RESTAURANT TRANSITIONS: Freddy's in west Little Rock opens today; Cilantro’s Grill, 1 El Porton location close

The west Little Rock Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers is set to open this morning.
The west Little Rock Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers is set to open this morning.

Two North Little Rock Mexican restaurants have closed:

We've gotten at least two reports (and confirmation from Google) that Cilantro's Grill in Lakewood Village (2629 Lakewood Village Drive) apparently shut down somewhere around the first of December; as of our deadline, the phone number, (501) 812-0040, had not yet been disconnected but nobody answered it during business hours.

• And Sunday was the last day of operation for the north-of-the-river outlet of El Porton, 5021 Warden Road. Reportedly, the building was sold out from under them and they are seeking a new location. The phone number there, too -- (501) 753-4630 -- had not exactly been disconnected by our deadline, but returned a voicemail message that the "person [we] were calling cannot accept calls at this time."

And speaking of Mexican restaurants, the Icehouse Grill, which used to be attached to the Econo Lodge, 16732 Interstate 30, Benton, is under new ownership and has a new address: 1209 Edison Ave., Benton, replacing a defunct Mexican place called Mi Tierra (and, we're told, the original location of Dale's Donut Shop). Hours, according to Facebook: 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday. The phone number is (501) 722-8186. Supposedly moving soon into the Econo Lodge location, according to one of our eagle-eyed scouts, is a Benton outlet of Cantina Cinco De Mayo (which has two Little Rock locations, on Rahling Circle and Stagecoach Road).

Lindsey M. Clements, posting in the "Remember in Little Rock" Facebook group, confirms that her family is, in fact, reopening the Casey's Bar-B-Q "from Reservoir by the old Western Sizzlin'" by the first of the year in the former Arkansas Burger Company building, 7410 Cantrell Road, Little Rock. We're checking on details like hours and phone number but since the posting shows an old Casey's menu, it's a pretty safe bet it'll be the same, or close to it. There was considerable dismay when Casey's closed in 2005 after 22 years of business on Reservoir Road.

The new west Little Rock location of Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, 610 S. Bowman Road, in front of the Wal-Mart store at Chenal Parkway and Bowman Road and next-door to Taco Bell, is to start serving customers at 10:30 a.m. today. The other operating Freddy's outlet opened in May at 4305 E. McCain Blvd., North Little Rock; a location is in progress at the Shoppes of Benton, just off Interstate 30 in Benton. And Arkansas Online has reported that franchisee Kevin Morrow plans to open locations in Cabot, Searcy and Batesville "over the next several years." The Wichita, Kan.-based fast-casual chain/franchise operation also has three Northwest Arkansas outlets, in Fayetteville, Rogers and Springdale.

Our invitation to the ribbon cutting must have gone astray, but the new Taco Bueno at 113 W. Pershing Blvd., North Little Rock, just west of John F. Kennedy Boulevard, opened Dec. 11. Hours are 10 a.m.-11 p.m. daily. The phone number is (501) 747-1810. A west Little Rock location is in the planning stages for West Markham Street and John Barrow Road.

You can't keep a good location down. Or, apparently, even a revolving-door location like the one at 220 W. Sixth St. that has housed various incarnations of Lulav and, most recently and lamentably, The Veg, which settled there after a long search for a permanent home and then was forced to exit shortly thereafter after the June 30 shootout that wounded 28 people at the upstairs Power Ultra Lounge nightclub. Now, according to eagle-eyed correspondents and a colleague, something called Aloha Poke is moving in. (Poke -- pronounced "POH-keh" -- is a Hawaiian bowl dish centering on cubed raw fish, and is enormously trendy.) It does not, at least immediately, appear to be part of the Chicago-based chain of the same name -- the logo, for example, is distinctively different. We have uncovered two other tidbits of information: one Sonny Baoson Nguyen filed incorporation papers with the state secretary of state's office in July, and a notice on indeed.com, a job listing site (indeed.com/q-Manager-Restaurant-l-Little-Rock,-AR-jobs.html), seeks a manager.

Larry Carter, operations manager and namesake of Larry's Pizza, says his family has recently bought the two Little Rock locations that weren't under its control, at 801 S. Bowman Road and 12911 Cantrell Road, "so the original family has central Arkansas back under our daily operations." That includes the Larry's outlets downtown (1122 Center St., Little Rock), 5933 John F. Kennedy Boulevard in North Little Rock and the restaurants in Cabot and Bryant.

After more than a year, Russ Jefferson (of S.O.B. fame, among other endeavors) has reopened his Frenchie's New Orleans Cafe at 2012 Central Ave., Hot Springs (once the site of Pompeii). We're being told it'll serve dinner Thursday-Saturday, Sunday breakfast/brunch, and Jefferson is planning a big New Year's Eve party (facebook.com/events/162680527799060). The most recent phone number we have, (501) 321-2337, sent us to voicemail.

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And here's our promised list of places that have told us they expect to open Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day, pretty much in the order the information showed up in our inbox. As always, it's not comprehensive. The information is supplied by the restaurants; the presence of any restaurant not on this list is not intended to be an endorsement; and it's always a good idea to check in with any establishment to make sure it's actually open and whether or not to make reservations.

• Arthur's Prime Steakhouse, 27 Rahling Circle, just off Chenal Parkway, Little Rock, will offer a Christmas Eve brunch buffet, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sunday, featuring fresh-rolled sushi, chef-carved prime rib, maple-and-Coca Cola glazed ham, herb-roasted chicken and pan seared white tuna; pasta and omelets made fresh to order; and side items including dill peas and carrots, stuffed mushrooms, green beans amandine, sweet-potato casserole and three-cheese au gratin potatoes. $24.95, $12.50 for children 8-12, $7.50 for children 3-7, free for children under 3. (501) 821-1838. The steakhouse and its next-door Oceans at Arthur's will be open for dinner, 4-10:30 p.m., and closed Christmas Day.

• The 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Christmas Day buffet brunch at the Wyndham Riverfront, 2 Riverfront Place, North Little Rock, will feature bourbon-glazed pit ham and herb-encrusted steamship round of beef au jus at the carving station, plus roasted tom turkey with traditional cornbread dressing and giblet gravy and chicken marsala at the entree station, a waffle-omelet station, soups, salads, sides and desserts. $27.75 (plus tax and gratuity), $22.75 for senior citizens, $14.95 for children 5-10 and free for children under 5 with paying adult. (501) 907-4826.

• The Flying Saucer, 323 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock, will be open Christmas Eve -- 11 a.m.-10 p.m. -- and closed Christmas Day. (501) 372-8032.

• Larry's Pizza in Cabot, 2797 Southfork St., will be open this Sunday and next (Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve), for lunch, regular hours -- 11 a.m.-2 p.m., offering its buffet and regular menu. The employees, says operations manager Larry Carter, had a choice and chose to be open. (501) 843-7992.

• Forbidden Garden Chinese Restaurant, 14810 Cantrell Road, Little Rock, will be open Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, regular hours -- 11 a.m.-9 p.m. -- and with their regular menu. (501) 868-8149. (Many other area Chinese restaurants should also be open.)

• And Offers.com has verified that these chain restaurants, or at least some restaurants in each chain, will open Christmas Day. Disclaimer: Exact hours (and whether a restaurant is open) can vary by franchise or individual location, so it's wise to call in advance to confirm. Benihana; most Buffalo Wild Wings locations; some Chuck E. Cheese locations, noon-6 p.m.; Denny's, which once upon a time closed only on Christmas Day, now extends its 24 hours, 365 days a year to include Christmas; most IHOP locations (some will open on reduced hours); some McDonald's locations will be open, but hours (and whether it's open at all) vary by franchise; Macaroni Grill; Starbucks (check your location's hours); and, of course, Waffle House, which is open 24/7/365, and that includes Christmas. Visit offers.com/blog/post/restaurants-open-on-christmas.

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:

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Weekend on 12/21/2017

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