Oranges and Apples: Initial Impression of Big Orange

I know a bunch of you will be hitting the Promenade this weekend to check out the Apple store.  I suggest you also check out Big Orange, ZaZa's John Beachboard and Scott McGehee's newest restaurant, located in the Promenade on Chenal.  I won't do a full review, because they just opened Monday.  I went in today and I was impressed enough to want to go back again. Here are a few initial thoughts and photos.

Their menu consists mostly of burgers and salads, but they have a few appetizers including tempura asparagus, which I tried, hand cut chips and freshly made pimento cheese.  They also have some fountain sodas and milkshakes.  You can see their menu on their website.

Big Orange has a few interesting burgers, all available with hormone free, pasture raised beef, turkey or a house made black bean patty.   The one I tried, pictured above, was called the "Atom Bomb."  The Atom Bomb  has pepper jack cheese, lettuce, jalapeno, sriracha and chipotle-red pepper mayo.  They have a burger with white truffle and pecorino cheese, and even one with a fried egg and bacon.

The Atom Bomb was spicy, but the mayo had great flavor.  I ended up taking off the jalapenos so I could taste the homemade black bean patty better.  The black bean patty was one of the better flavored veggie burgers I've had in Arkansas (it could stand to stick together a little better). The fries are hand cut, but they also have sweet potato fries and truffle, garlic herb fries.  I'll have to try those next time.   Burgers are $6.50-11.50.

The salad also got a thumbs up, but if you've ever eaten at ZaZa's, that's no surprise.  The salads use locally grown produce whenever possible and taste really fresh.  We tried the big orange house salad.  Salads range from $8.50-9.50.

Then we tried the milkshakes.  The more interesting flavors are banana cream pie, dulce de leche and pistachio.  They also have some soda fountain drinks like a brown cow and a take on the creamscicle.  I liked that the serving size of the shakes wasn't so large you'd feel overwhelmed, but the shakes were a little milky for my tastes.  I like a thick shake.   Still, the banana cream pie was delicious with pieces of chopped fruit and crispy cookies.  Shakes average $4.

They have a point of sale system where they process your order and your credit card at the table to allow quicker service.  The decor is bright and carries the orange theme throughout the restaurant.

Big Orange is a restaurant that I will go back to.  I think we need something quick  in the Promenade.  I like YaYa's a lot, but it's not quick dining.  The Tavern Sports Grill is more of a burger joint, but I think Big Orange's point of sale method will get orders out quicker.  I'm glad there is finally life coming to the Promenade after all these years.  Not just Big Orange, but Bravo!, Anthropologie, JCrew, Apple.  Now there's something to do and eat when you go the movies.  It's been a good year for the shopping center.