Little Bread Co. Fayetteville square

Fayetteville's Little Bread Co. is an extremely charming little bakery that exemplifies what Fayetteville is increasingly about...local, sustainable, artisanal, and above all kick ass food. There should be a version of this bakery in every neighborhood. Thanks be to god for granting us a respit from the mass produced stale and sterile fodder. Bread is, or at least was, a holy sacrament, and I'm surprised that in a Christian society we've tolerated the bastardization of this once revered staple.

So finally our dreary existence has been illuminated a bit by a beacon of hope, known as....Little Bread Co. Back are the days when we can walk to our neighborhood bakery and take part in the sensual experience of seeing and smelling freshly baked bread. There's something very comforting about that smell, almost motherlike.

The bread is great, and their other offerings are pretty good too. I stopped by on my way to the farmers marked and had the Provolone and roasted red pepper quiche, it was pretty friggin good. Buttery flaky crust, perfect amount of swiss cheese, with a sweet smokeyness from the roasted peppers. I will say that the potatoes that I was served were a bit on the overcooked side. They didn't parboil them before roasting them, but with enough ketchup anything is edible. Let me also add that I don't just go around throwing ketchup on all my food willy nilly, I'm not one of "those" people.

The also obviously had a huge array of baked goods: muffins, cookies, crossaint, bagels, bear claws, various artisanal fresh baked loaves. Their massive cinnamon rolls will stomp a mudhole in anything that cinnabon poops out.

Next time you have a craving for something sweet check this place out, they've got your craving covered.

It's a hip little joint. Perfect for grabbing a quick bit before heading up to the farmers market on a lazy summertime morning.

See what I meant by hip, check out the mural, that is screaming hip.

Bread with a touch of whimsy, and poppy seeds.

But probably one of the coolest things that this place has got going for it is the little covered patio off to the side. This is 100% the best place in NWA to enjoy a morning cup of coffee and start the day, it's borderline a religious experience. If they could have the guy from the farmers market that plays the gypsy guitar there, I would want to move in.

The photo doesn't really do it justice, there are more tables, and lots of greenery. Kick ass breakfast spot doing it the old school. Hats off to you Little Bread Co. Keep on keepin on!

-Your's Nerdly

Fayetteville Food Nerdlinger

DAMGOODE PIES....eh..more like OKPIES

Damgoode pies is definitely an overstatement, the only thing that this place is damgoode at are gimmicks...see the "E" at the end of DAMGOODE. These guys are more worried about gimmicks and selling franchises and t-shirts than pizza. I'm embarrassed to even say the name. If you want to check out the pizza, go for the delivery. The service was absolutely hands down the worst I've had at any restaurant in recent memory. No ice in the drinks, it took over an hour for us to get our pizza, and the pizza wasn't even that great. Granted the pizza was better than all the national chains, but just barely. We had the garden, the hog, and some appetizers, it was ok, but I'll definitely not be going back. If you want good pizza in Fayetteville check out Cable Car, or Bordinos. Giraldi's has an awesome calzone too, in my opinion pizza is about crust, and Giraldi's has perfected it.

Top Ten NWA

1. Best Burger: Hugos of Fayetteville

Hugos is probably the coolest restaurant in NWA. It's unpretentious, honest, good, and cheap. Whenever I have friends in town I always recommend this place, it's fayetteville in a microcosm. You've got the college kids, professionals, families, people from all most walks of life. Their fries are pretty decent, but could use work (occasionally soggy). They have a really good grilled trout with a dill tartar sauce, but the burger is the draw here. It's done right, cooked on a grill over a flame (the way meat is supposed to be cooked), perfect bun, and with all the right accompaniments. And at $6.50, it beats crappy Red Robin by far. Beer selection is decent, and the atmosphere is cool too.

2. Best Thai: Taste of Thai

Taste of Thai on the square is truly a fayetteville treasure. Perfect Pad Thai, actually, everything is really good. If you go on a weekend there will be a wait, but it's well worth it! Go for lunch, you get a salad with your entree. If you sit in the front seating area, the decor is really cool, but if you're unlucky enough to get sat in the weird back stockroom/dining room sorry for you. It's pretty weird, like you're sitting at the kids table at thanksgiving or something.

3. Best Ambiance: Bordinos

Bordinos is hands down the hippest restaurant in town. Appropriate lighting, badass drink menu, and pretty decent food. Although a long way from being Babbo or Caffe Museo, the food is all pretty good. There's not much on the menu that I wouldn't recommend. This is a perfect spot to come have a few small plates/tapas (they have a small plate menu]), and drinks, then hit dickson. The Caprase salad, duck, blackened strip all rock. The gnocchi and and wild boar fettuccine is also really good. Also one of the best creme brulee's in town. Bring money, especially if you plan on having drinks. The patio is also awesome, nice addition. If you go on a weekend, definately make reservations!

4. Best Tex-Mex: La Hacienda

Charro Beans, quail, tacos carbon, al ambre,, their own website (how many local mexican places do you know of that have a website?) and a live flamenco guitarist....need I say more. This place isn't the underage binge drinking mexican restaurants that we all know and "love", but it does have damn good food. Got to love the three salsas too.

5. Best Authentic Mexican: El Campesino Market

This little gem is actually in a mexican grocery store in Lowell, it's not advertised, and you better be ready to flex your spanish muscles when you order, because they speak very little english. But the ladies that run the joint are cool little grandma types. They have all the standards: enchilada, tacos , tortas, burritos (asada, lengua, barbacoa, pastor, chicharon), pazole, menudo, caldo res, caldo de mar, etc. Their tamales are probably the best in all of Arkansas, they grind their own masa for pete's sake. Super cheap too.

6. Best Chinese: Formosa

Sorry redneck buffet lovers, you won't find a buffet here...thank christ. But the food is awesome, you can actually taste it. They deliver too, everything is really good. Their dumplings are home made, and steamed to order....get them, they will complete you. Not super cheap, but it's worth it.

7. Best Healthfood: Ozark Natural Foods

Awesome burritos, AWESOME selection of cheeses ( i have a cheese obsession), perfect guilt free take home meals, hummus is great. Pricey, but worth it. It's local, it's organic, and it's a coop. Fayetteville's version of whole foods. And you don't feel like a total lard after eating here...woah there tubby, you're not on the moon yet.

8. Best Fried Chicken: AQ Chicken/Grape Festival Church Dinner/Monte Ne Inn

It's pretty weird, but I love their over the coals chicken. The first time I ate it I was like "why did they deep fry it, then cook it on a grill, then put lemon pepper on it", but now I get cravings for this Frankenstein of a chicken preparation. Tontitown Grape Fest Church Dinner chicken is very good too, I anticipate it like Thanksgiving dinner. Monte Ne Inn is just a cool southern restaurant, if you haven't been, you should definitely go. It gets super busy so make reservations.

9. Best Tontitown "Italian": Venetian Inn

Their spaghetti is awe inspiring! It's all made from scratch, I'll gaurantee you've not had any pasta like this, the sauce is friggin mouthwatering too. The "salad" is sort of odd, it's just iceberg lettuce with a vinegar and oil dressing, nothing else. Their steaks are decent (especially for the price), and the fried chicken is really good too. Their huge yeast rolls are home made and probably the best in NWA.

10. Best Dinner and a Show: Shogun's

Ok, so the food isn't that great, and it's overpriced, but the building is cool and futuristic, decor modern, and the hibachi show is pretty sweet....it brings out the kid in me when I see knives being thrown around, and flames.