Hillcrest Market & Nosh is what Tomas Bohm is calling his newest enterprise, going into the former location of Hillcrest Artisan Meats, 2807 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock, which co-owners Brian Brown and Tara Portiva-Brown closed Dec. 31. Bohm, who brought you The Pantry and Hillcrest's Pantry Crest, says he's hoping to get the place open by the end of March. It will not, as it was originally described, be quite a deli because Bohm doesn't like the term, but it will vend cured-in-house meats and house-made cheeses, soups, panini and other sandwiches, grab-and-go salads and possibly some larger scale, more exotic meat items (including cooked-to-take-home lamb shanks, pork shanks, rabbit and duck breast). The market end of things will sell Pantry pates and brats and, in pasteurized jars, sauerkraut and cabbage, drinks and some of the Arkansas Fresh Bakery's breads.
He's looking at an overhaul of the store's shotgun space. "That has kind of limited what we can do in there," he said, adding that he's looking to change the layout, and possibly build out into the common spaces at the front and back that the store currently shares with its neighbors. He's looking to add some equipment -- panini grills, rotisserie for chicken -- and envisions a program where customers can park their own cutting boards. "People do it at Pantry Crest all the time, bring their own board [for charcuterie] and take it home."
The name, Bohm says, covers a dual purpose for the establishment. "That's why it's called Market & Nosh: I want to have the market, but also the social, community" that's inherent in the Hillcrest setting. To that end, he's not planning sit-down service, but he'll set up some high-top tables and have wall bar space where up to 30 customers can perch (with free Wi-Fi, of course) and have a bite, sip some locally roasted coffee and/or, if he can swing a license, beer and wine. Tentative hours: 11 a.m.-6 or 7 p.m. daily.
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We reported a couple of weeks ago that La Hacienda, 3024 Cantrell Road, Little Rock, was shutting down as of Christmas Eve for major remodeling. What has come as a shock to folks driving by: The building has been gutted, leaving only a windowless shell (which bears a certain resemblance to a park pavilion). In announcing the remodeling, the Alvarez family said on the restaurant Facebook page that they expected the process to take approximately three months, and that the end result would be "a new La Hacienda experience that will match and exceed the current values of our La Hacienda Restaurants." Calls to the restaurant phone number, (501) 661-0600, are being automatically transferred to the to-go location, 7706 Cantrell Road, which you can also reach at (501) 223-9060, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. daily.
Last weekend's cold weather had a nasty side result at Capers, 14502 Cantrell Road, Little Rock, says co-owner Mary Beth Ringgold, who posted on the restaurant's Facebook page that the "fire suppression system in our attic suddenly burst. So, we will be working through a pretty major renovation during the next couple of weeks." The silver lining: "We will have a brand new look to show off, and, since we will have a little down time, Marilyn [Greene] and I will be in the kitchen creating some new menu items." The phone number is (501) 868-7600.
The Sports Page, 414 Louisiana St., Little Rock, is giving its patrons a 40th birthday present, says owner Eric Tinner: "To commemorate this achievement, we have listened to the 'popular vote' and have elected to go nonsmoking. We closed for two weeks to have a professional cleaning crew clean and deodorize [the restaurant] from top to bottom as well as installing new equipment in the kitchen. We hope this change will make the experience at Sports Page more enjoyable to our loyal customers and inviting to our new ones." It also means you will no longer have to be 21 to enter. The hours 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays; the phone number is (501) 372-1642.
Sharks Fish & Chicken, which has been proliferating across the central Arkansas landscape, mostly moving into vacated fast-food outlets, is what's going into the former Andy's, 124 John Barrow Road, Little Rock, just off West Markham Street. No target opening date yet. You will recall Andy's moved west a month or so ago into the former Chip's Barbecue, 9801 W. Markham St.
Terry's Finer Foods the Restaurant, aka The Sidecar at Terry's Finer Foods, 5018 Kavanaugh Blvd., in Little Rock's Pulaski Heights, is now open for lunch, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday. The phone number is (501) 663-4154.
Buenos Aires Grill and Cafe is coming soon -- possibly within the next three or four weeks, according to its Facebook page -- to 614 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock, most recently the final resting place of Juanita's. We're still trying to winkle out all the details, but the Facebook posting indicates it's a family run operation: "After 14 years in Arkansas, our family lifelong dream of opening an authentic Argentinian restaurant is a reality. We are very excited about the opportunity to introduce our unique flavors and dishes to the Little Rock scene." And the menu will include "asado, empanadas, Graciela's famous chimichurri and more. Family recipes crafted with passion." We don't have a phone number yet, but you can email info@buenosairesgrillcafe.com or visit the website, BuenosAiresGrillCafe.com.
The Hardee's outlet we reported on a few weeks ago has opened inside the rebuilt Valero station/Big Red convenience store, 601 W. Broadway, North Little Rock, catty-cornered from Dickey-Stephens Park at the foot of what will eventually be the new Broadway Bridge. Hours are 5 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday. The phone number is (501) 615-8890.
The website, nestlecafe.com/locations, still doesn't list it as an actual location, but Cheryl Ringgold, director of marketing and business development for McCain Mall, McCain Boulevard and U.S. 67/167, North Little Rock, says look by Valentine's Day, if not sooner, for the opening of Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip in the food-court space next to Chick-fil-A, formerly occupied by the short-lived resurrection of Mr. Dunderbak's. The 1,700-square-foot cafe will offer freshly baked cookies, custom cookie-cakes, Nescafe coffee, Dreyer's ice cream and other desserts during normal mall hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday to Saturday, 12:30-6 p.m. Sunday -- possibly earlier to accommodate coffee customers. There's no listed phone number yet; get a feel for what the place will be like at nestlecafe.com.
Jan. 25 is the deadline to register for the Delta Cultural Center's first Greens, Beans & Cornbread Cook-off, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Jan. 28 at the Miller Annex, 223 Cherry St., Helena-West Helena. You can enter in any one or all three categories. A panel of celebrity judges will choose a winner in each category (beans includes black-eyed peas, by the way); a popular vote will determine the overall winner. There's no cost to participate. Details, rules, criteria and a registration form are available at tinyurl.com/cookoff28.
And VCC of Little Rock has obtained a building permit totaling $9.8 million for construction of the Movie Tavern, the first Arkansas outlet of a Fort Worth movie theater/restaurant chain in the Gateway Town Center, 11300 Bass Pro Parkway, Little Rock, where Interstates 30 and 430 meet. A company representative says construction is expected to begin this month and take about nine months, somewhat later than the "late summer 2017" estimate we most recently received from the Fort Worth headquarters. The 46,000-square-foot theater will feature 11 screens and will have a "chef-crafted" menu (with wait service during movies) and a full bar.
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 01/12/2017