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More About the Nominees for Best Food Truck

2012-02-24T07:00:23Z

The five nominees for best food serve up a wide variety of foods in the city. Vote for your favorites today! Here are all the awards.

Banana Leaf is the first nominee. You can find them on Twitter, but their actual location is located at the corner of Van Buren and Markham. They serve up Indian food like curry chicken and samosas, and normally have food for both carnivores and herbivores.

The Food Truck Little Rock can be found on Twitter or at 7th and Izard. They have a variety of sandwiches, and some desserts. Yesterday, they had pork chops. Both carnivores and herbivores can usually find something to eat here.

Green Cuisine can be found on Twitter and normally at the corner of 6th and Chester. They serve all vegetarian, but it's hearty enough for a carnivore to feel satisfied at lunch. They've been closed for the winter, but hopefully they'll be back in business soon.

Hot Dog Mike can be found on Twitter and roaming all over Little Rock. He's practically a Twitter celebrity and everyone's favorite hot dog cart. He invents new toppings occasionally.

Taqueria Samantha is located at Broadway Ave (Btw 3rd & 4th) according to FourSquare, but I know they did have two locations. I haven't eaten there since last spring (at the one on Geyer Springs), but they do have awesome food.

More About the Nominees for Best Food Truck originally appeared on About.com Little Rock on Friday, February 24th, 2012 at 07:00:23.

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Little Rock Readers' Choice Finalists

2012-02-22T21:20:42Z

The About.com Readers' choice award finalist have been decided. We have 10 categories in Little Rock. I'll blog about each category and link to the poll separately in the following days, but here's the entire list of nominees.

You can vote once a day starting today and ending on March 21, so vote for your favorites today!

For best food truck, the five nominee are Banana Leaf, The Food Truck LR, Green Cuisine, Hot Dog Mike and Taqueria Samantha. Vote.
For best place for pets, the five nominees are Just Dogs Gourmet Bakery, Northside Aquatics, Premium Pet Products, Petco and Petsmart. Vote.
For best new thing of 2011, the nominees are Big Orange, Dempsey Bakery, Juanita's (new location), Museum of Discovery (remodeled) and the University Market at 4Corners. Vote.
For best Little Rock Shop, the five nominees were B. Barnett, Barbara/Jean, Baumans, Box Turtle and Vesta's. Vote.
The top five local secrets are were Arkansas Burger Company, B-Side, HBs BBQ, Kitchen Express and Star of India. Vote.
The top five nominees in restaurants include 1620, Amruth Authentic Indian Cuisine, Ashley's at the Capitol, Brave New Restaurant and Trio's. Vote.
For best late night spot, the nominees were The Afterthought, Discovery, the Electric Cowboy, The Flying Saucer and Midtown Billiards. Vote.
For best blog, the nominees were Arkansas Foodies, Arkansas Women Bloggers, Little Rock Mommy, Move Arkansas and Tie Dyed Travels. Vote.
For the best museum, theater or gallery the nominees are Arkansas Arts Center, Community Theatre of Little Rock, The Market Place Cinema, Museum of Discovery and The Rave. Vote.
For best local spas, the nominees are Clinic and Day Spa, Indulgences Spa, Quy's Salon and Spa and Rose Spa. Vote.

Little Rock Readers' Choice Finalists originally appeared on About.com Little Rock on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 at 21:20:42.

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This Weekend in Little Rock

2012-02-22T06:00:27Z

It' s going to be a great weekend in Little Rock.

February 24 -

Mardi Gras in Arkansas is at Next Level Events. Music, wine, beer and a cash bar. 501-666-8816
The Arkansas Flower and Garden Show is this weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). Admission is $6. Photos from last year.
FOCAL Book Sale at the Main library on 100 S. Rock St. The sale starts at 10 a.m.
The Home Show is at Verizon Arena all weekend. Admission is $8.

February 25 -

Chili with a Kick is from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Dickey-Stephens Park.
Ekphrastic Poetry Slam s a poetry slam at the Arkansas Arts Center starting at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $5, $10 for poet entry.

February 26 -

Johnny Cash Birthday Tribute at his boyhood home in Dyess , AR. It starts at 2 p.m. There's shuttles from the community center to his home (4791 W. CR 924). 870-972-2803.

This Weekend in Little Rock originally appeared on About.com Little Rock on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 at 06:00:27.

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The Arkansas Flower and Garden Show & the Home Show

2012-02-21T22:14:37Z

The Arkansas Flower and Garden Show is this weekend at the Statehouse Convention Center in downtown Little Rock. It's 10-6 on Friday and Saturday and Sunday 10-4.

The Flower and Garden show is a great place to see landscapers, garden decorations and learn about plants. They have lectures (see the schedule) and some of Arkansas' top landscapers will be there. Chris Olsen of Botanica Gardens will giving a lecture on the Five Seasons of Gardening.

Admission to the show is $8. I have some photos from last year.

The Home Show is also this weekend. It's at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock. The show allows you to meet all sorts of builders and material suppliers. You can check out their vendor list. Admission to the Home Show is also $8.

If you visit both, save your Home Show ticket stub and receive $1.00 off at the Flower and Garden Show.

The Arkansas Flower and Garden Show & the Home Show originally appeared on About.com Little Rock on Tuesday, February 21st, 2012 at 22:14:37.

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Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler - Celebrate Mardi Gras in Little Rock

2012-02-18T06:00:17Z

We may not be New Orleans, but we have our style of celebration in Little Rock. I have a list of Mardi Gras parties, celebrations and parades happening in the city.

There are a few fun things for kids and families, and even a parade your dog can enjoy. We also have pub crawls and live music that are not family friendly. I was just thinking the other day that I couldn't want for great deck weather to visit Cajun's Wharf. I guess Fat Tuesday is a good excuse too.

Some local bakeries already have colorful King Cakes for sale. Brown Sugar Bakeshop posted some really cute photos of a King Cake Cupcake they'll have ready for Fat Tuesday on their Facebook page.

Fayetteville has a big Mardi Gras celebration, but you could get to New Orleans in about 8 hours if you really wanted to (here's a Mardi Gras schedule for New Orleans, just in case). Why drive to Fayetteville when driving to the Big Easy is almost as easy?

Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler - Celebrate Mardi Gras in Little Rock originally appeared on About.com Little Rock on Saturday, February 18th, 2012 at 06:00:17.

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The Weekend in Little Rock

2012-02-15T06:00:17Z

I've been hearing a lot about the Little Rock Horror Picture Show. It's a film festival being put on by the Little Rock Film Festival. You can see the full schedule at the link. These guys always put on a great festival, and I love the Market Street Cinema anyway. It might be a good pick for this weekend, if it's up your alley.

February 17 - 19

The Arkansas RV Show is at the Statehouse Convention Center all weekend. It's $5 to get in. 501-765-1423.
The Little Rock Horror Picture Show at the Market Street Cinema (1521 Merrill Drive).

February 18

The Heart Ball starts at 6 p.m. at the Statehouse Convention Center. Tickets are $500 and benefit the American Heart Association. 501-375-9148.
The Arkansas Custom Knife Show is at the Robinson Center this weekend. Admission is $5. 501-554-2582.

February 19-

Winter Jam, a Christian concert at Verizon, starts at 6 p.m. Admission is $10. Check out the lineup.
Soup Sunday is at the Embassy Suites (11301 Financial Centre) starting at 4 p.m. Lots of soups to benefit Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. It's $5-$50. 501-312-9000.
It's West End's 10th Anniversary party.

More February Events.

The Weekend in Little Rock originally appeared on About.com Little Rock on Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 at 06:00:17.

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Winter Weather and the Homeless

2012-02-13T06:00:38Z

Remember the homeless when it's cold and icy. If you see a homeless person on the street, you can call LRPD at 371-4829 and give them the location of the person. They will bring them to a shelter. The shelters and warmin stations are at:

The Canvas Community Church on 1111 7th Street (warming station)
The Salvation Army on 1111 West Markham St. (shelter)
The Union Rescue Mission on 3001 Confederate Blvd. (shelter)
The Compassion Center on 3618 West Roosevelt Road (shelter)
More shelters and soup kitchens (consider donating warm clothes)

Road Conditions

The most important thing to remember in the ice is to stay home or at least drive carefully if you do decide to go out. A good place to start your trip is the Arkansas Highway Department. Their site contains details about which roads are safe to travel and which roads are the worst. You can plan a new route based on the information you found there. You can also follow their Twitter feed to get up to the minute updates.

Power

If it's icy, power is bound to be lost. Entergy has a neat map of outages all over the state and tips for generator safety. Of course, if your power is out an online outage map is of no use. You can call 1-800-9OUTAGE to report an outage to Entergy.

Want more information? Find links to school closings, weather info and more right here.

Winter Weather and the Homeless originally appeared on About.com Little Rock on Monday, February 13th, 2012 at 06:00:38.

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Broadway Bridge Presentation Open For Comments

2012-02-09T18:52:48Z

Photo by Jeremy Woodhouse / The Image Bank / Getty Images

I'm sure you've heard that the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department is looking to replace the Broadway Bridge. The Broadway Bridge presentation is available for you to look at online, and public comments are also open for about two weeks (15 days after the meeting, which was the 7th of February).

I encourage you to submit public comments after reviewing the presentation. The comments ask which bridge style you prefer and if you even think this project is needed. Tim, at the Move Arkansas blog, has published his comment form, which I think is pretty perceptive.

Personally, I like Concept 2 with the open rails the best. The others would not have the same effect on the skyline that the arch does. Little Rock's skyline is famous for its six bridges (see my Junction Bridge piece). While concept 1 looks pretty snazzy from atop the bridge, I just don't think the skyline would be the same.

Broadway Bridge Presentation Open For Comments originally appeared on About.com Little Rock on Thursday, February 9th, 2012 at 18:52:48.

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This Weekend in Little Rock

2012-02-08T06:00:58Z

It's supposed to be a little chilly, but it's still going to be warmer than usual.

February 10

Evolution, Education and 'Intelligent Design' from 6-7 p.m. at the Clinton School of Public Service, Sturgis Hall. Email publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu to attend.
Krewe of Hogs Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball at Vino's. Ticket sales benefit the Community Theatre of Little Rock, $15 door. 501-375-8466.

February 11

Family Fun Saturday - Tommy Terrific Magic Show at 1;30 p.m. at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center.
Arkansas Symphony Orchestra presents "Valentine's in New York" at the Robinson Center Music Hall. 501-666-1761.
Arkansas Darwin Day invites you to tour UALR labs, listen to speakers and more. Check the website for all the events. 501-569-8977.
Tea & Tiaras is from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Country Club of Little Rock. Brunch and crafts, benefiting The Waner Chilren's Vascular Anomaly Foundation. Tickets are $25. 501-664-1531.

This Weekend in Little Rock originally appeared on About.com Little Rock on Wednesday, February 8th, 2012 at 06:00:58.

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Dunkin' Donuts Opening on Cantrell

2012-02-06T21:48:59Z

The first Dunkin' Donuts store may move into Arkansas as soon as August. The company says the new store will be opening on Cantrell Avenue. According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the store may open where Saigon Cuisine was at 6805 Cantrell.

They announced they were opening 11 stores in Arkansas in July of last year. Currently, Arkansas doesn't have a Dunkin' Donuts store. This is bad news to fans of their doughnuts and coffee. I hear their coffee is pretty good and they currently have a rather good-looking chocolate chocolate chip doughnut on their homepage. I don't normally eat doughnuts, but I would eat that one.

Dunkin' Donuts Opening on Cantrell originally appeared on About.com Little Rock on Monday, February 6th, 2012 at 21:48:59.

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