New Year’s Eve is the target opening for Cache, the new restaurant from 1620 Savoy’s Payne Harding and executive chef Matthew Cooper (formerly of Lulav) in the nearly completed Arcade Building, President Clinton and River Market avenues in Little Rock’s River Market District; in the meanwhile, the restaurant is accepting bookings for corporate and private holiday luncheons, dinners, receptions and parties during December - call Cooper at (501) 626-4414.
Lead investor Rush Harding, Payne’s dad, proudly proclaims that “renowned hospitality designer and architect The Johnson Studio of Atlanta created the restaurant’s interior with the objective” of creating “the most urbane, exceptional experience” to the neighborhood. The two-story restaurant (first floor, bar and bar lounge and main dining area; second floor, a smaller bar and open and private executive dining) will include approximately 10,000 square feet of space with seating for 200.
A draft menu includes Foie Gras and caviar du jour among the high-end appetizers and seafood (including paella), lamb, rabbit, duck, fish and pasta entrees and a pair of premium-priced steaks. There will be a chef’s table and, given that the place will have a sommelier (Jeff Yant, also moving over from 1620 Savoy), apparently a pretty nifty wine list. The restaurant hours will be 11 a.m.-close (probably 10 p.m. or thereabouts, 11 p.m. or so on the weekends) Monday-Saturday. We’ll keep you posted.
Luna Maya Burritos is up and running at the unsinkable former Hop location, 7706 Cantrell Road, Little Rock. The menu offers burritos and tacos, cheese dip and guacamole; combos include rice, beans and soda; Mexican sodas are available for an extra charge. Hours are 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday. The phone number is (501) 223-9756.
One of our sharp-eyed observers spotted a building permit in the Hot Springs Sentinel Record for an outlet of the Fayetteville-based Slim Chickens mini-chain, coming to 1384 Higdon Ferry Road in the Spa City. (Suite A, if that helps any.) We’ll keep you posted.
Samantha McGehee takes over Nov. 1 as the new cook at Cafe 65, 16508 U.S. 65 S., just north of Damascus. Citing her more than 20 years of experience specializing in down home Southern, Italian and Mexican cuisine, she’s planning to incorporate local produce in a seasonal menu that features meatloaf, spaghetti, fried chicken, chicken and dumplings and smoked-on the-premises barbecue, with side items that include turnip greens, green beans and other locally grown vegetables. Hours are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday. The phone number is (501) 335-7617.
Chef Evette Brady, formerly chef-owner of Restaurant 1620, will be the guest chef in the kitchen of its successor, 1620 Savoy, 1620 Market St., Little Rock on Oct. 24, starting with an entertainment-cocktail hour at 6 p.m. and a five-course dinner at 7. It has been a year since Brady entered semi-retirement. Cost is $75 per person, plus alcohol, tax and gratuity. Make the required reservations by calling (501) 221-1620.
And as a public service, this reminder for readers who think when a place goes out of business that we somehow automatically know why: Unless the owners post something on the front door or on Facebook, send out an email to customers or subsequently seek us out after we have reported the closing (and that’s pretty rare), we don’t know why the restaurant closed. Nor, once the restaurant phone number has been disconnected, do we have any easy way of finding out. Thanks for understanding.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 email to: eharrison@arkansasonline.com
Weekend, Pages 40 on 10/10/2013