Chef de cuisine Arturo Solis' new menu for the Capital Bar & Grill in the Capital Hotel, 111 W. Markham St., Little Rock, quietly debuted on schedule July 1, but patrons may not yet see the printed product on their tables when they walk through the door -- it's undergoing some tweaks in the physical format, and management is making sure the wait staff and the culinary team are on the same page, so to speak. In the meanwhile, you can find it online at capitalbarandgrill.com, with photos at the Facebook page, facebook.com/CapitalBarandGrill. And Solis previews things via an online video at vimeo.com/132039847. Hours are 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday. The phone number is (501) 370-7013.
Fresh: An Urban Eatery, 1706 W. Third St., Little Rock, has adjusted its hours as of Monday, shedding the less than popular breakfast (primarily breakfast pizzas that took about 15 minutes to make) and shifting into dinner. The place now operates 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday. The phone number is (501) 319-7021.
Our sister publication Sync reports the advent of the 4-Quarter, a New Orleans-style blues and barbecue bar, coming to the space at 415 Main St. in North Little Rock's Argenta District that most recently housed private club Sidetracks, which closed in February. It's the project of Midtown Billiards' bartender-manager Conan Robinson and proprietor Maggie Hinson, who has owned the building for nearly 20 years. Robinson says he will preserve some original murals hand-painted onto the walls decades ago that depict North Little Rock's Main Street in the 1960s and '70s. A target to open will depend on how long it takes to obtain and install all the necessary large kitchen equipment, furnishings and bar equipment; hours are also to be announced but will likely be 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily. The venue will offer music to include classic and modern blues, blues-rock, jam band rock and "full-on, energetic bands"; Robinson has been booking shows at Midtown for the past decade. The limited menu will feature barbecue and Southern-style dishes "with a little creative flair -- think smoked pork sandwich with smoked Gouda and caramelized onions," Sync notes. We'll keep you posted.
Flavor of India manager Sahil Hamirani says the grand opening will be today for the new Indian restaurant in the Market Place Shopping Center, 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock. Check out the menu on the Facebook page (facebook.com/flavorindia) -- in addition to "standard" Indian dishes (masala, paneer, korma, vindaloo and items from the tandoor), it will be a mostly vegan/gluten-free South Indian menu (an area of cuisine that hasn't previously been available here) and chaat (Indian street food). Hours are 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5-10 p.m. daily; the phone number is (501) 224-4567.
We're not quite sure what's up with Mr. Texano Mexican Restaurant, which replaced Tamalittle at 102 Markham Park Drive, Little Rock, in February. We reported a few weeks ago it was cutting back its hours; now it appears it may have closed. A drive-by during what are supposed to be business hours showed no activity, and a call to (501) 217-9085 returns a phone company recording -- not a disconnect message, but that the phone number has been changed and "the new number is unknown."
Monday is the target opening date for Dugout Sports Bar & Grill, 1020 Airport Road, Hot Springs, in the space formerly occupied by Grampa's Catfish House of Hot Springs. The menu will offer wings, burgers, wraps, nachos, quarter-pound hot dogs and a variety of desserts. Hours will be 11 a.m.-9 or 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday. The phone number is (501) 701-4565.
Kevis Smith of Cache won the People's Choice award and Luiggi Uzecategui of The Afterthought Bistro & Bar won the title of Master Mixologist at the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas' Preservation Libations Master Mix-Off bartending competition June 25 at the Albert Pike Memorial Temple, 712 Scott St., Little Rock.
The Tampa, Fla.-based Little Greek restaurant chain, with outlets in the Pleasant Ridge Town Center, 11525 Cantrell Road, Little Rock, and the Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville, has changed its name to Little Greek Fresh Grill. The new name, explains Little Greek president Nick Vojnovic, "better defines our emphasis on fresh and healthy food with a Mediterranean flair." Visit littlegreekfreshgrill.com.
And Matthew Bell of South on Main heads the list of "The 10 Chefs From Arkansas You Should Know," according to The Culture Trip (culturetrip.com), a London-based website that describes itself as a "one-stop guide to the best of every state's art, culture, food and travel."
Writer Helen Armitage correctly asserts that "You don't have to travel to dining meccas like New York or Chicago to find terrifically talented chefs -- there are plenty of creative chefs currently cooking up a storm right here in Arkansas."
The other nine: Jerrmy Gawthrop, of Fayetteville's Greenhouse Grille; Todd Gold, who now heads Pulaski Technical College's Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute; Matthew Cooper, recently of Cache, now "concentrating on two projects -- Dandelion, a specialty herb and spice store he opened with his wife, Priscilla Fincher," and "a new restaurant set to open in a 111-year-old church in Bentonville in collaboration with boutique hospitality group RopeSwing"; Donnie Ferneau Jr., of Good Food by Ferneau; Southern Gourmasian's Justin Patterson; Angela Nardi, head chef at the Superior Bathhouse Brewery and Distillery in Hot Springs; Brian Deloney of Maddie's Place; Stephen Burrow, head chef at the Clinton Presidential Center's restaurant, Forty-Two; and Matthew McClure of The Hive in Bentonville.
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 07/09/2015