RESTAURANT REVIEW: Food's fine at B-Side; tab's on the e-side

Plenty of Little Rock diners were "B-side" themselves when restaurateur Nancy Tesmer announced she was moving out of state and therefore closing her west Little Rock restaurants Lilly's Dim Sum Then Some and B-Side in November.

None more so than Tom and Barbara Fuge. The longtime patrons bought B-Side, Lilly's early-rising breakfast/brunch sibling, which now operates on the Lilly's side of the Market Place Shopping Center space.

So there's no more dim sum. But there's a favorable array of brunchy "then some" served mornings and afternoons, Tuesday through Sunday.

We visited for breakfast and lunch last month, enjoying quality food served by congenial people in a quiet environment (with loud paint; while they've kept Lilly's basic layout and furnishings, they've added bold blue walls). Maybe it's too quiet. Both times -- a Saturday morning and a weekday afternoon -- there weren't many, if any, other customers. Perhaps people got the message B-Side closed but not that it reopened? Consider this a memo.

B-Side's menu is broken down into categories: "On the Lighter Side," Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Beverages (juices, tea, coffee, soda and beer, wine and brunch cocktails) and Lil'uns/Sides. Entrees start at $3 for a small oatmeal and stop at $15.50 for a spinach salad with grilled chicken.

My date and I began our breakfast splitting beignets ($5 half order; $9 full order), fried balls of doughnutty goodness sprinkled with powdered sugar from the -- giggle -- "Lighter" category. Maybe the raspberry coulis seemed harsh and unnecessary (the other choice was lemon). And maybe they reminded us more of Munchkins from Dunkin' Donuts than beignets from Cafe du Monde. Still, they were sweet ... and -- hey! -- "light."

Next time, we'd skip these and instead share an order of the tempting Bacon-Wrapped French Toast Kabobs ($8 for four). How can it get better than fair food for firstmeal?

The Farmer's Hash ($13) from the brunch section of the menu was a perfect entree for someone who couldn't decide what she wanted. After all, the heap of sausage, roasted peppers, caramelized onions, slow-roasted tomatoes, crispy potatoes accented with a spicy aoili drizzle had a little bit -- more like a lot -- of everything.

My date couldn't refuse the name or the description of Biscuit Mountain ($13.50): "Two toasted buttermilk biscuits, sausage patties, pommes rosti topped with sausage gravy and fried eggs." Maybe what arrived to the table looked more like molehills than a mountain, but still the cream-cloaked portion offered plenty of protein and pleasure.

A friend joined me for lunch and we had the place to ourselves. A heavenly curry aroma filled the air, but, bummer, we were told that was something being prepared for the next day. We could order from B-Side's limited four lunch entrees or from its breakfast and brunch selections.

Because I'm an annoying native Marylander who always orders crab cakes in Arkansas and then whines that they're not from Maryland, I had to order the Crab Cake Sammy ($14). But there was no moaning, just marveling. It was truly a tasty patty of crab meat, jazzed with an apple and parsnip slaw (and I don't even enjoy most slaws), served on ciabatta with a tangle of crisp pommes frites.

My friend chose Chef Jeffrey's Penne ($13) and offered this description: "The dish was like something I would make at home -- rich smoked gouda sauce (think Alfredo), sliced deli ham and a few pieces of spinach. Nothing fancy, just hearty and flavorful. A good choice for a cold day. My main concern is that the dish is pretty expensive -- especially for a lunch dish."

And cost is a concern. Several menu items we had -- and didn't have (a spinach salad with chicken for $15.50?) -- seemed on the pricey side for what they are and for what B-Side is -- a local brunch nook, not a luxury hotel.

Still, B-Side is back and open for business. We do hope it gets more.

Weekend on 02/02/2017