RESTAURANT REVIEW: Little Rock's new Soul Fish Cafe

Soul Fish Cafe is a catch.

The long-awaited Memphis-based mini-chain (with other locations in Midtown Memphis, East Memphis and Germantown) is open and making a splash downtown, next to Bruno's Little Italy in the same revitalized Main Street cuisine corridor that also includes Samantha's Tap Room and Wood Grill.

One sole visit to Soul Fish didn't totally impress us; there were some hiccups. But during a second visit, all the "EATS" -- as the word appears in illuminated block letters, dominating a restaurant wall -- were appetizing.

At first glance -- with its hip decor and valet parking (offered free Thursday-Saturday nights) -- Soul Fish looks classy. But eyeing the budget-friendly menu (entrees from $7.75-$15.75) of catfish and po' boys while parked in a large curved booth beneath mounted metal fish (no, they don't sing and you can't adopt them like the Billy Bass plaques at nearby Flying Fish), it's clear that it's ultra casual. Both servers we encountered were very friendly and took excellent care of us.

Soul Fish didn't have its alcohol license by our first visit on a Saturday night, so a friend and I started our pre-concert dinner with a basket of fried dill pickles ($6.25) and -- boo! -- water. While we certainly missed the wine, the crisp, salty and not-too-oily fried pickle chips were puckery perfection. In fact, my friend, who fashions herself a fried pickle connoisseur, believes they're No. 2 in the city, bumping Twin Peaks -- really, she insists they are fabulous -- down to No. 3; her No. 1 is Cotham's. They were the best part of the meal for her.

What wasn't so great for her was the grilled catfish, otherwise known as the blackened catfish ($13.75 with a fresh vegetable) ordered without the spicy seasoning. It included two filets, and the thicker one was undercooked, turning her off. But she reports the Southern-style green beans had fine flavor.

I also wasn't that thrilled with my dinner, the blackened Caesar salad with shrimp ($11.95; other options include salmon, catfish or chicken). The chilly romaine was rather limp (though not from dressing; there wasn't quite enough of that) as were the non-crunchy croutons, and the blackened shrimp, although nice in size, seemed soggy, as if perhaps they hadn't fully defrosted prior to a too-brief cooking period.

A shared slice of rich caramel-pecan pie ($3.95; $4.50 a la mode) with a scoop of vanilla ice cream made us glad we didn't eat our whole dinners and had plenty of room for dessert.

We'd focus on Soul Fish's fried fare when my boyfriend joined me for the second visit on a Sunday evening -- yes, a Sunday night! -- when everything else nearby was closed. There were a good number of customers there, too. (Note to downtown restaurants: See? Patrons really do eat seven whole days a week.)

We instantly became BFFs with our waiter and knew that he'd be honest about the smoked catfish dip ($7.95), which sounded, well, fishy to us. He assured us that people love it -- one regular even has the dip made into a po' boy. And he did not lead us astray. The cold cream-cheesy concoction that was more a spread than a dip was only faintly fishy, with much of the flavor coming from green onions and a sprinkle of peppery seasoning on top. We wouldn't hesitate to order it again. But we do wish it was served with something better than tortilla chips, which not only seem basic but buckle beneath the thick spread.

My date ordered the catfish basket, skipping over the small ($11.75, two pieces) and regular ($13.75, three pieces) and going right for the large ($15.75, four pieces), served with addictive hush puppies, as well as fries and coleslaw. After all, most places serve a skimpy piece or two. But not this place. All four nongreasy filets, seasoned and fried to golden perfection, were substantial. My plate-cleaner date actually left with a takeout box.

Soul Fish also was not stingy with the fried shellfish for my crawfish po' boy ($11.50 with one side). That it spilled out of the toasted French bread was a good problem to have (even if the tomato slices were anemic and the remoulade in a plastic cup tasted like nothing more than mayonnaise mixed with hot sauce). The crunchy cornmeal-coated fried okra was first-rate. As was my glass of wine -- a simple glass of Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio -- but it tasted divine, having previously been denied.

There are plenty of menu items we didn't get to taste, among them: tacos (catfish, chicken, blackened shrimp, fried crawfish), the blackened fish (tilapia, salmon, rainbow trout), whole catfish, smoked chicken or the shrimp basket. There are plenty more po' boys to try: catfish, shrimp, oyster, chicken, Memphis (smoked pork tenderloin, bacon, coleslaw and barbecue sauce) and Cuban (smoked pork tenderloin, ham, pickles, mustard, Cuban mayo and Swiss cheese). And there are several other sides to sample: mashed potatoes, pickled green tomatoes, cucumber salad, Cajun cabbage, sweet potato fries, broccoli, black beans, black-eyed peas, macaroni and cheese, corn, zucchini, collard greens and white beans.

We ordered dessert -- a slice of strawberry cake ($4.75; banana, coconut, caramel and chocolate were other options, as were slices of caramel-pecan and lemon pie) -- just for research purposes, to check the consistency. The sweet pink cake was as pleasing as it was pretty.

We left Soul Fish happy -- body and soul.

Weekend on 09/08/2016