Image by Karen Martin

Salad of mixed greens with goat cheese and roasted beets, served with sorghum vinaigrette, at the Capital Bar and Grille

Whatever happened to the power lunch? A modern version can be found at Capital Bar and Grill in the Capital Hotel, Markham and Louisiana streets, Little Rock.

During a recent visit, its clubby atmosphere (leather chairs, wooden window blinds, commanding U-shaped bar) accommodated everyone from suited business professionals to a large party made up of the future staff of the Apple Store, opening Aug. 20 at The Promenade at Chenal in west Little Rock (some of them brought their own lunches, which appeared to be OK with CBG management).

Capital Hotel marketing director Chuck Magill, impeccably dressed as always, worked the room, greeting diners along the way. 

The appeal of CBG to captains of industry is the respectful, efficient service and a menu that offers a range of non-messy options (eating a Philly cheesesteak in the company of potential investors could be a deal breaker).

Popular with diners are the Blue Plate specials ($9, served from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.) which include red beans and rice on Mondays, meatloaf with white bread and salad on Tuesdays, fried chicken with potato salad and green beans on Wednesdays (get there early as there are a limited number of servings available), pork barbecue sandwich with slaw and chips on Thursdays, and grilled fish tacos on corn tortillas with habanero jam on Fridays. 

The Everyday $8 Chow Down Lunch -- which could use a better name -- is served from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. daily. It offers a choice of a half sandwich (ham and cheese, roasted pork Cuban, Rueben, pimento grilled cheese), a cup of soup (try the richly flavored baked potato with creme fraiche, chives, bacon and Cheddar) or mixed green salad, and iced tea.

Entree-size salads are well suited to summer appetities, with favorites being mixed greens with tiny cubes of roasted beets, a generous quantity of tangy goat cheese and sorghum vinaigrette ($7) and the heartier Cobb (hard-boiled eggs, blue cheese, bacon, celery, apple, sliced steak or chicken and creamy green onion dressing, $10).

The desserts, although seldom enjoyed while haggling over the fine print, are tempting enough to make you come back after the deal is finalized and indulge. Wouldn't a Diamond Bear root beer float with homemade vanilla ice cream ($5) taste great when the work is done? A well-crafted martini wouldn't be bad either.