Eat Local

In honor of Shop Small Saturday November 24, my husband and I had lunch at Argenta Cafe in North Little Rock.  It's a cute little place that sells basic groceries, produce and some fancy local foodie stuff (think cherry jam and cream honey).  I had a bruschetta sandwich, slathered with house-made pesto.  The bread was delicious and the ingredients were super fresh.  They're open 7 days a week with breakfast on Saturday and Sunday.  Hope you find time to get over there and pick up some quality eats!

Want Sum 'Za Bro??

My husband and I love us some PIZZA!  When it comes to our favorites, we prefer local.  I will note here that my absolute FAVORITE pizza is my dad's deep dish - homemade crust, homemade sauce, fresh ingredients...it is crazy good!  For those of you that won't have the pleasure of talking my dad into making some for you, head on down to ZaZa Fine Salads and Wood Oven Pizza Co in the Heights.  I will warn you: you will not get a super-large pizza oozing with "cheese" and meat in a oversized box for $12...every pizza from this place has quality ingredients and is baked right there next to the cash register in a wood oven pizza.  So, it may be considered "pricey".  A good option is to split a pizza and a salad.  The salad's are huge and they have zillions of toppings, from artichokes to mushrooms to yogurt dill dressing.  They also serve authentic Italian gelato, but that's for another post. Try it...you'll like it!

Not So Very Far Away....

One of our favorite things to do is go out of town on the weekend, especially a long holiday weekend like Memorial Day or Labor Day weekend.  This Memorial Day and Labor Day we drove the 5ish hours to St. Louis.  Overall, St. Louis is a very cool city...I'm a southern girl, and it's got just enough midwest flare to make it seem completely odd, but not so much that I feel completely out of place.  You have to love the French and German architectural and cultural clash, and free admission to the zoo, art museum and science center doesn't hurt.  And my oh my, does the City Museum downtown make grown men act like two-year olds (as in, my dad and husband thought it was a good idea to go down a slide with a sign that read "the more you weigh, the faster you'll go....").  But this blog isn't about sights and sounds.  It's about food.  So here's my list of foods you MUST EAT while in St. Louis.  I'm sure I missed a few so I encourage you to go find out for yourself:

1. Potatoes Gratin: Schlafly Bottleworks/Tap Room

• So this is a side item, I know.  The great thing about Schlafly is you can order any entree you want and it will be delicious.  Just make sure you get the potatoes gratin!  I think it's all the fancy cheese they use.  And after, make sure you order the Sticky Toffee Pudding.

2. The Christy: Ted Drewes Frozen Custard

• It's a brownie.  It's custard.  It's caramel and hot fudge sauce.  Why not?

3. Peanut Butter Chocolate Gooey Cake: Gooey Louie's

• A Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and a gooey butter cake walk into a bar and get in a fight...the result is this delicious cake that is best served warm.  Best part: Gooey Louie's is down the street from Ted Drewes.

4. Macaroni and Cheese: Sweetie Pie's at the Mangrove

• There was a live jazz band playing during lunch.  Lunch people.  And no cover charge.  Service is cafeteria style so make sure you use your time waiting in line wisely and figure out what you want. 

Sticky Toffee Pudding - Schlafly's Bottleworks

Fish, Macaroni & Cheese, Cabbage and Cornbread - Sweetie Pie's

Bucket List Recipes: #20 Banana Pudding

I do believe it should be known that I love sweets.  Naturally, recipe 20 is a dessert.  The key to a great banana pudding is making the pudding and whipped cream from scratch.  No box pudding or cool whip allowed.  The pudding part is not hard...eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla.  But you can't just put it in a pot and walk away.  You have to watch it, which may make it time-consuming to some.  My suggestion would be to make the pudding first, then tackle the whipped cream.  If you have a nice stand mixer you can actually start the whipped cream while making the pudding and just watch for stiff peaks.  If not, your everyday blender is a great substitute.  What will really impress is, once the pudding and whipped cream are made and the bananas are sliced, you get to layer it all in a glass bowl.  Take your time here...we eat with our eyes first.  Crumble some vanilla wafers over the top and you're set!

My recipe is courtesy of the Queen of Southern comfort food, Paula Deen: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/banana-pudding-recipe2/index.html

"Laissez les bons temps rouler..."

New Orleans is a kind of interesting all it's own.  Between the beautiful French architecture, the adorable little boutiques (stocked with Mardi Gras masks, of course), the history of Magazine, Decatur and Canal Streets, and down-right tropical weather, there were aspects of our trip this past June that I remember quite fondly.  Our stroll down Bourbon street, not so much.  And oh, did we eat.  A lot.  Too much and not enough at the same time.  And boy was it good:

Cafe Du Monde: Order the beignets...and make sure you've got cash.

Bon Ton Cafe: Order whatever you want for dinner and eat it quickly so you can order the bread pudding with whiskey sauce.

Frederick's On The Avenue: Order the catfish and grab a container of jambayla, red beans and rice, or a mufaletta for later on your way out. 

Red Fish Grill: Order the sesame seared tuna salad....the Asian vinaigrette would make a door knob taste good.

Local Eats: Brown Sugar Bakeshop

My new favorite sweet spot is Brown Sugar Bakeshop in the River Market District of Little Rock.  I must say, I'm ashamed that it took me this long to discover them, but these ladies run this bake shop with a lot of creativity, pizzaz and soul.  I follow them on twitter (@BrownSugarLR) so I can keep up with the weekly/monthly offerings.  The shop recently offered Tropical Cocktail inspired cupcakes (mojito anyone?).  Not feeling adventurous?  Try my personal favorite, the strawberries and creme.  Do not walk in expecting large, dry, crumbly, over-iced cupcakes.  Do expect moist, flavor-filled heaven that tastes like it was made just for you.  http://www.brownsugarbakeshop.com

  

Welcome to the first edition of Eat. Drink. Bowie.!  We're so glad you stopped by to read a little bit about what we think about food.  Terell and I are two folks with different culinary "upbringings" but we both share the same passion for what food can do...uplift the spirit, take you to a place far away, and bring folks together.  Below you'll see a quick rundown of who we, The Bowies, are.  Here's what you can expect: we'll be starting off with some local reviews of some cool spots for you Arkansas natives, then make our way around the South.  In addition to our regular joint posts we'll both be doing individual posts with our own themes.  I'll be posting first, and I plan to take you through the ultimate top 20 list: "20 traditional recipes you MUST make ONCE!"  It will be fun for all, but it's especially for my 20-something ladies who, like me, have a career and still want to be a whiz in the kitchen.  Each recipe will definitely be one that will impress your significant other, their parents, your co-workers and your best friends!  We'll be here weekly to tempt you with some good eats.  We look forward to your feedback.  ENJOY!  Eat. Drink. Bowie. ~Pamela

Terell
Born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas
ASTATE grad ('09) and avid Red Wolves fan
Mantra: "Roo to the good bruhs."



Pamela
Born in Memphis, TN, raised in Little Rock, AR
HRNDFRG4LFE ( TCU '05)
Favorite quote: "Oo-oop my sorors!"