Main dining room, Trio's

Don't you hate it when you're going to have dinner with friends and they insist that you decide where to go? No matter what they say about how they're willing to go anywhere, there's always someone who will complain about your choice. So it's best to play it safe and stay on relatively neutral ground. Here are some ideas that offer a wide range of menu items — with any luck, maybe everybody will enjoy themselves.

Iriana's, Markham & Scott streets, downtown Little Rock, (501) 374-3656. Who doesn't like pizza? Probably one of your dining companions, but Iriana's is such a comfortable and good-natured dinner destination that the anti-pie person probably won't whine. Besides, there are salads and grinder sandwiches (veggie and meat-laden) along with pizzas on the menu, and cheap drinks — draft beer starting at $1.89 a glass, red or white wine for $2.79 a glass. 

Cheers in the Heights, 2010 Van Buren St., Little Rock,501) 663-5937. My fondness for this restaurant is based my being able to get a salad or a veggie burger when dining with someone who wants a steak or a chili pie. It's always lively, and there's usually someone there you know who will stop by and add to your table's conversation. A full bar offers skillfully crafted cocktails (try the dirty martini) and there's an impressive wine list. 

Trio's, 8201 Cantrell Road, Little Rock, (501) 221-3330. A dinner menu that changes monthly and always includes a vegetarian entree along with the likes of sage-crusted beef tenderloin and Singapore sablefish truly has something for everyone. Trio's has a nice touch at handling big parties, too. There's a pleasant wine list and some  interesting specialty cocktails on the menu — along with their prices, which many restaurants don't include, forcing you into the embarrassing necessity of asking or getting stuck with paying $14 for something like a kir royale.