Local Flavor, Eureka Springs AR

TRAVEL THERE: LOCAL FLAVOR, SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST

After the Eureka Springs trolley tour, we were finally hungry. That gooey apple pastry from breakfast kept hunger at bay for hours, but now it was time to eat.

The Innkeeper’s Suggestion

I’ve mentioned that our innkeepers were good at making suggestions for things to see, do and eat. Sometimes I’m as wary of these suggestions as I am of a hateful online rant, but once I’m sure the recommendations aren’t tied to some ulterior motive, I’m anxious to follow them.  One restaurant Zoie recommended several times was Local Flavor, so Deb and I decided to have our late lunch/early supper there.

I can’t say that Local Flavor was our absolute favorite thing on the trip, because we had too many wonderful experiences to pick out just one. Or even our favorite meal of the trip, because I’ve already told you about a couple of other amazing feasts.  However, it was easily the best meal we had in Eureka Springs.  Well, maybe the best meal besides breakfast, because that Strawberry Crepe was pretty remarkable.  Well, you get the idea, we thought it was pretty darned good!

Great Day & Better Restaurant

To begin with, we had a great table and it was a beautiful day.  That makes anything taste better.  Then we ordered a white sangria. OMG!! Nectar of the gods! It was made with peaches and tasted like heaven.  The sangria alone is worth making the trip to Eureka Springs.

Then we shared an appetizer.  Oh yum!  A picture is worth a thousand words.  Just imagine the best baked brie you’ve ever had and turn up the volume.

For an entree, I had a vegetarian sandwich and Deb had a salad, but I forgot to take pictures of them.  I got tickled on this trip at the number of people who take pictures of their food when it is delivered.  All of them can’t be bloggers, so I’m not sure what’s up.

At the table next to us were three college-aged kids.  As soon as each course of their food was delivered, all three grabbed their cameras, bowed their heads and took pictures.  It appeared so ritualistic that I was reminded of people who take time to bow their heads and say grace formally.

I think we may even have found a dessert to share, but nothing beat the sangria and baked brie.  As I sat on the patio enjoying the last few hours of my vacation, I thought about where Eureka had been and where it might be going.

Checking Out the Surroundings

Right across from Local Flavor  was The Cathouse Lounge, another popular attraction, but take a look at the vehicles parked out front.  This was the primary difference I saw and heard between the Eureka Springs of today and the one my parents used to visit. I don’t recall hearing the throbbing beat of a Harley on my previous visits, but the purring of these hogs is now the soundtrack of Eureka Springs.

Eureka Springs was first a sacred healing site for Native Americans.  Then it became a boomtown for Victorian Americans who wanted to “take the waters.”  It made it through a series of fires and The Great Depression.  It’s been a wonderful little tourist town for a long time.  For years The Great Passion Play was the big draw, but I bet these days the Crescent Ghost Tour sells more tickets.  Though I didn’t see it on this trip, Trip Advisor says that Turpentine Ridge, a wildlife refuge, is now the number one tourist attraction.

What’s does the future hold for a cute little town perched between Victorian Bed and Breakfast Inns and motorcycle gangs? I hope your future holds a visit to Eureka Springs and maybe even a visit to some of the other places Deb and I visited on our Lemonade Tour.

Contributing to the Local Economy

After our meal at Local Flavor, Deb and I did a little shopping.  It would have almost been criminal not to.  My favorite shop was Two Dumb Dames.  It’s a fudge factory, but the guy who waited on me was no dumb dame.  He was the husband of one of the original dumb dames’ granddaughters.   I guess those dames weren’t so dumb after all, if a third generation is making a living out of the shop.

Shopping done we relaxed at the B&B, repacking our bags, catching up on our reading and checking on our social media. Then it was time to head home.  Ah, home!  I did save the best for last.