A correction and update on our item last week about a new restaurant that just opened in the space at 1900 W. Third St., Little Rock (adjacent to Warehouse Liquor on the west side of the Third Street Viaduct), that most recently has been a private club called Twelve Modern Lounge. The name is not Satchmo's Bar & Grill, as we had reported, but Satchemo's Bar & Grill, and it has nothing to do with Louis Armstrong but the name derives instead, says owner Joy Evans, from "a nickname created by my dad for my late mother." It is, Evans says, geared toward a sports bar and grill with pool tables and karaoke and occasionally bands on Friday nights. Chef Jill McDonald's menu, she says, will transcend typical bar food with items like a Three Little Piggies sandwich (ham, pulled pork and bacon), meatloaf cupcakes, pulled-pork nachos, pulled-pork egg rolls, chicken fries, butter-infused burgers and (coming soon) flatbread sandwiches. The place is "family friendly" until 10 p.m.; thereafter it's 21 and older only. Hours are are 4 p.m.-midnight Monday and Thursday, 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-midnight Sunday. The phone number is (501) 725-4657.
We still don't have a date certain, or even a semi-firm target, for the opening of Donnie Ferneau Jr.'s Good Food by Ferneau and Travis McConnell's Butcher and Public up in the former Argenta Market space, 521 Main St., North Little Rock, but speculation (in the wake of a couple of recent soft-opening events) indicates it could be within the week. The phone numbers are (501) 804-8604 and (501) 410-7783, respectively; the websites, goodfoodbyferneau.com and butcherandpublic.com.
Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe in McCain Mall, 3929 McCain Blvd., North Little Rock (the fourth central Arkansas franchise in the Alabama-based mini-chain -- two in Little Rock, one in Conway) will, all other things being equal, open Tuesday. Hours are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday. Stephanie Keet, a member of the family that holds the franchise, promises that the phone number, (501) 218-8822, which by deadline was still returning a "not in service" message, will be connected by then.
We have this update on Pizzeria Santa Lucia, which, as you recall, is transitioning from a mobile pizzeria to brick-and-mortar quarters at Terry's Finer Foods, 5018 Kavanaugh Blvd. in Little Rock's Pulaski Heights: The fabulous authentic, brick-floor, wood-burning, 1,000-degree Mario Acunto pizza oven that came by sea from Naples, Italy, is in place, and Sept. 11, according to the Facebook page (facebook.com/pizzeriasantaluciaLR), was the "Last day of the oven cure process. Closer now than ever!" We no longer get a "temporarily disconnected" message at the business' phone number, (501) 666-1885, but we don't get an answer at it, either. We'll continue to keep you posted.
Garden Bistro, 4801 North Hills Blvd., North Little Rock, has changed its hours slightly, says owner-chef Eric Greer: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday and for Sunday brunch, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. The phone number is (501) 758-4299.
The website, potbelly.com/littlerock, still lists the first Arkansas outlet of Chicago-based Potbelly Sandwich Shop in the Park Avenue development, 314 S. University Ave., Little Rock, as "coming soon," but it now also carries "a message from the owner, Ryan Hamra": "The Potbelly experience is quite simple. We make our customers really happy. How? By combining high quality, fresh and tasty food, local live music, and neighborhood decor. ... We are looking for staff in all positions including shift leaders who have a positive attitude, great team working skills and the desire to excel in what they do" -- download applications from the bottom of the page and email them to shop516@potbellyshops.com. "We are also looking for musicians to play during lunch on a regular basis. If you are looking for a venue to show your talent and are interested in being our lunchtime entertainment, please email us so we can get in touch with you." We still get no answer, however, at the listed phone number, (501) 660-4441.
Table 28, in the Best Western Premier The Burgundy Hotel, formerly the Governor's Suites, 1501 Merrill Drive, Little Rock, will host a "taste of Arkansas" pairing dinner with Rock Town Distillery at 7:30 p.m. today. The menu: bone marrow crostini with Rock Town Whiskey glaze and onion jam, paired with Farmer's Market Whiskey Sour; pork belly "bacon" and arugula in a hickory-smoked whiskey reduction, paired with Frank Broyles "Old Fashion"; Tongue & Cheek with rye horseradish-mustard sauce with leek gratin, paired with Mulberry Mountain "Smash"; Arkansas bream with Rock Town Lightning tipsy blackberries, paired with Greers Ferry Cooler; and peach lightning bread pudding paired with River Market Fizz. Cost is $65 per person and, of course, you must be 21 or older. Call Phone (501) 224-2828 or visit tinyurl.com/pfqy986.
Solfood Catering will put on the first Urban Raw Festival, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday in the South Main district, 1300-1800 blocks of Main Street, Little Rock. The festival will feature music, food trucks, food demonstrations ("vegan and living," according to a news release), artisans, dance and theater performances, workshop presentations, yoga parties and screenings of an original dramatic series produced and shot in Little Rock, called Makeda's Nido. Tickets are $5 in advance, $8 at the gate, $1 for children 12 and under. A complete schedule is available at urbanrawfestival.com; for tickets, visit tinyurl.com/oovahwg.
Eight places to eat in the Promenade at Chenal, 17000 block of Chenal Parkway, Little Rock -- A.W. Lin's, Bravo Cucina Italiana, Local Lime, the Tavern, Big Orange, Cafe Brunelle, Maggie Moo's and YaYa's Euro Bistro -- are collaborating with the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce for a Business After Hours event titled "Talk With Your Mouth Full," 5-7 p.m. Sept. 25. Tickets are $5 in advance, $10 at the door. Call (501) 377-6016, email kperez@littlerockchamber.com or visit littlerockchamber.com.
Mellow Mushroom outlets (there's one on Chenal Parkway in Little Rock) this month are donating $1 on every Buffalo Chicken Pizza and order of Oven Roasted Wings to the No Kid Hungry campaign. You can also donate in the store -- pitch in $1 or more and get a mushroom with your name to pin on the wall. And for every $10 you donate online at nokidhungry.org/mellowmushroom, you'll be entered into a contest for one of two trips -- to the Hard Rock resort of your choice or to brew beer at the New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins, Colo.
And Bray Gourmet, the downtown delicatessen and catering company (in the Tower Building, 323 Center St. Little Rock), will be the on-site restaurant at the CARTI Cancer Center, under construction at 8901 Riley Drive, just south of Interstate 630 near Woodland Heights, expected to open in fall 2015. Owner Chris Bray says he'll offer the majority of his downtown menu with a few minor changes, including the addition of fresh, fruit smoothies and daily specials.
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 email to:
eharrison@arkansasonline.com
Weekend on 09/18/2014