MI RANCHITO RESTAURANTE MEXICANO
1520 Market St., Little Rock, (501) 223-5414. Open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily.
   

Food:
Mi Ranchito, part of a small Arkansas-based mini-chain, replaces El Acapulco, part of another Arkansas-based mini-chain. The menus are similar but the quality of the food has taken a small step upward. If you'd like more adventure than the lively white cheese dip, go for the skillet-sizzling Queso Fundido with chorizo sausage. The Carnitas are tender and delicious. And even the rice -- Mexican rice is often inedibly bland -- has a pleasant tang.
   

Mood:
Mi Ranchito has kept almost intact El Acapulco's bright decor, most notably the florid, hand-carved chairs, with the addition of not-always-appetizing pictures of specialties to the walls and a big-screen TV and some smaller sets. An outdoor patio provides additional seating.
   

Moolah:
Prices, as with most area Mexican restaurants, are reasonable to cheap. Hardly anything costs more than $10. -- Eric E. Harrison

KANPAI JAPANESE STEAK & SUSHI
4120 E. McCain Blvd., North Little Rock, (501) 945-9494. Open 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday-Friday for lunch and 5-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 5-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday for dinner.
   

Food:
Japanese dinner theater is clearly still in demand. And if you're into that sort of thing, Kanpai is a pleasant, if predictable, place to take in such a supper and show with your family and friends -- or with total strangers, as the tables seat 10. And if you're not into that sort of thing, there's always the more tranquil full-service sushi bar. Kanpai also offers traditional Japanese entrees like tempura and sukiyaki.
   

Mood:
Clean and contemporary, the restaurant holds about a dozen hibachi tables and a sushi bar with additional seating at regular tables. Hibachi chefs are animated as they perform the same tricks that more than a half-dozen restaurants in the metro area do.
   

Moolah: Kanpai's
hibachi entrees cost $11.95- $25.95 at dinner, $6.95- $8.95 at lunch. Traditional dinner entrees cost $9.95- $18.95. Sushi can be ordered as dinners or a la carte. -- Jennifer Christman
   

BOHEMIA
   
417 Park Ave., Hot Springs, (501) 623-9661. Open 4-8 :30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 4-9 :30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.
   

Food: It's
odd that Hot Springs can support two German restaurants while Little Rock can't support any. The menu at Bohemia, like its younger competitor the Brauhaus, covers a whole range of mittel-European cuisine, including German, Austrian and Hungarian, with a surprisingly light touch. Jaeger Schnitzel, pan-fried veal in a tasty mushroom sauce, is a delight, and the German Pot Roast and Sauerbraten aren't far behind. The non-greasy potato pancakes are worth a visit all by themselves.
   

Mood:
The restaurant is more than a halfcentury old and has that comfortable '50s dining room feel. A large castle-on-a-mountaintop mural dominates the decor. Service was first-rate even from a "new" waitress.
   

Moolah:
Prices are reasonable; entrees in the $10- $15 range come with choice of soup or salad, side vegetables and/or applesauce and/or sauerkraut and a choice of potato, potato pancakes or dumplings.
   -- Eric E. Harrison
   

CAFE BOSSA NOVA
   
2701 Kavanaugh Blvd, Little Rock, (501) 614-6682. Open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday.
   

Food:
Diners whose stereotype of Brazilian cuisine envisions hefty chunks of grilled meat will have their eyes opened by ownerchef Rosalia Monroe's varied menu, which is strong on chicken, seafood and vegetarian fare. Best bets include Rosalia's Brazilian Cheese Bread, Bolinho de Bacalhau (codfish cakes), Moqueca de Peixe (seafood stew) and Arroz com Feijao (black beans and rice). The Brazilian wines are worth a try.
   

Mood:
The decor is jaunty outside and inside, starting with awnings in vivid yellow with green lettering, the colors of Brazil's flag. Yellow and green paper hangings festoon the two dining rooms. The young Brazilian and American wait-staff is uniformly attentive.
   

Moolah:
Dinner entrees range from $9.95 for Arroz com Feijao to $23.95 for Moqueca de Peixe. Lunch salads and sandwiches are generally under $10.
   -- Jack Schnedler

This story was published Friday, August 04, 2006