Pantoja’s son, Enrique, president of Rodulfo Realty & Building Co., told the paper, “We’re not trying to cut any corners.”

Click here for more info (subscribers only).

Multiple restaurant changes to Oxmoor Center: Panera Bread, long a tenant of The Mall St. Matthews, is moving to Oxmoor Center and will reopen March 14. The move will place it in a growing group of restaurants, including Yang Kee Noodle (which will add outdoor seating this year), California Pizza Kitchen, and BJ’s Restaurant, a pizza, pasta and craft-brew-centered concept to open Feb. 24. Click here for more info (subscribers only).

And from The Courier-Journal …

Nan better than Royal India: C-J restaurant critic Marty Rosen’s righteous review of Royal India (4123 Oeschli Avenue) led me to put the restaurant at the top my must-visit list. Like Mexican food used to be here long ago, Indian food has largely been hit or miss. Thankfully, the former is now reliably fantastic, and over the past several years, increased competition has forced the latter to improve, as evidenced in this review. Here’s a mouthwatering sample of Rosen’s observations:

“The vegetarian Andhra combo ($10.99) paired savory masala dosa (a fine-textures rice-lentil crepe folded around sautéed potatoes, onions and plenty of fresh green herbs) with the less common idlis (steamed, egg-shaped rice-lentil dumplings). I smeared the dosa with a puréed chutney of coconut, green chilies, and cilantro — and the resulting dish looked like a roll of hay and tasted like the first warm day of spring. I soaked the dumplings in a smoky bowl of sambar, a lentil stew with an elusive spicy bite.”The Indian-food amateurs (yes, count me among them) appreciate the descriptions, Marty. Click here for the full review.

Trivial pursuits: Here’s a blend of two of my favorite things: trivia and food. Every Wednesday night during February and March, the Chick Inn (6325 Upper River Road) is hosting team trivia nights.

More high-end happy hours: Seems 2008 is the year of the happy hour at higher-end restaurants—hard evidence the restaurant industry is more competitive than ever—as more fine-dining spots scramble for pre-dinner market share.

Add Café Metro to the list hawking $5 martini specials and specially priced appetizers. The bargain bevs and bites area available Monday through Thursday (except for Valentine’s Day). Call 458-4830 for more info.

Based in Huntington Beach, Calif., BJ’s menu is extensive and includes salads, sandwiches, soups, pastas, entrees and desserts. The company is known in the Southwest U.S. for its Pizooki dessert, made of cookies and ice cream. Many of its units donate all Pizookie sales to charitable organizations.

Its owners got the beer bug as amateur lager-heads, and their craft beers have won some awards. It’s not certain, however, whether it’ll be brewed onsite here. To control building costs, not all BJ’s have their own breweries. Those that don’t are supplied with beer produced at sister restaurants.

It’ll be interesting to see how BJ’s competes with California Pizza Kitchen, also at Oxmoor Center. While their core pizza products are different, both draw on the same middle class demographic. In the end, consumers make out nicely with more choice.