A New American Town - Bentonville, Arkansas
Tune into Visit Bentonville’s podcast series for a weekly update on all things Bentonville, Arkansas. Hosted by Beth Bobbitt, you’ll hear captivating stories and updates from our city—connecting you with the locals that make this town worth visiting.
A New American Town - Bentonville, Arkansas
Unveiling Bentonville's Newest Speakeasy: Callisto and Midnight (Art) Gallery
Step behind the curtain into Bentonville's newest secret, Callisto-- a speakeasy that combines modern flair with a tropical twist, tucked away through the Midnight Gallery. Dive into our engaging chat with the curator at Midnight Gallery and discover how Callisto's vibrant menu of 31 innovative cocktails, complemented by off-menu surprises and boozy ice creams, has captured the hearts of locals.
The current menu, "Volume 1, Chapter 1" leaves room for an unfolding story and future volumes that ensures each visit to Callisto is a new adventure. They also offer insider tips on finding the secret entrance through the gallery. Join us as we explore how this upscale yet approachable venue is redefining the social scene in Bentonville, one cocktail at a time.
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Welcome to A New American Town presented by Visit Bentonville. I'm your host, beth Bobbitt, isaac the Director of Operations, and Emma, who is the Curator at Midnight Gallery. So Oasis Hospitality opened up. Callisto and Midnight Gallery is attached to the building on A Street in Bentonville. We're so excited. Welcome all.
Braxton:Thank you, happy to be here. Happy to be here.
Beth Bobbitt:So let's talk about Kalisto first. It's a speakeasy, so you know the idea is tropical escape concept. How did this come to be? What is the background?
Izaak:Beth. I've been working with restaurants for a long time now and it's just kind of in the back of my head. I always wanted to do something kind of a twist on some modern tropical theme. For about eight years now it's been about two years in the making. I got really fortunate to be able to bring in Gabriel worked at the Undertow previously in Phoenix and also Isaac. Some family and friends owned and operated a local business and, yeah, it's a modern twist on a tropical themed bar yes, sounds enticing.
Beth Bobbitt:I am dying to try it out. Uh, talk a little bit about the food and drink menu and you know like how would you describe the experience overall to to someone who has never been there?
Braxton:yeah, so please, it's um, it's upscale, it's, but it's also very approachable. We have 31 cocktails on our menu and we also have 20 to 30 cocktails off menu that we can make for you. And the food is all it's shareable focus. We really want to have that convivial experience, so everything's designed to share. There's skewers, there's small share plates, there's something a little more substantial, and we also have our boozy treats, which are alcohol-infused ice creams and sorbets.
Beth Bobbitt:Wow, amazing. And on the Instagram, you call it Bentonville's Worst Kept Secret. I've loved seeing this tease out and what's been the response?
Izaak:from some of your soft openings, overwhelmingly positive. Actually, I try to touch every table that comes into the building and there's been really positive responses and we've been very open to, you know, any changes that people might recommend or something that they would like to see differently. We really want to be guest-facing and do something special for the people here in Bentonville. But, yeah, I'd say really positive feedback and, unlike anything else around here, I think, yeah, it's really exciting to see people engage with the cocktails.
Braxton:It's something that we're super passionate about, so to see that passion reflected in our guests is incredible.
Beth Bobbitt:Yeah, and you are so new. What is fixed and what will change and evolve over time, if anything?
Braxton:We want to keep a lot of what we're offering now, of course, but in the future we do want to offer special cocktails, special food items. We already ran an oyster special and then over time we will have new menus. This is called Volume 1. So in the future, volume 2. There's actually a story in our menu as well. So we're on Volume 1, chapter 1. And Volume actually a story in our menu as well. So we're on volume one, chapter one, and volume one, chapter two is coming at Christmas.
Beth Bobbitt:So you have to keep coming back again and again. I love it. That's how we get those regulars Exactly. And so how does one find you? How do you make reservations or walk-ins available?
Braxton:So we do encourage reservations. We've been pretty booked up Friday, saturdays especially. Even Sunday and Thursday we were full, which is really incredible. So I would go to our Instagram. It's Callisto C-A-L-L-I-S-T-O, underscore N-W-A. In the bio you'll find the reservation link. You can also find it on our website, calistobar, or in the Google Maps page.
Beth Bobbitt:Okay great, our website callistobar or in the Google Maps page Okay, Great.
Izaak:Whenever you make a reservation, the entrance is through the Midnight Gallery.
Braxton:Yeah, it's been funny to see people outside like where is this place? Like no, it's in the art gallery. You just got to go through, yeah.
Beth Bobbitt:But that's you know, of course, leaning into the whole speakeasy concept and feels secretive and fun. So I'm loving all the buzz, any special events you want to tease, anything coming up that we should be eyes peeled for.
Izaak:Well, by the time this airs, I think we've just had our grand opening and we'll have some fun things around Christmas and maybe a New Year's Eve party as well. Yeah, lots of Christmas decorations coming up for the holidays and we'll have some fun things around Christmas and maybe a New Year's Eve party as well.
Braxton:Yeah, lots of Christmas decorations coming up for the holidays, so we're very excited about that. Going to do some special Christmas cocktails as well, which are going to be incredible.
Beth Bobbitt:Yeah, it would be a perfect time to go on a date or get some friends and go out. I love it. So let's turn our focus a little bit to talk about the gallery concept and the vision. Emma, you have curated the exhibition Lush, which is beautiful and wonderful Congratulations and that actually opened a little bit before the speakeasy. Can you talk about the vision and what you were expecting and what you've experienced?
Emma:Yeah, and I just want to say congratulations to you, Beth, too, for being a part of Lush. Yes, it's been wonderful. Your piece Cloud9, is amazing, but the vision you know our owner, Hannah Roberts. She really is the pioneer of the concept and she was really focused on providing a space for our local art community, and so initially, when we were exploring our first group exhibition, we were really thinking about an adjective that represents the Ozarkian experience, and lush came to mind, and so it's been incredibly beautiful to see the community fill up this you know, 434 square foot room with just vibrant and beautiful works of art. And, yeah, I think the vision really is to create an accessible space for our local art community. So it's been really amazing to see, yeah.
Beth Bobbitt:And so that will be up through the end of the year, correct? And then you'll roll into the next exhibition.
Emma:Yes, Lush will be on view until the end of December and we actually have an open call live right now for our next group exhibition, and that's going to be called Petty, not Pretty.
Beth Bobbitt:Yes, oh, exciting, yeah. So talk about what that open call entails and tips for any artists that are interested in applying.
Emma:Yeah, petty, not Pretty. Our group exhibition open call will be live until December 1st at midnight, so they can apply up until that point. They get five submissions per application and it's $10 to apply. So I highly recommend going to our Instagram. There's a link through there on Midnight Gallery NWA. Otherwise, they can check out our website and go through that avenue. But we're really looking for work that's unapologetically itself. It's loud, it's angry and maybe rightfully so. I think it's really a call to people who maybe just want to be fully expressive Um and so um. Yeah, I'm really excited for that. Yeah, I can't wait.
Beth Bobbitt:We'll have to have you back and talk about that when it opens. Absolutely so. Um anything else that we didn't hit on in terms of the speakeasy or the gallery, anything you want to add.
Emma:Yeah, for sure For the. In terms of the gallery too, we have um a free open call right now for solo projects. So, um, essentially, we're we're doing quarter, quarter-long exhibitions, but two of them in the year of 2025 will be split up to solo shows. So, um, there will be month-long exhibitions um next year. So we have a free open call to where people essentially our artists will apply to use the space for a solo exhibition. So incredibly excited about that. It's amazing, and it's a free open call as well. So you can find that through our instagram or our website too.
Beth Bobbitt:So yeah, excited to see how that fills out and to.
Braxton:to add on to that too, I think it's a unique space because we get so much traffic for the bar. You get a lot of exposure for your pieces that normally people wouldn't be coming to see art or coming to galleries. I think sometimes it can be hard to get people in there, so this offers a great platform to showcase excellent artists in our community.
Beth Bobbitt:It's amazing that you are so connected, literally and figuratively, and you know, just thinking about the exhibition concept lush, it really sort of describes the experience in the speakeasy to you in some ways. Well, great. So we always end with kind of a fun wrap-up questions, and this one's gonna be about curating your dream day in Bentonville. So what would you do from the time you woke up to the time you went to bed? Braxton, you want to start?
Izaak:Yeah, yeah, I'm assuming it's a sunny day.
Beth Bobbitt:It's your day, it's my day, it's sunny then Waking up in the morning I really enjoy.
Izaak:You know our cousin manages the Meteor coffee shop. That's always a great place to start with little bottle of bubs in the sunshine. And of course, we have so much beautiful art around town, from Crystal Bridges to the Momentary. And of course you'll be riding a bike, I'm thinking if it's in downtown Bentonville and there are several local businesses that have opened up recently in the downtown area that are just really fun experiences.
Izaak:Loveless Cocktail Lounge is really fantastic Hardwater, so there's plenty of stuff to do here in Bentonville, and especially if you have a long weekend.
Beth Bobbitt:Yeah, yeah, come through, oh fun.
Braxton:Yeah, I'll take it next. I've had a few friends visit so I've kind of worked on different, like what perfect days would look like, right, but for me I think, starting with coffee at Airship, get to see that, if you can go to the Kohler Airship, bike there. It's such a beautiful view and it's fun to see the biking community here too, it's really I think we have something very special. Yeah, from there I would go to Blake Street, enjoy the sunshine by the pool and then from there, I think, junto. I've been really impressed with their sushi. It's so enjoyable. So some sushi there and then from there come to Calisto, have a little food. After that, have some cocktails, enjoy the beautiful art at the Midnight Gallery.
Braxton:I think that would be a perfect day for me.
Izaak:Beautiful. I'm starting to like his day yeah.
Beth Bobbitt:Emma, what about you?
Emma:Yeah, I for sure. I mean as an artist too like I would fill the day with going to Crystal Bridges and then I would walk the trails. The trails near Compton Gardens as well are so beautiful, and I would probably walk past 21C and sneak in there and look at the contemporary exhibits they have going on. They're amazing, um, and then I would end the night by going to midnight gallery.
Izaak:I would just have an art filled day.
Beth Bobbitt:Oh my gosh, I think that would be amazing. Yeah, now we're talking perfect yeah, can we just do all of this. I think it sounds like we need a full weekend for sure that's three days right there.
Braxton:That's perfect, that's right.
Beth Bobbitt:That's right, so we got your itinerary Well. Thank you both. Thank you all for being here and spending some time with us and sharing. We have to go check out Callisto and Midnight Gallery. If you haven't been there, it's a must. You can follow them on social and don't forget, visit Bentonville is here to help you navigate things to do, where to eat and stay and what's going on in our new American town. Give us a follow on social media, sign up for the newsletter and check out the website at visitbentonvillecom. Thanks for listening.