Small Plates: Dine out at Pizza Lounge; make banana pastis pie

PIZZA LOUNGE, TIVOLI VILLAGE, 410 S. RAMPART BLVD.

Pizza Lounge, which opened in March, is a partnership between Summerlin resident Ken Henderson, a frequent customer of the location in Laguna Beach, Calif. (there’s another in Huntington Beach), and Pizza Lounge founder Gary Decker. The restaurant, with walls of candlelight, seats 60 indoors and 30 outdoors, although the outdoor capacity will triple with the upcoming expansion of Tivoli Village. It serves more than 20 wines by the glass and has 13 craft beers on tap. Here’s a sample from the menu:

Small plates: baked brie and fig flatbread, $8.95; slow-cooked hot wings, $9.95; housemade meatballs and whipped potatoes, $9.95; housemade hummus, $8.95

Salads: classic Caesar, $8.95; Cobb, $10.95; chopped barbecued chicken, $10.95; Mediterranean Greek, $9.95

Pizzas (gluten-free crust available): classic cheese, $7.95-$18.95; coconut and shrimp, Hawaiian, three-mushroom, chicken-peach-Gorgonzola, veggie light and healthy, Santa Fe taco, all $9.95-$20.95

Pasta: penne Bolognese, $14.95; spaghetti pomodoro, $9.95; lobster ravioli Gorgonzola, $14.95

Sandwiches: chicken aioli and brie, $13.95; grilled veggie and pesto, $13.95

Hours are from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. For details, call 778-0400 or visit www.pizzalounges.com.

NEW BOOKS FOR COOKS

BANANA PASTIS PIE

9-ounce sheet ready-to-bake rolled puff pastry

3 firm bananas, peeled and cut into ¼-inch slices

Juice of ½ lemon

½ teaspoon finely grated lemon rind

2 tablespoons pastis

¾ cup superfine sugar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the puff pastry out on a baking sheet, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Put the bananas into a bowl with the lemon rind and juice, pastis and sugar and mix gently, then let rest for 5 minutes. Spread the banana slices evenly over the bottom of the puff pastry, leaving about ½ inch clear around the edge and keeping back some of the banana marinade to use later.

Transfer the pie to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Brush the remaining marinade over the bananas and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and crisp and the bananas are lightly caramelized.

Serves 4.

— Recipe from “Le Pain Quotidien Cookbook” by Alain Coumont and Jean-Pierre Gabriel (Mitchell Beazley, $29.99)

— Heidi Knapp Rinella