New African food in midtown, Thai takes over at old High Peak Asian spot, J’s on Jackson is back and a Salvadorian bakery

→ Okra African Grill is headed to 72nd and Pacific Streets, in Aksarben Center. I’ve seen glimpses of the food, which looks wonderful, on friends’ Facebook pages, and you can see it yourself courtesy of Omaha photographer Ariel Panowicz’s image above. I’m still working on gathering more information about the menu. More soon.

→ Though it’s not exactly new, last week was the first time I’d heard of Pan y Leche, a Salvadorian bakery in South Omaha. It has a tasty-sounding specialty: the Salvadorian Quesadilla. The bakery sets up shop at the Farmers Market (How did I miss this?) and last year also sold pupusas, empenadas, flan and horchata. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for updates on this (and if you’re a regular, tell me more!)

→ I Love Pad Thai – one of the more straightforward restaurant names I’ve seen – is taking over the former High Peak Asian restaurant space on 78th between Cass and Pacific, at 333 N. 78th St. No word on an opening date just yet.

→ I drove past J’s on Jackson earlier this week, at 1101 Jackson St. in the Old Market, and noticed that after being closed for many months, it’s open again. It’s Facebook page (the old page still exists, too) shows some images of the updated dining room, which now has booth seating, and the elevated bar area, which looks much the same. When I reviewed the original version, in 2013, I found its classic steakhouse standards satisfying; the new menu looks to have similar focus, with a focus, of course, on steak.