Image by Lance Turner

Chef Donnie Ferneau at work at his Hillcrest restaurant.

Arkansas Business this week compiles its annual list of the top restaurants in Little Rock and North Little Rock, ranked by revenue. As usual, national chains like Red Lobster and Olive Garden rank near the top of the list in both cities, although there was an upset north of the river, where Golden Corral finally topped Red Lobster to rank No. 1 with more than $6.1 million in 2009 revenue.

In addition to ranking restaurants in Little Rock and North Little Rock, Arkansas Business tallied the top 10 spots in Fayetteville, Hot Springs, Conway and Bentonville.

But what about the homegrown upscale places we know and love? It's no secret that 2009 was a tough year for local restaurants. At least three folded last year: Mike Selig's Vermillion and Gypsy's Bar & Grill, both in Little Rock, and Aydelotte's in North Little Rock.

And those that did survive saw revenue declines. Once again, Sonny Williams Steak Room was No. 1 on Arkansas Business' list of upscale restaurants in Little Rock and North Little Rock. But it only tallied $1.47 million in food sales last year -- the second consecutive 13 percent decline. In 2006 and 2007, Sonny Williams was near $2 million in annual sales.

After the jump, see the full list of local upscale restaurants, ranked by revenue, along with how much they raked down and the percent change from last year.

1) Sonny Williams Steak Room - $1,470,020, down 13 percent from last year

2) Trio's Restaurant & Catering - $1,414,629, down 12 percent

3) Brave New Restaurant - $1,303,068, down 3 percent

4) Capers - $1,023,630, down 12 percent

5) Copper Grill & Grocery - $891,838, up 15 percent

6) 1620 Restaurant - $717,102, down 21 percent

7) Ferneau - $713,699, down 18 percent

8) Ristorante Capeo - $460,800, down 9 percent

9) Acadia Restaurant - $322,413, down 4 percent

10) Ciao Baci - $271,802, down 14 percent

(Sources: Little Rock Advertising & Promotion Commission and North Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau)

More

Read stories from Arkansas Business' restaurants edition here, which includes looks at the locally-owned Colton's chain and how the health department inspects restaurants.