It's ok to be Picky

Some would say that I'm picky about where I eat or don't eat.

I don't like restaurants that have bad service. I don't like when I ask a question about the menu and the waiter/waitress doesn't offer to find an answer for my question. And I don't like rowdy atmospheres.

But I do love friendly waiters/waitresses, locally-sourced, creative food and a nice cloth napkin and real silverware (these aren't required, but they're a nice touch).

Some would say that I'm snooty.


And yes, you could say that I am very particular about where I eat out, mainly because I cook at home a lot and save my money so eating out is a special event. Also, I can cook a delicious meal at home for pretty cheap, so when I'm spending some of my hard earned cash, I set the bar high.

Can we rename picky to well-researched or choosy. Those both sound much better.

Anyway, there are a few places on my recurring lunch eating out list, and when I go, I expect to get a good, healthy meal made with fresh ingredients that's under $10 or so.

This week I added a new place to my list that meets all of these requirements.

Heirloom Food and Gifts, which is located in downtown Rogers, is one of the cutest little store/restaurants.

They serve fresh, creative and unique food (for lunch only) and their small, seasonal menu changes at least every week. In addition to their 4 or so daily specials, they have mezze platters you can build and they sell local flours, honeys, salsas and such.

I enjoyed a fantastic salad of mixed greens topped with new potatoes (cooked perfectly), sugar snap peas, green beans and radish all dressed with a dill yogurt creamy concoction and paired with a side of homemade crackers.

My husband had the roasted chicken and egg noodles special which was basically the best chicken noodle soup ever, made with homemade noodles and big chunks of chicken and carrots.

I really enjoyed the quaint, friendly atmosphere of the place and I think anyone would be welcomed there and treated like family.

Even though I usually don't have a reason to go to downtown Rogers, now I totally do. Heirloom is a local gem and one of the places that us picky eaters need to support!

P.S. If you live in NWA, check out these Restaurant Week specials for next week at various Downtown Rogers restaurants.