One Eleven at the Capital, the premier restaurant in the Capital Hotel, 111 W. Markham St., Little Rock, has reopened for dinner as of Oct. 18.
The comparatively small dinner menu doesn't appear to go particularly far afield from what it used to be — not suprising, perhaps, considering that the hotel in the summer of 2021 hired as its executive chef Brad Izzard, who had at one time served as chef de cuisine at One Eleven under internationally acclaimed executive chef Joel Antunes. Antunes "retired" in mid-January 2020.
For example, the starters list includes the One Eleven Caesar Salad; Bangs Island Mussels in a garlic broth with chorizo; Mushroom Tortellini; Red Wine Poached Pear Salad; a crab cake; and Baked Brie. The entree lineup: Potato Gnocchi; Sourdough Crusted Chilean Seabass; Pork Belly & Scallops; a mushroom-stuffed roasted chicken thigh; Pan Seared Duck Breast; Veal Osso Bucco; and Beef Tenderloin.
Hotel officials cite staffing issues, and in particular the need to make sure the staff had the proper training for the high level of cuisine, as well as having to put in place the right night-time management for the long delay in reopening for the evening meal. The restaurant has been serving breakfast more or less continuously since the hotel reopened in May 2021 following a 14-month pandemic shutdown. Lunch and dinner service in that time went only to the hotel's secondary restaurant, the Capital Bar & Grill; if you're lunching at the hotel, that's where you'll go, at least for the foreseeable future.
Hours for breakfast are 7-10 a.m. daily; for dinner, 5-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday; for brunch, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. The restaurant phone number is (501) 370-7011 but we were unable to penetrate a peculiar phone loop earlier this week, so the hotel number is (501) 374-7474. capitalhotel.com/dine/one-eleven; for reservations, opentable.com.
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Dog Town Pizza, 5500 MacArthur Drive, North Little Rock, opened Tuesday on schedule, billed as "Amboy's only full service pizza restaurant." The building, where MacArthur meets Military Drive, is next door to the revolving-door diner that is currently, or was the last time we looked, a Japanese hibachi place; it has housed any number of bars, restaurants, nightclubs and social clubs over the past couple of decades. The menu includes six specialty pizzas, plus build-your-own options; one pasta dish (jumbo ravioli), salads and sandwiches. Hours are 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. (501) 615-8989; facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085937086339.
The second location of Fidel & Co Coffee Roasters, 610 President Clinton Ave., in Little Rock's River Market District, is inching toward officially opening, with what namesake Fidel Samour calls a neighborhood preview this week — primarily for neighbors in the building, which also houses Stõko, a co-working space — and a soft opening for the public next week. Initial hours will be 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday. The space once housed another coffee shop — Zeteo, the Little Rock arm of Conway's Zeteo, did not survive the pandemic. To start, they'll serve up the high-end coffees and coffee drinks you'll find at the original Fidel & Co, 500 Shall Ave., in Little Rock's East Village, and a selection of pastries and baked goods (including, Samour says, bagels); a larger menu will await the opening of Samour's other East Village project, Sterling Market, a food-hall-style restaurant and market, going into the former Cathead's Diner space in the Paint Factory building, 515 Shall Ave., across the street from the original coffee shop. Construction and other delays have pushed its opening back, Samour says with an audible headshake, until sometime in late winter or very early spring. Phone number for the new coffee shop: (501) 214-6025; for the original location: (501) 712-6891. fidel.coffee, facebook.com/fidelandco.
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We hadn't really been keeping up with kBird, Richard Glasgow's tiny Thai restaurant at 600 N. Tyler St., Little Rock, since Glasgow put it on indefinite hiatus a year ago, promising at the time that "This is not a 'goodbye,' rather a 'see you later.'" Apparently the restaurant did reopen for a brief period; we got a voicemail message at the phone number, (501) 352-3549, saying the restaurant had reopened Sept. 12 for lunch.
Well, last week a Hillcrest neighbor reported "for sale" and "for rent" signs on the building's Tyler Street side. Google reports the restaurant is permanently closed.
Glasgow has posted on the restaurant website, kbirdlr.com, that "I have been diagnosed with some pretty bad disc and hip problems," and would be undergoing intensive physical therapy for several weeks. After that, he said, "I will reassess, and provide an update about the future of kBird. ... I thought the time away would be helpful for these problems, but it was not."
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Mi Paella has opened at 1501 N. University Ave., Little Rock, in the Prospect Building's first-floor space most recently occupied by Charlee's Good Time Drinkery before it moved to the River Market (and nearly a dozen restaurants before that). We're still trying to puzzle out the menu; the Facebook page (facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085214453608) offers photos of paella (of course), Dulce de Leche Cheesecake, a chicken quesadilla, Chicken Pizzaiola and a surimi-crab salad; a customer posted a photo of the logo, which bears the legend "La Cocina de Carlos Valdivieso." Hours are 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday. (501) 500-3023.
Friday was the last day of business for Wicked Taco Factory, 215 Center St., Little Rock. Posted Oct. 24 on Facebook (facebook.com/wickedtf2020): "It's official, we're closing permanently. ... We will miss all of our longtime customers (since our Grills on Wheels days) as well as our newer customers." The restaurant, which had started out as the Grills on Wheels taco truck, had only recently moved into that space from its original location, 221 W. Second St., just around the corner, in the same building.
We're still trying to track down details on an opening date for El Herradero Mexican Bar & Grill in the former El Chico, 8409 Interstate 30, Little Rock, on the frontage road off Geyer Springs Road. The Facebook page, facebook.com/elherraderolr, continues to post teases — on Oct. 27, for example: "Thank you everyone for such positive support! We can't wait to be your lunch and date night spot" — and photos of fancy tropical drinks.
And speaking of Mexican restaurants, Sunday was the last day of business for Trejo's Mexican Restaurant, 3040 Albert Pike Road, Hot Springs. The restaurant had been open since November 2011.
The Chick-fil-A outlet at 12500 W. Markham St., Little Rock, near the intersection with Chenal Parkway, which closed in August for what was described as a 21/2-month remodeling, ought to be reopening in late November, according to the voicemail message we got by calling the phone number, (501) 228-0404. Except that this post from one John Spenst showed up Oct. 26 on the Facebook page (facebook.com/cfachenal): "In just a few weeks our restaurant is going to look ready to open ... and will be almost completely ready to open ... except for one thing. Our electrical panels (think really big, super custom versions of your home breaker box). We have received word this week that the ghosts of supply chain past, present and future have delayed the shipping of our panels. Without the panels we do not have electricity. Without electricity we cannot open. Our contractor estimates our reopening date now being pushed to January 2023."
Meanwhile, we're checking out a report that a Chipotle is going in near the Chili's, across from that Chick-fil-A.
And to honor of the 100th anniversary of the Park Hill Historic District, the Park Hill Business Merchants Association is bringing back Patio on Park Hill, 5-9 p.m. today, centering on the Lakehill Shopping Center, 4020 John F. Kennedy Blvd., North Little Rock. The free and family-friendly event features food, drinks, local vendors and music (by Jimmy Bishop and subsequently Shannon Boshears on the main tent stage, sponsored by The Filling Station; by Justin Morgan and the Southern Frayed Band on the Old Mill Pizza stage). Take lawn chairs; leashed dogs are welcome. Sponsor is First Security Bank. Visit ParkHillBusiness.com or facebook.com/events/494018622630626.
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. Send email to: eharrison@adgnewsroom.com