FOOD & DRINK

RHETT BRINKLEY

COLD SUMMER TREAT GUIDE

BEAT THE HEAT WITH ICY SWEETS IN CENTRAL ARKANSAS.

BY RHETT BRINKLEY

It’s August, which means the end of summer is near. For me, it’s always been a horrible month. As a child it meant the end of magical freedom and another school year on the horizon. As an adult, it means one more month of brutal heat and hair-raising humidity. Summertime might not be as magical for adults as it is for kids, but one thing I enjoy just as much now as I did in my youth is an artificially fruity, sugary liquid concoction drizzled onto ice served in snow-like composition. When you’re at a snow cone stand you’re in a world where red tastes like red, blue tastes like blue, green tastes like Ninja Turtle and Tiger’s Blood is a gourmet delicacy. We learned that the snow cone game has been taken to new levels in Central Arkansas, and we’ve put together a guide to some of our favorite spots to cool off.

THE BREEZY SCOOP 8420 STAGECOACH ROAD

Breezy Scoop owner Jade Summerville offers several delightful add-ons to her Italian ice: You can top it with candy like Nerds, gummy worms, Sour Patch Kids, or get the ice scoops served on top of a watermelon half or inside a pineapple. A “Cheesecake Delight” is also on the menu, featuring a slice of cheesecake served with strawberry Italian ice. My favorite flavor is virgin margarita, which Summerville said sells out weekly.

KALUAS REFRESQUERIA & BOTANAS 3425 PIKE AVE., NORTH LITTLE ROCK

Kaluas offers smoothies, agua mineral, snow cones, ice cream, sorbet and fruity energy drinks. I tried the “mangonada,” consisting of mango smoothie, mango sorbet, chamoy sauce (a spicy Mexican fruit condiment made from dehydrated fruit, chili powder and citrus juice), Tajin seasoning and chunks of fresh mango. It’s served with a straw coated in tamarind fruit and chili powder. It’s refreshing, not too sweet and a tad spicy. It’s a perfect summer treat.

I also had to get an agua mineral because it looked so enticing on the menu. A blend of ice, Topo Chico, chamoy and Tajin, it’s simple, refreshing, spicy and delicious.

14800 Cantrell Rd. Little Rock 501-868-5279 www.buffalowildwings.com

LINDSEY MILLAR RHETT BRINKLEY

RHETT BRINKLEY RHETT BRINKLEY

BEAT THE HEAT: (clockwise from top left) Tajin-spiced fruit cup from El Sur; Italian ice scoops in a watermelon topped with candy from The Breezy Scoop; refreshingly spicy mangonada from Kaluas; lychee ice topped with mango popping bobas from Three Fold Mobile.

COZY’S SHAVED ICE 2829 PARKWAY DRIVE, NORTH LITTLE ROCK

Cozy’s Shaved is just a few miles northwest of Kaluas, so I thought I’d chase down my mangonada and agua mineral with a really sweet snow cone. The most popular blend according to the lone employee is “Tiger’s Blood,” a flavor I know all too well. So I got the daily special, “Solar Punch.” The soft, snowlike texture was perfect and Solar Punch tasted blue in the best way.

EL SUR STREET FOOD CO. VARIOUS LOCATIONS; CHECK FACEBOOK OR INSTAGRAM

In the summer months, our favorite Honduran food truck regularly offers a fruit cup on special: It’s long slices of watermelon, sliced peaches, a liberal dousing of lime juice and a heavy sprinkle of Tajin. It pairs perfectly with a baleada.

CAJUN SNOW 3000 KAVANAUGH BLVD.

I inquired about the daily special, “Shark Week,” and was told it was “Ocean Mist” with a little “Tiger’s Blood.” How could I resist those two flavor profiles? I told myself I was only going to eat a little because I’ve been eating my weight in snow cones, but the combination of sweet red and blue fruity flavors was so wonderful that I ate the whole thing and only spilled a little bit in the car.

THREE FOLD MOBILE 1509 REBSAMEN PARK ROAD

In the warm-weather months, Three Fold’s mobile food truck serves up some delicious, unique shaved ice. Traditional flavors are offered as well as authentic Asian flavors such as lychee, dragonfruit, red bean and yuzu. You can choose to have your shaved ice topped with fresh fruit, or bobas, similar to the chewy tapioca bobas in bubble tea, but with fruity bobas that burst fruit flavor into your mouth. We recommend lychee with mango bobas, but you really can’t go wrong. Three Fold’s shaved ice is only served at its mobile location on Rebsamen Park Road. Three Fold is also utilizing its lychee, dragonfruit, yuzu, peach, mango and passion fruit syrups to sweeten its new Jasmine tea, brewed at the downtown location on Main Street. So you can get mango ice Jasmine tea with mango popping bobas.

serving better than bar food all night long

Kitchen open until 1:30am August

6 - TryMore Mojo w/ Doctor Junior 9pm 7 - Billy Rueben and the Elevated Enzymes 9pm 13 - BBJ and Learning to Crawl 9pm 14 - TBA 20 - Outdoor Block Party w/ Just Cuz’ 7pm (free) 21 - And Then Came Humans 10pm 27 - The KC Bones Band (Grateful Dead Cover Band) 9pm 28 - The Chad Marshall Band 9pm

BEST LATE-NIGHT SPOT BEST LIVE MUSIC VENUE

Check out upcoming bands at Fourquarter.com

Open until 2am every night! 415 Main St North Little Rock (501) 313-4704 • fourquarterbar.com

August 6 Memphis Yahoos 7 Psychedelic Velocity 13 All N Band 14 John Bailey & Hedonist River 20 Black River Pearl 21 Morning View 27 Vintage Pistol 28 GMG Band

BEST HAPPY HOUR BEST LATE NIGHT SPOT BEST PLACE FOR TRIVIA LIVE TRIVIA IT’S TIME FOR PIG AND SWIG

WHERE PORK DELICACIES AND HIGH-END WHISKEY COME TOGETHER.

Several years ago, an Iowa whiskey distiller tried to raise pigs that tasted like whiskey. With the help of a swine nutrition expert, he devised a carefully crafted diet for the pigs made up of spent grain from the leftover mash from the whiskey-making process, corn and soybeans. The consensus among those who sampled mash-fed pork, according to a Popular Mechanics news story? It was very good, but not whiskey-flavored. Popular Mechanics offers a surefire way to create the inverse: Pour one ounce of rendered bacon fat into a glass jar with whiskey, freeze it overnight, strain and you’ve got bacon-infused whiskey.

Now that we’ve crossed those big ideas off our list, here’s the simplest way to marry the joy of smooth sippin’ whiskey and pork delicacies: Buy a ticket (or three) to Arkansas Times Pig & Swig. Presented by Saracen Casino, our annual event returns from 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 19, at the River Market Pavilions. Tickets are $25. Buy them at centralarkansastickets.com.

Here’s what that ticket gets you: high-end whiskey samples from Knob Creek and pork bites from the restaurants of Saracen Casino Resort, Bar Louie in North Little Rock, Table 28, Smoke Beast BBQ, Sims Bar-B-Que, Whole Hog Cafe in North Little Rock, Flint’s Just Like Mom’s, Dickey’s BBQ, Library Kitchen & Lounge, Nubbies Nibblers, Brick and Forge of Conway and Fassler Hall. There will also be music from Yadaloo Music and Arts Festival and a photo booth sponsored by Colonial Wines & Spirits. The after-party goes down at The Library Kitchen & Lounge. The event is only open to those 21 and older.

THE ARKANSAS TIMES MEDICAL CANNABIS WELLNESS EXPO

Curious about the benefits of medical marijuana and the options available? Want to know how to choose the proper dispensary?

Whether you currently have a medical marijuana card or are considering one - the Arkansas Times informative Medical Cannabis Wellness Expo can help answer those questions. You will get panel discussions from your local dispensaries, as well as keynote speakers throughout the industry including: doctors, patient advocates, pharmacists and research & education specialists. You won’t want to miss it.

CASEY FLIPPO Sponsor and Special Host of Events

Event Sponsor

AUGUST 28 9am-5pm

ALBERT PIKE MASONIC CENTER

712 SCOTT ST, LITTLE ROCK

ENTRY IS ONLY $10

LUNCH PROVIDED BY TWO SISTERS CATERING

Exhibitors:

• Healing Hemp of Arkansas • Greenlight Dispensary (Helena) • Natural Relief Dispensary • Curaleaf Dispensary • Native Green Wellness Dispensary • Good Day Farm Dispensary • Delta Cannabis Company • Liberty Defense Group • Arkansas NORML • Buffalo Company CBD • Arkansas Natural Products • Natvana

Lunch by

DR. BRIAN NICHOL CannabisExpertMD

TICKETS AT CENTRALARKANSASTICKETS.COM

Must be 21 or over to attend

Speakers

MELISSA FULTS

Patient Advocacy

DR. BRANDON THORNTON

Co-owner & CEO of Steep Hill Arkansas

CATHIE HIEGEL Research & Education Specialist