RESTAURANTS: New wood-grilled entrees freshen Red Lobster

By Jack Schnedler

LITTLE ROCK — A prime selling point for ma

jor restaurant chains is depend

ability.

Dine at the Red Lobster in

Little Rock or the Red Lobster

in North Little Rock, and you

can pretty much count on the

same experience any day of the

year at either place.

That'd basically be true as

well at a Red Lobster in Maine,

Maryland, Massachusetts,

Michigan, Minnesota, Missis

sippi, Missouri or Montana

- in fact, at any of the seafood

behemoth's nearly 700 loca

tions in the United States and

Canada.

But being highly dependable

can gradually fade into being

too highly predictable - induc

ing a "been there, done that"

enervation along the lines of

"deja vu all over again" among

jaded diners.

Even an operation as suc

cessful as Red Lobster, whose

two central Arkansas locations

are perennially atop the restau

rant gross-revenue lists here

abouts, needs to freshen its act

periodically or risk eventually

sleeping with the fishes.

Red Lobster's latest novelty,

introduced here last month

with a flourish of television

commercials, is wood-grilled

dishes. A passage on the print

ed menu waxes almost lyrical:

"Grilling seafood over a wood

fire takes extra care, but it's

worth it. The wood adds its

own subtle flavor, and our grill

masters sear every skewer and

fillet to juicy perfection. We

think you'll agree - we've el

evated grilling to an art form."So expansive is the chain's

enthusiasm that the separate

"Today's Fresh Fish" mini-menu

identifies by name the "grill

master" on duty. We wouldn't

have been totally surprised if

the maestro had come out of

the kitchen to take a bow, al

though that didn't happen dur

ing either of our recent meals.

Christina, our jovial waitress

for dinner at the Little Rock lo

cation, assured wife Marcia and

me that "my customers are real

ly liking" the new wood-grilled

dishes "for the extra flavor." At

lunch two days later, waitress

Berny touted "the moister tex

ture the grilling brings to the

food." Based on our sampling, Red

Lobster's wood grilling rates

more as evolutionary than

revolutionary. All four of our

seafood dishes were commendable, but we might not have been able to identify them as wood-grilled had they not been so labeled on the menu. We failed to detect much distinctive open-flame flavor. Taking the menu blurb at its word, maybe the difference was too "subtle" for our palates.

That said, both of this month's meals were definitely better than a previous dinner at the Little Rock site in February 2007. Back then, the Grilled Cod (predating the wood-fire technique) arrived a bit mushy and lacking any discernible flavor, while the accompanying broccoli had been overcooked to dreary limpness.

This time around, our Little Rock dinner was lubricated by a couple of jumbo drinks that rank ounce-for-ounce as terrific alcoholic-beverage deals.

Marcia's Top-Shelf Frozen Margarita ($6.50), made with Sauza Gold tequila, came in a tall Pilsener glass with a sidecar shot of Grand Marnier hooked to the rim. She poured the liqueur into the margarita to create a South of the Border boilermaker.

My Lobsterita ($7.50) arrived in an oversize martinistyle glass only slightly smaller than a birdbath. Also made with Sauza Gold, this formidable frozen margarita kept me merrily occupied throughout the meal.

From the five species on the fresh-fish menu, Marcia opted for the Wood-Grilled Atlantic Salmon ($16.50). The two filets, grilled a touch longer than she'dhave done at home, were nonetheless admirably flavorful. The side dish of broccoli was firm to the bite as vegetables should be, while the mound of crisp french fries filled the bill.

My Wood-Grilled Lobster, Shrimp and Scallops on a bed of wild-rice pilaf, one of the menu's more expensive dishes at $23.50, earned two high marks - for the four meaty sea scallops on a metal skewer and the six sizable shrimp on a wooden spear. The split Maine lobster tail fell short of expectations by being pretty darned small and somewhat dry.

At Red Lobster's North Little Rock location, I enjoyed perhaps the most inventive and delicious sandwich of the entire year. The lunch menu's Wood-Grilled Salmon BLT ($9.75) starred a generous piece of scrumptious salmon on a toasted sourdough roll. The crisp bacon and baby salad greens gave the sandwich extra resonance.

The accompanying freshly cooked potato chips, billed as another recent addition to Red Lobster's repertoire, seemed to be a work in progress. Most of the house-fried chips were crisp and tasty, but a failure to separate others during cooking had left them clinging together in soggy clumps.

Marcia ordered the Peach-Bourbon BBQ Shrimp and Scallops ($15.50), even though she's no big fan of sweet entrees. This presentation passed muster, because the fresh chopped jalapenos in the dish's salsa counteracted some of the sweetness.

Her Caesar Salad first course was top-drawer, as were the Garden Salads we enjoyed with dinner, while welcoming the fact that the dressing was served on the side without having toask. More restaurants should do that.

The cup of New England Clam Chowder that I ordered to start lunch showed up as a brimming bowl ($4.99). I could have sent it back and insisted on the less expensive cup, but the flavors were intense enoughthat I happily consumed the larger portion.

Red Lobster's wood-grilled repertoire extends beyond seafood to steak and chicken. A mix of fried favorites remains on the menu, along with pastas, lobster pizza, steamed snowcrab legs and a bevy of appetizers. Notable among desserts is the Warm Chocolate Chip Lava Cookie ($5.75) heaped with ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce.

Unlike some seafood restaurants, Red Lobster has avoided overdosing its dining rooms with faux-nautical clutter. Paintings and photographs with seaside motifs decorate the walls in moderation, while the liveliest element of decor is the lobby tank filled with Maine lobsters destined for the table.

For now, the menu doesn't extend the wood grilling to the whole lobsters, which are served either steamed or roasted. But you could always ask.

Red Lobster Address: 8407 W. Markham St., Little Rock; 3707 McCain Blvd., North Little Rock Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday Cuisine: Seafood Credit cards: V, MC, AE, D Alcoholic beverages: Full bar Reservations: No (Little Rock), Monday-Thursday for parties of 10 or more (North Little Rock) Wheelchair accessible: Yes Carryout: Yes (501) 224-0940 (Little Rock), 753-4000 (North Little Rock)

For more restaurant reviews, visit:

www2.arkansasonline.com/restaurants/

This article was published December 26, 2008 at 2:03 a.m.

Weekend, Pages 57 on 12/26/2008