Covid-19 Take Out Reviews

With a month into our self-distancing Covid 19 “quarantine”, we haven’t been able to enjoy any sit-down restaurant experiences. It’s been rough! However, many restaurants are still open for take-out and I’ve had some great take-out experiences! So, here, I’ll cover each of these and then I’ll add to this post whenever I get more take-out.

Star of India

Star of India will always be my favorite lunch buffet. Their food is always SO delicious and they have my favorite saag paneer of all time.

Luckily, for us, they are currently doing family meal deals during our “quarantine” time. Here are the options, each serving 10-12 people:
#𝟏: 𝐒𝐚𝐚𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫, 𝐍𝐚𝐚𝐧, 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐞 & 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐚 $𝟒𝟎⁣
#𝟐: 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐢𝐤𝐤𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐚, 𝐍𝐚𝐚𝐧, 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐞 & 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐚 $𝟓𝟎⁣
#𝟑: 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐯𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐡, 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐍𝐚𝐚𝐧 & 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐚 $𝟒𝟎⁣

We ordered from Uber eats, which also has the regular menu available. We got the family meal with the saag paneer and an additional appetizer of vegetable pakora (battered and fried vegetables) for $3.50.

They aren’t joking when they say this will feed 10-12 people. Drew and I have eaten 3 meals each, and we aren’t even halfway done with the saag paneer yet! Everything is SO delicious, this has been our best take out deal yet!

To put this deal into perspective, the amount of saag panner you get in this meal deal is about 4-5 times as much as you get if you order a regular saag paneer off of the menu for nearly $11.

If this ends up being too much for anyone to finish, you can always freeze the saag paneer as well. It freezes beautifully.

Three Fold Noodles & Dumpling Co.

Three Fold is my favorite restaurant in Little Rock. They have my favorite salad, and their pork bun is my favorite sandwich!  So, today I tried their new mobile truck. The experience was great! They have the friendliest service, my food was packed so nicely with napkins and forks and placed into my car.

For the first time ever, I decided to try the taro chips. WHY has no one told me these are a must-try?! They are absolutely delicious and a great deal for a bag for $2.50. I will have to get a couple bags of these sweet and savory treats every time I go now.

I tried the salad with tofu instead of pork this time and it was delicious! The tofu is seared just right. Delicious as always, this salad hit the spot. If you’ve never tried it, it has fresh spring greens, signature cabbage slaw, signature carrot slaw, pickled veggies, cilantro, a tea-scented egg, house dressing and choice of protein. It is SO good. I always order mine (and everything else here) spicy, but I always think it needs a little more heat. I may have to try it “poisonous” (extra spicy) next time.

The pork bun is always perfection. I just love it so much. It is pulled pork on house-made mo with pickled veggies, spring greens, cilantro, and pepper sauce. It is always juicy and sweet and spicy and yummy. I got to eat it about 30 minutes after I picked it up. I think the steam from the hot sandwich just made the bread even softer and it had time to really soak up all the juices. Not bad for a take away sandwich!

         

Overall, this take out experience can’t be improved and I’ll definitely be bringing this home more often.

 

Ninja Sushi

I ordered from Ninja Sushi via BiteSquad. Surprisingly, I got the food in about 45 minutes, which was much earlier than they estimated. I was impressed. I was further impressed by how delicious the food was!

We started with fried soft shell crab and it was very good! For $8, you get two whole crabs on a big bed of iceburg lettuce and a tasty, tangy sauce.

We also got a large salad with ginger dressing for $5. It was huge, made of iceburg lettuce and sliced carrots and cucumber, and had  ton of deliciously sweet ginger dressing.

We ordered the “3 chef special” meal, which lets you pick any three sushi rolls and includes a soup and salad for $38. This is a great deal because if I had just ordered the three rolls, soup, and salad separately, it would have cost me $46.50.
We got the Johnney’s roll (on the left), the Lobster roll (in the middle) and the Godzilla roll (on the right). All three were very good! I don’t think I’ve ever tried three new sushi rolls and loved them all. Though, the lobster roll was probably my favorite with the Godzilla roll a close second. Drew preferred Johnney’s roll the best.

Overall, this was a great take-out experience and lasted us two meals.

 

Little Greek Fresh Grill

I’ve always loved Little Greek for take out. I’ve never actually eaten inside of it, but always get it via Bite Squad. Their gyros are very good, their french fries are even better. But what is my favorite thing is their hummus with fried pita bread.

The crispy, crunchy, thick fried pita is killer on its own. Such a great flavor and texture! The hummus is one of my favorites, though. It is thick and garlic-y. This snack is crave-able! The best part is the entire dish is only $5. There is literally a cup of hummus and plenty pieces of fried pita. I just love appetizer so much and it was super easy to order it online on their website and just pick it up almost immediately.

 

Guion General Store in Guion, AR (outside of Mountain View)

I’ve driven past this tiny shop in Guion, AR many times, but never went inside. I finally called in my first order and it certainly won’t be my last!

This quaint little general store has a few sandwiches to offer, which you can get with fries. They also had some fresh made banana bread and a couple other baked goods available.

Drew and I both got a reuben sandwich, no cheese, for $7.25. While the sweet lady working the register joked about how it won’t be as good without the cheese, they sure did their best to make it one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had.

This reuben was stuffed with so much corned beef and delicious “special sauce”, it made this a moist, crazy good reuben! Everything about the sandwich was wonderful, even the buttered grilled bread. Whew, I enjoyed that sandwich! Can’t wait to get another one.

 

Pho Huyen in Conway

Conway finally has a Vietnamese restaurant that has banh mi sandwiches, my favorite! Yay! I ordered 4 pork ones to go at $6 each. The other option they have is chicken.
While the bread is absolutely perfect, the sandwich was tiny. There was no sauce on it either. So, I added some hoisin mayo when I got home and that definitely helped. The pork was good, as were the vegetables. However, I don’t think I’ll go back. Nothing about the teeny tiny sandwich made it miraculous.
The people there were super friendly and their menu has plenty of other Vietnamese options, like pho and vermicelli bowls.

 

What’s For Dinner? Perfect Pulled Pork- in a Crock Pot!

I love a GOOD pulled pork, but I hate an overcooked, dried out, too fatty, or too bland one. I guess I’m a little picky when it comes to pulled pork. After eating my share of good and not-so-good pulled pork sandwiches from bbq restaurants, I decided to try my hand at making pulled pork. After a couple attempts, I’ve got the recipe for the perfect pulled pork. I’m serious. Just try it.  Best news is, you don’t need a smoker or bbq pit, just a slow cooker/ crock pot for the most tender and juicy, flavorful pulled pork around.

To get started, you need a bone-in pork shoulder/ pork butt. I got a big 6 lb one from Sam’s club, but you can go smaller. Just make sure it will fit in your crock pot.

Next, you need a rub. You can use your favorite or go with mine. Honestly, I don’t believe it is the rub’s ingredients that give this pork its magic, but rather the process for cooking it. Though, I do love this rub- it gives the pork enough flavor without overpowering it.

Rub Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon ground cayenne
1 tablespoon ground mustard
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper

You want to “rub” the rub all over the pork, and you want it slathered on thick. Then, place it in the refrigerator for a few hours. I always do mine overnight. While this step isn’t critical and if you’re in a hurry, you can skip it, letting it rest while “rubbed” lets the rub really penetrate the meat, giving it better flavor.

Next, you want to sear all 6 sides of the pork in a cast iron skillet. Make sure to get the skillet hot, on medium high heat, before adding the pork. You want a brown crust on all sides (about 2 minutes per side) to help seal in the juices. This step gives the outside pieces great crust and depth of flavor.

Next comes the easy part! Place your pork in your crock pot. I then put 2-3 tablespoons of minced garlic on the top of my pork for a little extra punch of flavor. Put your lid on, turn it on low, and don’t peek at it for 7 hours.
Remember, my pork was 6 lbs, so if you’ve got a smaller pork shoulder, it may only need 6 hours. To make sure it is done, test its internal temperature, it should be 190 degrees.

Once the pork is cooked, remove it from the crock pot and let it sit for 20 minutes. This baby is HOT! Then, use a couple forks to pull the pork apart and make sure all the bones are removed. Then, you’re ready to eat! Feel free to take some of the juice in the crock pot and add it to the pulled pork if you want it extra decadent.

Need ideas for what to eat this with? (tho it tastes great just on its own)
-Add to salad
-Add to pastas
-Eat as a sandwich, with added coleslaw.
-Make nachos!
-I take it from a “Southern” dish to more of an Asian one by putting it on top of rice, then topping with a hoisin-based sauce and adding pickled spicy cucumbers.

Perfect Pulled Pork- in a Crock Pot!

Seriously the BEST pulled pork I've ever had. Tender, juicy, flavorful- there's no going back!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 7 hours
Course Main Course
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 6 lb bone-in pork shoulder/ butt
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp ground cayenne
  • 1 tbsp ground mustard
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp pepper
  • 3 tbsp minced garlic or 3 minced cloves

Instructions
 

  • Mix everything from the brown sugar to the salt and pepper for your rub.
  • Rub the rub all over the pork and slather it on thick.
  • If time allows. rest overnight in the refrigerator. If you only have an hour or two, that's fine!
  • Sear all 6 sides of the pork in a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. Each side should cook about 2 minutes, until a crust forms.
  • Place the pork in the crock pot,
  • Add the 3 tbsp minced garlic to the top of the pork.
  • Add the lid, turn the crock pot on low, and cook for 7 hours. (Or until internal temperature is 190 degrees)
  • Once cooked, remove from the crock pot and let sit for 20 minutes. (Save the juices in the crock pot for now)
  • Pull the pork apart with a couple forks or your hands until all the bones are removed. Add a little juice from the crock pot to the top to make it even juicier and more flavorful.
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