What's a womantraveler to do, especially a business woman traveler in a place like Little Rock, Arkansas, 
when she's seeking a good meal after a long day, and all that's available are local bars and saloons? This happens most frequently in small- to medium-size cities in the South and Heartland America, where the economy does not support the vast urban mix of the Coasts. So I tested my requirements while on a business trip to Little Rock, home of a remarkable library of former President Bill Clinton. What I found here, surprisingly, and one finds in many places that may not have the food snob cache, is a tightly knit sophisticated local clientele and excellent food -- if you know where to go. Our choices -- Flying Fish downtown and Brave New Restaurant.
Trouble is, when you venture in from the outside, great cuisine, 
a dining location that is nearby your hotel and on your schedule and a relatively tame/mellow environment are not likely to be found in complete combination in places like Little Rock and much of Middle America. Not that these communities don't appreciate the sentiment, but local businesses and the Chamber of Commerce may not have the economic options to focus simply on us womentravelers -- business and solo. In a few trips to Little Rock, I navigated through the scene to develop a working template that applies anywhere.
First, you really have to ask. It's so simple. Ask your clients, the hotel concierge, the van and taxi drivers who cart business travelers around. Where do their clients eat? In Little Rock, three main choices -- the River Market District downtown, a few well-known restaurants outside the city's center and stalwarts such as PF Chang's in the 'burbs, which I described in an earlier post.
Downtown's River Market has it all, so the advertising claims, but it closes at 6 pm, which is often useless for us business travelers. The market building is surrounded by a small but lively saloon-filled quarter, home to the Capitol Hotel (now under renovation after its years of pillage by the Clinton White House press corps) and ending (quaintly) with President Clinton's Library. I visited -- and revisited -- the Flying Fish, where I order at the counter, opting always for local catfish, and command my own booth (with blue and white checked vinyl tablecloth, four kinds of hot sauce and a super-size roll of paper towels) for reading, chowing down and relaxation. Lots of animation around me but enough space that I can do my own thing. "We catch and release," so the wall posters state. Now that's worth contemplating...I order from the big chalk board, while Southern blues plays on the speakers, virtuoso harmonica for sound and visual "fish stories" on the wall plaques. \I'm in and out, with a decent glass of wine and steamed vegetables, and my own service, for $20.
For a more discreet location, the cab driver told us about Peter Brave's Brave New Restaurant, and our clients confirmed this was a smart place to go. It's a 10-minute cab ride from downtown that takes us into a lovely setting in a commercial park on the river. You definitely have to know where you're going! Peter himself, in Hawaiian shorts and baseball cap, stopped by our table to chat away -- where two of us womentravelers dined for $100 with tip on a menu of tilapia, stuffed pork loin and dessert. This plus Boulevard Bread Co., with its gourmet food and take-out, provide some choice options.
