Sizzling time at the Argenta Foodie Fest.

Another great Argenta Foodie Fest is in the books. This year the entire operation was in one city block, with restaurants and artisans alongside farmers in the big lot at 6th and Main.

Better than half a dozen restaurants participated in this year’s event.

A prize was given for the best dish served. It went to Donnie Ferneau of Ferneau Restaurant for his marvelous pork tacos. He made this fantastic slaw from sweet uncooked corn to go with the wrapped savories — and there was a line at his booth the whole time. They also had strawberry lemonade.

The guys from Ashley’s at the Capital Hotel were whipping up soft shell oyster po’boy sandwiches for the crowd, along with watermelon granitas (a definite score in the heat) and these marvelous catfish balls that were a cross between a catfish cake and a hush puppy.

The folks from Starving Artist Café had a couple of cold dishes — a refreshing cantaloupe-grape-Feta salad and a deliciously chilling cantaloupe gazpacho. The latter came along with chunks of fresh local tomatoes, onions and fresh herbs.

Whole Foods was serving up hot chicken and tomato soup (!) and fresh green salads with fresh tomatoes and grilled French bread croutons that they were grilling on-site. Argenta Market had out catfish tacos, cheese dip with chips and salsa and fresh Arkansas Watermelon. And Boulevard Bread was doing cold kale salad, succotash salad and tomato bread salad.Union Restaurant shared slices of juicy Arkansas tomato and slices of buffalo mozzarella doused in olive oil and a splendid balsamic vinaigrette reduction, along with a tasty black bean hummus.

It was packed. It was hot. I took a shower and a nap when I got home. Photos up on the Eat Arkansas Facebook page.

The festival for us, just a few days away.

• KAT ROBINSON
• BOUNTY: Fresh produce at last year's Argenta Foodie Fest

The Argenta Foodie Fest is coming up in just a couple of weeks. It's fun, it's tasty and it's a good time. I can speak from experience here.

For those who haven't been — the festival itself happens at the northeast corner of 6th and Main Streets in North Little Rock. Restaurants from around Central Arkansas will be serving up dishes featuring local produce and grains and locally raised meats. There will be live music and a big tent with places to sit while you eat — though I do recommend you consider bringing your own chair (last year seemed like every seat was taken, it was so busy!).

On the southeast corner at 6th and Main, the Argenta Certified Arkansas Farmers Market will be going on — with all sorts of fresh produce, honey, meats, grains, flowers, pickled and canned items and whatnot. My favorite thing from last year was actually served over on this side — hot buttered sweet ear corn that had been picked the day before. Scrumptuous.

I'll be there. Come pester me, I guess. I'll bring Hunter and you too can marvel how big she's grown. Bring your friends. Enjoy the sunshine (but wear sunscreen!). See how much fun it was last year. We'll probably schedule an official gathering of the Arkansas Food Bloggers Network while we're there.

The event is July 2nd from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The official release, on the jump.

The release:

Summertime in Argenta means great food, music, arts and crafts, and the Argenta Foodie Festival. Join the Argenta Arts Foundation and the Argenta Farmers market at the Argenta Summer Foodie Festival celebrating the plentiful growing season in Arkansas.

The festival will take place Saturday, July 2nd, from 9:00 am — 1:00 pm in downtown North Little Rock between 5th and 6th Streets across from the Argenta Market and next to the Farmers Market. Admission is free. Participating restaurants include Ashley’s at the Capital, Argenta Market, Boulevard Bread Co., Ferneau, Hunka Pie, Starving Artist Café, and Union Bistro. Live entertainment provided by the Swingshift Band and Fire & Brimstone.

The purpose of the Argenta Foodie Festival is to connect people to fresh, healthy, seasonal food and the farmers who grow it. Another reason is to promote our local restaurants, chefs and catering services that support local farmers and understand the importance of creating a sustainable local economy and a strong connection between farm and table.

The Argenta Foodie Festival is sponsored by Pulaski Technical College, North Little Rock Visitors Bureau, and the Certified Arkansas Farmers Market (CAFM). For more information call Donna Hardcastle at 501-993-1234 or visit our web site at www.argentaartsdistrict.org.

Brand New Thing - The Argenta Foodie Festival.

Starting a new festival is risky business. How do you go about building something new? How do you draw people in? And how do you prove it's popular enough to become an annual event?

The first step, of course, is to have a good idea. You don't want to have an eggplant festival if the town in the next country also has one -- it's not unique. You want a theme, an idea that can draw in a crowd and entertain.

North Little Rock's Argenta District just might have struck it right.