TRANSITIONS

By Eric E. Harrison

LITTLE ROCK — Our mention last week of the new

Cafe@Heifer in Heifer Village

and Mike Selig's affiliation therewith didn't quite tell the whole story.

Selig, formerly owner and chef of Mike Selig's Vermillion (formerly Vermillion Water Grille) downtown and Vermillion Bistro in west Little Rock, is actually the new food and beverage manager at

Forty Two,

the restaurant at the Clinton Presidential Center. Forty Two is also providing catering services for Heifer International; that's the apparent extent of Selig's involvement with Cafe@Heifer.

Chef Jacob Peck now goes by the title "executive sous chef" at Forty Two and a new menu in the works will feature "an exciting assortment of the restaurant's most popular favorites, such as the Presidential Club, as well as a host of new lunchtime dishes," according to a news release. "New items include zesty black bean soup, hearty patty melts and savory Cuban sandwiches. Additionally, there will be daily specials that feature seasonal and chef's choice items."

Forty Two's hours are 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. for Sunday brunch. The telephone number is (501) 537-0042.

Patio Pizza & Beer Garden, 3307 Fair Park Blvd., Little Rock, has closed. Owner Jerry Meyer posted a notice June 5 on the pizzeria's Facebook page, thanking friends and patrons for their support, and the Web site, www.patiopizza.net, says the restaurant is closed "until a new owner operator is found." An employee who answered the telephone - (501) 570-8514 - last week told us Meyer is looking for a buyer or buyers.

The former

Bennigan's Grill & Tavern

in the Holiday Inn, 120 W. Pershing Blvd., North Little Rock, is now

Shenanigan's Restaurant and Irish Pub

. The new signs out front are similar (at a casual glance you might not even notice the difference between "Bennigan's" and "Shenanigan's") and so is the menu, an employee says. The main difference is that, at least for the moment, the place is only open daily for breakfast - 6-10 a.m. - and dinner - 5-10 p.m., although lunch will come eventually. The telephone number remains (501) 812-0019.

You'll remember that the Bennigan's chain declared bankruptcy and shut down in August 2008 but the Bennigan's in North Little Rock, being a franchise operation and not corporate-owned, stayed open. The outlet in Hot Springs, which was supposed to stay open under the same arrangement, closed.

An alert reader has spotted activity at the former

Fire Fall Grill & Bar, 2513 McCain Blvd., North Little Rock, which closed in December: a sign crew removing the Fire Fall signs and putting up a temporary banner that says "Coming soon:

Santos Coyote Mexican Food and Tequilas

Mark Abernathy, owner of

Loca Luna

and Bene Vita (nextdoor neighbors on Old Cantrell Road in Little Rock) and founder of

Juanita's, is selling the property at Woodrow Street and the north side of Interstate 630 on which he had once planned to put an innovative barbecue restaurant.

Abernathy says that among other things, the economy just won't support a new enterprise. Another of those things is that he's busy developing a new concept for Bene Vita he plans to implement this summer - one which he says he's not quite ready to reveal on record. More on this as it develops.

Has a restaurant opened - or closed - near you in the last week or so? Does your favorite eatery have a new menu? Is there a new chef in charge? Drop us a line. Call (501) 399-3667 or (501) 378-3513, or send a note to Restaurants, Weekend Section, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203. Send e-mail to:

eharrison@arkansasonline.com

Weekend, Pages 40 on 06/18/2009