Trick or Treat

Who is that server-- a famous painter? Musician? Writer? We have some fun in store for Halloween. Our staff will be dressed up as famous artists-- guess who the artists are, and you'll be entered into the drawing for Lunch for Two. Wednesday only.

We had a rocking Tuesday; let's do it again today.

Cheers!

Another Exciting Week Coming Up

Okay, okay, I'm not good at this blogging thing. I'm almost a week between posts-- I'll try to do better. : )

We had a decent weekend. Sales were up for dinner, and about 50% of our clientel were out-of-towners. Art sales are starting to pick up, too, and we've gotten several new pieces in as well. Koz has his miniatures, Kelly Moore has quite a few new pieces, and we have 2 new artists' works.

The Arkansas Times Readers' Choice Awards ballots are coming out this Thursday, and we appreciate your vote. We won as one of the Best New Restaurants last year; let's see if we can win Best Overall this year!

See our article in the Democrat-Gazette on Friday, and in AY Magazine that comes out Thursday.

We are meeting this Wednesday to sign our lease for Argenta-- keep your fingers crossed all works out well.

Wednesday is Halloween! Our staff will dress up as artists-- see if you can pick out who is who!

Cheers!

Fall is Here

Well, it appears to be official; fall is here! That's good for our electricity bill, as our 1980 air conditioners can finally take a break-- that is, at least until we have to turn on the heaters and the gas bill shoots through the roof. Ah, the joys of business ownership.

We heard yesterday that we will be one of the restaurants featured in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette next Friday (November 3) for our dinner Prix Fixe. And, the Arkansas Times' Readers' Choice Awards is coming up in the first two weeks of November, so don't forget to cast your ballots. We won in the "Best New Restaurant" category last year-- we hope to win "Best Overall" this year. Thanks for your support!

I get asked daily when we are moving to Argenta, NLR. At this point, it looks like next summer (2008), but that's not set in stone yet. All of the powers that be are moving slower than expected at this point, so we are just waiting patiently for it all to fall into place. We'll be sure to let you know as soon as all of the details are ironed out.

We're gearing up for our wine dinner tomorrow night (Wednesday). We are about half-full, so call today and reserve your table. It's going to be our best yet.

Hope to see you in for warm food and drinks this week as the temperatures drop--

Cheers!

What a Week

Well, it's been over a week since I've posted. We've been doing some major multi-tasking and juggling. We have done three private parties and the Race for the Cure Brunch, along with our regular lunches and dinners-- and all I can say is thank goodness for Sous Chef Austin. He rocks.

This upcoming week we have our October Wine Dinner, and another private party, and hopefully more caterings. BTW: We're coming into the holiday season, so now's the time to book your holiday parties with us, as we're starting to fill up. Call Paula or Todd: 372-7976.

We are going to be featured in the November issue of AY Magazine, and rumor has it we'll have a review in the Arkansas-Democrat-Gazette soon, too. Nothing like a little free press to get the people in : )

Hope to see you soon--

Cheers!

New Sous Chef

It's official; we have a new Sous Chef, Austin. This means I (Paula) am no longer slaving away in the kitchen with Chef Jason. It was fun while it lasted, but I'm glad to get out of the heat and back on focusing on the front-of-the-house. And, of course Chef Jason is excited that he is no longer going to have to do the work of 2 people for days on end.

Sous Chef Austin has a great background and excellent skills, and we're thrilled that he has joined our team. Say hi to him next time you're in, and enjoy the new sanity at the cafe' (at least while it lasts!).

Cheers!

Lordy, Lordy, Look Who's Forty!

This is it: the big 4-0! Today is Paula's 40th birthday, so be sure and rib her a little when you see her for being soooooo old.

Here's to you, old girl: Happy Birthday!

Cheers!

Where Ya At?

It's been quite slow at the restaurant the past couple of weekends; where ya at? Don't forget about us for the best dinner experience in town: incredible food, excellent prices, amazing atmosphere, friendly service.

I hear a lot that people don't come down at dinner because of the parking. Don't let that stop you. The parking lot across the street from us is free after 6pm. It's better parking than the parking at the grocery store.

We're all taking a much-needed break today, our only day closed. We hope to see you this week.

Cheers!

We're Cool

It's official; the air conditioner is fixed. It's cooler now than it has been all summer. Now if Mother Nature would just follow course...

If you're heading to the Symphony, Weekend Theatre, or other downtown venue this weekend, be sure to call us for a reservation. We specialize in pre-show dinners, and we'll make sure you get to the show on time without rushing you.

Cheers!

We're Up and Running (sort of)

Good news-- the electricity is back on. The electrician did his magic, and then Entergy installed a new meter. But, alas, when everything came back on, the one thing that didn't was the #@^*! air conditioner. We have struggled with that old thing for 2 years, and it decided that it was not going to start back up. We've been asking for months for the landlords to replace it, but they won't. So...... the a/c guys will be here this morning at 8am to fix it. If all goes well, we'll be cool (as cool as we can get) by 9am.

We need to make up our lost revenue, so please come in for lunch or dinner. We need all the support we can get.

Cheers!

When it Rains, it Pours

Well, our electricity is out, so we can't open for lunch today. The electrician says he'll be out this afternoon-- keep your fingers crossed. This is the first day since we opened almost 2 years ago that we had to close.

We all wanted a day off, but not like this! I think I'll take a nap...

Cheers!

October is Here!

Ah, the joys of fall.

October is the month 2 years ago that we started working on what would become Starving Artist Cafe'. The space had been a Mexican restaurant before we took it over, and we had major, major work to do (to say the least!). Everything you see in the cafe' was built by hand, including the bars (built by Jo Wiggins, with the mosaics created by 3,4, and 5 year old children), and the wainscoting along the west wall are doors from a farmhouse on Chef Jason's farm in Gilette in southeast Arkansas. If you've noticed the chandelier above the bar (I don't know how you could miss it!), it was an attic find, and we've been told it's from the 1930's.

It's been a crazy couple of years, and I'm sure there's more to come. This time of year brings back lots of memories for us. Hope it brings back good ones for you, too.

Cheers!