Opening a hotel restaurant in Arkansas:

[joiei]

Golly. A thread about Arkansas. I'd be interested to learn about the sort of bread baking going on in Little Rock. Anything besides chain bread places?  We keep toying with the idea of relocating back to Arkansas some day, and I'm wondering whether there's a place for artisan bread bakers there.

I grew up in Mountain Home (originally, family was from Chicago and I moved back later to go to school and then stayed for 25 years).  Mtn. Home has changed considerably since I left for Chicago, but not enough to include anything that might be considered a truly fine restaurant. My father had what used to be one of the better restaurants in the town many many years ago. People actually lined up out the door on the weekends, and it was a fairly roomy place. The restaurants are decidedly average there. You'll have to travel a long distance for truly good dining.

Devlin

The Village Bakery

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Devlin, check out Serenity Farms Breads over in Leslie. There is another one in Fayetteville that I know of, sort of down the hill from downtown, they always have a booth at the Farmer's Market there.

And Bentonville/Rogers area is exploding population wise if you looking for a growth market with high end salaries.

[maurdel]

Golly. A thread about Arkansas. I'd be interested to learn about the sort of bread baking going on in Little Rock. Anything besides chain bread places?  We keep toying with the idea of relocating back to Arkansas some day, and I'm wondering whether there's a place for artisan bread bakers there.

I grew up in Mountain Home (originally, family was from Chicago and I moved back later to go to school and then stayed for 25 years).  Mtn. Home has changed considerably since I left for Chicago, but not enough to include anything that might be considered a truly fine restaurant. My father had what used to be one of the better restaurants in the town many many years ago. People actually lined up out the door on the weekends, and it was a fairly roomy place. The restaurants are decidedly average there. You'll have to travel a long distance for truly good dining.

Devlin

The Village Bakery

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the only place I know about is the Boulevard Bread co.- I've included part of a review from the newspaper - but from the 3 times I've visited - I think it makes it sound better (particularly bakery-wise) than it really is. Though they seem to do good business. I believe it is mostly lunch/sandwich traffic.

Other than that the only other places in town would be groceries such as the Fresh Market, which recently opened in the west part of Little Rock, and the Wild Oats/Whole Foods bakery. I cannot remember any others which might qualify as artisanal.

I think Little Rock is primed for a great bread place. You would do well!

I have included below part of a review I found online for the Boulevard place and here is the link to the full review: http://www.ardemgaz.com/cgi/restaurant.pl?..._BoulevardBread

Restaurant review: Boulevard Bread Company

ERIC E. HARRISON

ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Address: 1920 N. Grant St., Little Rock

Hours: 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday

Cuisine: Gourmet sandwiches, soups, artisan breads, imported cheese

Credit cards: V, MC

Alcoholic beverages: No

Reservations: No

Nonsmoking section: Smoke-free

Wheelchair accessible: Yes

Carryout: Yes

(501) 663-5951

Boulevard Bread Company is a bakery. It's also a deli and a gourmet take-out shop. And it's a real treat.

In a Heights storefront that previously housed a gourmet-to-go operation called Jimily's, co-owner Roger Runnells bakes bread and cookies in the back; in the front, co-owner Scott McGehee and staff vend the bakery products, sandwiches, soups, salads and a couple of dozen fancy imported cheeses.

The baked output includes thin, narrow, crusty-outside, soft-inside baguettes, which you can buy in bags and which also form the outside of half-a-dozen panini sandwiches ($5.75 whole, $3 half).

.......

Breads range from traditional (baguettes, sourdough rye) to festive (they can't keep the cherry chocolate bread on the shelves). Samples of whatever has been recently sliced are available on request.

The smell of baking bread adds a nice dimension to the surprisingly homey decor, although Boulevard Bread Company is not really meant as a sit-down site -- seating is limited to a small table in the front and room for about six in the back by the ovens.

The staff is most friendly, eager to please and well informed -- answering tough questions turns into a group effort.""