Any day we lose a local restaurant around here is a bad day. It is an even worse day when it is one of our favorite spots. Today is one of those days. The Southern Gourmasian has announced they will close up effective this past Saturday.
Owner Justin Patterson has worked to move the to a new location for the past several months, but was unable to find a suitable location for the move. Their building has been plagued by problems since Patterson moved in. You may remember late last year that neighboring Hanaroo moved, leaving the building as well.
The building was prone to leaks during rain, causing unexpected closings. The downtown community, while growing, also struggled after hours, making dinner service hit or miss and eventually shortening hours for the restaurant.
The Southern Gourmasian was always exactly the type of restaurant Little Rock needed. Edgy enough to push the flavors in the city forward, familiar enough to bring the people who need to experience new things the most. Fusion dishes like spicy chicken and dumplings, or their Thai chicken burger introduced new flavors while being rooted in familiar southern dishes. It is a huge loss to the food community, one that will take some time to fill.
Along with the restaurant, they also will close the truck, ending Little Rock’s most successful food truck. It was the food truck that got Southern Gourmasian their start, leveraging success there into the restaurant that opened almost three years to the date in 2015.
For Patterson and business partner C.C. Key, even though The Southern Gourmasian is officially over their work in the food scene is not done. Patterson confirmed that they are exploring other restaurant ideas for the future and will likely have a new concept before long to announce.
Owner Justin Patterson has worked to move the to a new location for the past several months, but was unable to find a suitable location for the move. Their building has been plagued by problems since Patterson moved in. You may remember late last year that neighboring Hanaroo moved, leaving the building as well.
The building was prone to leaks during rain, causing unexpected closings. The downtown community, while growing, also struggled after hours, making dinner service hit or miss and eventually shortening hours for the restaurant.
The Southern Gourmasian was always exactly the type of restaurant Little Rock needed. Edgy enough to push the flavors in the city forward, familiar enough to bring the people who need to experience new things the most. Fusion dishes like spicy chicken and dumplings, or their Thai chicken burger introduced new flavors while being rooted in familiar southern dishes. It is a huge loss to the food community, one that will take some time to fill.
Along with the restaurant, they also will close the truck, ending Little Rock’s most successful food truck. It was the food truck that got Southern Gourmasian their start, leveraging success there into the restaurant that opened almost three years to the date in 2015.
For Patterson and business partner C.C. Key, even though The Southern Gourmasian is officially over their work in the food scene is not done. Patterson confirmed that they are exploring other restaurant ideas for the future and will likely have a new concept before long to announce.
