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• Charleston's

Chicken ciabatta sandwich with baked beans at Charleston's. ( Steve Healey / The Star)

Blackened fish sandwich, cole slaw and baked beans at Charleston's. ( Steve Healey / Staff photo )

Interior of Charleston's at 6815 East 82nd Street.

As chains go, Charleston's isn't overwhelmingly corporate.

Two area locations (Castleton and Westfield) are the sole Midwestern representatives of eateries otherwise located in Arizona, Nebraska, Texas and Oklahoma (the chain's home base).

Likewise, the cuisine tends to be more South and West than Corn Belt. Your first clue: the smoky, woody scent wafting over the parking lot, an aroma that makes its mark as soon as you open the car door.

My husband, Pete, and I took an appreciative sniff as we approached the entry of the Castleton eatery for lunch on Saturday. Just inside the door, we stopped to ponder whether to sit in the main dining room or the separate bar area. The hostess suggested that if we preferred quiet, the bar was our best bet, as three large parties had overtaken the dining room.

So, we headed for a comfy cherry-wood booth, upholstered with burgundy cushions, in the spacious, softly lit bar. Stone accents serve as both select booth backs and wall decor. Shuttered windows keep too much sunlight from spoiling the view of several televisions hanging behind the horseshoe-shaped bar.

The starter menu pairs standard finger foods (chicken tenders, loaded fries) with more unexpected offerings, such as a basket of croissants or shrimp simmered in garlic butter. We decided to go with a caloric splurge of queso ($6.99). To the background of light jazz, we snacked on the gently spiced, creamy yellow cheese dip, blended with diced red and green peppers and tiny bits of crumbled sausage. A side of mild salsa also had a place on the platter next to a pile of still warm, thin and crisp tortilla chips.

Entrees here are hearty, ranging from meatloaf, chicken-fried steak and barbecue baby-back ribs to catfish, pasta and steaks. We still had weekend errands to run, so we decided to go with lighter fare: sandwiches. I opted for the chicken ciabatta version ($9.49) and soon was patting myself on the back for the decision.

Instead of the standard grilled whole chicken breast, this sandwich is based on thin slices of meats smoked over hickory chips (as are most meats here). The tender poultry teamed with red, yellow and green grilled-pepper strips, sauteed onion slices and smoky bacon bits, all topped with havarti cheese that melted pleasingly over the entire combo. A tangy chipotle-infused mayo added extra kick, with the chewy ciabatta bread nicely framing the contents.

Pete took a decidedly more healthful approach with his blackened fish sandwich ($9.99). A grilled tilapia fillet was flavored with a spice mix that added more taste than heat, and then lightly blackened over those same hickory chips. It was accompanied by the usual suspects (lettuce, red-onion slices, tomato, pickles) and the "chef's dressing," a tartar-sauce creation. I sampled the fish: While this blackened version wasn't as spicy as some, the mild, flavorful fish didn't need much more than the hickory-smoke accents.

Each of our sandwiches came with a side. We both chose baked beans, a thick mixture of beans, barbecue sauce and rib meat that would be at home on an al fresco summer table in the middle of grilling season. Pete added an extra side of cole slaw ($1.99).

Service here seemed especially gracious for a chain, from the kind caution about seating choices to our server's attentive pacing and helpful menu suggestions.

- By Julie Cope Saetre / Indy.com correspondent