It seems as though any time a restaurant is new, lines form to get a taste of the latest and greatest.
Those lines make people unhappy, and their expectations go up. Servers become harried because customers are in as hurry. The kitchen gets backed up and the wait grows longer.
Unless you take a step back.
Dining out in America has the opportunity right now to become a leisurely experience—one in which you observe the people around you, stroll through the menu slowly, and discuss the options with your companions.
That’s how’s we treated a recent visit to a new spot in Rogers, Arkansas called Local Lime. (https://www.locallimetaco.com/)
They even advise such behavior on their website, saying: WE INVITE YOU TO RELAX,
SHARE FOOD, SHARE DRINK, SHARE TIME.
We went for a belated birthday celebration, and our server picked up on that and offered—without us asking—a complimentary dessert. Score points for that!
But first we had to sample the taco sauces. The restaurant offers a multiple choice array of sauces, and they aren’t simply sweet to mild to spicy. No, these sauces include Caribbean Mango, with mango, papaya, pineapple along with roasted tomato, jalapeno, cilantro and, true to its name, lime. The Zucchini includes green chiles, pumpkin seeds, onion, cilantro and lime, while the House Tomato offers plenty of tomato with onion, garlic, cilantro and jalapeno. There are more, so check out their site and drool a bit!
We chose our three, which come with housemade chips. We ate and ate, and still had enough sauce to use it on our tacos, although they were plenty flavorful without it.
Each taco plate comes with three, and they are plenty filling. Arkansas is south, so the Fried Chicken taco kind of made sense–and more so when eaten. With its jicama-jalapeno slaw and queso fresco it was easily our favorite. Although, the ‘Easy Tiger’ Fish Taco was a close runner-up, with tasty code fried in beer batter and served with slaw, pico, and a poblano crema. They also offer sizzling fajitas and other items with unexpected twists, like the Skillet Salmon Vera Cruz served in a cast iron skillet.
Then came the dessert, shareable once again–after an era of “don’t touch my food.” We shared carefully, of course, but it felt good to dip in and enjoy a taste without leaving half of it behind.
Service was attentive, food was tasty, and the experience worth writing home about. And definitely worth waiting for.
Food Worth Waiting For
This is a restaurant review of Local Lime, a Mexican-themed restaurant in Rogers, Arkansas.