Leaf Tea House

 

Hello, foodie friends!  Today I want to tell you about Leaf Tea House, my favorite place to get boba tea.  Located in the Spring Creek Centre in Fayetteville, Arkansas, it's one of the best places to get a refreshing drink.

Boba tea, or bubble tea, is an Asian style cold drink.  What differentiates from Western style tea is the addition of "boba", which are chewables like tapioca pearls or lychee jelly.

My favorites are the milk green tea and jasmine green tea.  They also have macaroons.

This is the perfect place to go after lunch or dinner for something a little different.

Try it out!

The Wooden Spoon

 

Hello, foodie friends!  Today I want to tell you about a fabulous rustic restaurant tucked away in Gentry, Arkansas.  They're only open for lunch Monday-Friday, and for dinner on Fridays only.

Their lunch menu has quite the selection of sandwiches and salads.  A particularly local favorite is the BLT&C...bacon, lettuce, tomato and cheese with thousand island dressing and the option to add avocado.  The Grilled Veggie Sandwich has grilled zucchini, squash, peppers, and onions for a lighter lunch.  During summer and spring, their strawberry salad combined with strawberry vinaigrette provides a refreshing taste.  Another option is to go with the baked potato soup, or a combo or sorts if you're wanting to try different things.

Dinners on Fridays have a rotating feature.  On the 1st Friday, they have babyback ribs.  The 2nd Friday has grilled beef tips, 3rd Friday is smoked brisket and chicken fried chicken, and the 4th Friday they have grilled ribeye steak.  They always have fried catfish and alfredo pasta on the menu.

The building used to be a horse barn, and the Wooden Spoon takes advantage by incorporating that old time feel into its atmosphere.  When you sit down to eat there, it's a call back to an older, simpler time.

Best of all, I haven't mentioned their award winning desserts.  Their pies won Best in NWA for 2021, so definitely save room for dessert.  They have a wide selection ranging from butterscotch, French silk, fresh peach, or Dutch apple.  Cheesecake becomes available for Friday evenings.

Make plans to try an amazing spoonful of food!

Catfish Hole

 

Hello, foodie friends!  Today I want to tell you about a dining staple of Northwest Arkansas:  Catfish Hole.  Their original location is in Fayetteville and they have another location in Alma.

The first thing you should know about Catfish Hole is that they host Sam Pittman Live every Wednesday during football season.  For those of you who did not grow up in Arkansas, this is a big deal.  Razorback football is followed passionately in this state, so hosting the coach's radio show carries great importance.

With a name like Catfish Hole, you know you are getting high quality fried catfish.  You can choose between catfish steaks (with bones) and catfish fillets (no bones).  Other fried choices include scallops, clams, and frog legs.

If you're looking for grilled food, you have a choice between chicken, trout, tilapia, catfish, and salmon.  Both grilled and fried dinners come with the fixin's.

The main feature of the fixin's are the hushpuppies.  Their hushpuppies taste amazing and you can get as many as you want as long as you order a dinner.  Cole slaw, pickles, onions, and green tomato relish come with their fixin's as well.

Check them out if you're looking for Southern style catfish and hushpuppies!

Wright's BBQ

 

Hello, foodie friends!  Today I want to tell you about my favorite BBQ place in Northwest Arkansas.  Wright's BBQ is my favorite, with their original location in Johnson and a second location in Bentonville.

They have my number one requirement for any BBQ establishment:  Wonderfully smoked meats with great BBQ sauce.  You have your choice of brisket, pork, chicken, sausage, turkey, ribs, and bacon burnt ends.

For sides, they have bread, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese, smoked beans, cole slaw, potato salad, green beans, mashed potatoes, and collard greens.  They've got the Southern style fixin's to go with their barbecue.

Personally, I'm a fan of brisket with sweet potatoes and green beans, but I would say any choice you make is bound to be delectable.

The first time I visited Wright's, there was a line wrapped around the restaurant.  You know it's good when people are to stand in line that long.  I would recommend being prepared to be patient, because the food is well worth the wait.

If you're a fan of their sauce, you can find bottles of it at local grocery stores.  My fiancé is a big fan and she loves using it as a dipping or cooking sauce.

Go there and eat barbecue the Wright way!

Sushi House

 

Hello, foodie friends!  Today I want to tell you about one of my favorite sushi places in Northwest Arkansas.  Located in Bentonville, Sushi House provides a great Japanese cuisine experience.

What I really enjoyed about Sushi House was their business model.  I was able to sit down, order lunch, eat, and pay within twenty five minutes.  Their chefs are constantly making their most popular dishes, so when you order one it's ready very quickly.  When their kitchen gets full, the servers will bring around samples of other types of sushi.  You get what you came for and you get to try something new!

Their menu contains the usual appetizers like edamame and miso soup.  You also have a choice to order sashimi, which is the raw fish by itself.  There's also teriyaki plates, udon noodle soup, and fried rice if you bring someone who cannot consume raw foods.

There are too many delicious chef's rolls to mention all of them, but two of them that stand out are tied to businesses in the area.  The Tyson roll is a chicken roll (of course), deep fried with jalapeno and avocado.  Then you have the Wal-Mart roll which is shrimp tempura, softshell crab, and avocado with eel sauce on top.

Sushi house has numerous choices, so before your first visit I would take a look at their menu and have a game plan on what to order.  When you do, enjoy the sheer efficiency of the restaurant.

Kampai!

Con Quesos

Hello, foodie friends!  Today I want to tell you about Con Quesos.  They have two locations:  one on MLK Jr. Boulevard in Fayetteville and a new location in downtown Springdale.  

I personally heard the story of Con Quesos from the owner.  Several years ago, the restaurant opened as an honors project from a business major at the University of Arkansas.  Instead of doing a research report, he got real life experience with venture capitalism.

The owner of Con Quesos saw an opportunity to add a signature style and taste to stand out from the crowd.  Con Quesos specializes in fusion tacos from around the the world, plus specialty dips that are quite delightful to consume.

Looking for Indian style food?  Try the Bombay, which has chicken tikka masala as the feature ingredient.  Fancy some Jamaican? Try the Montego for jerk chicken with grilled jalapeno and mango.  Perhaps you'd like to try some Asian style food?  Try the Osaka which comes with Hibachi shrimp and fried egg rice.  If meat is not part of your diet, they offer a variety of tasty vegetarian tacos.

With a name like Con Quesos, they take pride in their specialty dips.  While all four are delicious and can be sampled with the Four Seasons platter, my personal favorites are Seoul Food and Plantation.  The Seoul Food dip includes Korean chili which provides a quite delightful Asian twist to queso.  My other favorite, Plantation, incorporates sweet potato puree to enhance its Southern flair.  I will personally vouch that the chips that come with the dips are crisp and fresh.

Additionally, Con Quesos offers breakfast tacos.  So you can check them out early in the morning, or include a breakfast taco for dinner if you're so inclined.

Grade this delectable honors project for yourself!

Monte Ne Chicken Inn

 

Hello, foodie friends!  Today I want to tell you about Monte Ne Chicken Inn.  They are located in the eastern part of Rogers.  There are no rooms to stay in...rather the Inn refers to the historical resort of Monte Ne.  You will find a unique restaurant experience for Northwest Arkansas there.

Are you fan of fried chicken, with all the Southern fixin's?  What if I told you it would be all-you-can-eat?  If you said yes to both questions, then Monte Ne Chicken Inn is the place for you.  A word of advice, come hungry.

The Inn requires reservations, which they start taking at noon Wednesday-Saturday.  One thing to be aware of is that the Inn is closed Dec. 24th-Jan 31st, and they're closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so check for availability.  Bring a group of friends or family!

Everyone gets the same meal, served family style.  Fried chicken, homemade bean soup, seasoned green beans, sweet corn, mashed potatoes &gravy, coleslaw, and home baked biscuits.  It's a ton of delicious food, and if you ever want more you can ask for more once you've finished the serving at your table.

Optionally, you can order homemade desserts after the meal.  You can save room for peach cobbler, blackberry cobber, fudge cake, cheesecake, and ice cream.

Enjoy your stay at the Inn!

Punjabi Kitchen

Hello, fellow foodie friends!  Today I want to tell you about Punjabi Kitchen.  Their main location is in Springdale, but they also have a second location in Centerton.  If you have ever wanted to try Indian food but worried it would be too spicy for you, they make a mild version of their dishes that barely registers on the Scoville scale.  You can enjoy the flavor of Indian cuisine without worrying about burning your tongue from the spice.

If you're tasting Indian food for the first time, I would recommend #39 butter curry or #45 tikki masala.  These entrees are staples of many Indian restaurants and Punjabi Kitchen's is excellent.  I would start with the chicken, but you can also choose lamb, fish or shrimp.  For vegetarian options you can choose aloo (potato) or paneer (cheese).

Their entrees come with cumin rice and naan bread.  Naan bread is a type of unleavened bread cooked in a clay tandoori oven, which is a traditional Indian oven.  Later, you may consider upgrading the naan bread to garlic naan or pyazi naan for a small cost to try some different variations of naan.

They have vegan options available upon request as well.  One of my favorites is #33 Bengan Bharta, which is a creamy eggplant dish.  I love how delicious it is yet leaves me feeling light after dinner.

If you do venture into trying their medium or hot dishes, make sure to order a mango lassi to come with your meal.  This yogurt based drink will help cool your tongue as needed.

Let me know how your experience at Punjabi Kitchen goes.  Thanks!

Welcome to "A Taste for Tu"

Welcome to my blog, "A Taste for Tu"! Hi, you can call me "D2", and I'll be your host.

I recently moved to Northwest Arkansas in the past five years. I’ve loved living here and I want to share some of it with the world. As a foodie, I’ve tried out numerous dining spots in this region and I have been delighted with the variety of food I’ve encountered.

Every so often, I’m asked to make restaurant recommendations to my friends. Now, I decided it would be interesting to record some of my favorites for posterity.

Word of warning: this is not a food critic’s blog. I don’t have culinary training, nor do I possess an incredible palate. What I do have, though, is plenty of curiosity and plenty of words to paint a delectable picture. If what I tasted made an imprint on my mind, then I want you to share in some small way what I experienced. 

As a point of focus, I want to write about local establishments that may not have the profile of a national or regional chain. Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic has strained our global supply chain, which has adversely affected small businesses. I am not a famous social media influencer, but what little influence I do have I want to pour into my community. 

 Northwest Arkansas is one of the fastest growing metro areas in the United States, and I figure denizens both new and old would like to hear how some of their own are putting their mark in the local business community. 

 Over the next month, I will highlight several restaurants that I hope pique your interest. Looking forward to hearing your comments and suggestions!