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Well folks, we certainly hope all our readers have managed to find a way to stay warm and dry during this messy week. Our home has had no power since Tuesday and this is the first time I’ve been able to find my way to a computer since that time. So if you are even able to access the internet and read this blog, count yourself lucky.

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Things are still a little wild out there. I’ve braved the storm and snow everyday and driven around Little Rock and it’s been a rather sobering scene. Businesses are shut down all over the city (particularly in my neck of the woods in West Little Rock), homes are dark, trees are strewn across roads and have snapped power lines in many neighborhoods. It’s a mess, people, and we sincerely hope all our readers are doing well.

With our power out since Tuesday, of course we have not been able to prepare a warm meal this entire time. We’ve struggled to grab a bite at various restaurants around town. Some have fared better than others, but a good majority have not even been able to open their doors at all. The establishments that have been able to open are short on supplies, many have freezers and refrigerators full of spoiled food, and most are running limited menus. But it’s possible to find a hot meal out there if you are able to get out and search.

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Let us know how you are weathering the storm. Have you found any particular restaurants that have offered refuge through this madness? Personally, I have to give props to the PF Changs on Shakleford in West Little Rock. On Wednesday night, which seemed to be the peak of storm madness, we were without heat and power, our fridge was getting warmer, we had no means of cooking and our home was rather uncomfortable. I had family in town, so eight of us sat around aching for a hot meal and a place to get warm. We drove around the city for at least an hour looking for a place to eat…everything was closed. But then we ran across PF Changs, not normally my first choice for dining but it would suffice given the circumstances.

I was extremely impressed with this PF Changs’ operation on that night. They were running the entire place with one manager and two servers. And this place was packed, given the fact that it was one of the few places open and it appeared that many Arkansans had similar desires to escape the confines of their dark, cold homes and grab a hot meal. Despite the short staff, PF Changs was able to serve a huge number of people, managed to bus tables, serve drinks, take care of a long line of take out orders, and simply made a lot of people happy that night. The food was decent. I still enjoy the flavors of their orange peel beef and kung pao chicken, and on this night it was manna to the taste. We’ve also been able to round up meals at Dogtown Cookery in NLR, David’s Burgers, and Chipotle in WLR.

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Let us know how you are faring. Hopefully next week will allow us to get back to our more regularly scheduled programming here on Eat Arkansas with more restaurant reviews and enticing food news. For now, I’m just hoping we can get our power back in a timely manner and they restore my internet access. If you’ve got any tips on restaurants or businesses out there that have helped you make this time more bearable, please share your thoughts. Stay warm, Arkansas.

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