Heritage Grille does steak well

The Crab Cocktail features jumbo lump meat served with two dipping sauces at Heritage Grille Steak and Fin in downtown’s Little Rock Marriott.
The Crab Cocktail features jumbo lump meat served with two dipping sauces at Heritage Grille Steak and Fin in downtown’s Little Rock Marriott.

First, the heritage of Heritage Grille Steak and Fin.

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Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

The Slow Cooked Short Rib Melt with crispy onions and cheddar on a brioche bun comes with handcut fries or a side salad at Heritage Grille Steak and Fin.

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Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Onion Soup is a starter at Heritage Grille Steak and Fin.

It's the second restaurant to feed guests of the Little Rock Marriott; the first, when the hotel opened in 2013, was Pancetta Regional Kitchen & Wine Bar. Prior to that, the space served as the Peabody Little Rock's Capriccio Grill Italian Steakhouse.

Heritage Grille Steak and Fin

Address: Little Rock Marriott, 3 Statehouse Plaza (West Markham and Louisiana streets), Little Rock

Hours: Lunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday, noon-2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday; dinner 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m. daily; lounge open until midnight daily

Cuisine: Steak, seafood,

Credit cards: AE, D, MC, V

Reservations: Yes

Alcoholic beverages: Full bar

Wheelchair accessible: Yes

Carryout: Yes

(501) 399-8000

heritagegrillelittl…

facebook.com/herita…

The look of the latest incarnation is decidedly less luxe, with wood floor replacing carpet and padded wooden chairs replacing statelier seating. Less extravagant lighting barely illuminates the minimalist interior of neutral walls and gray booths.

A brick wall wearing a chalkboard and shelves of dry goods in glass jars suggest a rustic feel that's contradicted by a shock of purple lighting in a back dining space and flatscreens hanging over the bar area.

We miss the plusher interior of its predecessors. But we still appreciate the free valet parking (have the restaurant validate your ticket).

On a recent Saturday night, several tables were in service; still, we were able to walk in without a reservation (which you can make by phone or the restaurant's website, via OpenTable).

The prices, however, are no less opulent. Beginning with beverages. Heritage has a fine list of wines. We don't recall anything priced lower than the $9 glass of Apothic Red blend I ordered (they were out; our attentive and helpful waiter brought out a pleasing substitute).

Diners can begin their meal with something from the raw bar, where choices include a $13 shrimp cocktail, up to a market price ($38 as of press time) Raw Bar Table Platter for three of oysters, lump crab, littleneck clams, lobster and shrimp.

The Crab Cocktail ($13) was a lot of presentation for a little food -- a platter of ice packing petite cups of classic cocktail sauce, creamy Louis sauce and luscious clumps of quality jumbo lump crab meat.

Other starters ($7-$13) include soups, salads and sea fare, among which is Tuna Tartare Tacos ($9).

Perhaps it was the orange in the beer that made our Little Neck Clams ($10) -- steamed in Blue Moon Ale with shallots and garlic -- so bitter. We were enchanted with neither the shellfish nor the sauce and therefore didn't use the bread perched on top for sopping.

With the emphasis on beef and seafood you'd expect from a place subtitled Steak and Fin, entrees are expense-account priced -- $26 for a Yellow Fin Tuna Steak up to $38 for a 20-ounce Bone-In Rib Eye, which happen to be the very entrees we selected during a recent dinner.

Ordered blackened (grilled is another option), the fish was zesty on the outside and rightly pink on the inside, joined by some pickled ginger.

Cooked to the requested medium rare, the juicy steak was succulent, enhanced by a lemony butter. It might have benefited from, but did not require, any of Heritage's entree enhancements ($3-$4 for various sauces and seasonings up to $18 for butter-poached lobster).

Other entrees include various steaks, a pork chop, lamb chops, Norwegian salmon, Chilean sea bass, Seafood Fra Diavolo, Veal Marsala, a Rotisserie Half Chicken and Whole Maine Lobster.

Sides sized to share are extra (all $6, $5 extra to add lobster to the Macaroni & Cheese). The oniony and herby Skillet Fried Potatoes were a delightful departure from mashed (not an option, although potatoes also come baked or au gratin). Not reading the menu carefully enough, we expected the Sauteed Spinach to be creamy; still, the flavorful lighter side satisfied.

A shared slice of carrot cake ($8), moist, thickly spackled with cream cheese frosting and served with a scoop of bourbon-pecan ice cream, ended the meal on a superb sweet note.

For a recent weekday lunch, we were the lone patrons in the dining room, where no music was playing and we felt somewhat forgotten.

Still, we immediately warmed up with our first tastes of the Caramelized Onion Soup ($6), a rich French onion soup presented proudly with plenty of melted Gruyere topping the bowl and a baguette. We joked that if we choked on the abundance of chewy cheese, we'd die happy.

My friend's Steakhouse Salad ($15) featured an abundance of broiled flat-iron steak strips, mushrooms, baby spinach, oven-roasted tomatoes, crispy onions, artichokes and not quite enough blue cheese. While she was initially unsure about the sound of "steak sauce vinaigrette," the tangy dressing was a perfect accompaniment.

While tasty, the Slow Cooked Short Rib Melt ($12) -- tender meat on a brioche bun with crispy onions and cheddar served with gravy on the side and fries (a side salad is an option with sandwiches) -- was a heavy choice after the soup. I deconstructed and did the best I could.

Other sandwiches include a burger, pastrami, BLT, turkey club and fried oyster po' boy. Other plates include a chopped salad, ahi tuna salad, a steak, Chicken Schnitzel, salmon and a petit filet. Prices range from $9 to $24.

Heritage Grille offers Prix Fixe lunches ($10-$17) and dinners ($35-$55) for larger groups.

The restaurant will be serving a reservations-required Christmas brunch Dec. 25 with seatings at 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m. 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. Cost is $45 for adults, $16 for children 6-11 and free for kids 5 and younger. Visit tinyurl.com/l3tfw8q for the menu.

Weekend on 12/18/2014

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