Wine, waffles on tap at Samantha's

Samantha is the popular new girl in town.

And she's playing hard to get.

When we attempted to visit Samantha's Tap Room & Wood Grill -- an upscale bar and restaurant in a rehabilitated stretch of downtown's Main Street -- on a Friday, she was so busy, she required a two-hour wait (we opted to hang out next door with Bruno instead).

And when we tried to visit her at lunch, well, oops, she wasn't seeing guests then yet. (Lunch service is expected to begin next week; a late-night menu will be available soon.)

But on a recent Wednesday evening, we had to wait only 30 minutes in the meat-scented interior (be prepared to smell that way when you leave) for the table-is-ready text to arrive. And on a Monday, we were seated immediately.

While Samantha is new, she's got a legacy. She is the namesake of Samantha Tanner, wife of Chris Tanner, who together own the enduring Cheers in the Heights.

Lively Samantha is a bit more upscale and worldly than her older sibling. And she's bigger, boasting a large bar with flatscreens, an open kitchen and a woodsy modern interior with bold beehive-esque light fixtures and a rustic-chic log feature wall.

Twice we were seated in what we'll call the nucleus -- the center partially walled and banquette-lined section with a full view of kitchen and bar activity. On both visits we were seated very close -- too close -- to the party next to us (in one case, a loud gals-night-out gaggle). The restaurant might want to reconfigure the claustrophobic spacing.

We'll address the Tap Room before the Wood Grill. Samantha's has on tap not only 32 beers (with origin and alcohol by volume percentages on the menu) but also 20 wines (half and full bottles available too). A server explained that the tap technology better preserves a wine's intended flavor. I'm not an expert, but a glass of Dry Creek's Zinfandel ($10) and Stemmari Pinot Grigio ($8) tasted perfectly seamless.

For starters, check out the menu's "Communal" category ($6-$12), where appetizing choices include Roasted Cremini Mushrooms with bacon and parmesan and Parmesan Salsa and House Made Pork Skins.

The two most tempting to us also turned out to be the most expensive ($12): The Argentine Spice Rub, three succulent skewers of steak fastened pinwheel style and served in a zesty sauce, and the Surf & Turf Queso Blanco, a skillet of creamy white queso with grilled steak and shrimp and pico de gallo, served with a basket of tri-color tortilla chips.

As for the varied menu with emphasis on wood-grilled fare, there are plenty of moderately priced salads ($4-$12), sandwiches ($7-$10) and even entrees ($7-$30) on the menu that includes a little bit of everything -- an Asian Salad, a Grilled Chicken Parmesan Sandwich, Char Siu Lamb Chops.

But because all sides ($3) are sold a la carte, prices can escalate. The bargain $9 price of the Grilled Pork Chops shot up to $15 after adding Cucumber Onion Salad and New Orleans Dirty Rice.

That's the meal my dining companion ordered on our first visit. The decent portion of peppery pork featured a tasty tomato garlic reduction. The plate would have looked quite puny without the cup of tangy cucumber salad and a heap of savory rice.

Bacon Wrapped Quail Breast ($13) was three small bundles of flavorful, tender jalapeno-stuffed quail embraced by charred bacon. A cup of Creamy Asiago Cheese Grits and a few spears of sesame-soy Grilled Asparagus (meal total: $19) helped fill the plate and my appetite.

Our favorite dish was dessert. We weren't expecting all that much from the Leige Waffle (Sugar Waffle, $5) -- waffles are waffles, right? But we were so wowed by the sweet, puffy, buttery, wonderful waffle topped with rich caramel sauce, banana slices and whipped cream that it just moved up to our top-dessert-in-Little Rock slot. We asked our friendly server what makes it so amazing, but he didn't know or didn't divulge the secret.

Not able to make an official lunch visit, we stuck to lighter fare for our second visit

My dining companion chose a Cuban sandwich ($9), a salty and tart stack of roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickle and yellow mustard, prepared just right.

But ... sides. Samantha's doesn't serve fries (or any potatoes, for that matter). And some of the sides seem a little too fussy for sandwiches. Who wants a Double Stack Cheeseburger with Grilled Seasonal Broccolini or Black Beans? My date was pleased with his Grilled Corn with cilantro, fresh jalapeno and lime, but he would have been happier with a pile of chips.

My Chopped Salmon Salad ($12), which featured only a small sprinkling of what we called salmon "dust," was disappointing. While it looked pretty, with stripes of couscous, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, feta cheese and dried corn on top of arugula, the flavors of the ingredients plus the pesto buttermilk dressing weren't compatible. We hope dried corn (which reminded us of those dehydrated vegetable bits in Cup-a-Soup) isn't a trend.

Did I say we chose lighter fare our second visit? Fine, we had another waffle. For, uh, consistency's sake. And it's a good thing we did.

It was even better than we remembered.

Weekend on 02/05/2015