of growth and new businesses, counting
among those the revitalization of an iconic
on the local food and beverage scene in the D’s
new manager, Mike Brown.
He said, “I started at Discovery when I was
twenty building the Miss Kitty Saloon room. At
twenty-one I worked security making my way
to bar-back, then bartender. In ’95 I moved to
L.A. pursuing my D.J. career. I came back in ’99
and opened Legends in west Little Rock. Just
like here, I designed and created the menu and
managed all aspects and assets.
After that I worked as head bartender for
Chris King and Suzon Awbrey at The Rev
Room for fourteen years. More recently I went
back to college and got a B.A. in Philosophy
and Religion with a minor in Psychology.
I currently have a Clinton School
scholarship to pursue a Master’s degree in
Public Service.”
“When I was asked about running
the ‘D’ I put the Master’s on hold. With
places like Cajun’s and the Afterthought
gone, I’m able to give people employment
and restore an iconic venue that has been
around since the ‘70’s. I do a lot of work
with The Van, Lucy’s Place and H.P.W.A
(Helping People With AIDS). I can use
this to concentrate on philanthropy while
creating an all-inclusive environment in
the historic neighborhood bar of Stifft
Station.”
Pizza D’s continues to honor everyone.
branches, to gay rights, and Martin Luther
Brown has also gotten involved with the
neighborhood association and is working
to improve their little corner with features
such as a new doggie watering station that
should be sitting out front very soon.
we opened up the back and put in two
pool tables and took the old bar and simply
moved it to the dart room opening up the
space while keeping the same ambiance
and making it safer. Next up
is revamping and securing the
patio and doing some brick
work out front to offset the
concern about cars coming off
Kavanaugh. We’re a smoking
establishment so we’re also
about to invest in two large smoke
eaters. With the upgrades, my
motto is, It’s still Pizza D, but you
don’t have to worry about falling
skylight for a hat.”
“Our kitchen is opened up for
customers to see how clean we run
it. Another new addition is a familiar face on the
Little Rock scene, kitchen manager Lawrence
Pickard. He’s a career service industry pro and
longtime naval cook. In an age when everyone
calls themselves a ‘chef,’ he’s very proud to be a
‘cook.’ Out of respect for that, we have a salad
on the menu called, ‘the Cook not Chef salad.’ I
say he’s like chrome on a bumper, you just don’t
The team spent two weeks mastering the
respected ingredients of original Pizza D
formulas and signature sandwiches such as the
classics and new ‘D’ originals on the revamped
menu.
“When I designed the menu, much like the
I used fun food titles and antidotes to express
to the public our all-inclusive philosophy. Our
signature sauce is a mix of classic marinara and
spicy garlic alfredo that we named ‘non-binary
sauce.’ Emphasizing the point, we also have our
‘Cross-bred Sliders’ which is hamburger and
pepperoni pizza put together.”
promotion involved partnering with Katie
McGowan, star of hit TV show Ink Masters.
McGowan just opened Love’s Spell Tattoo
right next door on the corner of Woodrow
and Markham and created two original Stifft
Station screen prints, one to reside at Pizza
D, and the second for auction along with
smaller 8X10 versions with a myriad of other
wonderful. All proceeds from the event went
be continuously accumulating socks, tarps and
tents for our displaced brothers and sisters of
central Arkansas,” Brown said.
Brown and team will be continuing to honor
the establishment by purchasing symbolic
items. They have already acquired the original
Stifft Station trolley line sign that hung across
the street where the rail cars turned around.
“In talking to former employees and patrons
from decades past, I’ve begun to incorporate
pictures of how this historic location became
the presence in Stifft Station it is today. “
Brown concluded with, “In less than three
weeks into this relic bar’s revival, we’ve already
sold over 200 cases of PBR, four cases of Jager
and another four cases of Fireball. We feature
aggressive drink prices for Little Rock’s longest
happy hour from 11:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. with
a full menu and discounts like $1.00 PBR and
$1.00 off all call and top-shelf liquors.”
of new and long-term patrons in combination
with rave Facebook reviews, D’s is still going
strong pushing forty.
Pizza D' Action
2919 West Markham St.
Little Rock, AR
501-666-5403
- Richard Ledbetter
23
Mike Brown and Katie McGowan