Applebee’s on Chenal has closed
Burger joint’s status iffy in River Market
The Applebee’s at 12110 Chenal Parkway, Little Rock, has closed. Whether it is closed “temporarily,” as per the notice on its website (tinyurl.com/bdeb5jjx) or permanently, as one of our readers says is what’s on the sign on the door, we have been unable to verify. A call to the restaurant number, (501) 604-8275, took us to a still-active phone tree, but we got no answer — not even a voicemail message — once we pressed “2” to “talk to an associate or manager.”
Also closed, and the status of that closure is also in question, is the David’s Burgers outlet in the River Market’s Ottenheimer Market Hall, 400 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock. Google lists it as “temporarily closed”; a reader who works at the nearby Central Arkansas Library System main campus tells us it has apparently closed permanently. Similarly, we called the phone number, (501) 400-8371, got a similar phone tree and similarly got no live human being to answer, although we did get a recording apologizing for the inability to connect us.
Petit & Keet, 1620 Market St., Little Rock, has a new executive chef and director of operations: Alan Napier, whose Arkansas culinary credits include working with Donnie Ferneau; Brian Deloney of
Maddie’s Place; Matt Bell, formerly of the former South on Main; and Lee Richardson at the Capital Hotel. Reportedly his menu will combine French cooking with a Southern flair: “My favorite dish,” he tells AY Magazine, “is venison tenderloin with Boursin, butternut squash, sweet potato purée, broccolini and blueberry mole.” (501) 319-7675; petitandkeet.com.
And per our report last week on the closure of McClard’s Bar-BQue’s Little Rock branch at 9219 Stagecoach Road, a reader tells us the restaurant’s owners sold the building in Rockport that was supposed to house another outlet outside Malvern and that there is not actually a restaurant there. We have verified, however, that the primary McClard’s at 505 Albert Pike, Hot Springs, is still up, running and packed at mealtimes.
A new Chick-fil-A opened Nov. 30 at 5701 S. Olive St., Pine Bluff, for dine-in, drive-thru and carry-out, 6:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Katie Branch is the owner-operator.
★★★
Rock N Roll Sushi outlets in Little Rock, Benton and Conway — and the one pending with a January target to open in North Little Rock — are partnering with Hot Springs-based Origami Sake to serve “two distinct sake beverage options”:
m Amplified Junmai Sake, which a news release describes as “a versatile food-pairing sake that has a fruit-forward style” that features “notes of ripe canta
loupe, honeydew and pear with a subtle umami backbone. With a slightly higher acidity, its finish is crisp and refreshing.
■ Electrified Nigori Sake, described as “silky-smooth, with a profile that adapts to the flavors, feelings and temperatures of every season. It serves as the perfect summer staple with a balanced sweetness and vibrant hints of citrus and pineapple when chilled, as well as a comforting winter companion with soothing notes of coconut, sweet potato and apple when warmed.”
The Central Arkansas locations will be the first to offer the Origami Sake brews (100% Arkansas-grown, rice-based): “Rock N Roll Sushi’s ultimate goal is to roll this out to all of their restaurants across the country, but they’re starting with the Central Arkansas area,” according to a spokeswoman for the Mobile, Ala.based chain, which has more than 60 locations in 10 states. rocknrollsushi.com.
★★★
A couple of Central and Northwest Arkansas chefs are featured on the big screen, along with their restaurants, and discuss their favorite hangouts as part of “A Southern Night at the Cinema,” bitesized stories offering unique insights into the world of Southern chefs, debuting tonight at the IFC Center, 323 Sixth Ave., New York. Mark Abernathy discusses his Little Rock restaurants Loca Luna and Red Door and also takes the audience to spots he loves, including Ciao Baci, Four Quarter Bar and Stickyz Rock’n’Roll Chicken Shack (the latter two also shining a spotlight on Little Rock’s music culture). The item on Micah Klasky, executive chef of The Hive at 21c Museum Hotel in Bentonville, includes segments about Pinoylicious Flipino Kitchen, a food truck, and The Meteor,a fusion of restaurant, coffee shop, wine bar and bike shop. Following screenings in Atlanta on Jan. 31 and Chicago on May 9, videos from the film will appear on thelocalpalate. com and participating states’ own sites and the content will be “repurposed” for the summer print edition of The Local Palate magazine.
★★★
Food-and-drink-centered events:
■ Little Rock’s Historic Arkansas Museum, 200 E. Third St., hosts its 19th ever Nog-Off, 5-8 p.m. Friday. Participants from area restaurants, bars and businesses will offer up their best eggnogs; guests (admission is free) will sample and vote for the best recipes (honors include the People’s Choice and the Not Your Great, Great, Great Grandfather’s Eggnog awards). A panel of judges will confer the Taster’s Choice Award. As this is in conjunction with the museum’s 2nd Friday Art Night festivities, it will also feature other refreshments and music by Bonnie Montgomery. Call (501) 324-9351.
■ And speaking of Micah Klasky, executive chef of The Hive and 21c Museum Hotel Bentonville, he is assembling culinary luminaries from across the country for a Guest Chef Fundraising Dinner benefiting No Kid Hungry, 5:30 p.m. Jan. 27, at the hotel, 200 N.E. A St., Bentonville. The evening begins with a cocktail hour, featuring hors d’oeuvres by Northwest Arkansas chefs Arturo Solis of Lady Slipper and Luke Wetzel of Oven and Tap and Superfine Sweet Shoppe. Klasky will join Jeff Chanchaleune of Ma Der Lao Kitchen in Oklahoma City; Nelson German of alaMar Dominican Kitchen and Sobre Mesa in Oakland, Calif.; and Rebecca Masson of Fluff Bake
Bar in Houston in preparing the multicourse dinner. The event will also include silent and live auctions featuring culinary and travel experiences. Tickets are $150; tables of 10 are $1,250 and sponsorship tiers are available. Visit p2p. onecause.com/nkh_thehiveper person.