Page 85 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2016

share, but know there is nothing wrong with having one all to yourself.
Nguyen and his team make all of the ponzu, chili and other sauces in house, and he uses fresh, locally produced ingredients in his dishes. That can be seen in the crawfish rangoon. Nguyen, who grew up in his family’s restaurant, said he wanted to take a traditional Asian dish — crab rangoon — and give it a Southern twist. What better way to do that than with spicy, plump crawfish mixed with cream cheese and loaded into a wonton wrapper?
In another display of meatiness, these wontons, served with a sweet garlic chili sauce, are stuffed with the tasty mixture making every bite wonderful — nothing skimpy here. The same is true for the crab rangoon. It would be easy to make a meal from these treats.
There are a number of additional small plates, along with soups and salads, noodle bowls and the popular pho. Lillie’s also serves familiar entrees, including sweet and sour chicken, beef and broccoli and stir-fried lo mein noodles. Specialities of the restaurant are the roasted duck, which can be ordered half or whole, and the Korean short ribs, popular dishes enjoyed by the restaurant’s many regular diners. The thin, beefy
ribs are marinated for 24 hours, which makes them tender
and flavorful, and they come served with rice and pickled vegetables.
Lillie’s also has a complete sushi menu. A full service bar at the restaurant offers diners a wide variety of beer, wine and cocktails, such as the mango mojito.
KOREAN SHORT RIBS with rice and pickled vegetables. BELOW: AVOCADO and tuna tartare. BOTTOM: CRAWFISH RANGOON with a sweet garlic chili sauce.
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April 2016 • SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living 85