Rhett Brinkley

The 20th Ever Nog-off, the latest installment in the Historic Arkansas Museum's annual celebration of eggnog, pops off tonight during 2nd Friday Art Night, and it brings together past winners for a "Tournament of Champions” format that sounds like a captivating reality TV show waiting to happen in 2025.

Downtown Little Rock’s EJ’s Eats and Drinks seems to have closed up shop at the corner of Sixth and Center streets in the historic downtown Moore Building.

Mr. Chen’s Authentic Chinese Cooking, tucked away near the entrance of the Oriental supermarket of the same name at 3901 S. University Ave., will close up shop after Dec. 30 in order to expand the grocery store.

Let’s celebrate some of our local pizzerias by living vicariously through our food editor’s photo library. “Is 317 even a lot?” he asked. Unclear. How many pizza pics are on your phone?

2024 brought many notable food memories: eclipse-themed lattes and ice cream sandwiches, the Bottom Feeder Lager brewed by Vino’s to celebrate the Arkansas Times ’ 50th anniversary, a Chicago dog-style pizza on Detroit-style crust a downtown Little Rock resident was slinging out of his home kitchen. But I think the most important takeaway I can offer after another year of covering Central Arkansas food and restaurant news is that if you can say “I haven’t been there in forever,” about a local spot you know and love, you should pencil in a visit in 2025. Here are some other 2024 takeaways and memories I don’t want to forget from the Eat Arkansas beat.

Former Arkansas Times reporter Mary Hennigan's nachos at Mockingbird in July. Credit: Rhett Brinkley

Arkansas Times Cannabiz Editor Griffin Coop is on the food beat today, taking pictures of restaurant facades all over the city. First Coop informed us that a sign at the former Dickey’s Barbecue Pit at 9401 N. Rodney Parham Road is advertising that a restaurant called Saigon Noodle Station is coming soon to the space.

Yellow Rocket Concepts, the Arkansas restaurant group behind ZaZa, Big Orange, Local Lime, Lost Forty, Taco & Tamale Co. and Camp Taco, has announced plans for growth and expansion through a partnership with Foxden Capital, an Arkansas-based investment firm.

One of the most time-honored remedies for coping with the cold, gray and often bleak days immediately following the holidays — when we’re sick, tired and full of aspirational thinking — is to seek comfort from piping hot bowls of hearty broths, bisques and stews chock-full of vegetables, protein and noodles. And after a particularly deflating election year, some of us are looking for restorative pick-me-ups wherever we can find them. Here’s a nonexhaustive list of some of our favorite local soups of the moment that have helped melt away our winter doldrums. Dine in or take ’em home, where you’ll get the added benefit of situating a steamy bowl on your lap for extra warmth.

KARK-Channel 4 Chief Meteorologist Todd Yakoubian beamed into Twitter from his vacation in snowy Montana to give us a preview of what winter weather might be in store for Arkansas and when the "sledable snow" could arrive.