Roomy Cheers in Maumelle does dinner, brunch with brio

By Eric E. Harrison

Photo by Stephen B. Thornton

There's plenty of space between the tables at Cheers in Maumelle, 1901 Club Manor Drive.

ADVERSTISMENT

LITTLE ROCK — Unlike the Boston establishment made famous by the television series, this Cheers is not a cozy basement bar where everybody knows your name.

But Cheers in Maumelle is certainly worth a visit - not least for its new, tasty and surprisingly inexpensive Sunday brunch.

It's an offshoot of the popular Little Rock eatery that has survived for about two decades in the Heights by offering pretty much something for everyone, from a burger and fries to a fairly fancy Pasta Orleans entree.

The Heights place is located in a former house that had previously housed a handful of more-or-less successful restaurants. (Anybody else been around long enough to remember Sam Harrison's?) It has always been slightly claustrophobic, with a crazy-quilt decor that seems to have grown, higgledypiggledy.

In Maumelle, the dark-wood, sturdy tables - some of them free-standing, some half-booths with pleasantly upholstered bench seating on one side -are nicely spaced. So you don't feel like you're impinging on your neighbors' conversations (or they on yours). And you don't have to shout, even though there's a fairly high level of hubbub on top of a music track.

Cheers in Maumelle

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On the dark earth-toned walls are metal lattices supporting for-sale artworks; three televisions, two in the dining room, one in the bar area, show basically the same sports programming. Chalkboard wine lists (five reds, five whites) are positioned so at least one is visible from practically any seat (except the one in which Intrepid Companion happened to be sitting during our dinner visit).

There's a sizable patio that, doubtless due to the heat, was significantly underpopulated during dinner and that no one was using during our brunch visit, even though the inside dining room was full.

The two Cheerses share the same basic slightly New Orleans-accented menu, though dinner specials may vary.

All of the appetizers looked appetizing, but we're glad we opted for the New Orleans BBQ Shrimp ($11.95), enough tail-on shrimp for two in a slightly oily but nicely spicy red-brown sauce with baguette slices for sopping up the remainder.

The Sea Scallops ($21.95) in a not-quite-identifiable glaze (the menu mentions "today's sauce selection" but the waiter didn't specify and we forgot to ask) were delicious, seared to a perfect texture.

The Filet with Bleu Cheese Glacage ($24.95), a baconwrapped, 8-ounce piece of "Handcut Certified Angus Beef," tasted much better than it looked - the bleu cheese glacage, really more of a sauce, was an unfortunate greenish-gray. Initial bites, among the salt in the bacon, the salt in the bleu cheese and the salt in the seasoning, were a trifle salty. But that eased up as we got closer to the middle of the filet, which was very close to the medium-rarewe'd ordered.

Dinner items come with a salad - we went for the excellent house Creole dressing, an olive-chunk vinaigrette that came on the side - and choice of side items. We'd recommend the grilled onions but pairing the loaded baked potato with the filet was our mistake in excess.

Among the very intriguing items we didn't choose for brunch: Creole Cream Cheese Crepes with fresh berries ($8.50); a Breakfast Pizza with fresh fruit ($7); Ray's Vanilla Apple Butter French Toast with peaches and Grand Marnier cream ($9); and the Boondock Shrimp & Mushroom Grits with toast ($9).

But we were pleased with what we chose. Josh's Eggs Benedict with Andouille sausage, crawfish tails and Creole Hollandaise ($9.50) had plenty of flavor with fewer taste clashes than we expected. Darryl's Grande Biscuits and Gravy ($6.50) turned out to be one split plate-size biscuit topped with plenty of cream gravy laced with crumbled sausage and perhaps just a bit too much black pepper for our taste. (A half-order is available a la carte for $3.50.)

The Cheers Country Breakfast ($8) was a prime bargain: two eggs, any style (Intrepid Companion had hers scrambled with American cheese); choice of bacon, sausage links or sausage patties; a strip of hash browns; a bowl of fruit (mostly melon with some grapes and bits of pineapple) and two slices of toast.

Intrepid Companion, who usually likes to apply the salt shaker, said nothing on her plate needed salt. The eggs had just enough; the hash browns, which also came with the Benedict, and which looked like they had been flattened by a bicycle tire, were over-seasoned altogether and we left them.

We also indulged in a pair of plate-size a la carte flapjacks ($3), served with plenty of side butter and syrup, and an order of New Orleans Beignets (three for $5), near-perfect fried dough puffs topped with confectioner's sugar and the Grand Marnier cream that comes over the French toast, surrounded by about the same amount (and composition) of fruit that came as part of the country breakfast.

Service was very good on both visits, though we got maybe a couple too many visits from our dinner waiter, who didn't always wait until our drink levels had dropped to half a glass before pouncing to provide refills.

Cheers in Maumelle Address: 1901 Club Manor Drive, Maumelle Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday Cuisine: Eclectic Credit cards: V, MC, AE, D Alcoholic beverages: Full bar Reservations: Large parties Wheelchair accessible: Yes Carryout: Yes (501) 851-6200 www.cheersim.com

Weekend, Pages 31, 38 on 06/25/2009