A permit has been filed with the Arkansas Department of Health for a Taco Bueno restaurant at John F. Kennedy and Pershing boulevards, just off Interstate 40. It would be the fifth central Arkansas restaurant for the Farmers Branch, Texas-based chain, following outlets in southwest Little Rock, Benton, Conway and Maumelle. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported in December that developers were eyeing a second location on West Markham Street in the state's capital city. The status of that project isn't clear, but we're getting reports that something might break on this story in the next few weeks.
Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers, 4305 E. McCain Blvd., North Little Rock, opened Tuesday. Hours are 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. A west Little Rock site at Chenal Parkway and South Bowman Road, in front of Wal-Mart, broke ground a few weeks ago and is slated for a late summer opening; construction on a Shoppes of Benton location is expected to begin this summer. Fast-casual Freddy's specialties include "premium lean ground beef steakburgers, Vienna beef hot dogs and crispy shoestring fries, as well as dessert treats prepared with a choice of chocolate or vanilla custard churned fresh throughout each day." The number for the North Little Rock location is (501) 955-5577. Visit freddysusa.com.
June 7 is now the tentative target date for the opening of The Meteor, a full service coffee shop and bakery part of, and next door to, Spokes, a bicycle shop, 1001 Kavanaugh Blvd. at West Markham Street, Little Rock, the heart of Stifft Station. Tentative hours will be 7 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. The bike-shop phone number is (501) 664-7765. A website is under construction.
A spokesman for Saltgrass Steak House confirms not only the one central Arkansas outlet on which we reported last week, set for 6040 Warden Road, where North Little Rock meets Sherwood, but two -- the other at 10 Anglers Way, Little Rock, a new development being built from the ground up, though we're not sure where. Both outlets are on schedule to open in "late 2017." Saltgrass is a subsidiary of mega-chain Landry's Inc., and has a lot of outlets in Houston, a lot of outlets in other parts of Texas and some in Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri (there's one in Branson), Nevada and Oklahoma.
As higher-end coffee shops are blossoming in downtown Little Rock -- a Starbucks at the Little Rock Marriott, Blue Sail on Main Street and Zeteo in the River Market recently opened; Nexus Coffee & Creative in the River Market on the horizon -- Leila King, co-owner of @ the Corner, East Markham and Scott streets, says she bought an espresso machine, which gives her the ability to vend specialty coffee drinks. Just what she's going to do with it is still up in the air, she says. It'll dovetail pretty well with the restaurant's current breakfast and weekend brunch, but she's pretty sure that she is not interested in opening up a separate coffee shop. Among other issues, she and the other co-owners -- sister Helen Grace King; their mother, Helen King; and executive chef Kamiya Merrick -- all have to agree, which King expects to happen sometime in the next couple of months. The restaurant's hours: 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday. The phone number: (501) 400-8458; the website, thecornerlr.com.
American Pie Pizza, 9709 Maumelle Blvd., North Little Rock, is now serving brunch, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, with omelet pizzas, cinnamon rolls, sausage rolls and orange cranberry scones. The phone number is (501) 758-8800.
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 05/25/2017