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EATS & DRINKS

By Case Dighero | Photos by Meredith Mashburn

Ashleigh Wine and Sake Lounge 

5500 W. Northgate Road, Rogers | (479) 391-4040 | www.ashleighlounge.com

Ashleigh Wine and Sake Lounge sits back against the urban folds of the ever-developing Pinnacle Hills neighborhood, quietly building a reputation as a heavy-hitting destination for premium sake and bottled wine service. I enjoy traversing the seemingly countless roundabout intersections that dot the west side of Rogers, but even more entertaining is investigating the myriad cultural experiences suddenly popping up, and Ashleigh is perhaps the most interesting of all.

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A vibe that drips in sexy, dark, plush comfort is a new beacon for out-of-towners and young retail suppliers, but the location just outside the gate of Pinnacle Country Club promises it will also be a neighborhood landing place for wine, sips and elevated nosh. A spacious, beautifully designed outdoor patio makes for an attractive place to imbibe, especially during the mild autumn season in Arkansas. There’s also an adorable Ashleigh electric shuttle that sits mysteriously outside the front entrance of the lounge, making one consider the possibilities of use for transporting guests around the Pinnacle Hills neighborhood.    

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The staff is attentive, well trained and intrinsically part of the experience — appropriately versed in the nuances of both sake and wine that range from accessible to wonderfully opulent. The cocktail list is abbreviated and quaint, boasting interesting ideas around the anchor of dry sake, such as the fluorescent blue Goon-Jo ($12), Ozeki sake, blue curacao and freshly squeezed lemon; and the mule-esque Show-G ($12), twirled over ice in a Collins glass of Ozeki, ginger beer and fresh citrus.

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Swaths of light are patterned throughout the bar, illuminating pretty drinks set amid tiny cups of fresh, live rosebuds in a sensual red. Walls are adorned with modern art of colorful serpents wrapped around shoulders and faces, and surprisingly large portrait murals in both bathrooms will have you encouraging your friends to check it out before you land back at one of the intimate cubbyhole tables that dot the perimeter of the bar.  

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​The small-plate menu also matches the vibe, offering several delicious, compact items that work as a light dinner or as a spread when sharing with a group. Chef Colin Stewart is rolling out some of his most interesting work to date with fall-inspired items such as Seared Scallops ($34), settled on butternut squash puree, roasted fennel, apple cider vinegar gastrique and brilliantly red Peruvian peppers. Check out the vegetarian Potato Gnocchi ($21), resting with gorgonzola crème, toasted hazel, candied orange and sweet potato crisps; and the house Flatbread ($23), stratified with truffle oil, honey-drizzled arugula, blistered grapes, butternut squash, prosciutto, chevre and candied pecans. And for something sweet with sparkling wine or perhaps a carafe of unfiltered sake (or frankly, all by itself), be sure to order the Fig and Cognac Ice Cream ($9).    

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Operating partner Thomas Balla

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Chef Colin Stewart
(Photo by Kate Cousins)

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Cotilde Brut Champagne
Grand Cru

Ashleigh also offers an impressive Sunday brunch with bottomless mimosas as well as one of my favorite versions of a brunch archetype, Lobster Eggs Benedict ($19), which is stellar with a bottle of Cotilde Brut Champagne Grand Cru ($146), beautiful bubbles devised from hand-picked chardonnay grapes, sans chemicals. Divine. 

  

Other great virtues of Ashleigh are the wine list, display and by-the-glass preservation system that allows for otherwise unobtainable labels to be selected on a smaller scale by slowing oxidation and eliminating air contact. It’s a big investment for the owners, but again, one that echoes an elevated level of service that is all its own.

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​Wines by the bottle beckon to special occasions and nights for celebrating new deals put to bed. Accompaniment to the aforementioned plates include the ever-robust Arkenstone Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa 2020 ($294) or the opulent and sophisticated Adamvs Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa 2018 ($480) or, perhaps for pinot lovers, the Williams Selyem Estate Pinot Noir, Sonoma 2022 ($290).

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Ashleigh also fancies itself a sake lounge, and even though there’s thankfully no karaoke, the rice wine alone may make it the most highly sought-after evening destination in Pinnacle Hills. Sake has yet to make a real run in our region, but the colorful, bright bottles that rest behind pristine glass tell another story, and I’m excited to see where it goes from here. I’m a fan of unfiltered sake — the cloudy, lightly rich sip that has an ethereal effect on both mind and body. And the Origami White Lotus Sake ($16 carafe) is one of my favorites on the planet. It is made in Hot Springs using rice grown in Arkansas and the city’s natural spring water.

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​I’m excited to spend more time at Ashleigh Wine and Sake Lounge, and my hope — and simultaneously, my fear — is that it becomes the “next big thing” in the High South, making it a difficult task to get in. Sip, sip hooray!

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Seared Scallops

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Lobster Eggs Benedict

Potato Gnocchi

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Show-G and Goon-Jo

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Flatbread

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Fig and Cognac
Ice Cream

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Origami White
Lotus Sake

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