Alright SLC, here's your review:

I mentioned that I had high expectations since the Chef used to work at Ristorante Capeo in NLR, and I was not disappointed! We arrived at the restaurant a little early for our 8:30pm reservations, so we took at seat at the bar and ordered some drinks.

I started with the Sweet Magnolia, which is a sweet blend of peach vodka, sage, peach puree and agave nectar. The sage saved it from being overwhelmingly sweet, but it was still pretty much a "chick drink." Our friend had the Campana Rossa - didn't get a taste, but I thought it was pretty, so here's a pic:

We ordered several appetizers for the table. The first of which was the Antipasto Mediterraneo - a lovely selection of meats and cheeses:

Another selection was a special, so I don't have a full description (and frankly, the cocktails and wine were starting to take effect at this point), but it was duck confit with greens:

We also had the calamari, which was some of the better calamari I've had in the state. It had a nice bite without being too rubbery. It was perfectly fried, with a fresh marinara sauce.

Hubby and I split a Second Plate - the spaghetti carbonara. Only complaint I might have was that I prefer the pancetta a bit more crispy, but that's a relatively minor thing. The Spaghetti was perfectly cooked, with loads of freshly cracked black pepper. Sorry, didn't get a picture of it.

For entrees, Hubby took the recommendation and got the elk. Sadly, I can't really report on it because I don't think I got a bite (did I mention the cocktails and wine?), but here's a picture:

I had another special, which was the walleye. It was cooked with a roasted olive oil, which gave it a wonderful flavor without overwhelming the fish. There might have been gnocchi...butternut squash maybe?

Dessert was...sorry, can't remember and didn't take pictures!

Design was clean and modern. If I was looking for a special date night, the only thing that might cause me hesitation is that it was fairly loud. Service was what you would expect - the only hiccup was that the our table was late being ready (not their fault, it was the people's sitting there hanging out), but even after having been sat, it took quite some time to actually take our order and get food. I don't think we actually got anything to eat until about 9:30pm.

All in all, I would say it was one of my top dining experiences in the state!

And BTW, if anyone in Central AR wants to know, the new Packet House is fabulous as well!

ETA: But the highlight of the weekend was having ArHog sit with us during the game! Since we've watched a Hog game together, we're now friends for life!