The restaurant building in Germantown at 1120 Fourth Ave. N. has undergone a bit of flux since the company first opened three restaurants there over the course of a few months in 2015 and 2016. Original tenant Cochon Butcher closed in September of last year after a two-year run and was quickly replaced by a Fresh Hospitality concept, Vui’s Kitchen. The other two concepts are one of Fresh's multiple I Love Juice Bar locations and the Mexican/Southern hybrid restaurant Little Donkey operated by the Pihakis Restaurant Group out of Birmingham.
Germantown is a quirky spot to put a restaurant, especially one that depends on lunch. While it’s certainly a burgeoning neighborhood, it’s still primarily residential without the benefit of a lot of businesses to provide an easy lunch crowd, so that may be why you see more spots that offer strictly dinner service (plus maybe weekend brunches) achieving success in the crowded culinary environment of the neighborhood.
You have to give Fresh Hospitality a lot of credit as landlords and operators — they are agile enough to make adjustments within their portfolio to meet market conditions, and they rarely content to just let a restaurant languish if it is not succeeding. In an effort to keep their brands, err … fresh, Fresh is always looking for ways to improve.
As mention ed above, Little Donkey is officially a venture of the Birmingham, Ala.-based Pihakis Restaurant Group, named for former Fresh partner Nick Pihakis, who was a founder of Jim 'N Nick's and an investor in other restaurants including recent James Beard award winner Rodney Scott’s barbecue restaurant in Charleston, S.C., and its upcoming location in Birmingham. First opened in Birmingham’s historic Homewood neighborhood in 2012, Little Donkey has since expanded to the Nashville outpost plus a second Birmingham location in Hoover, as well as one in Montgomery, Ala.
In an effort to further revitalize the brand, Phakis has announced that Little Donkey is revamping and expanding its menu at all locations to provide even more of a mixture of authentic Mexican dishes and Southern soul food. I’ve already sung praises of their excellent fried chicken, and to be honest, I usually opt for that dish even over their fine Latin American fare. Luckily, that yardbird is making the cut for the new menu, which will also include dishes such as Grilled Gulf Fish Tacos with sliced avocado, pico de gallo, lime and cilantro; an Albondigas Sandwich featuring pork and beef meatballs, roasted tomato broth, Jack cheese, crema, queso fresco, and pickled onions; and a Tamale Plate made with freshly ground masa and served with two smoked pork or brisket. You can still expect a full drink menu of house-made margaritas, agua frescas, local craft beers and wine. Little Donkey doesn’t get enough credit for its bar program, but I’ve enjoyed some great whiskey and cocktails there in the past.
In addition to the expanded lunch and dinner menu, weekend brunch will now be offered on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The brunch menu will feature dishes such as Huevos Rancheros, Breakfast Tacos and Gulf Shrimp and Grits. Little Donkey is open seven days a week, Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
