Restaurant Transitions: IHOP at Markham and University, Capers, Tacos 4 Life opening soon

Chef Casey Copeland (left), pictured taking part in a 2016 cooking competition, has opened his own restaurant, The Avenue, in the new Waters Hotel in Hot Springs.
Chef Casey Copeland (left), pictured taking part in a 2016 cooking competition, has opened his own restaurant, The Avenue, in the new Waters Hotel in Hot Springs.

The target reopening date for the IHOP, West Markham Street and University Avenue, Little Rock, is April 3. You will recall that Golden Cakes Inc., which manages 10 of the 15 Arkansas IHOPs, is rebuilding the place from the ground up; the new place will have a "contemporary look, reflective of the warm and inviting atmosphere characteristic of IHOP restaurants nationwide," according to a corporate marketing statement; "special design touches include whimsical 'bubble' screens, porcelain wood-like tile flooring and the beloved banquette seating associated with the brand since first opening in 1958." Part of the building has a distinctly visible second story, which Susan North, franchisee/partner/owner, says will be an employee-only space, not a party room or overflow seating.

Capers, 14502 Cantrell Road, Little Rock, reopens at lunchtime Monday after an extensive remodeling made necessary after a January cold snap burst a sprinkler system pipe in the attic. "It looks awesome," says co-owner Marilyn Greene, who adds that a new menu, featuring four new appetizers and a new fresh-seafood entree goes along with the new decor. Hours are 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Saturday for lunch, 5-9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5-10:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday for dinner. The phone number is also active: (501) 868-7600.

March 1 is the firm opening date for Little Rock's first Tacos 4 Life in the Shackleford Crossings Shopping Center, 2630 S. Shackleford Road, Little Rock (between Longhorn Steakhouse and the Boomerang Carwash). Andrew Washington, development coordinator, says unless the building burns down, that's definite. Hours will be 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. For the time being, the phone number is the company support center, (501) 404-0144. And Washington says there's a mid-April target for the opening of the location at 7821 Alcoa Road, Benton. The Conway-based, socially conscious restaurant mini-chain (with a mission to help end world hunger through its Meal 4 Meal model -- donating one meal for every meal sold) has two Conway locations and one in Fayetteville, and is looking to open one this fall in Springdale. Visit tacos4life.com.

Andy's opened Friday in its new home, the former Chip's Barbecue, 9801 W. Markham St., Little Rock. Some of the wall art and decorations have changed, and of course it's the Andy's menu over and to the left of the front counter instead of Chip's, but otherwise they've pretty much left the interior just as it was. Hours are 6 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. The phone number is (501) 224-2444. And the Sharks Fish and Chicken outlet that moved into the former Andy's space, 124 John Barrow Road, Little Rock, opened Feb. 13. Hours are 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday. The phone phone number: (501) 954-7727 or (501) 954-7735.

The Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip opened last week in the food-court space next to Chick-fil-A on the lower level of McCain Mall, McCain Boulevard and U.S. 67/167, North Little Rock, offering coffee and coffee drinks, cookies, custom cookie-cakes, ice cream and other desserts. Hours are the same as the mall's: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday to Saturday, 12:30-6 p.m. Sunday. The phone number is (501) 590-8660; the website, nestlecafe.com.

The doughnut shop at 2127 Main St., North Little Rock, across a side street from North Little Rock High School, has dropped its Shipley's franchise and is now Paul's Donuts. Other than the name and the packaging -- particularly the now brightly colored boxes -- you probably won't much notice the difference. Hours are 4 a.m.-4 p.m. on school days, 4 a.m.-2 p.m. on weekends. And the phone number is still, (501) 753-9526.

And speaking of doughnuts, the Daylight Donuts website, daylightdonuts.com/find-your-daylight, still lists as "coming soon" its location at 102 Markham Park Drive, Little Rock, which had been a couple of short-lived Mexican places. Hours, according to a web search, will likely be 5 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 6 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday.

Owner Amr Alfarah says Jacobs Wings & Grill, named on a state Department of Health permit application as Jacobs Store, has a tentative opening by the end of the month at 5200 John F. Kennedy Blvd., North Little Rock. It shares a structure with Custom Carpets, between the Splash Full Service Carwash & Detail, 5116 JFK, and the Kum & Go gas station and convenience store, 5216 JFK. Alfarah says he hasn't yet figured out what his operating hours will be. The phone number is (501) 508-5783.

While we're waiting for Mr. Hui's Restaurant to open in the Pleasant Ridge Town Center, 11525 Cantrell Road, Little Rock, we found this nugget from a review in the Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star of a restaurant of that name in Lincoln, Neb. (tinyurl.com/MrHui): "According to employee Eileen Feng, the restaurant is operated by an ownership from outside the state. This is its only restaurant in Lincoln. Feng, herself, has been in Lincoln for a few weeks. She's from Ohio, trained in Mississippi and worked at a Chinese restaurant in Little Rock, Ark., before moving to Lincoln." We're told that that out-of-state ownership is the family that operates Mr. Chen's, combination restaurant-Asian grocery, on Little Rock's South University Avenue and Mr. Cheng's, just a restaurant, on North Little Rock's East McCain Boulevard. They, in turn, hold a franchise from a mini-chain based in Birmingham, Ala.

Owner-franchisee Ryan Hamra says he's now set a mid-June target date for the opening of his downtown Potbelly Sandwich Shop, in the former Cheers on Broadway space in the lobby of the Lyon Building, 401 W. Capitol Ave., Little Rock (the shorter building, housing U.S. Bank, next to the much bigger Simmons Bank Tower). The shop will serve breakfast and lunch (including sandwiches, soups, salads, pastries, shakes and more); tentative hours will be 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Hamra's first location is in the Park Avenue shopping center, 314 S. University Ave., Little Rock; he has committed to opening three more in central and Northwest Arkansas in the next couple of years.

Meanwhile, Slick's -- on the ground floor of the state office building at 101 E. Capitol Ave., Little Rock, that started out life as the Main Street Mall -- marking its 30th anniversary, opened on Tuesday with bright new menu boards, a new drink cooler wedged into the western side of its counter space and a full conversion to Pepsi drink products, with wall signs to match. The phone number is (501) 375-3420.

The Avenue is now open in The Waters, a boutique hotel at 340 Central Ave., Hot Springs, although the hotel itself doesn't open until Friday. Chef Casey Copeland, formerly of So, is at the helm. "This is the first menu I've been fully in charge of. And my first operation from the ground up," he says. The tapas-type menu, "lots of small plates and shareables," is Southern-inspired, he explains, but features "different cooking techniques from around the world," and he's focusing on using local products and offering "something special to Hot Springs." Hours are 4-9 p.m. Monday and Wednesday-Thursday, 4-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday; there's a 2-4 p.m. happy hour in the bar with half-price well drinks and drafts. Copeland is a Le Cordon Bleu graduate and the 2015 winner of the Arkansas Hospitality Association's Iron Chef competition (and the 2016 runner-up). The restaurant phone number is (501) 625-3850; the number for the hotel is (501) 321-0001.

The Little Rock Marathon is March 5, and anybody looking to have breakfast, brunch or lunch that Sunday should be aware that the closer you are to the downtown Little Rock finish line, the more crowded will be the eating place. Various places will be offering food and drink specials; the first one we've heard from is The Flying Saucer, 323 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock, which will hold a brunch for marathon runners and supporters, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. March 4-5, including a build-your-own Bloody Mary and mimosa bar. The phone number: (501) 372-8032.

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 02/23/2017

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