RESTAURANT TRANSITIONS: Downtown Dizzy's sold, Mylo Coffee changing hands, latest on Three Fold's new project + more

Democrat-Gazette file photo

Dizzy's Gypsy Bistro is changing hands -- founder Darla Huie is giving up her "third" child to the family that runs Dugan's Pub. Don Dugan says little, if anything, will change.
Democrat-Gazette file photo Dizzy's Gypsy Bistro is changing hands -- founder Darla Huie is giving up her "third" child to the family that runs Dugan's Pub. Don Dugan says little, if anything, will change.

Darla Huie, owner of Dizzy's Gypsy Bistro, 200 River Market Ave., Little Rock, has sold the restaurant to the Don Dugan family, operators of Dugan's Pub, 401 E. Third St., Little Rock, and the next-door Stratton's Market.

Huie posted April 25 on her Facebook page, "I'm pleased with their acquisition of what was, essentially, my third child for 24 years. They are uniquely well-equipped to carry on the tradition of Dizzy's with their extensive food-service and hospitality experience. I am beyond thankful to all who supported us for so long. I love this brand. I love my co-workers. I love our clients. I will miss you all tremendously. I know 'she' is now in the hands of a competent, passionate family I respect."

Huie moved what had been Dizzy's Grill, a longtime fixture on Ferguson Drive in Benton, to Little Rock's River Market District, opening it in the fall of 2009 in what had previously been Mike Selig's Vermillion Bistro, on the ground floor of a commercial/residential building at what was at the time 200 Commerce St.

Dugan says as far as he knows, he was Huie's first and only choice when she decided to sell the restaurant. "She told me it had served her family well for almost 25 years, and it was time for it to serve another family," he says. Dugan's immediate family have all been involved in the restaurant/retail business — his wife, Tasha Stratton, runs Stratton's Market; his daughter, Skye Stratton-Ward, briefly operated Skye's Little Bistro (it closed almost exactly a year ago) within the market-slash-liquor store; even Dugan's 16-year-old son recently started washing dishes for his dad.

Dugan says he is initially planning to keep just about everything at Dizzy's the same. "I've made my mark in Little Rock," he explains. "I bought a business that works and I want it to stay that way. So I'm not making any super-crazy changes." That includes the decor, the staff and the menu (and yes, the restaurant's award-winning cheese dip is safe). Down the line? "I love that it's a 'Gypsy Bistro,'" he says. "That means I can pretty much do anything I want to, foodwise." Within reason, of course — Huie, he explains, made seasonal menu changes and stayed on top of food trends, and he intends to do the same.

Dizzy's hours are currently 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. The phone number is (501) 375-3500.

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Mylo Coffee Co., 2715 Kavanaugh Blvd. in Little Rock's Hillcrest, is also about to change hands. Owners Stephanos and Markos Mylonas posted this April 26 on the coffee shop-slash-bakery's Facebook page, facebook.com/MyloCoffeeCo: "Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you over the last 6-7 years. We've had a blast and we are fortunate to complete this journey on a high note. We wish Little Rock and the new Mylo team the very best!" An official announcement naming the buyer is pending but had not yet come down by our Tuesday morning deadline.

Meanwhile, across the street, a building permit application recently filed with the Little Rock Planning & Development Department from Cline Construction Group estimates at $1 million the cost of turning the former Helmich's Auto Service, 2712 Kavanaugh Blvd., into an as-yet unnamed casual restaurant, serving primarily burgers with a soda fountain and full bar, with a little back-lot park. Owner Daniel Bryant also has plans for the property behind the station. The construction company has fenced and screened off the property's lot, which for years has provided overflow, off-street parking for nearby businesses, including Mylo Coffee Co. and U.S. Pizza's Hillcrest outlet. Bryant also owns, along Kavanaugh, District Fare and the Hillcrest Fountain, and elsewhere, Big Whiskey's on the edge of the River Market District downtown and Sauce(d) in west Little Rock.

And at a meeting Monday, the Little Rock Board of Adjustment approved, with certain conditions, the plans for Little Rock's Three Fold Noodles + Dumpling Co. to redevelop the property at 1509 Rebsamen Park Road, Little Rock, formerly the Marshall Clements Antique Store, into a restaurant with an outdoor dining space, a bar and a sake brewery. The reduction of the planned building by 2,000 square feet to, among other things, make available 48 parking spaces appears to be one of the deciding factors. Owner Lisa Zhang said last month she expects the project — resulting in a yet-to-be-named facility that will produce Asian pickles, cure meats, bake pastries and brew sake, to take two to three years, based on obtaining the financing.

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/ERIC E. HARRISON

Stone's Throw Brewing is set to open it's its Stifft Station pub -- with its brand new streetcar mural -- next week.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/ERIC E. HARRISON Stone's Throw Brewing is set to open it's its Stifft Station pub -- with its brand new streetcar mural -- next week.

Tuesday kicks off "opening week" at the new Stone's Throw Brewing's Stifft Station Taproom, 3015 W. Markham St., Little Rock, with 20 draft beers and ciders on tap, plus local snacks, wine and soft drinks, 4-10 p.m. Tuesday-May 11, 4-9 p.m. May 12. The Luncheria Mexicana Alicia food truck will set up across Johnson Street at Jett's Gas and Service on May 12; otherwise, you can bring in food from nearby establishments, including The Oyster Bar, The Meteor and the Bread and Roses Cooperative. Ultimately, hours will be 4-10 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday. The phone number is (501) 379-8663; the website, stonesthrowbeer.com; and the Facebook page, facebook.com/StonesThrowStifftStation.

Owner Patrick Blackburn says he's now reaching for the end of May as a target to open Yeh Mon Jamaican Restaurant in the Bowman Curve Shopping Center, 200 N. Bowman Road, Little Rock. Ceiling tiles and flooring are to go in this week; furniture and kitchen equipment will follow shortly thereafter, he says. You will recall he has promised a genuine Jamaican menu — including curried and jerk chicken, red beans and rice, curried goat, ox tails and brown-stew chicken and brown-stew steak — prepared by "genuine people from Jamaica." Hours, he says, will be 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 11-5 Sunday. The listed telephone numbers: (501) 246-4912 and (501) 319-7156.

Bulgogi Korean BBQ, 317 Oak St., Conway, was set to open Wednesday. Co-owner Jenny Young Lee says they'll be a Korean and Korean-fusion menu that includes rice and noodle bowls, kim-bab (Korean-style sushi), Korean-style cheesesteak sandwiches and Korean-style street tacos. She and co-owner David Lee recently showed off some of the menu items in a video on the Facebook page, facebook.com/Bulgogi-Korean-BBQ-405672900213144. Hours are 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday. The phone number is (501) 358-5923.

A photo posted April 25 on the Facebook page (facebook.com/donpepes2014) shows a paver blacktopping the parking lot at Don Pepe's Gourmet Burritos and Tacos, 1427 N. Reynolds Road, Bryant, adding the optimistic message, "We are getting closer!" Last we talked to the people who run the Conway restaurant of the same name at 2225 Prince St., they were shooting for an "early May" opening. Hours will be the same as the Conway location: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.Friday-Saturday. There's not yet a telephone number; the website, where you can view the Conway menu, is don-pepes.com.

The Lebanon, Tenn.-based Cracker Barrel Old Country Store chain is marking its 50th anniversary with the addition to its menu of Southern Fried Chicken, each bone-in piece of which "is authentically prepared, double-breaded by hand with a custom blend of three types of black pepper and several seasonings and spices, then fried until it is perfectly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside." Each plate features a half chicken — breast, thigh, leg and wing — with two sides, buttermilk biscuits or corn muffins, and "its own bear-shaped bottle of honey" for $10.79 ("price and availability may vary by location"). You can also order it to-go, either as a plate or, as of May 20, as a 12-piece Southern Fried Chicken Picnic Box with two sides and biscuits, for $33.99 ("price and availability" ditto). Visit crackerbarrel.com.

The third annual Cinco de Heights Street Fiesta takes place 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday along Kavanaugh Boulevard in Little Rock's Pulaski Heights, centering on Heights Taco & Tamale Co., 5805 Kavanaugh. Music, a golf-cart decorating competition (with cash prizes), a golf-cart giveaway, kids activities, margarita shacks, beer tents, turkey leg roasting, mojito zones, tacos, street snacks and a raffle-by-token for a golf cart. Proceeds support the Arkansas Foodbank. Visit facebook.com/events/810837982582373.

Also timed for Cinco de Mayo: the Rock City Margarita Festival, 4-7 p.m. Saturday at Heifer Village and Urban Farm, 1 World Ave., Little Rock. Tickets, $30, include festival access, a tasting glass and the chance to sample as many margaritas as you like (keep that cab company phone number or ride-sharing app handy) from more than 50 different vendors, plus (for those not entirely fixed on margaritas) a variety of beers and wines (the former from Corona USA, Modelo USA, Lost Forty Brewing, Core of Arkansas and Diamond Bear Brewing; the latter from Black Box Wines, Ruffino and Arkansas' own Post Winery). Food, however, you must buy separately from taco trucks and/or street food vendors. The festival also features lawn games and musical entertainment. Visit stubs.net/event/2369/the-rock-city-margarita-festival.

And the Downtown Little Rock Partnership will hold the ninth annual Main Street Food Truck Festival, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 22. And, yes, that is a Sunday. They're anticipating the participation of more than 50 trucks and vendors along Main Street and Capitol Avenue, plus "family-friendly activities and games, entertainment and adult beverages." Call (501) 375-0121 or visit mainstreetfoodtrucks.com.

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 05/02/2019

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