Ex-Denny’s is set to get hot-pot spot
Filipino-fusion menu on Jacksonville radar
The former Denny’s at 310 S. Shackleford Road, Little Rock, has a new tenant: Flaming Hot Pot & Korean BBQ, with a target to open later this year, “bringing the ultimate all-you-can-eat hot-pot and Korean BBQ experience to AR,” according to the Facebook page (facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558525773104). It’s part of a new three-restaurant minichain-to-be; the other pending restaurants are in Shreveport and Nashville, Tenn. flaminghotpot. com.
And speaking of Korean hotpot restaurants, mid-May is now the target for the opening of KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot, 4317 Warden Road, North Little Rock. That’s despite our hearing, in a call to the listed phone number, (501) 4067152, a recording that provides operating hours — 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.10:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday — and gravely, if prematurely, notes that “we are only accepting walk-ins, regardless of party size.” thekpot. com; facebook.com/KPOTNorthLittleRockAR.
And speaking of Asian restaurants, look for a June opening for Kusina Cuisine, 500 W. Hickory St., Jacksonville, behind First Arkansas Bank and Trust on Main Street. Co-owner Jason Fox tells us the chef, his wife, Arlyn, a native Filipino, is putting together a fusion menu of Filipino and Hawaiian dishes, with “a little bit of Guam” and South Korea. The Foxes own a successful restaurant in Guam. Jason Fox says he’s retiring from military service soon and as they have become established in the community, they’ve been looking for an opportunity like this. They’ll start out serving lunch and dinner, with an eventual plan to serve an Asian-style breakfast. And we did find a couple of lovely photos of what the restaurant might be serving at restaurantji.com/ar/jacksonville/kusina-cuisine-/.
The Facebook page for the Dickey’s Barbecue Pit at 9401 N. Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock, facebook.com/DickeysLittleRockAR, says it has permanently closed; an employee at the Bryant location also confirms the closure. Calls to the phone number, (501) 6158849, produce only a rapid busy signal, an indication of disconnection. The website for the chain/
franchise operation, dickeys.com, now lists the only Arkansas locations as being in Bryant, Fayetteville and Rogers. The Rodney Parham location opened in September 2019 and went through several closures and reopenings in recent months. A North Little Rock location closed somewhere in the intersection of November and December 2017.
Though it will open for business as normal at 8 a.m. today, Delicious Temptations, 11220 N. Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock, is holding a grand reopening ceremony at 11 a.m. to mark the official debut of its two-storefront space. Hours for the four-decade-old breakfast-brunch-lunch operation: 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. daily. (501) 225-6893; delicioustemptations.com.
The for-lease sign up since the closure in December of the Applebee’s at 12110 Chenal Parkway, Little Rock, now indicates a lease for a new occupant has been signed. We’ll let you know who the new tenant will be when we find out.
Not quite a dozen food trucks are parking on a lot belonging to the Pulaski County Administrative Building, 201 Broadway (actually at the corner of Second and Spring streets, directly across from the Pulaski County Courthouse) for Food Truck Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today. The lineup includes Bite Yo Finger BBQ, Phonzie’s 1 Stop Hog Shop, Luncheria Mexicana Alicia, Top Dog Catering, Utopia Deli, Mr. Keith’s Kettlecorn, Fry Fry Crazy and Breezy Scoop. According to a news release, and although it was not yet the case by our deadline, the phone numbers for each food truck are to be listed on the Facebook event page — facebook.com/events/420480360596624 — “so you can order ahead and beat the line!”
Certified Pies, 9807 W. Markham St., Little Rock, posted on Facebook (facebook.com/CertifiedPies) last weekend that they have been approved to start serving beer and wine. We reported in January that a permit was pending. (501) 442-5096; certifiedpies.com.
We have an update on the connection we reported on last week between The Buttered Biscuit and the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute. The Bentonville-based breakfast-brunch purveyor announced last week it has established an ongoing partnership and a $5,000 scholarship, all in connection with its expansion into Central Arkansas: a first Little Rock location expected to open in late May or early June in the Promenade at Chenal, 17711 Chenal Parkway, with a second to open later in the year at 5018 Kavanaugh Blvd., in Little Rock’s Pulaski Heights.
Hideaway Pizza, with locations in North Little Rock, Benton, Conway and Fort Smith, is donating $2 of every large specialty pizza it sells, through Sunday, to Kids Across America as part of a partnership to send urban youth to camp this summer. kaakamps.org; hideawaypizza.com.
Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe outlets — including the five in Central Arkansas — are introducing griddle-finished baked falafel, providing a new vegan/gluten-free option to its menu as what a news release describes as “a healthy alternative to traditional fried falafel.” Falafel, if you’re encountering it for the first time, is garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas) pat-tied-up with herbs and spices. A spokeswoman for the Birmingham, Ala., chain/franchise operation notes that, “For years, falafel has held the top spot as the most requested item at Taziki’s,” but since its restaurants don’t have fryers, that’s been a tough request to fulfill. Taziki’s.com.
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Spa City German restaurant Steinhaus Keller, 801 Central Ave, Hot Springs, “drops” a new spring/summer menu at 3 p.m. May 7, promising “[a] lighter and fresher side of Germany.” New dishes include Tuna Carpaccio, summer herb and smoked trout dips, cold cucumber and asparagus soups, sausage and Nicoise salads and Steak Tartare. Hours are 3-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 3-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. (501)624-7866; steinhauskeller.com; facebook.com/profile. php?id=100084425211886.
The 7 Brew chain opened its 30th Arkansas outlet Monday at 1911 Fayetteville Road, Van Buren, near the intersection of Interstate 40 and Arkansas 59. Operating hours for the stand and its two drive-thru lanes: 5:30 a.m.-10 p.m Sunday-Thursday, 5:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. As is usual for 7 Brew openings, they’ll have a Swag Day Saturday — the first customer in drive-thru lane 1 gets one free 7 Brew drink of choice per week for a year. And all day, buy any large drink and receive a free T-shirt. 7Brew. com. And 7 Brew is donating $1,500 to New Start for Families and Children, a River Valley nonprofit that provides basic needs for more than 300 foster children each month.
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Food-and-drink connected events in coming weeks:
■ “Hot Bugs — Cold Beer — Old Buildings” is the theme of “Preservation Crustaceans,” Preserve Arkansas’ celebration of Arkansas Heritage Month, 5:30 p.m. May 4 in the backyard of Clements & Associates Architecture, 507 Main St. in North Little Rock’s Argenta Historic District. The event will feature all-you-can-eat crawfish, shrimp, sausage and fixings, plus entertainment by DJ Loren Hinton. The nonprofit will also officially announce the 2024 Most Endangered Places list. Adult tickets — $85 ($75 for Preserve Arkansas members) — include food, alcoholic beverages and soft drinks and a Preservation Crustaceans T-shirt (get your tickets before April 25 “to guarantee T-shirt size and availability”); admission for children 13-17 is $25, for children 12 and under, free. preservearkansas.org/whatwe-do/preservation-crustaceans/.
■ And speaking of crawfish, the inaugural Argenta Crawfish Boil & Pub Crawl, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. May 11, starts at Ol’Bart at Diamond Bear, 600 N. Broadway, North Little Rock, featuring a crawfish boil, live music and prizes for Pub Crawl participants who buy a lanyard — participating restaurants also include Flyway Brewing, Skinny J’s, Four Quarter Bar and Draft + Table. The lanyard allows access to Pub Crawl drink specials; those who have visited all the stops on the crawl can enter to win prizes. Basic pub crawl tickets are $25; with 2 pounds of crawfish, $40; with 5 pounds of crawfish, $65. Visit tinyurl.com/2ujsmebd. A portion of the proceeds go to Women & Children First, a nonprofit that provides education and resources to help end abuse and begin the process of healing.
■ CareLink’s ninth Cupcakes for Goodness Sake fundraiser, 3-6 p.m. May 4 at Argenta Plaza, 510 N. Main St., North Little Rock, has a Wild West theme (“Wild Wild Cupcakes”). In addition to the cupcake creations by local bakers, which attendees can sample, there will be vendors, food trucks and “themed sweets.” Tickets are $20, $10 for children 5-12 and senior citizens 60-plus. Visit carelink.org/cupcakes.
■ And the Arkansas Foodbank and The Purple Cow are gearing up for the 22nd anniversary of Empty Bowls, 5-8 p.m. May 18 at the 901 Kellogg Acres Road, North Little Rock, on the edge of Sherwood. The event will honor longtime supporter Philip Tapan, part of The Purple Cow ownership group. Meanwhile, Purple Cow patrons can donate to Arkansas Foodbank at any restaurant and participate in a “Giveback Night,” on Tuesday, during which the restaurants will donate a percentage of their proceeds. purplecowlr.com/partnership; arkansasfoodbank.org. 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: