Restaurant Transitions: Dairy Queen opening in August in Little Rock; Ceci’s Chicken N Waffles debuts in Conway

You can no longer get this Ceci’s Chicken and Belgian Waffle in North Little Rock, but you can find it on Dave Ward Drive in Conway.
You can no longer get this Ceci’s Chicken and Belgian Waffle in North Little Rock, but you can find it on Dave Ward Drive in Conway.

This update on the Dairy Queen Grill & Chill, on track for an Aug. 26 target opening at 6100 W. 12th St., Little Rock. Franchisee Blake Lively says it's the mirror image of the restaurant he recently opened in Sherwood, with lots of TVs, digital menu boards and a patio with a fireplace that, he says, probably without intending to make a pun, has been a night and weekend "hot spot" at the Sherwood location. He remains in awe, he says, of the "outpouring of support from DQ fans" there, adding that it has been at capacity during peak hours," and expects a similar reaction at the one in Little Rock. Hours, too, will mirror those in Sherwood: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday.

The shoot-out that injured 28 people June 30 at the second-floor Power Ultra Lounge, 220 W. Sixth St., Little Rock, claimed another victim: The Veg LLC, which recently sublet the building's ground floor. With the club shut down by the city and various law enforcement agencies preventing entry while investigations continue, owner Shiem Swift is once again seeking a home for his vegan restaurant. "I fully understand why the city of Little Rock has to close this building, and I am now searching for a new location to bring healthy and humane dining options back to Little Rock," Swift says in a news release. "My heart and thoughts are with all who were injured." Swift is appealing to the city or any private individuals for help finding a new location. Call (501) 838-3634 or email Leveglr@gmail.com.

Troy Deal, who with Zin Wine Bar partners Michael Puckett and Jeffrey Owens are working on a second, west Little Rock location, is looking at a mid- to late July target to open in the Market Place Shopping Center at 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock, in the former La Casa Real/Cici's Pizza space. It will be larger than the downtown original, 300 River Market Ave. -- approximately 2,000 square feet, which "will feature clean, modern design with a large U-shaped bar that seats 12, and there will also be a lounge area. The new space will include a garage door that can be opened during patio season." And a larger kitchen, which, though Deal says they'll plan to open with the same small-plate menu they offer downtown, could eventually serve a broader bill of fare, "as we see what the needs of the community are." Previous speculations on social media include "imported meat and cheese platters, spicy dips, panini sliders, stuffed peppers, olives, nuts and more." They'll also have an 18-seat meeting/private party room; the new space will, as does the original, hold weekly wine tastings, special wine tasting events, music events and Paint Night Little Rock. Hours will be the same as those downtown -- 4-10 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 4-11 p.m. Thursday, 4 p.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday, and, tentatively, 5-10 p.m. Sunday. The phone number is (501) 904-6988. The downtown phone number is (501) 246-4876.

Ceci's Chicken N Waffles, which has moved to Conway from 324 E. 13th St., North Little Rock, is now open at 1600 Dave Ward Drive, Conway. Hours are 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. The phone number is (501) 358-6944. Check out the menu and more at the Facebook page, facebook.com/CECISWAFFLESPLUSMORE.

Verona Italian Restaurant is now open at 16925 Interstate 30 S., Benton, formerly Bo's BBQ and Mo Betta Gumbo. The menu consists in large part of baked pasta dishes -- lasagna, manicotti, cannelloni -- plus a selection of spaghetti dishes, and chicken and seafood entrees. (The Chicken Verona, chicken breast sauteed with fresh garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and sherry with artichokes and spinach over spaghetti, pictured on the Facebook page, facebook.com/veronaitaliankitchenbenton, looks particularly impressive.) Hours are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. The phone number is (501) 794-6588.

Park Avenue Bistro, 517 Park Ave., Hot Springs, has gone out of business and former owner-chef Fermin Martinez, who says he hopes to stay in the city, is looking for work. He's planning to hand over the keys sometime this month to a new owner, who apparently comes from out of town, and he's planning to shut off the phone number, (501) 624-3903. Meanwhile, a list of building permits in the June 12 Hot Springs Sentinel Record includes one, $500, "certificate of occupancy for restaurant, antique collectibles," for Bohemia -- which was the name of the Czech-German-Hungarian restaurant when Martinez, a Mexico City native raised in Brooklyn who got his culinary training in France and Italy, took it over after the 2007 retirement of founder Adolf Thum. Martinez for some years called his restaurant Bohemia Continental Cuisine, and apparently for a time, Bohemia Park Avenue Bistro. Martinez, by the way, was also the chef at the nearby, short-lived Barking Frog Mexican Cafe & Lounge, which turned into Central Park Fusion Cuisine, which closed recently, with owner-chef Matt Fuller planning to reopen as 501 Prime in a former hardware store at 215 E. Grand Ave., just east of Malvern Avenue.

Also in the Spa City, Mychal Hall, chef/co-owner of Rector's, 538 W. Grand Ave., Hot Springs, says he is hoping for a mid-July opening. (Many folks will recall the former house was the longtime location of Mollie's and was briefly Jay Baxter's eclectic but short-lived Jay's.)Hall calls Rector's "a casual dining restaurant on the edge of downtown Hot Springs that is focused on creating a unique experience for anyone in town." Hall and the Facebook page, facebook.com/rectorshotsprings, describe a menu centered on soups, salads, sandwiches and burgers, plus "weekly Southern comfort specials," that is "just familiar enough to recognize but just different enough to be fun ... [and] that is as 'from scratch and homemade' as the location can support. We will be smoking and curing different meats for the sandwiches ourselves, hand-making sauerkraut and making from-scratch soups." They'll offer lunch and dinner Monday and Wednesday-Saturday and Sunday brunch. Hall promises regular updates via the Facebook page "as we draw closer to the date." The phone company lists the number as (501) 463-9493.

And still in the Spa City, Garvan Woodland Gardens, 550 Arkridge Road, Hot Springs, will host three food events this month in its Magnolia Room. Reservations are required; call (800) 366-4664 or (501) 262-9300 or register online at garvangardens.org.

• 6-8 p.m. today, Stone's Throw Brewing Presents "Ice Cream and Beer Pairing with Loblolly Creamery," $45 ($30 members), reservations required, Call or register online.

• 6-8 p.m. July 13, Wine and Beer Tasting with Stone's Throw Brewing and Altus winery Chateau Aux Arc Vineyards, Magnolia Room, $45 ($30 members).

• 10 a.m.-3 p.m. July 15, Nolen Buffalo of the Water Buffalo in Little Rock presents beer and cheese making, focusing on chevre (from locally-sourced goat milk) and farmhouse cheese-making, 10 a.m.-noon, and "Advanced Brewing Techniques," 1-3 p.m., all-grain brewing, making beer using grains and no additional extract sugars. Tickets are $30, $20 members, and there will be door prizes.

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. Call (501) 399-3667 or (501) 378-3513, or send a note to Restaurants, Weekend Section, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203. Send email to:

eharrison@arkansasonline.com

Weekend on 07/06/2017

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