LITTLE ROCK — Nancy Tesmer of Lilly’s Dim Sum Then Some, in the Market Place Shopping Center, 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock, announces that the former Lilly’s party room is now open as a separate establishment called The BSide, serving American-style breakfast/brunch, 7 a.m.-noon Wednesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. (From 2-4 p.m. Sunday, restaurant industry workers get a 25 percent discount - bring a pay stub or T-shirt or other identifier if you don’t think the Lilly’s staff will recognize you). Jeffrey Moore is the breakfast chef; Tesmer says the menu will consist of all the staples “with an uplift or a contemporary twist.” The telephone number is (501) 716-2200.
Pickles Gap Cafe is now open in Pickles Gap Village, 315 U.S. 65 N., Conway. The place specializes in “Southerncooked foods at an affordable price,” says Jennifer Hurst, the niece of owner Harold Helton, with daily lunch specials (Wednesday, meat loaf; Thursday, hamburger steak with onions and mushrooms; Friday, Arkansas-raised catfish; Saturday, spaghetti; Sunday, chicken-fried steak) and buffalo burgers “that are 100 percent buffalo meat” raised in Marshall. Otherwise, Hunt says, the kitchen uses Petit Jean meats. Hours are 6 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday. The phone number is (501) 932-0884; the menu is available at the Web site, picklesgap.com.
And speaking of breakfast, to celebrate National Pancake Day, 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Feb. 23, IHOP restaurants nationwide will offer a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes; the customer, in return, will have the opportunity to make a donation to Children’s Miracle Network hospitals. (Donations madeat central Arkansas IHOPs will benefit the Children’s Miracle Network program at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.) The restaurant chain, which is hoping to raise $1.75 million for children’s hospital programs nationwide, is also offering wake-up calls from celebrity supporters, including NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young, singer and Children’s Miracle Network co-founder Marie Osmond and newly crowned Miss America 2010 Caressa Cameron (IHOP PancakeDay.com). Additionally, IHOP is conducting a “Stacks for Good Acts” online contest - submit a 250 words or less essay to the same Web address about a good deed you or someone you know did in 2009.
Entries will be judged on emotional impact, originality and entertainment value - with a year’s supply of free pancakes to the winner. Entry deadline is Feb. 19.
And speaking of wake-upcalls and freebies, Lancaster, Pa.-based Auntie Anne’s soft pretzel franchiser will give away original or cinnamonsugar pretzels from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Free Pretzel Day, Feb. 20, as a “snacking wakeup call.” And they’ll send a “literal snacking wake-up call” via text message that morning if you text “WAKEUP” to 80565. Visit the Web site, auntieannes.com.
Although the chain isn’t advertising it quite like this, you can celebrate Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day at the same time at P.F. Chang’s China Bistro outlets, including the one at 317 S. Shackleford Road, Little Rock. The prixfixe, four-course “Romantic Dining Deal” for two, lunchor dinner, is $39.95, including soup, appetizer, entrees and mini-desserts.
Add to the list of places not normally open on Sunday nights that will be serving especially for Valentine’sDay: Cheers in Maumelle, 1901 Club Manor Drive, Maumelle, 5-9 p.m. The restaurant will also be reviving its Sunday brunch starting Feb. 28. Call (501) 851-6200.
And an important correction to last week’s list of Valentine’s Day dinner spots: The item on the special dinner at Forty Two, in the Clinton Presidential Center, 1200 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock, hit print before the folks there realized they hadn’t told us it will be 5-10 p.m. Saturday, not Sunday. Call (501) 537-0042 or visit dineatfortytwo.com.
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:
Weekend, Pages 38 on 02/11/2010