• July 5 is now the new target -- all other things being equal -- for the opening of Ira Mittelman's long-awaited, eponymous Ira's, 311 Main St., Little Rock, after some last-minute construction and permit problems. The bar will open at 4 p.m., with kitchen service starting at 5 Monday-Saturday (closing hours will depend on the volume of business), with fairly short-run plans to add lunch service. The phone number is (501) 902-4911; the website: irasrestaurant.com.
• The Capital Hotel, 111 W. Markham St., Little Rock, will offer "A Toast to Our Independence," 6 p.m. Wednesday on the mezzanine level. Following a complimentary "birthday" toast, guests can graze through chef Andre Poirot's "small bites" menu "of all-American summertime favorites." Wine and cocktail service will be available until 8:30 p.m. Cost, $47, includes tax, gratuity and valet parking. Call (501) 374-7474 or visit tinyurl.com/CapitalFourth.
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The Happy Egg, formerly B-Side, in the Market Place Shopping Center, 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road, is once again closed "temporarily." Owners Barbara and Tom Fuge didn't supply any additional details by deadline. The phone number is (501) 716-2700.
Owner-chef Matt Fuller has applied for liquor permit for his 501 Prime, 215 E. Grand Ave., Hot Springs, and that 30-60 day process, along with things such as final finishes, controls the planned opening date for the long-in-the-works restaurant-slash-oyster bar-slash whiskey bar. Though not yet perhaps open to the public at that point, Fuller expects now to be in his kitchen "end of July, first of August," testing out menu items and so on. Meanwhile, keep watching the Facebook page, facebook.com/501prime; the restaurant does have a phone number, (501) 623-0202, and a website, 501prime.com.
And speaking of Hot Springs: Construction has started on Gateway Food Park, which will have hook-ups for five or six food trucks, at 420 Malvern Ave. There will also be a restroom and a pavilion, the Sentinel-Record reports. Stephen and Eddie Inman-Crawley, who own Lox Salon across the street, started the project about a year ago. Stephen Inman-Crawley says, their vision is "for this to be more a venue gathering spot than just a lot with trucks -- a family and pet-friendly hot spot." They hope to have things up and running within 30 to 60 days.
And still speaking of Hot Springs, Minneapolis-based food delivery operation Bite Squad on Monday started offering pick up and delivery service from more than two dozen Spa City restaurants, including BubbaLu's Bodacious Burgers & Classy Dogs, Trejo's Mexican Restaurant, On the Border, Beano's Pizza, Cotija Mexican Restaurant, The Blitzed Pig Bar and Grill, Ai Sushi & Grill, San Francisco Bread Co., Rod's Pizza Cellar, Brick House Grill, Stubby's BBQ, Taste of India, Sams Pizza Pub, Bleu Monkey Grill, Purple Cow and Salsa's Mexican Restaurant & Cantina. For delivery within a seven-mile radius of the "participating restaurant partner," order -- 11 a.m-10 p.m. daily -- via the Bite Squad app or the website, bitesquad.com. Delivery fees start at $2.99; through Sept. 25, new Hot Springs customers can get free delivery (up to $10 off booking fee) using the code WELCOMEHS at checkout. (Small print: "No cash value. Not valid towards tax or tip. One per household. Cannot be combined with any other offer or discount.")
Venezia's Italian Kitchen, 2009 N. Thompson St., Springdale, has closed; the phone number, (479) 419-9499, has been disconnected and is "not in service." And no, inquiring reader, we don't know why, nor do we now whether it has closed for good or might be moving.
And speaking of Northwest Arkansas, expect the doors of Local Lime Rogers, 2103 S. Promenade Blvd., Rogers, to open in "late summer." The phone number is (501) 258-7744.
And the seventh Arkansas Cornbread Festival will occupy several blocks of Little Rock's Main Street south of Interstate 630, centering on Bernice Garden, 1401 Main, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 27. As in past years, competing professional and amateurs will supply samples of cornbread to guests, who vote to determine who makes the best cornbread and complementing side item. Cooking teams of individuals and restaurant chefs will also compete for cash prizes and judges' ribbons. Neighborhood businesses, food trucks and area breweries will be open with specials and there will be musical acts, arts-and-crafts vendors and a kids corner. Advance tickets, $8, go on sale Aug. 20; they'll be $10 at the gate. Proceeds support community-improvement projects in the SoMa area. Entry, sponsor and vendor forms are available at arkansascornbreadfestival.com. Visit the Facebook page, facebook.com/ArkansasCornbreadFestival.