Brave New Restaurant

Food was absolutely delicious! Service was top notch, beautiful view of the river and calm atmosphere. A little difficult to find, but worth the journey!

What do you say about a restaurant with a history of excellent food and service, besides "they're still on top"! All with beautiful views of the Arkansas River. The espresso martinis won't disappoint and be sure to try the creme brulee!

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 for the food.

EXCEPTIONAL! From oysters on the half shell that tasted like they were just plucked from the sea (but chilled) to the superlative main dishes, this was such a treat. While many restaurants charge for salads and/or bread, these are included with entrees, and they “set the tone” for the quality of the meal. My walleye fish was exquisite, and the sides were equally impressive, including outstanding roasted Brussels sprouts with a nice glaze of balsamic vinegar. My husband’s cherry bourbon short ribs were breathtaking in presentation (a good 6-8” bone, thick with meat), and heavenly to eat; falling off the bone tender with an other-worldly sauce; served with pan-fried gnocchi - what a treat. And speaking of treats, when was the last time you dined at an upscale restaurant where the owner/chef walked around the dining room and spoke with each table? What a nice touch. Hands down the best place we’ve eaten in Little Rock, and we’ve tried them all. Will be our “go-to” for special nights out, for sure. Thank you, Peter Brave and team for such an amazing experience. You MADE my birthday!

It was my wife and I's anniversary dinner, and they were fantastic. The food, service, and atmosphere were impeccable.