Photos: Gabe Stejskal
The new Woodbury restaurant brings a taste of Italy to the community.
Estelle and Mario’s, two popular St. Paul restaurants, have a new sister, Liliana, an Italian eatery in Woodbury, with a front-row seat to fresh cooking. Located at 10060 City Walk Drive, the newly established Italian restaurant offers a high-end dining experience with a casual, neighborhood feel. It’s exactly what co-owners Peter Sebastian and Jason Hansen envisioned. “We want you to feel comfortable immediately, but slowly blown away by what you experience,” Sebastian says. “You can expect really excellent service paired with really thoughtful and creative food that all come together.”
The owners are no strangers to the dining scene. The 2005 Eagan High School alumni were acquaintances in high school and eventually partners in the culinary world. In addition to Liliana, the pair owns Estelle (1806 St Clair Ave., St. Paul) and Mario’s (232 Cleveland Ave. N., St. Paul). “Our teams are really what make our restaurants tick, and they’ve done a really great job of seeing our visions through,” Sebastian says.
Liliana balances a light and airy atmosphere with a modern ambiance.
What’s In a Name
All three of Sebastian and Hansen’s restaurants have first names, and Sebastian compares the naming process to that of choosing one for a child. “Jason and I would text each other ideas back and forth,” he says with a laugh at the duo’s naming strategy. “We determine what cuisine we’re going to serve and look up words and names of that culture.”
The thought is that a restaurant, like any being, has its own personality and quirks. “Jason and I have always felt the name of a restaurant defines the feel you get when you walk in,” Sebastian says. “Estelle and Liliana are feminine, elegant and lovely. You walk in and have a light, airy and beautiful feeling. The goal is for the name to match the way you feel when you walk in.”
Quite the Pair
Peter Sebastian says Liliana hit the jackpot with Seth Bellow, who will serve as opening bar manager. Bellow, the bar manager at Estelle, is known for his expertise in the beverage industry and described as extremely creative.
Careful details are put into making sure what’s happening in the kitchen at Liliana carries over into the bar. With in-house-made bitters and syrups, Liliana’s drink menu features Italian spirits and an array of mocktails, too. “We want people to try one of our drinks [and] recognize it but [add] some cool flavors seen in Italian cuisine,” Sebastian says. “Then those things start to mesh, and diners realize the drinks go great with the food, and it all just kind of works together that way. We really love to have carryovers from what’s happening in the kitchen to what’s happening with the beverage programs. If the kitchen is using tarragon, I’m going to try to find a way to incorporate that into a beverage.”
While pairing ingredients in both food and drinks is strategic from a usage perspective, it’ll also enhance flavor palates too. It serves as another area where Liliana staff can guide diners with menu options that pair well together, depending on whether they’re choosing their drink or their plate first.
Both Estelle and Mario’s have proven to be successful projects, and Sebastian says they had often received requests from customers, family and friends to expand into the suburbs. “There is a lot happening on the restaurant scene in the western suburbs, but we’re east side guys and want to help build up this area and elevate the dining scene,” Sebastian says.
Rigatoni alla Norcina, a pasta special, is made with house sausage, cream, grana padano, chives and chanterelle mushrooms.
Liliana is a spot that is creative with familiar flavors and recognizable pasta, done uniquely. Sebastian says the team has fun with its Italian menu, branching out from the traditional chicken alfredo and spaghetti. Chef Kenzie Edinger makes mozzarella from scratch and hand-breads the Chicken Parmesan—all using fresh ingredients.
And for diners unsure if the items are truly made from scratch, they’ll have the opportunity to see for themselves. “We have a built-in pasta room that is accompanied by big windows where the team hand rolls pasta,” Sebastian says. “People will be able to watch that process take place as they come and go. They’ll get a first-hand look at all those fresh things coming out.”
Sebastian says diners can expect more than just their food or drink order being taken. They’ll have an experience that makes an impression on guests from the moment they walk in the door. “We want you to come in, try things you’ve never tried before, experience flavors you’ve never had before and feel comfortable in our space,” he says. “We really want to impress people with everything that we do.”
Liliana
Instagram: @liliana_wdb
