Western Sizzlin' closed its restaurant at 1916 Congo Road, Benton, at the end of 2018, but it is coming back, rebranded as Western Sizzlin's Wood Grill Buffet, and being touted as the town's biggest buffet ever. It's a full-service restaurant buffet concept that the Western Sizzlin' chain acquired in 1996; it features meats and seafood, a salad bar, a chocolate fountain and more "healthy" and flavorful preparation of vegetables, apparently, than is to be found in the average Western Sizzlin'. There are five other outlets — in Charlottesville and Harrisonburg, Va.; Heperia and Norwalk, Calif.; and Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Owner Elgin Hamner told MySaline.com the goal is to open sometime in April; they're currently hiring — show up in person to apply, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Check out woodgrillbuffet.com or facebook.com/Wood-Grill-Buffet-Benton-251538179124708, which also lists a phone number, (501) 778-9656.
It didn't take long to find a tenant to fill the strip-mall storefronts that most recently housed Kendo Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi at 1800 Club Manor Drive, Maumelle, which had briefly replaced Sashimi Japanese Steakhouse in the space in October and closed last month. According to the banner that briefly hung across the front of the building, what's moving in is Kosuke Hibachi & Sushi. (The banner, by the way, read "Suski" — undoubtedly, or at least we hope, a poor reading of somebody's handwriting; this week it was replaced by something apparently more permanent.) We still lack details, including an opening date, but if the Kendo folks left the kitchen, hibachi tables and dining room furniture intact when they left, the transition probably won't take much, if any, longer than the very brief time it took Kendo to supersede Sashimi. We note that Kendo/Sashimi phone number, (501) 851-4700, still has not been disconnected, but produces a rapid busy signal. And there is now a Facebook page: facebook.com/pages/category/Restaurant/Kosuke-Japanese-Steakhouse-and-Sushi-2181020478614017.
Fans of Rocky's Pub, a steak-sandwich shop/Italian restaurant/bar in the Indian Hills Shopping Center on John F. Kennedy Boulevard, just on the North Little Rock side of the border with Sherwood, lamented its closing in January 2014 — and since. Last year, Joel Dunlap, part of the family that operated Rocky's, brought it back, or at least the Philly steak part of the business, as Rocky's Togo (that's pronounced "to-go," not like the country in Africa), making and selling cheesesteaks and Philly chicken sandwiches out of a west Little Rock commercial kitchen. Now we've spotted this March 12 posting on Facebook (facebook.com/Rockys-Pub-131500486916235): "Restaurant coming VERY SOON!! Just secured a loan and looking for a space," preferably in North Little Rock or Sherwood. "If you know of any, give me a holler. Looking forward to seeing all of you actually being able to sit down and eat!!" Down a ways in the comments, we discover that the leading potential site for the new resurrected Rocky's is the former Jo Jo's Bar-B-Q, 117 Country Club Road, Sherwood, which has been under reconstruction after an Aug. 1 fire damaged the interior.
And Dairy Queen franchisee You Scream Holdings, LLC, which operates DQ locations in Sherwood, Little Rock, Cabot and Saline County, has passed out more than 80,000 free-cone coupons to area schools, ostensibly to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. "What started as an idea to let teachers order coupons to give to students soon turned into a coupon overload," says You Scream Holdings owner Blake Lively. "When the number started to reach 80,000 coupons, we had to shut down the order form for fear we wouldn't be able to fulfill our promise."
And in Hot Springs restaurant news:
• Little Italy Pizza, Pasta & Subs is opening this week at 228 Cornerstone Blvd., off Central Avenue. It's the second Spa City "branch office" for Arian Maksuti's Ari's Little Italy, 180 U.S. 70 East, Glenwood — the other is Mama's Little Italy, 1020 Airport Road. All three have the same hours -- 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday — and pretty much the same menu, including a range of chicken and veal entrees, pasta dishes ranging from spaghetti to lasagna to ziti, "Napoli" pizzas and cold and hot subs. Phone numbers: (501) 620-0926 for the new place; (501) 881-4121 for Mama's Little Italy; (870) 356-4587 for the original in Glenwood. That place, by the way, has been closed for a couple of days this week for renovation, and was nominated, though it didn't win, in the People's Choice category for the Department of Arkansas Heritage's recently announced 2019 class for the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame.
• In the Raw, a food truck serving gourmet raw and plant-based items, opened Jan. 21 as a smoothie/juice bar/vegetarian-vegan restaurant in its new storefront location, 919 Central Ave., and is serving juices and a limited menu, 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday. The phone number is (501) 762-0814; the website: intherawtestkitchen.com.
• The Hot Springs Planning & Development Commission last week approved a site plan amendment from the Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers chain to raze and remove an existing car wash and construct a new fast food restaurant at 102 Buena Vista Road. The next step, we're told, will be to obtain a building permit to begin destruction and construction.
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 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 03/21/2019