/inventive/local menu. Winning! On this particular stop, D gets the best order award: polenta creamed with smoked gouda, topped with sauteed kale, sundried tomatoes, shitakes and blue cheese. // flavor bomb. no meat needed

In an effort to walk off the brunch, we strolled up the trail and over to campus. Why not take advantage of the quiet while the kids are in Cancun and Panama City?

We started at the Inn at Carnall Hall, a 1905 residence hall now functioning as an inn ranked by Conde Nast as a Top Hotel in the South. From there we stepped off the front porch and onto the lawn of Old Main - the oldest building on the U of A campus, built in 1875. The names of the first graduating class of 1876 are etched into the sidewalk that criss-cross the front lawn. This began the tradition of all graduates getting their names etched into sidewalks that run throughout campus. And yep, D's name is there!

Departing form the uber-traditional architecture of Old Main is the new addition to the Fay Jones School of Architecture building housing the architcture, interior deisgn and landscape architecture programs. Now's probably the right time to gush about Fay Jones. A Frank Lloyd Wright disciple, AIA Gold Medal winner and Arkansas native, Fay Jones' work is intimate and organic. I can't wait to go back to his Thorncrown and Mildred B. Cooper chapels.

Walking around hilly Fayetteville really makes ya work up a thirst! We popped into a couple of our favorite spots for an afternoon refreshment or two. Puritan Brew Co. sits at the top of Dickson and serves brew - of the coffee and beer varieties. They just put in their built-in outdoor lounge areas and we couldn't ask for a more perfect spot! Next on the walking tour of our hometown was classic/craft cocktail destination, Maxine's Tap Room, opened in 1950 by charismatic Maxine Miller. Loved them from the start - they make a perfect Aviation. For you Big Lebowski fans, they serve one heckuva White Russian during happy hour. And even dog friendly, what's not to like?!