Tag: review

Food Review: Blue Heaven Benton

I’ve been hearing so many wonderful things about this new restaurant in Benton, Blue Heaven. We went there for my mom’s birthday last night and here is the breakdown:

ENVIRONMENT

Wow. The most impressive thing about this place is how absolutely beautiful it is, inside and out. These owners really went above and beyond to make this place feel fancy, clean, while still homey and comfortable.

There are a few rooms inside, but we dined in this beautiful sunroom, which opened up to their outdoor spaces. There was also a large, open dining room adjacent to a stunning bar area that I may have to sit in next time just for the fancy ambience.

However, outside is remarkable.

Our dining room opened up to a covered, outdoor seating area full of many, many tables, decor, plants, outdoor furniture, and great lighting.

This area also has an outdoor bar.

There’s even a coy pond!

Finally, there are two gaming areas, one with ping pong and another with horse shoes and cornhole.

 

MENU

You can find their menu here on their Facebook page. They have lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch menus. There seems to be a little bit of everything from sandwiches, steaks, pastas, and some unique items as well.

 

FOOD

Key Lime Pie Martini: $9


Ok, this isn’t food, but it was the only drink ordered and it did taste like key lime pie. It was very tasty and we loved the graham cracker rim.

Fried Green Tomatoes: with remoulade sauce: $7.95

These were good fried green tomatoes, and the homemade remoulade was perfect! However, there were just five tiny tomato slices for $8. I probably won’t get these again for $1.60 per bite. #cheapskate

House Salad that comes with each entrée and your choice of homemade dressing

These came in beautiful bowls and you got to pick from a variety of homemade dressings. The ranch was delicious! While I loved the couple of radishes, tomatoes, and cucumbers, the lettuce was pretty wilted and I was wishing I had some croutons or at least crackers or bread for the table?

Crispy Duck: $26.95
Description: Half of a domestic duck confied then dropped in the deep fryer to a crispy golden brown an drizzled with mojo Caribbean glaze. Comes with one side and a side salad

The two options for sides this evening were sautéed green beans or a baked potato. The green beans were so flavorful. I really enjoyed them. The duck skin was tasty, with a sweet honey-like glaze over it. The meat inside seemed a little tough. Perhaps frying it after it is confied overcooks it a little? I was most excited about this dish, but it ended up being my least favorite.

Cornish Hen: $18:95
Description: Marinated overnight and deep fried to perfection. Comes with one side and a side salad.

Coconut Shrimp: $21.95
Description: Jumbo shrimp battered in coconut shaving mixture fried to a golden brown and served with a rum orange marmalade dipping sauce. Comes with one side (baked potato) and side salad.

I didn’t taste this one! But they looked perfectly cooked. And well, a potato is a potato.

Blue Heaven Signature Burger with added “crispy” bacon: $13.95
Description: All beef patty cooked medium or well done (well done here…my mom’s order, not mine!) served with lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, with your choice of cheese (American, pepper jack, or Swiss)

I’m pretty sure my mom was not given a salad, but only a choice or fries or chips, like a lunch entree. Either way, the burger was probably the item ordered at the table. My mom loved it and ate every bite of it!

Strawberry Cake: $6

My mom loves strawberry cake, so we got one for the table. I had only one bite because it was so dry. Maybe a day or two old and in its youth it was better? My mom enjoyed it, though, which is what counts! It was her birthday!

 

OVERALL

I really wanted to fall in love with this place. But at $150 after a 20% tip for 4 people, I guess I’m kind of relieved I didn’t just love it. The ambiance, the whole setting? I loved that! What an epic place to rent out for an event. I just wish all the food was really good. I also think an offering of a little homemade bread for each table would make the dining experience feel even more special. Maybe one day?
Yet, on a Wednesday evening, the entire restaurant was packed, so what do I know? =)

 

Food Review: Bai Tong Thai Be Bangin!

*June 2017 Update located at the bottom.*

My favorite go-to Thai food place was Saigon in Conway, until it closed this year. This has been pretty devastating as there is only one Thai restaurant I know of in Little Rock, Zangna Thai, and it is pretty expensive.  So, my Thai food intake has decreased dramatically.
Then, Bai Tong Thai opened in Conway. Drew and I decided to head to Conway for a date night and try this place out. I was pretty impressed. Here’s the breakdown:

Environment

This restaurant is found in a newer shopping center, but don’t let that throw you. While it is small, it was modernly decorated with bright colors and very clean.
When we first arrived, there was only one other couple in the restaurant. Over the entire time we were there, only one other family arrived. For a Friday night, this is not a good sign.

The Food

Tom Kah Kai $10.99
Description: Creamy coconut milk soup with chicken, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, lemongrass, galanga, kaffir leaf, and cilantro.

We started off with one of my all-time favorite soups, Tom Kah Kai. Though, not all of these soups are created equal. My favorite version was the one at Lilly’s Dim Sum, though that place closed this year as well. Come on! This version, though, was delicious! The creamy broth is sweet with just a slight kick. There was plenty of very tender slices of chicken, (This is usually a problem with this soup, the chicken gets overcooked and very tough, but not here!) mushrooms, and other veggies. There were huge slices of tomato that I wish were cut smaller. I have never had tomatoes in this soup, but I enjoyed it. There was also plenty of cilantro sprinkled on top, which I love.
I will definitely order this soup again.

 

Panang Curry, $12.00
Description: Coconut milk, panang curry, kaffir leaf, and fried bell peppers on a bed of spinach.

I LOVE panang curry. This one was good, but not my all-time favorite. It was very sweet at first and then BAM! a pretty intense heat hits you. I was glad to have more soup left to cool my mouth off after each bite. The tofu was cut into very large pieces, which I do not like. I should have ordered this with chicken or beef. There was plenty of sauce, though. So, each bite was flavorful and saucy. I think I will try a different curry on their menu next time, though this was still enjoyable.

 

Pahd Thai, $10.99
Description: Stir-fried rice noodles, egg, green onions, and bean sprouts in pahd thai sauce topped with ground peanuts

My favorite pahd thai was from Saigon, may it rest in peace. But this one is a close second. I like my pahd thai saucy, with medium heat. (Enough spice to give good flavor and a kick, but not so much that I can’t finish the dish.) I like to taste the peanuts as well, but I don’t like too much lime. This pahd thai nailed it. I loved it. The tofu was cut into smaller pieces than in the panang curry and was sauteed, which I enjoy.
I ordered the heat level 3 out of 5, though it needed more heat. However, there was some spicy chili sauce on each table, so I added some of that and it was perfectly spicy.
The serving size was also huge! And for $11, this may be the cheapest pahd thai (for the amount) that I have ever had. I got four meals out of this! I will definitely order this every time I visit, even if it is just to eat over the next couple of days.

Overall

I really enjoyed this place. The people were so nice, the service was great, and the food was top notch. I also enjoy that the prices are cheaper than many other Thai restaurants.  I hope more people go visit this restaurant so it succeeds. So, got dinner plans? You do now.

If you have been and can suggest any good dishes I should try next time, let me know in the comments.

Update: June 2017

Since Drew and I enjoyed our last meal here so much, we made sure to get dinner when we were in Conway yesterday. I was craving a Thai Beef Salad and Drew wanted something like a curry, but on the healthier side. Here’s what we decided on:

Asparagus Peanut Sauce with Chicken, $10.99
Description: Grilled asparagus, squash, and carrots on a bed of spinach, topped with peanut sauce.

Drew chose a mix of stir-fried veggies in a deliciously sweet, but not too heavy, peanut sauce. This was perfect for getting that curry craving satisfied, even though peanut sauce is not a curry sauce. It was still similar enough to a peanut-filled curry sauce, like a massamum curry, though it was sweeter and not swimming in the sauce like most curry dishes allow.  With tons of vegetables and very tender slices of chicken, it was a healthy, yet very filling meal.
While it was a little on the sweet side, adding a bit of the table condiments, such as chili sauce, helped elevate this sauce to an easy favorite.

Beef Salad $10.99
Description: A bed of shredded iceberg topped with marinated strips of beef, mixed with cucumber, onions, tomatoes, and cilantro with a spicy lime dressing.

First off, I LOVE a good Thai beef salad. This one was delicious, but it was not my favorite. While the dressing was tangy and spicy and fresh, it was borderline too spicy for me. By the end of the meal, my mouth was on fire!
The beef actually tasted a lot better than it appears in the picture. The beef was cooked perfectly, leaving it tender and flavorful. Nothing is worse than having overcooked beef on your salad, amIright?
The rest of the salad consisted of entirely too large “bites”, so I had to spend some time cutting everything into much smaller pieces. I also found a few ingredients that I tend to enjoy on this dish missing: I didn’t notice any cilantro (if it was there, it was minimal) and there were no peanuts.
Nevertheless, I definitely still enjoyed my salad, but I will go elsewhere when this craving for a Thai beef salad hits me again.

The Service

The service here, again, was fantastic. While they may be a little slow getting your order or handing you your check, our waters were never empty, our food came out promptly, and everyone is more than friendly and professional.
We also found that attention to detail here really adds a lot to our experience. Each table was decorated with a little styling of the napkins and silverware and everything is very clean. These details and the friendly service help make this a great dining experience…both times!

If you try this place and come across a dish we haven’t tried that we need to try, let me know in the comments!