New Flyer Sponsor: Mockingbird Kitchen

Mockingbird Kitchen, located at 1466 N College Ave.

Staff photo

Back in the southeast corner of Evelyn Hills Shopping Center, nestled next to Arkadia Retrocade, and just a few doors up from Ozark Natural Foods, there’s a shiny new gem of a restaurant that Fayetteville needs to get familiar with.

That’s the location of Mockingbird Kitchen, a new restaurant concept by former Bordinos chef Chrissy Sanderson and business partner Leigh Helm, which also happens to be the newest sponsor of the Fayetteville Flyer. Welcome aboard!

Chef Chrissy calls her culinary creations New American Cuisine. Her cooking style is simple, she says, focusing on fresh, local ingredients, and creating new twists on the everyday foods that we’re already familiar with.

The popular turkey melt sandwich from Mockingbird Kitchen.

Photo: Mockingbird Kitchen

The Mockingbird menu is loaded with quality ingredients produced right here in the state of Arkansas. Local breads from Ozark Mountain Breads, local meats from Grass Roots Co-Op and Crystal Lake Farms, local mushrooms from Sweden Creek Farms, local grains and flours from War Eagle Mill, local cheese from Kent Walker Cheese, even local beer from Fossil Cove, Ozark Brewing, Lost Forty, and Diamond Bear.

The menu items themselves are familiar. Meatloaf, for example, or slow roasted pork, are a few unassumingly-named dishes that chef Chrissy is able to make her own in a way that is anything but ordinary.

In addition, the menu includes some incredible sandwiches for lunch or dinner, like the Mockingburger, a local ground beef patty topped with a choice of artisan cheeses, or the Hot Chicken Sandwich, a crispy breaded pasture-raised chicken thigh topped with a drizzle of sweet and spicy hot sauce, and served on a locally made bun.

Probably one of Sanderson’s signature dishes so far is the Ropa Vieja, a braised beef dish served in a rich tomato, olive and caper red whine sauce over grits (this is a dish we tried recently, and haven’t been able to stop thinking about).

The prices are incredibly reasonable, with nothing on the menu more priced at more than $15, with most items priced between $10-$12.

Mockingbird pie

Photo: Mockingbird Kitchen

There’s dessert, too. The most popular dish so far has been the Mockingbird Pie, a chocolate pastry cream pie topped with whipped cream and toasted pecans in a house-made pecan crust. Whole pies are also available with 24 hours notice. There’s also strawberry crumble, buttermilk creme brulee, and lemon bars.

The restaurant serves during lunch and dinner hours, and reservations for large groups are available. They also offer on-site catering, as well as custom-made box lunches for those midday meetings in the office.

Leigh and Chrissy also happen to be some of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet. We couldn’t be more excited to be working with them, and we hope you’ll helps us thank them for their support of the Flyer by stopping in for something delicious soon.

Help us welcome them to the Flyer family!

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