Central Arkansas food news for the week:

The town of Searcy made history last week when Rock House restaurant won an appeal to the Alcoholic Beverage Control to serve alcohol – effective immediately. This will be the first time a restaurant in Searcy is allowed to serve alcohol to customers. See the full story on the KARK website.

Stoby’s Restaurant is back in Conway. After a fire more than a year ago, the popular location is up and running and once again serving its famous cheese dip. The owners have even been able to expand. Read more about it AYMag.com.

New Orleans-style eatery Maddie’s Place is hiring servers for back of the house. Details are on their Facebook page

Heritage Grille Steak & Fin inside the downtown Little Rock Marriott Hotel is revamping its menu. See more about it from Fox 16.

Dinner plans for this week:

Monday August 21

Today is National Sweet Tea Day. What restaurant has the best sweet tea in Arkansas?  

Tuesday August 22

Tired of the cooking the same old Mexican dishes? Chef Jason Knapp will be leading Outside the Box with Mexican Cuisine cooking class at Eggshells Kitchen Co.

Wednesday August 23

Cheers in Maumelle is offering 50 percent off all bottles of wine on Wednesdays. 

Thursday August 24

Perfect the art of fermentation at the Fermentation Workshop Series 2017 which kicks off on August 24. Fermentation expert Angela Gardner of The Root Cafe will take you on a practical journey through a series of hands-on fermentation workshops at Natural Grocers.

Friday, August 25

Taste of the Finest is food-centric event for Little Rock’s young professionals. Sample the delicious and diverse local cuisines, sip fine wines and bold beers and celebrate 30 up-and-comers in the Little Rock area for their success in business, community involvement.

Saturday, August 26

Donnie Ferneau has paired with Legacy Wine and Spirits to throw an end of summer pop-up dinner. Enjoy wine pairings, signature cocktail demonstrations and live cooking with Ferneau at Wildwood Park for The Arts.

Do you have food news? Email mkramer@aymag.com.