KOTO BISTRO-TEPPANYAKI-SUSHI
17200 Chenal Parkway, Little Rock, (501) 821-7200. Open 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 4:30-10 p.m. daily.
   

Food:
At first glance, Koto, in the former Vermillion Bistro space on Chenal Parkway, looks a lot like its competitors : teppanyaki hibachi grills, sushi bar and a nonhibachi, nonsushi entree menu. But a second glance at that menu reveals that Koto isn't just another Japanese restaurant. The cuisine is upscale Japanese fusion -- Japanese-style entrees with Euro-American side items such as seasonal vegetables, mashed potatoes and ginger risotto.
   

Mood:
The decor is gorgeous, with muted reds and golds predominating in the main dining room and a hand-shaped semi-stucco wall the primary feature of the teppanyaki grill room. A koi pond with some pretty big fish greets visitors as they enter. Additional decorations are planned, but it looks pretty good as it is, and there's the danger of over-decorating.
   

Moolah:
Koto keeps its prices surprisingly reasonable. Entrees range from $10 to $20, unless you're getting one of the filet mignon options -- $22.95 for filet and crab cake and $27.95 for the "Koto Surf and Turf," filet and lobster. GAUCHO'S

GRILL
11 Shackleford Drive, Little Rock, (501) 821-2818. Open 5-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday ; 5-11 p.m. Friday; 4-11 p.m. Saturday ; 4-10 p.m. Sunday.
   

Food:
There are traditional entrees at Jerry Barakat's South American barbecue restaurant. But stick with the churrasco, various grilled meats that are brought table-side for all-youcan-eat sampling. The juiciest meats tend to be those wrapped in bacon or still on the bone, like the chicken legs and thighs and the pork ribs. Others, like the highly spiced meatballs or the pork roast, can sometimes be dry. Each meal comes with an array of sides that range from good to merely passable.
   

Mood:
The new Gaucho's sits in the middle of the trafficcongested area called west Little Rock, home to big-box stores and Jason's and Tia's Macaroni Steakhouses. The best news is that the new building is more amenable to Barakat's culinary floor show. The servers bearing skewers of grilled meat have more room to navigate. Even just a few days after the opening, the staff seemed to have most of the kinks worked out.
   

Moolah:
The churrasco costs $21.95 per person, and traditional entrees run $13.50 to $18.50. CHI'S 6 Shackleford Drive, Little Rock, (501) 221-7737. Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
   

Food:
For the time being, at least, almost nothing has changed at Chi's except the ownership after founder Lulu "Mama" Chi sold the restaurant to a Korean cooperative. The menu is the same -- one of the area's most elaborate, in part because in addition to the original upscale bill of fare there's an "authentic" Chinese menu of dishes more likely to please the palates of the staff than the occidental customers. And at least for the time being, the restaurant will continue to offer dim sum -- cart service at lunch (a wider variety on weekends), menu service in the evening -- and a Sunday brunch buffet.
   

Mood:
The kitchen and wait staff have also pretty much remained intact, so you'll see the same familiar faces waiting tables. The only subtle changes in the decor include conical orange-yellow lighting fixtures over the tables and yellow-orange bunting as sort of window shades that supposedly tells the knowledgeable that the place is now Korean-owned. Service was excellent, except that all the food pretty much came out of the kitchen at once, leading to a lot of table congestion.
   

Moolah:
Though slightly more expensive than most area Chinese restaurants, the prices are still quite reasonable, with even elaborate Chinese dishes running under $15. JOEY'S

SEAFOOD & GRILL
755 Club Lane, Conway, (501) 329-1122. Open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m. Sunday.
   

Food:
The 13-page menu includes appetizers such as Calamari and Cajun Boudin Balls, soups, salads such as Southwestern Shrimp Salad, seafood, steaks, three alfredo pasta dishes, chicken such as Malibu Coconut Chicken and sandwiches such as a Lobster Roll ($8.49), Po-Boys ($5.99- $6.49), the Blue Crab Burger ($8.49) and a sweet sauteed Haddock Taco ($6.99). Most sandwiches and burgers come with fries and slaw; most entrees come with a sweet corn muffin and two sides (garlic rosemary potatoes, red beans and rice, hush puppies and onion rings are among the choices).
   

Mood:
Besides the original Joey's in Canada, there are more than a dozen franchises in the United States, most of them in the Great Lakes region and out West. Open since the first week in July, the Conway restaurant is shiny and new but still reminds us of a coastal neighborhood seafood joint -- not the posh kind with a terrace overlooking the ocean (Joey's does have a patio, but it overlooks dry Conway), but the other kind, where the regulars come to have fish and chips or peel 'em and eat 'em shrimp. Service is friendly and very attentive.
   

Moolah:
Prices are moderate, with entrees ranging from about $7 for a twopiece fish and chips plate up to $24 for a lobster tail.

This story was published Friday, September 01, 2006