Dec 7, 2023 - Food and Drink

Monday Munchies: Bentoville boxes

Worth Sparkman

The sushi box (front) and beef katsu box from Bentoville. Photo: Worth Sparkman/Axios

Fresh food made to go

Simple, elegant, pleasing

Try Bentoville soon

The Japanese form of poetry, haiku, is tricky. There are strict rules — it requires intense discipline and minimalistic artistry.

It's easy to make a hot mess of it, like I did above.

Driving the news: Bentoville — note, there's no "n" — a restaurant concept without physical space, currently makes the culinary equivalent of haiku.

The setup: Bento boxes are ordered online in advance and picked up at Onyx Coffee Lab in downtown Bentonville.

The business currently offers a beef katsu ($35), sushi ($45) and a rice, vegetable and mushroom option ($27).

The food: My wife and I tried the beef — locally grown Angus — and sushi. Yellowtail, bluefin tuna, salmon, eel and a crab salad were catches of the day.

Both boxes were rounded out with vegetables, rice and custom sauces.

The bottom line: The food is simple, but meticulous attention to detail, presentation and Michelin-star preparation satisfied both the palate and the soul.

Try it: Orders are taken Tuesday-Saturday.

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Monday Munchies: Bentoville boxes

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