First Glance: Liluma's Side Door, With Apologies to Joe Pesci, “You Amuse Me”

Next week at the new Liluma's Side Door, you’ll be able to order a trompe l’oeil dessert worthy of Bob “The Surreal Gourmet” Blumer. The “Baked Potato” features vanilla bean ice cream molded into a potato shape, rolled in cocoa powder and sugar (the skin), topped with whipped cream (sour cream), chopped mint (chives), and – here comes the punchline -- actual bacon (bacon).

Liluma Executive Chef Brad Watts explained that he'll use Serendipity ice cream to make the tricky dessert with the salty surprise, happy to support his buddy, Serendipity owner Beckie Jacobs, with whom he went to culinary school.

The fun ice-cream finisher is emblematic of everything on the Side Door menu -- carefully sourced, impressive, inventive dishes, often made via laborious processes, and crafted to make dining fun.

Owner Jim Fiala created the Side Door from an extra, overflow room at Liluma that wasn’t used for service often. His ambitious plan effectively doubles the size of Liluma’s menu. The new small-plate dishes, priced at $4, $5, $7, and $10, are American and festive.

The “Bites” section includes a Shiitake Custard & Crostini that “is very similar to the blue-cheese soufflé at [Fiala's flagship restaurant] The Crossing,” explained Zach, a superlative waitperson at the Side Door. The creamy, baked blend of sautéed ‘shrooms, Swiss, cheddar, mayo, eggs, and milk is decadent comfort food. It’s probably not as decadent as the Fried Bologna, though (at left), small chunks of mortadella wrapped in prosciutto, fried, then drizzled in Balsamic syrup. It’s not exactly the fried bologna from the White Trash Cookbook, but you won’t argue with its piquant, salty goodness. (May I suggest pairing the fried bologna with a nice Chianti, sir?)

Other noteworthy “Bites” include the Creamless Creamed Corn, which Watts called “velvety,” and the Local Summer BLT, a salad version of the classic sandwich that features house-made mayo made using bacon fat.

The “Pillows” section is all ravioli, in unusual combinations of flavors: Liver and Onions has a filling of sautéed shallots, chicken livers, and sherry, mixed with cream and pureed, stuffed inside fresh pasta, then covered in a sauce of pearl onions, white wine vinegar, and honey, plus Balsamic and red wine vinegars, and butter (wow). All that vinegar results in liver that's less liver-ey. Be prepared: the dish that scared us as kids now elicits guttural moans of delight.

Other Pillows include Peas and Carrots (the most hackneyed of all American vegetable sides is now a delicacy), and "Ducks in a Lake” (a variation on an Italian dish with duck confit, truffle oil, and chicken stock made with the rinds from wheels of Parmesan).

One star of the “Snacks” division is a clever riff on Surf and Turf: Two perfectly grilled shrimp scampi rest atop a slice of blood-red, grilled organic watermelon. The watermelon, which, explained Watts, is as much from “the turf” as any steer, takes on the look of a rare steak from the grill, and the textural combo of surprisingly firm, cooked watermelon and snappy shrimp is refreshing.

The dessert selections, called “Afterthoughts,” include simple, baked local peaches and cream, and a homemade doughnut made from brioche and house-made strawberry jelly.

The wine program, with bottles starting at $12 and priced largely in the teens, is another pleasant departure from restaurant sticker shock.

Small plates are supposed to be fun and casual, and Fiala and Watts really get that. The surprise is the tremendous burst of creativity put forth for a single, 11-table "side" room. It could easily and proudly stand-alone.

If you were to tell Joe Pesci’s character in Goodfellas that he amused you, you might be in big trouble. Jim Fiala, go ahead and tell.