Citiscapes Eats
Case Dighero
buffalo grilled MUSHROOMS

Mushrooms when cooked properly are the epitome of umami; I love this recipe as a side dish, but it’s also killer as a vegetarian main course as the base for sliders…it’s also excellent as an accoutrement to pizza.

The high heat grill ensures a crispy mushroom, so be sure to keep the burners on high through the cooking process. Morels are a seasonal treat, but worth the addition to the mix during the Spring months if you can find them. Thump thump!

buffalo grilled MUSHROOMS
Metrobilly Eats
Case Dighero
the essential RANCH CHICKEN

his recipe is not only a great homemade RANCH DRESSING for salads, dips, and pizza; but also one of my favorites as a marinade for seared or grilled chicken. The yogurt-based dressing is quick and easy to make, and feel free to use whatever fresh herbs you have from your garden.

The yogurt marinade ensures a super juicy, tender meat - but it’s also a great dip for the cooked chicken and fresh tomatoes we love to eat with this recipe.

the essential RANCH CHICKEN
Metrobilly Eats
Case Dighero
rose-chia PANNA COTTA

One of our favorite healthy desserts - it’s certainly strong enough for a man or a woman, but clearly made for couples! Thump thump!

rose-chia PANNA COTTA
Metrobilly Eats
Case Dighero
venison BOLOGNESE

This pasta dish has been one of my favorites during the Winter season; hearty, slightly spicy with a gingery Korean twist that has even the most hardcore Bolognese purists asking for seconds - unlike the more traditional sauce that using milk and hours to simmer, my version incorporates ground venison (feel free to use beef) and omits milk entirely, plus tons of fresh grated parmesan and green onions,

venison BOLOGNESE
Metrobilly Eats
Case Dighero
high south RILLETTES

I love this recipe as a “make in advance” idea days before your guests arrive; simply keep in the fridge until you’re ready to set out the day of your dinner or party.  Jarred Rillettes are also great gift options for your guests as you bid adieu; just be prepared to make this “potted meat” every time you host a party…they’re that good!

high south RILLETTES

#poolhall

Home is Where the Art's Place Is

Art's Place I.jpg

We all need a place to call home; a proverbial hearth that simultaneous garners sanctuary, familiarity, and inspiration alongside the people we love and cherish.  Home is not simply a place, but rather a state of mind and, at times, even of taste, touch, and smell.  The fragrance of freshly brewed coffee, frying bacon, and cigarette smoke transcends me to my childhood and the home kitchen of my grandma Dighero as she poetically maneuvers through her standard, grease laden daily breakfast.  No matter when:  childhood, adolescence, adulthood….I could count on those three intermingled perfumes to make me feel safe, and perpetually hopeful. 

I’m asked on a weekly basis:  where’s your favorite restaurant, who makes the best burger, what’s your favorite beer, where do you go for a drink?  I typically derive answers based on the party questioning, and my answers to the independent questions alter day to day, depending on my mood.  However, the sum of all of those inquiries together lead me to one, undeniable location in Fayetteville:  Arts Place Bar and Grill.  {Notice, there is no “E” at the end of grill}

ART Burger.jpg

Dark, brooding, smoky, embellished with sounds of pool balls “clacking” intermittently beneath laughter, “rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb” muttering, and the unmistakable “sizzle” of burgers on a flat top grill.  Ahhh, this is home…this is where I come to make business deals, to celebrate the lives of contemporaries, to mourn the loss of important family, to be alone, to be part of a crowd, to break-up, to fall in love, and to, most importantly of all, drink a beer and devour the best cheeseburger on the planet.

There’s really nothing stylized about the Art’s Place burger; it’s an archetype of perfection, but one should never expect something groundbreaking or cutting edge.  The beef patty is fried in front of you, behind the bar on a flat top grill that has been seasoned with whiskey, bar brawls, and a million lonely hearts, then stratified with mayo, sliced tomato, cold iceberg lettuce, and thick sliced white onions…be sure to ask for extra crispy fries; and don’t be offended if the pretty girl sitting next you at the bar pays you little mind, because she is, well, you’ll just have to see for yourself.

Art’s Place is a lot of things to a lot of people, myself included; but at the very least it’s an important part of the edible culture of Fayetteville, Arkansas.  It may not be your idea of home, sanctuary, inspiration…but I guarantee it’ll be the best burger you’ve had in a very, long time.

Originally published for Experience Fayetteville - February 2017

http://www.experiencefayetteville.com/eat/item/21-home-is-where-the-art-is

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