Rhett Brinkley

Last fall I went to Fidel & Co to try its Acai smoothie bowl because my friends on Instagram kept giving me FOMO with their delicious, yet nutritional looking food selfies. I popped in on a Friday morning and while I was waiting to order, a quick scan of the East Village coffee shop revealed multiple people taking bites of avocado toast with thinly sliced pickled carrots on top. One guy in particular looked like he really knew what he was doing, taking confident bites while holding up his end of a stimulating morning conversation. He’s had this toast before, I thought, maybe even multiple times.

The smoothie bowl was excellent, vibrant purple with a sweet, crunchy house-made granola on top, a sliced banana and a big scoop of peanut butter. It paired well the nitro cold brew I ordered with a splash of oat milk, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the toast.

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I went back the next day and ordered the avocado toast with a cappuccino and, damn. I heard somewhere that it’s not cool for food writers to write about the wonders of avocado toast anymore, but I don’t care. If something kind of blows your mind, say something. The Za’atar seasoning and pickled carrots it’s topped with and the soft avocado spread marries well with the firm, sourdough toast. I texted a group chat a photo of it and a friend knew where I was. “Dude, it’s so good,” he said.

Rhett Brinkley

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The algorithm understands my deepest fears of missing out and informed me of a Peach Ricotta Toast offering at Fidel & Co that looks like the perfect summer breakfast treat. Fidel’s house-baked sourdough is topped with house-made ricotta cheese, a very generous helping of sliced peaches from Barnhill Orchards (Lonoke County) and Salmoriglio sauce.

I was concerned about how I was going to eat this toast without making a mess, getting peaches and ricotta all over my face before strutting into the office two hours late. Thankfully the friendly Fidel & Co employee brought it to me with a knife and fork, which relieved my anxiety.

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Rhett Brinkley

I loved the texture. The toast is perfectly toasted and crispy. The ricotta is smooth and creamy and the peaches are so juicy. It’s topped with a Salmoriglio sauce, which I think is an Italian lemon/olive oil dressing with herbs. It’s a refreshing slice of toast in this unbearable climate.

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Rhett Brinkley

Now I want to try all the toasts. I see Fidel also has a Banana Toast with crème fraîche, toasted pecans, and local honey. Who makes your favorite Central Arkansas toast?

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