TRANSITIONS

By Eric E. Harrison

LITTLE ROCK — The new North Little Rock franchise of

Panera Bread

has opened in Lakewood Village, 2812 Lakewood Village Drive, off McCain Boulevard. Hours are 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday. The telephone number is (501) 771-0168.

Big Rock Bistro, the restaurant on the first floor of Pulaski Technical College’s main campus’ Campus Center, 3000 W. Scenic Drive, North Little Rock, will have its grand opening, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. The bistro is run by the staff and students of Pulaski Tech’s Arkansas Culinary School and is open to the public; offerings include a breakfast omelet bar and at lunch a salad bar, fresh fruit bar, pasta station, cafeteria-style daily specials, pizza, hot grill items, “grab-n-go” sandwiches and hot items, deli station and various desserts. Hours are 7:30-2:30 p.m. for breakfast and lunch, with limited service - just the deli station, hot grill, pizza station and grab-n-go items - from 2:30-6 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday. The college’s telephone number is (501) 812-2200.

Acadia, 3000 Kavanaugh Blvd., has its fall menu in place, including a House Smoked Wild Salmon Cheesecake with a warm green tomato relish and grilled corn bread; Sauteed Duck Breast with a cranberry-orange chutney; and Pork Tenderloin with a blackberry barbecue sauce. And yes, they’re keeping the Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese. The telephone number is (501) 603-9630; the Web site is acadiahillcrest.com.

The Bocuse d’Or USA Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring culinary excellence, is seeking talented American chefs to apply to represent the United States in the 2011 Bocuse d’Or International Culinary Competition, in Lyon, France. Established in 1983, the competition pits teams from 24 countries for cash prizes and international acclaim.

The foundation will choose 16 teams, to be announced Dec. 7, to compete in the U.S. semifinals and finals competition, Feb. 4-6, 2010 at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. The winning team will serve as Team USA in the international competition, Jan. 25-26, 2011. The foundation will provide a customized, year-long training program and cover all direct expenses associated with participation in the international competition, including round-trip air travel to Lyon, meals and accommodations for 15 days in France, registration fees, on-site acclimation training, competition ingredients andpresentation platters.

Applicants must be American citizens age 23 or older at the time of the final competition, and must have at least three years of experience in a fine-dining establishment. Deadline to apply is Nov. 30; find the application form at bocusedorusa.org.

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 38 on 10/22/2009