News
Today marks the grand opening of The Avenue, the upscale restaurant located in The Waters Hotel in Hot Springs. The restaurant, under the leadership of former SO executive chef Casey Copeland, has been holding soft-open dinner services for the past week and a half ahead of today’s official opening. The restaurant is opening before the hotel, which will start accepting reservations on Friday. The Avenue will only be open for dinner, Wednesday through Monday, from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. (and later on Friday and Saturday). The Avenue has a few features planned to highlight Arkansas food and drink, including an exclusive brew from Superior Bathhouse just down the road.
I got a chance to chat briefly with Stephanos Mylonas of Mylo Coffee Company about the new coffee roastery he’s working on opening at 3604 Kavanaugh Blvd., in the same shopping center as SO. Mylonas tells me it will only take a few months to open the roastery, putting its opening well ahead of the still-unnamed restaurant he’s working on in the former Afterthought space. The roastery will be primarily a production facility; don’t expect to find seating or food there. It will start with Mylo’s existing coffee roaster, giving the coffee shop some additional space and allowing Mylo to start distribution of its beans. Mylonas tells me the roastery will have plenty of room to expand and will likely host private events and cuppings.
With little fanfare, a new restaurant has opened in Park Hill where Ira’s Park Hill Grill once operated. North Bar is a classic sports bar restaurant with burgers, wraps and plenty of beer. The burger menu is robust; you’ll have your pick of at least 12 burgers, including one made with peanut butter and jelly. North Bar is open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch and dinner, and is closed on Sunday. Ira’s Park Hill Grill closed last month ahead of its move to Main Street in downtown Little Rock, where it will simply be called Ira’s.
If you like creative menus, you’re going to want to get to At the Corner this coming Tuesday for the Fat Tuesday Pancake Beer Dinner with Lost Forty Brewing. If you count the opening appetizers, there will be five full courses, each featuring a unique type of pancake and each paired with a Lost Forty beer. And Lost Forty isn’t taking this lightly; two of the courses will be paired with recent barrel-aged projects that aren’t readily available. Tickets for the dinner are $70 and are on sale now (though I doubt they’ll stay that way for long). The ticket price includes food, beer, tip and some Mardi Gras giveaways.
Today is your first chance to check out Delta Biscuit Company. Delta will hold a pop-up brunch today and tomorrow at Honey Pies on Bowman Road from 10:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. It’s a small menu of chicken biscuits, “hillbilly benedicts” and campfire biscuits. Delta Biscuit Company is owned by Hayne Begley, who hopes to have a permanent location up in the near future.
Don’t forget, today is National Margarita Day. If you’re looking for somewhere to celebrate, make sure to check out the margaritas at local spots like Local Lime, Baja Grill, The Fold and Heights Taco & Tamale Co.
Brunch is blowing up in Little Rock, with new options opening up seemingly every week. This week, we’re spotlighting the new brunch service at Four Quarter Bar in Argenta.
Looking for good barbecue in Central Arkansas? You’ll have to look hard, but if you head to Smoke Shack in Maumelle, you’ll likely be happy with it. It’s the latest addition to our Underrated Places series.
If you find yourself hungry in West Little Rock, there are plenty of local dining options to go through. We took a look at the restaurants on the western side of Cantrell Rd.
Events
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Specials
Yellow Rocket Concepts has released its specials for the month of February:
- Big Orange – Frito Chili Pie Burger and Lucie’s Shake, which benefits the nonprofit Lucie’s Place
- Local Lime – Swordfish Fajitas with Tomato-Tequila Butter and Watermelon Radishes
- Zaza – Vietnamese Chicken Salad and Muffuletta Pizza
Ristorante Capeo’s weekly special is Penne alla Vodka. The risotto of the week is chicken and asparagus.
