New Twin Cities area restaurant offers a fresh take on Italian food, cocktails

Flanked by a coffee shop and fast-casual gyros, Liliana turns a strip mall address into an advantage. Who would suspect high-caliber fresh pasta, standout service, a polished dining room that peeks into the pasta kitchen, and a whole summer’s worth of spritz variations to open in big-box land? (No offense, Woodbury.)

But owners Peter Sebastian and chef Jason Hansen, along with executive chef Kenzie Edinger, prove the best surprises sometimes hide in plain suburban sight.

Location: 10060 City Walk Drive, #102, Woodbury, 651-493-9089, lilianamn.com.

Hours: 5 to 9 p.m. Sun.-Thu., 5 to 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Bar stays open an hour later. Lunch and brunch are in the works.

The food: Behind the playful takes on Italian-American staples is chef and co-owner Hansen, whose work at Estelle and Mario’s established his range across Mediterranean and Italian-American cooking. Liliana marks his third project in that lineage, with a more pasta-forward focus than its predecessors. Edinger, most recently at Saint Dinette and previously at Mucci’s, has a similar depth of pasta expertise.

Even before the starters, there are “cicchetti,” salty snacks that set the tone. Cannoli piped with chicken liver mousse and studded with pistachios is a savory little surprise ($8). Appetizers bring some vegetables into the mix, especially if you like your veggies with a cheesy potato chip crumble (see: Broccolini, $13). Then there’s the garlic bread — soft milk bread stuffed with cream cheese — which is already earning social media attention ($14).

But the pasta course is where Liliana truly flexes. Giant farfalle bowties wrapped around a filling of lobster and pork sausage in a silken cream sauce are a striking take on a seafood pasta ($27). Mafaldine, with their ribboned, curly edges, come coated in a tomato sauce turned smoky from guajillo peppers and beef meatballs ($25). Among the filling mains is a deluxe chicken Parmesan ($28). It’s massive, perfectly crisp, and paired with bucatini in pepperoni ragu — a deeply savory sauce that might be a sleeper hit.

The drinks: The cocktail menu is laced with pop culture references, and we were especially tickled by the “Sopranos”-themed ones. Beyond that, drinks mirror the kitchen’s attention to detail. A mozzarella-washed vodka martini (The Telltale Moozadell, $15) offers a clean, savory nod to Italian ingredients, while a nonalcoholic take on an Aperol spritz (The Pine Barrens, $11) is well balanced and convincing. A choose-your-own spritz adventure can mix and match amaro and wines for more than four dozen versions of the drink of the season.

The vibe: Designed by Collage Architects of Minneapolis, the dining room is airy and modern, with soft curves, warm lights and the theatrics of a glass-walled pasta room visible from the bar (though it was dormant on the night we dined). A cedar-scented patio out front faces the soundstage-like main street of City Walk; its window boxes and twinkle lights add some charm. Service is another highlight. Staffers know the menu intimately, and will explain preparations with enthusiasm. The whole experience can feel special occasion-worthy, or equally casual for a neighborhood night out. There’s never been a better time to dine in the suburbs.