Pamela's Parkside a bright addition to downtown Arlington Heights

On a cold, dreary day we found a hint of spring at Pamela's Parkside Grill.

Walking into the new eatery in downtown Arlington Heights we were greeted by cactus-green walls, cheerful art and a roomful of chatty diners chasing away winter doldrums with brightly flavored food.

The wonderfully eclectic setting and the globally influenced menu certainly give diners something to talk about, and in the now open dining room (during the transformation from Regina's a wall came down) you can actually hear your companions without leaning into the house-made remoulade sauce on the crab cakes.

Crab cakes are just one of the items on the seafood heavy appetizer menu; raw oysters, garlicky baked escargot and seared ahi tuna with roasted pineapple ceviche are some of the others. Even the plate of roasted red and yellow peppers comes dressed with anchovies.

We opted for the wild mushroom and goat cheese flatbread - an excellent choice. We expected a crackerlike platform but instead found sauteed mushrooms, spring greens and apple strips sitting on top a toasty, yet pliable pita-like crust with just the right amount of soft goat cheese so our palettes weren't overpowered.

Entrees come with a salad - the house version is a quite respectable plate of greens, cucumbers and seasonal vegetables with homemade dressing - or soup. Options include the cheese-draped baked French onion soup, lobster bisque garnished with a swirl of creme fraiche and a soup of the day - a remarkable sweet, creamy red pepper on our visit.

The citrus salad brought sunburst slices of oranges, grapefruit and tangelos with pomegranate seeds in a surprising partnership with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and basil. Despite the herbaceous dressing, the pink grapefruit and the balsamic glaze proved too tart, and the membrane between the citrus segments too tough. I think the salad could have benefited from segmented fruit and a sprinkling of pepper.

On the entree menu, chef/owner Howard Maybloom retains a few Regina's specialties (the veal parmesan bakes in Regina's marinara) and injects classics with modern flare. Sea scallops get topped with chopped bacon (the food of the moment), a bone-in half a chicken (vegetarian fed and hormone free) gets roasted under a heavy brick that concentrates the flavors and leaves you with juicy, albeit smooshed, bites, and pork chops find themselves under a pomegranate glaze. The special seafood of the day was a pleasant pairing of lake trout stuffed with creamy salmon.

Pamela's (named for Maybloom's wife and business partner, a local artist) also serves a handful of certified Angus beef cuts, as well as lamb, ribs and vegetarian risotto.

While I thought the sauteed vegetables and potatoes made for filling sides, I found them uninspired. The twice-baked potato and the garlic mashed potatoes suffered from too much salt. Next time I'll be sure to change things up a bit and get the gingered baby carrots from the a la carte menu.

The wine list isn't anything to brag about, but does offer more than generic house red and white at reasonable prices, about $7 a glass. There's a fully stocked bar, that also has a few spots to comfortably wait for a table, and I imagine a list of signature cocktails will come in time.

Service was the only dull spot. More than an acceptable amount of time passed between being seated and our server showing up to take drink orders. When we needed fresh utensils for dinner, we were handed salad forks that just didn't have the same heft.

We also had to flag the server down when we wanted to place our entree and dessert orders. For that, we selected the Grand Marnier souffle, a made-to-order dish that takes a good 30 minutes to prepare. The menu says as much, so the servers should ask patrons about their dessert preference when entrees are ordered. The flavor and texture of the souffle matched expectations (a crunchy top crust giving way to melty inside), but it lacked the trademarked rise over the ramekin edges.

The souffle also is available in chocolate or ginger, and then there's a typical selection of creme brulee, mousse, flourless chocolate and carrot cake. The menu boasts a dessert of the day, but our server never shared that information with us.

Pamela's had been open a bit shy of two months when I visited and I'm hopeful it will work out the kinks so it can be viable in the competitive downtown dining district and be around for many springs to come.

<p class="factboxheadblack">Pamela's Parkside Grill</p>

<p class="News">27 E. Campbell St., Arlington Heights</p>

<p class="News">(847) 394-2728, <a href="http://pamelasparkside.com" target="new">pamelasparkside.com</a></p>

<p class="News"><b>Cuisine:</b> upscale American with global flare</p>

<p class="News"><b>Setting:</b> Refreshingly bright and comfortable room adorned with whimsical works by local artists</p>

<p class="News"><b>Entrees:</b> $16 to $34</p>

<p class="News"><b>Hours:</b> Lunch 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to Friday; dinner 5 to 11 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday; 5 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, brunch 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday</p>