Brave New Restaurant — Restaurant in Little Rock

As someone who has grown up going to fine dining establishments, I would rate Brave New at a 6.8 overall. First the restaurant is situated in a business building which makes it a little hard to find. I would prefer to go to a fine restaurant that has brick and mortar but that’s just me. Some people like the speak easy feeling of it. The service was great, very polite and professional. Ben was my server and to also tackle him with two kids he did exceptional. Now for the good stuff! Wine selection…4/10. This is solely based on the fact that this restaurant is compared to Allsop and Chappell, which has a great selection. When I go to a restaurant that is a fine dining restaurant, I look at the wine menu and should see a select few of wines that are hard to find in the area but to my disappointment it was mediocre. Food…7/10. I had venison chops with mashed potatoes and carrots. This dish disappointed me. As a venison lover I would expect to have a little dryness and gamey but this was just not the cooks night. Perfectly cooked but the taste was not to par. The bacon braise as advertised was not there at all and the venison tasted very gamey. The mashed potatoes were great. They were homemade with goat cheese in them and that threw me off in a clever way. I also tasted a few more of the dishes. The stuffed chicken was a 9/10. I’m not a chicken lover but this chicken had me swooning. It was juicy and tender paired with the Boursin cheese and was to die for. Presentation…3/10. The presentation of the plates was very careless and messy. I felt as if the plate was just thrown together and made to look. Could do better on that. The dessert…9.5/10. The desert was by far the best part. I had the homemade butterscotch ice cream and was some of the best I’ve ever had. But the homemade orange cheesecake was absolutely 10/10. It was creamy and fluffy with just the right amount of orange to not overpower the whole thing and that is a hard thing to do. Over all for this place to be compared to Allsop or Sullivans is an insult to those restaurants. I get it that this is an established restaurant in this area but definitely didn’t live up to the hype and could go through a regeneration of menu and selections. Also the food compared to price was off. They should definitely lower the prices...

What a nightmare visit, would NEVER recommend to anyone! Reserved table online but website fails to disclose instructions to find the restaurant. No signs to let you know they are inside the Armory building or even which way to go on the 2nd floor after exiting the elevator. Decided to sit outside since the AC was too cold which later in the evening with no breeze became oppressively hot since they claimed they couldn't put fans outside due to covid. Service was extremely slow that by 1.5 hours later, we were full on appetizers and five pieces of bread each, was dark outside, and still had no entrees. They placed these tiny led lights that shed little light on our plates. The patio had no exteriro lighging of its own. I couldn'teven see the mushroom tart unless it was directly under the light! We decided tk move indoors, got sternly warned for not wearing masks when 1 of our party was moving from table to table, and still did not see any food for another 45 minutes. Our server attempted to play dumb when I had gotten up to ask where our food was and why was I even asking? Turned out the server didn't even put our orders in right as well. I also did not appreciate that a wait staff man in what looked like a blue maintenance jump suit constantly came to "check" on us and multiple times chasing a long haired DOG not only outside on the patio but INSIDE the dining room. Only some of their food tasted good. I got a halibut special but the fish was almost dry without much sauce that I literally had to put a bit of water on my plate to give the fish some life. One of our party had the cheapest plate tenderloin quinoa salad and was the best tasting of everything. Also.. portion size on a $40 halibut fish special was a joke. If the server had not comped us for the meal order errors, I would have complained more about the bill than being concerned to just get the hell out of there. Also needs better signage inside the restaurant. We were directed to a different exit than the entrance and walked into the kitchen! Like I said NEVER AGAIN. Brave New Restaurant, you need some...

Restaurant is a little hard to find, as it is off the beaten path, in a business complex (with very poor parking.) The decor looks like someone opted to use their "cousin with great taste!", instead of actually hiring a true designer. My lack of confidence was tempered by the number of local awards adorning the walls. Likewise, the wonderful view I was afforded by the outdoor patio, facing the river. Unfortunately, that would be the highlight of the evening.

I ordered the Duck and Duck, which took over 45 minutes to deliver (to a table of one.) To my surprise, the duck breast was completely raw, despite the long wait time. Unfortunately, I had already eaten half before I stuck the next piece under the candle to look at it (due to it being dark by the time the food arrived.)

The duck sausage was decent. Both familiar, and a little new. However, an overwhelming feeling that I should be eating this sausage for breakfast, instead of dinner.

The rice was nearly uneatable. Undercooked, with flavor that could only be covered up by the light gravy poured on top of the raw duck. The vegetables were fine, but definitely should not have been the star of the plate.

I was offered a free desert (on top of the comped meal) to compensate for the duck, which was generous. I opted for the chocolate creme brulee. Weirdly, this was served in a tall tea cup, which greatly reduced the amount of caramelized sugar crust on the top. So instead of having the nice crunch with every bite, I basically had cocholate pudding. To top that off, it also tasted of butane - not very appetizing.

Judging by the number of people visiting the restaurant, my experience was probably the exception instead of the rule. However, with the lack of fine dining in Little Rock, I have to wonder if people put up with things due to the distinct...