I am going to let you in on a little secret, just a small one—I am married to the owner and editor-in-chief of Arkansas1st.com. This means that I get a lot of latitude to cover what I want for the news organization. And by “a lot,” I mean “as much as Jennifer Lancaster will let me do.”
Today, I am starting a review of restaurants. In the past, I have enjoyed reading local articles about good restaurants and the bad ones. It gave me good ideas about where to take Mrs. Lancaster on date night and where to avoid. Lately, I have struggled to find such articles and being a particular, and accurate, connoisseur of food, I think I am well suited for the task. You will get it straight here—good or bad.
Brave New Restaurant has been a staple of the Little Rock dining scene for years. Its namesake head chef, Peter Brave, has been putting out signature dishes for years. Historically, Brave New was only open for lunch and dinner. However, this weekend, Brave New upped the ante with a new brunch offering.
The Valentine’s Day brunch was the first of what will become a monthly offering in the foreseeable future for Brave New. My wife found this setting, and we were both thrilled to return to Brave New for its new menu.
Jennifer started with the Goat Cheese Mousse.
The mousse was light and fluffy but rich in flavor. The chive creams sauce enriched the flavor even further. I saw, and detected, the taste of a slightly spicy chili infused oil.
For me, I love good oysters, and I knew the quality would deliver at Brave New.
And I wasn’t wrong. The Just Shucked Oysters were generous in size and very fresh. They were served with a mignonette. Mignonette is a term from the French culinary world that originally referred to a grouping of peppercorns, cloves, and other spices used to infuse flavor into various liquids. In this case it is very much an infused red wine vinegar used to dress the oyster.
This mignonette was house made with noticeable chunks of shallots, garlic, and white onions in a light red wine vinegar. It came with fresh grated horseradish and cocktail sauce. Usually, when I get oysters, they come served on a bed of ice. These came served on rock salt. If the choice was to opt for salt, I would have appreciated kosher salt which I could have incorporated into the dish. Unfortunately, the rock salt was too big and hard to eat and served only as a visual garnishment.
Being the lover of oysters that I am, I ordered twelve instead of six. However, these oysters were so big I will stick with a single order in the future.
For the main course, Jen chose the avocado toast.
And for avocado toast, it was very well thought out and executed. The ciabatta was thick, but not so thick that it became more than a carrier of the other elements. It was perfectly toasted and sized, and easy to cut without watching all the toppings tumble off.
The avocado was fresh and the pickled purple onions, marinated tomatoes, and seasoning was done to perfection. Jen said it was the best avocado toast she remembered having in a long time. It came served with a side salad, the toppings of which were slightly balanced in a vinegar to give them added flavor.
I chose the shrimp and grits.
A good cheese grit can be difficult to nail. Especially once you consider the variety of grits from the Carolina low country to the Mississippi delta to southern Louisiana. One could perfectly compose cheese grits that are a delicacy in New Orleans but junk in Beaufort.
These grits were very well done. They had the right amount of cheese and were properly cooked. The jumbo shrimp were, in fact, jumbo, but a few were slightly over grilled. The andouille gravy had chunks of sausage and was likely the best I have had in a long time. It was served with a side of “home fries,” which were breakfast potatoes cooked to a more crisp texture and seasoned.
The more I ate of the dish, the more I noticed that my nose was running. However, I never felt overwhelmed with spice, and it came upon me very, very subtlety. Because I had porked out on the oysters, I had leftovers on the main course. I encouraged Jen to partake, and, after a few bites, her nose started running too. Overall, an A+ shrimp and grits.
Brave New is going to start holding a brunch menu on the second Saturday of every month—except May, which will be a Sunday-Mother’s Day brunch. Located on Cottondale in Little Rock on the Arkansas River, it is a stop you should put on your list of places to indulge.
Find them on Instagram or online at www.bravenewrestaurant.com. Reservations are available and recommended for peak dining times.
Attorney. America First. Sued Hunter Biden for child support. Represented President Trump in the 2020 Wisconsin election challenge. Former attorney for the Wisconsin Special Counsel. An official “Tough Cookie” per President Trump.
I took my Fiancé there for Lunch on Valentine’s Day and she was thoroughly impressed. I had dined there a few times before and promised her it would be a good experience. They sat us next to the window to see the River and our server Leslie was excellent. We’ll definitely be back!