Flying Fish, River Market

1620, the elegant eatery in west Little Rock, is offering a three-course prix fixe menu (first course veal sweetbreads or marinated vegetable salad, entree IdahoTtrout or Steak and Calamari, and a dessert choice of Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie or Strawberry Velvet Cake) for $38 during dinner (5-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday) as well as its signature lineup of artfully prepared salads, seafood, steaks and specialties such as Shellfish Tamale Tart and Maple Cured Duck Breast.

Saigon offers reasonably priced Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese and Japanese dishes in a serene setting on otherwise hectic Cantrell Road. Try the aromatic noodle soups (pho) and spicy curry dishes. We like the Singha beer from Thailand and occasionally sip on a glass of plum wine. 

Flying Fish in the River Market is fun, fast and tasty. Select a beverage, ponder the enormous menu hung over the counter, order, get a buzzing pager, and find a seat. When the buzzer goes off, go back to the counter to fetch your meal. Choose from grilled salads (with salmon, tilapia, catfish, shrimp and chicken), catfish baskets, steamed or boiled platters, fish tacos, poor boys, grilled plates — if you like it spicy, ask them to "Make it Snappy!"