LITTLE ROCK — Stephanie Roberts is not concerned when she's told that her sign - announcing Scallions in the Heights is now serving dinner - looks homemade. "It is homemade," she explains. "We're homemade." And proud of it.
Homemade is not homely - not at Scallions After Hours, a new venture offering dinner four days a week at the longlived ladies-who-lunch restaurant on Kavanaugh Boulevard. Roberts sublets Scallions on Wednesday through Saturday evenings from owner Nikki Avants, where she serves several Scallions favorites (such as chicken salad and the Heights Veggie Sandwich) along with an evolving array of stylish and attractively presented appetizers, entrees, salads, sandwiches and desserts made from scratch using family recipes.
"We're having a great time," Roberts says; her daughter created that homemade sign and her son is in the kitchen on this particular evening. "We get to do our thing. We really like it. Turnout has been good."
No wonder. Scallions is a delight at night, with outdoor seating at glass-topped tables scattered in a lovely sunken courtyard sheltered by arcing autumn-tinged trees. If the weather won't cooperate, there are plenty of tables scattered across the restaurant's rather cramped and oddly configured interior pleasantly cool and softly lit on a recent humid evening, that's adorned with colorful abstract paintings.
Scallions After Dark serves wines by the bottle; this eveningRoberts touted a 2006 Chilean Terra Andina Reserva pinot noir ($24) which she expertly uncorked while explaining what she did not have of the items listed on bright yellow sheets that are different from Scallions' laminated lunch menus. No oysters (for an Oysters Bienville appetizer, $9.95); she didn't like the look of them and sent them back to the supplier. No Amaretto Cheese Spread (a sweet appetizer of cream cheese with amaretto, rolled in toasted almonds and served with gingersnaps, $7.95). No Mushroom Tenderloin entree (pork tenderloin medallions with mushroom sauce, $13.95). And she hadn't had time to make a Blackout Cake (layers of chocolate cake spread with homemade chocolate pudding and topped with chocolate crumbles, $5.95).
That was OK because the Crispy Corn Cakes appetizerhad already caught our attention - crunchy round corn fritters without a trace of grease, served warm on a pretty glass plate with a topping of fresh chopped tomatoes and cucumbers marinated in sherry vinaigrette ($7.25). There are normally two 4-inch-diameter fritters to an order, but, being the boss and all, Roberts offered to throw in a third fritter for our party of three for an extra $1, which made everyone happy because we aren't good at sharing.
Of the entrees (starting at $8.75), the most impressive was Jammin' Salmon ($14.95), a moist, rich 8-ounce salmon filet fired up with a hot-sweet chipotle-raspberry glaze and servedwith a mixed green salad and herbed roasted new potatoes.
Hearty appetites might prefer Rigatoni With Sausage ($13.95), grilled sweet Italian sausage and a grown-up (not sweet) dark tomato sauce sprinkled with shredded parmesan over al dente rigatoni pasta- stout, delicious and generous enough to take home a quantity for the next day's lunch.
The ample serving sizes extend to entree salads; Steak Salad ($12.95) loaded a dinner plate with mixed greens, grape tomatoes, lots of chopped hardboiled eggs, purple onion and grilled beef tenderloin. We weren't asked how the steak should be cooked, and although it certainly wasn't rare, it was tender. A hard-to-resist blue cheese vinaigrette, served on the side, was thin enough for drizzling.
Other salads - such as Chicken Caesar ($7.50), grilled chicken Sonora ($8.50) and shredded-chicken Sausalito ($8.50) are familiar to Scallions lunchtime regulars; they're available in the evening at slightly higher prices.
When the wine is long gone, it's nice to linger in the darkening evening over an endless cup of stout, fragrant coffee ($2.25 for medium, dark or decaffeinated). The lack of Blackout Cake didn't leave sweet-toothers bereft; other dessert choices during our visit were a rustic fruit tart ($5.50), just-cooked beignets ($5.25), a luxurious bourbon pie stuffed with raisins and pecans ($5.50) and praline-enriched toffee ice cream pie frosted with - naturally! - homemade whipped cream ($5.50).
Scallions After Hours Address: 5110 Kavanaugh Blvd.
Hours: 5:30-9 p.m.Wednesday-Saturday Cuisine: Soups, salads, sandwiches, entrees Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, Diners Club, American Express, Discover Alcoholic beverages: Beer, wine Reservations: No Wheelchair accessible: Yes Carryout: Yes (501) 666-6468, www.scallions.org
Weekend, Pages 61 on 10/03/2008