Three Fold Noodles and Dumpling Co. is moving from 215 Center St., Little Rock, where it has been vending authentic Chinese noodles, dumplings and buns, since December 2014, to the Fulk Building (which, by the way, was the original home of the Arkansas Democrat), 615 Main St., sometime in mid-August. Owner Lisa Zhang says she anticipates staying open as they move, though there is a possibility it may have to close for a week to complete the transition.
Arkansas Online reported last week that the move will allow Three Fold to add table service (while maintaining cafeteria ordering), so the kitchen can prepare meals to order, cooked in woks and served hot (instead of staff members scooping pre-made stuff out of a steam table). The new location will seat around 120 inside and another 16 on a patio.
The space had been the announced flagship location of Raimondo Winery, which third-generation California winemaker Margie Raimondo had been operating since 2008 in Mountain Home, and which would have included a tasting room and trattoria and would have sold gourmet foods. That deal apparently has fallen through. We were unable to reach developer Jimmy Moses or Raimondo by deadline.
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North Bar has opened in the former Ira's Park Hill Grill space in the Lakehill Shopping Center, 3812 John F. Kennedy Blvd., North Little Rock. Eric Greer and Kyle Ray Dismang, both also of North Little Rock's Victorian Garden Bistro, have come up with a menu of gourmet bar food, including burgers, sandwiches and wraps, with vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options (including some of what Dismang describes as some awesome veggie burger recipes). The place has a full liquor license, with eight different kinds of draft beer, a wine list and a drink menu concocted by bar manager and mixologist Tonya Dyson. Dismang says they're still a bit short-handed and are looking to hire some good workers. Hours, for the time being, are 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday for lunch, 5-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 5 p.m.-"whenever" Friday-Saturday. The phone number is (501) 420-1117. You'll recall that Ira Mittelman is moving his restaurant, probably to be named just plain Ira's, to 307 Main St. in downtown Little Rock. No word yet on a target opening date.
The Pantry and Pantry Crest owner Tomas Bohm reports he has changed the name of his in-progress project in the former Hillcrest Artisan Meats, 2807 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock, from Hillcrest Market & Nosh to District Fare. He's still looking toward an end-of-March target to open.
Mylo Coffee Co., 2715 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock, with rebuilding in progress on the next-door former Afterthought spaces that will reportedly include a performance venue and a restaurant-bar, is also adding a new roasting facility up the street at 3604 Kavanaugh, at North Lookout Street. The building once housed Dancer's Corner and has sat empty for a considerable period of time. EJ's Eats & Drinks, 523 Center St., had been planning to open a second location there -- also a return to Hillcrest, where the eatery originated -- but difficulties over parking and traffic flow at that busy intersection held up the deal, which EJ's co-owner Kristi Pruett confirms has fallen through.
And speaking of downtown Little Rock sandwich shops, these two are getting face-lifts:
• Slick's, on the ground floor of the state office building at 101 E. Capitol Ave. that started out life as the Main Street Mall, is marking its 30th anniversary with a new look. Owners Guy and Cara Saylors are being a bit cagey about just what's coming, but they've been teasing customers with sandwich-board messages suggesting "a big change" is in the works as of Monday. The phone number is (501) 375-3420.
• Meanwhile, an update on our report from a couple of weeks ago on Bray Gourmet Deli, in the Catlett-Prein Tower building, 323 Center St.: Owner/namesake Chris Bray reports by email blast that "Our new look is almost complete," including new floors, paint on walls and ceilings and walnut planking around all the new countertops. Next up: a new menu, adding new specialty hot sandwiches and entrees. The phone number is (501) 353-1045.
And another update on La Hacienda, 3024 Cantrell Road, Little Rock: Work is apparently continuing seven days a week on the totally rebuilt restaurant -- from the ground up, no mere renovation this -- with an expanded footprint and apparently a second floor; it's taking on the "hacienda" look similar to the original in Hot Springs. And we have an unofficial and tentative target opening date: the end of February. Meanwhile, the Alvarez family posted this on the restaurant's Facebook page Feb. 9, countering who-knows-what: "We would like to say that the progress for our new building is going very well. However, we would like to clear up a question that management has been receiving. Our location on Cantrell Road is NOT PERMANENTLY CLOSED. It is simply undergoing new construction and we shall be reopening soon. Thank you everyone for your patience in this matter." Meanwhile, the restaurant phone number, (501) 661-0600, still automatically transfers to their to-go location, 7706 Cantrell Road.
A Doe's Eat Place franchise has opened at 411 W. Washington Ave., Jonesboro, with a menu similar to other Doe's outlets -- the original, family owned Doe's in Greenville, Miss. (there's another family owned location in Paducah, Ky.), and franchise operations in Little Rock, Bentonville, Fayetteville and Fort Smith; Baton Rouge and Monroe, La.; Biloxi, Miss.; and coming soon to Springfield, Mo., and Florence and Ridgeland, Miss. It has obtained a private club license, so it is serving alcohol, and has music some evenings. Hours are 5-9 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 5-10 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. The phone number is (870) 333-2435; the website, doeseatplacejonesboro.com.
One of our eagle-eyed Spa City correspondents spotted these nuggets in a list of building permits that recently appeared in the Hot Springs Sentinel-Record: Grateful Head Pizzeria, 100 Exchange St., $15,000, for construction of three patio decks and interior demolition of two closet walls, and Tuscany, 1609 Albert Pike Road, Suite 3, $1,500 for a "certificate of occupancy and pizza oven."
@ the Corner, 201 E. Markham St., Little Rock, will team up with Lost Forty Brewing for the former's first-ever beer dinner, the so-called "Fat Tuesday Pancake Supper," 6-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, a five-course "taste of New Orleans" (including, but not limited to, pancakes and beignets), each course paired with a Lost Forty brew. Tickets, $70, include tax, gratuity and "Mardi Gras swag." Visit centralarkansastickets.com/events/fat-tuesday-pancake-supper; for more information, email leilaatthecorner@gmail.com.
Matthew McClure, executive chef of The Hive in Bentonville, is one of 20 semifinalists in the "Best Chef: South" category -- and again this year, Arkansas' only nominee -- for the 2017 James Beard Foundation Awards, announced Wednesday. McClure was also a 2016 semifinalist in the same category. The foundation will announce the finalists for the 27th annual honors March 15; the awards gala will be April 25 at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York City. See the full semifinalist list online at jamesbeard.org/awards.
And Tasting Table's Arkansas pick for the best steakhouse in each of the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia (tinyurl.com/jc7nc86): Arthur's Prime Steakhouse, 27 Rahling Circle, Little Rock: "If you've ever dreamed of sipping an aged [Cabernet] over a dry-aged Chateaubriand for two, jumbo freshwater prawns covered in a light citrus-Riesling glaze or a beautifully charred Australian Wagyu tomahawk in a medieval castle, then you better get on down to Little Rock. Hidden inside an inconspicuous storefront, Arthur's cathedral-like dark wood walls, hanging chandeliers, black wrought-iron doors and gray stone accents will feed your inner Tyrion Lannister, while the extensive menu will take care of the rest. When we say this place is old school, you better believe we mean it." If you want to congratulate owner Jerry Barakat, Arthur's phone number is (501) 821-1838; check out the menu and anything else you need to know at arthursprimesteakhouse.com. By the way, the site's top steakhouse in Mississippi? The original Doe's Eat Place, 502 Nelson St., Greenville, Miss.
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 02/16/2017