TRANSITIONS

LITTLE ROCK — Restaurant 1620, 1620 Market St., Little Rock, will mark its 25th anniversary by closing for two months (July and August), effective July 1, for major renovations, what General Manager Rick Qualls calls “a complete makeover of the restaurant from top to bottom.”

Qualls also promises, when it reopens — target date is first week of September — that it will be “one of the finest restaurants ever imagined in west Little Rock ... complete with a few surprises.” That will include “a lot more glamour and glitz,” Qualls says, as well as an enclosed patio (absorbing part of the existing patio) and a club side that will stay open late on Friday and Saturday nights.

There will be a new menu, in part the work of new assistant chef Payne Harding, one third of a new ownership troika with Qualls and Chef Tim Morton. The new menu will retain what Qualls calls “some of the 1620 classics,” including steaks and, of course, the souffles (with the addition of some new souffle flavor combinations), as well as “some of Evette’s secret recipes.”

Qualls confirmed that founder Evette Brady, who has been afflicted by bad knees, will enter semi-retirement, although she’ll still be “part of the 1620 family.” She’ll continue doing a lot of the catering, will continue to offer cooking classes and will have anytime access to the restaurant kitchen. The restaurant phone number is (501) 221-1620; the website, 1620restaurant.com.

Owner JoAnn Taylor is retiring and her Georgetown One Stop, that three-day-aweek Searcy catfish mecca, is closing, effective June 30. The tiny establishment will continue serving catfish and lemon cake, 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, ’til then. Call (501) 742-3781 for a reservation.

And SBiP’s Restaurant, 700 E. Ninth St., Little Rock, reportedly has closed. Although the phone number, (501) 372-7247, had not yet been disconnected as of Tuesday’s deadline, we consistently got either no answer or voice mail.

Terry’s Finer Foods-The Restaurant, 5018 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock, has a new manager, Peter Donovan, formerly of the Capital Hotel, Country Club of Little Rock and Chenal Country Club; and a new chef, Trey Adams (late of House of Blues in New Orleans, Miami’s De-Vito South Beach and Libby’s Cafe & Bar in Sarasota, Fla.). The Heights French bistro (next door to, with additional seating in, the Terry’s Finer Foods market) will have a new menu by the end of June, which Donovan describes as “French comfort food ... still classic French dishes, [but] nothing snooty.” The menu will change quarterly; there have been some minor changes to the wine list, which will still be “French heavy with some California wines.” Hours will continue to be 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 5:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. The phone number is (501) 663-4154.

Yamato Steak House of Japan opened last week at 2650 John Harden Drive, Jacksonville, which space has housed, among other establishments, Roma and Cayenne’s Cajun Eatery. Hours are 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. The phone number is (501) 457-7573.

Dunkin’ Donuts owner Conan Watters says July 10 is the new target date for the opening of the first of several Little Rock outlets at 6805 Cantrell Road. The building’s drive-through is where the front entrance used to be (when it was Sai Gon and its predecessors) and the front entrance is where the patio entrance used to be (and which, in one previous incarnation, there was once — gasp — a drive-through window). Watters said Tuesday he’s in the process of getting the restaurant a telephone number. There’s also a Dunkin’ Donuts under construction on North Reynolds Road in Bryant, next to the Chick-fil-A; Eric McDuffie, who holds that franchise, says he’s hoping to get open by November.

And speaking of chains and franchises, a new McDonald’s outlet opened Monday in the Promenade at Chenal, 17601 Chenal Parkway, Little Rock. It’s the center’s first “pad lot construction” — meaning the restaurant is free-standing, not part of one of the existing buildings. Co-owner/operator Ray Nosler says this is the first McDonald’s in Arkansas to employ several new design elements, including wooden beams and stone pillars; a front-of-the-building entranceway atrium; a specially designed, “tasteful and very comfortable” customer service area with distinct lighting and a digital menu board; and, according to a center news release, “modern seating and furniture, including booths, chairs, high-seated community tables and lounge-style seating areas.” At least for now, the restaurant is open 24 hours (Nosler and his wife, Candy, operate 24-hour McDonald’s outlets on Rodney Parham Road and West Markham Street and several in Hot Springs — weekends only at two of the Hot Springs locations — as well as outlets in southwest Little Rock and Jacksonville). The phone number is (501) 821-0388.

And also speaking of chains, somebody taking a sneak peek at construction plans at the Shackleford Crossings shopping center, 2600 S. Shackleford Road, Little Rock, has reported spotting pending locations there for a Chuck E. Cheese’s, a LongHorn Steakhouse and a BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse. (You may have heard it here first.) To be sure, we checked the websites for all three chains and none of them show any such locations. We’ll certainly keep you posted.

Chef Philippe Ducrot, formerly of Boston and Paris, now of Hot Springs, continues a series of hands-on cooking classes, 3-7 p.m. Thursdays through July 26, in kitchens of the Arkansas Culinary School at Pulaski Tech’s south campus, 13000 Interstate 30, Little Rock, under the auspices of the American Culinary Federation’s Central Arkansas Chapter. Today’s session is titled “Appetizers That Delight”; the rest of the lineup: today, “Transforming Beef and Poultry”; July 12: “Cuisine du Marche — Vegetarian Specialties”; July 19, “Delectable Spring & Summer Desserts”); and July 26, “Spectacular Soups!” Space is limited and you’ll need to register in advance — call (501) 812-2879. Cost of each class is $80 — take an apron and a knife, but the rest of your food supplies will be provided.

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, 121 E. Capitol Ave., Little Rock, Ark. 72201. Send e-mail to:

eharrison@arkansasonline.com