2 Best Restaurants in Little Rock, Arkansas

One of the newest players at the table of Little Rock's fine dining landscape, chef-owner Payne Harding, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, puts a contemporary spin on old-fashioned flavors, as, for instance, in his prosciutto-wrapped rabbit with gnocchi and braised apples. A good-value lunch menu includes interesting salads, small plates, sandwiches, and pizzas. From the bar, try a Kicking Mule, a craft cocktail concoction of whiskey and cayenne pepper.

Cool as the other side of the pillow, South on Main serves sophisticated Southern cuisine at an accessible price, wrapped in a comfortable architectural design of French bistro with a drawl. What's more, it's kissing cousins with Oxford American magazine, a literary buffet of Southern culture. When the two families get together, which is often, they dish up an eclectic entertainment menu of musical performances, literary readings, and anything else that brings the magazine "from page to stage."