RESTAURANT TRANSITIONS: Mad House fills vacancy in El Dorado; Whataburger on tap for Maumelle Blvd.?

Kat Robinson will screen of a portion of her film with PBS, “Make Room for Pie,” and will talk pies, Arkansas pies and her upcoming book, “The Great Arkansas Pie Book,” Feb. 18 at the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow in Eureka Springs. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
Kat Robinson will screen of a portion of her film with PBS, “Make Room for Pie,” and will talk pies, Arkansas pies and her upcoming book, “The Great Arkansas Pie Book,” Feb. 18 at the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow in Eureka Springs. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)

Mad House 101 Restaurant and Bar is replacing the now defunct MuleKick@MAD, 101 E. Locust St. in El Dorado's Murphy Arts District. There's a March 4 target to open, after several soft opening events, including catering the Arkansas Governor's Conference on Tourism, Feb. 26-28.

It provides a dinnertime opportunity for owners Dean and Angela Morrison, who also own and operate El Dorado's Off the Rail Cafe, 220 E. Main St., which serves breakfast and lunch (but not dinner) in an authentic 1883 rail car.

"The menu will have a little of everything including hamburgers, steak, pasta and seafood," Dean Morrison says in a news release. It includes an 8-ounce steak filet, a 14-ounce ribeye, chicken fried steak, parmesan-crusted chicken, grouper, salmon, fried shrimp and catfish, Cajun chicken fettuccine, gumbo, fish tacos, shrimp and grits, sandwiches and salads.

The new operation will also oversee concessions and be the primary catering source for all Murphy Arts District events. Music will return to the restaurant once the Morrisons get settled in, MAD officials say. Hours will be 5-9 p.m. Thursday, 5-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. The phone number is (870) 444-3008.

■  ■  ■

They've got us wrapped up in chains:

◼️ Open date for the 7 Brew drive-thru coffee establishment at 11100 N. Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock, has shifted once and possibly again, originally set for this past Monday, then rescheduled for this coming Monday. Now a spokeswoman for the franchisee says that's no longer certain, either. Once the place has opened, it will hold a "Swag Day Celebration," 5:30 a.m.-10 p.m. the following Saturday; the first person in each drive-thru lane and walk-up line will receive free coffee for a year and customers who buy a large drink will receive a 7 Brew swag item. Hours will be 5:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 5:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. 7brew.com; facebook.com/7brewcoffee.

◼️ We've received a couple of queries as to just what's going into a currently vacant outparcel along Maumelle Boulevard in front of Walmart, just on the North Little Rock side of Maumelle. We're attempting to confirm, but apparently it's going to be a Whataburger. Meanwhile, construction continues on what will be Little Rock's first Whataburger outlet in a while (at least since a Texas company took over the chain), at 17100 Chenal Parkway; another is set for 7520 Alcoa Road in Benton.

◼️ The Bonefish Grill chain has introduced a Sunday brunch menu, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., that includes at least three frittatas — Bacon and Cheddar, Crab and Fontina Cheese and Caprese — as well as Grand Marnier French Toast Sticks (all brunch entrees come with with bacon and seasoned breakfast potatoes). Restaurant hours at the Little Rock location, 11525 Cantrell Road, are 4-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday. (501) 228-0356; bonefishgrill.com. (There's also an outlet at 3201 Market St. in Rogers.)

■  ■  ■

The Hot Springs Sentinel Record's list of recently issued Spa City building permits includes one from HY Road Construction Inc. for a $425,000 interior remodel of a space at 901 Central Ave., at Market Street, to become a restaurant. A Jan. 25 request to the state Health Department for a plumbing permit tells us there will be a restaurant and speakeasy at that address called Don's Southern Social. Owner and executive chef Joshua Garland fills out some details: It's going into an empty building that formerly housed an architecture firm. Target to open is late April or early May, with what he calls an "upscale Southern comfort menu," along with cocktails and wine — in fact, the place will have a wine cellar. Tentative operating hours will be 5-11 p.m. with the bar opening at 3 and serving bar snacks until dinner service starts.

Meanwhile, the Sentinel Record last week reported the sale by Dona Pettey of the venerable Ohio Club, 336 Central Ave., to Saddiq and Jeannie Mir, who also own and operate Spa City establishments J&S Italian Villa and the Copper Penny Pub. (Pettey told the paper she plans to remain in Hot Springs and that she and her band will still perform there.) The establishment opened in 1905 as a bar and casino, according to the business' website, and is considered to be the state's oldest continually operating bar.

More Spa City news: Deluca's Pizza was expected to reopen today in its new location, moving, after spending 4 ½ years at 831 Central Ave., into larger quarters next door, 833 Central Ave. That's according to the pizzeria's latest Facebook post (Feb. 3, facebook.com/DelucasPizzeriaNapoletana): "We did all we could to be open by tomorrow, but Mother Nature had other plans for us. We should be back at it Thursday, Feb. 9. We can't wait to see everyone again. Thanks for your patience but it will be well worth the wait." (501) 609-9002; delucaspizzeria.com.

■  ■  ■

We have an update on the pending Little Rock location of Bryant's Copper Mule Table & Tap, 5705 Kavanaugh Blvd. in Pulaski Heights, which now, according to the Facebook page (facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089588144150), has a target date to open "around the first of May." The original restaurant is at 3348 Main St., Bryant. (501) 213-0379; check out the menu at coppermule.hrpos.heartland.us/menu.

And speaking of Bryant, Station 209, a restaurant with a firefighter theme, has opened at 209 B St. in Bryant's Midtown area. Christopher and Mallory Santa Cruz, with partner Tricia Clark, have moved up from a food truck, serving an American Bistro menu with weekly specials, 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 6 a.m-10 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday. (501) 397-4765; facebook.com/station209b.

■  ■  ■

Rafael Rios of Northwest Arkansas' Yeyo's is, for the second time, a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation's Restaurant and Chef Awards in the Best Chef: South, category, which includes chefs from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Puerto Rico. He was also a semifinalist in that category in 2020. Rios founded the Rios Family Farm in Little Flock in 2012 and debuted a food truck in downtown Bentonville soon after. The business now includes a flagship Mexican restaurant in Bentonville, a mezcaleria in downtown Rogers and food trucks that operate in Bentonville and Rogers. In 2022, the Bentonville restaurant showed up on a New York Times list of 50 best restaurants in the United States.

Food Jobs Work, a Little Rock community kitchen, is one of 10 operations nationwide receiving a $10,000 Winter 2022 Grant from the Jacques Pepin Foundation. It'll use the grant to restart a 12-week training program (following a pandemic pause), replace much-needed kitchen equipment (including knives and cooktops) and gain access to Rouxbe, the world's largest online culinary school, according to a news release. It will also receive foundation-branded aprons for its students and a group membership to the foundation.

For an event being called "Pie Talk," Kat Robinson will screen a portion of her film with PBS, "Make Room for Pie," and will talk pies, Arkansas pies and her forthcoming book, "The Great Arkansas Pie Book," 2-4 p.m. Feb. 18 at the Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow, 515 Springs St., Eureka Springs. Pie, savory and sweet, and other refreshments will also be served. Robinson's credentials as a culinary writer include the 2018 compendium "Arkansas Food: The A to Z of Eating in the Natural State" and her most recent work, "Arkansas Cookery: Retro Recipes from The Natural State." Tickets are $45. Visit tinyurl.com/2sks2uz6. For more information, call (479) 253-7444 or visit writerscolony.org.

■  ■  ■

Valentine's Day is practically upon us and if you plan to take your significant other out for a meal that doesn't involve a Happy Meal, you're going to need to make reservations. A couple more options:

◼️ In advance of the day, 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sunset Lodge at Rusty Tractor Vineyards, 10 Rusty Tractor Lane, Little Rock. Hors d'oeuvres, followed by "a fabulous Mediterranean meal from Vibrant Occasions Catering," featuring first-course dips (labneh, hummus and muhammara), Greek salad, steak and chicken kebabs with rice pilaf and Khorovats (Armenian grilled vegetables), and baklava for dessert. Cost is $95 per person for dinner only, $120 with a champagne greeting and three wine pairings. centralarkansastickets.com/events/valentines-day-dinner-2-11-2023; facebook.com/events/1038328834224976.

◼️ On the day, The Root Cafe, 1500 Main St., Little Rock, 5-8 p.m., serves a three-course Vegan Valentine's Dinner menu, sourced from seven local farms: appetizer — candy roaster squash with oil-poached squash puree, herb salsa verde and shiitake chips; entree: Lion's Mane Country Captain with rice grits, carrot chutney, cilantro and peanuts; dessert: chocolate brulee with blueberry compote & candied pecans. $30; call (501) 414-0423 or email theroot@therootcafe.com for reservations.

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

Upcoming Events