Restaurant Guide 2007

Last fall Lovely Hula Hands moved a few blocks north from its pink house on North Cook Street to a larger space on Mississippi's main drag and recruited a new head chef—Troy MacLarty, formerly of Simpatica. Both of these bold changes have worked out tremendously well for the restaurant. LHH's old-fashioned, fetching style, thanks to sister-owners Sarah and Jane Minnick, is the same—mismatched china, antique chandeliers and gilded artwork. But the food is better than ever. Local, seasonal and fresh is always spot-on with mid-summer dishes like corn soup with opal basil, a chanterelle-and-leek tart and wild salmon served with squash and nasturtium butter. (LC)

Signature dish: "Cooked under a brick" pan-fried Draper Farms chicken with a caper-studded green sauce, creamy polenta and sautéed haricots verts and tomatoes.

Standouts: Beautifully landscaped and hanging-lamp-lit back patio.

Regrets: Inside chairs lean back at such an angle you feel like you're at a Roman feast.

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