Chef's Beloved Dishes Reside at Bistro 7

When staring at a menu full of the seared, braised and smoked, it's sometimes hard to make a decision.

At South Reno's Bistro 7, that's where small plates come in.

Tim Herrlein, chef and co-owner of the restaurant, said the dishes allow diners to enjoy a contemporary a la carte meal without emptying their wallets. Choices range from macaroni and cheese with white truffle oil topped with bacon and parsley, to lump crab cakes served with chipotle cream sauce and lime syrup.

"People are looking for variety, but not looking to spend a lot of money," he said. "(At Bistro 7) you can actually create your own dining experience without exceeding the $25 mark."

But you don't have to stay within budget. The menu offers more expensive dinner plates as well, bringing together Herrlein's favorite recipes from his diverse culinary background.

Herrlein, who began his culinary career in 1993, honed his skills under French, Italian and Japanese chefs. Before opening Bistro 7 in May, he was a co-owner of Ciao, which stood in the same location.

Throughout his career, each of his mentors taught him something different about cuisine, and he showcases the highlights of that training at Bistro 7, he said.

From Japanese master chef Kamo Yamasaki, Herrlein said he learned to appreciate the sanctity of cooking, or letting the food shine without adding too many ingredients to it.

At Bistro 7, that's evident in the warm steak-and-lobster sushi roll, he said, in which the flavors of the meat and fish are allowed to shine.

From his French training, Herrlein learned about long-term braising and multi-faceted froths, techniques at work in Bistro 7's braised beef short rib with creamy risotto fritters and barbecued heirloom zucchini.

But some things Herrlein learned from his family.

Bistro 7's ziti Bolognese is made from a recipe from Herrlein's father's side of the family. The dish includes milk-fed veal and twice-cured bacon, along with Italian sausage, tomato sauce and Parmesan-garlic cheese toast, which is baked on the premises.

"It's really just comforting," Herrlein said of the ziti. "It's just a well-rounded, nice dish."

The Bistro 7 menu serves as a collection of Herrlein's most-loved dishes, he said.

"It's a really cool combination," he said. "It's my favorite menu, because it has all of the dishes that I want people to try."

As for customers' favorites, lately the red miso and coconut-crusted sea bass with smoked eel and mushroom has been at the top of the list, Herrlein said.

"It's just been the overwhelming favorite," he said. "People just refer to it as candy fish."

While diners can find peppered sashimi and artisan cheese at Bistro 7, one thing they won't find at the restaurant are baskets of bread served en masse before meals, Herrlein said, one of his pet peeves about dining out.

Instead, customers are treated to house-made, airy sesame crackers, served with a clover-honey-cayenne compound butter.

Of course, some dishes are served with bread, if it complements the meal (as with the ziti), and all breads are baked at the restaurant, he added.

Pastries, including individual banana cream pies and strawberry shortcake, are made onsite.

Then there's the gelato.

Bistro 7 always has a few flavors of ice cream's extra-creamy Italian cousin on hand, which vary according to the staff's imagination, Herrlein said.

Recent offerings have included fresh fruit, ginger maple cookie and Guinness beer, and raspberry gel flavors.

"You can do anything with gelato," he said.

The restaurant also offers several wines, beers, sakes and cocktails, including a sake sangria made with white grape juice, orange juice, triple sec, rum, sake and fresh fruit, and a lemongrass lime drink with infused lemongrass vodka, triple sec and fresh limes.

Bistro 7, which was designed to feel intimate despite its open, modern space, hosts live bands and disc jockeys throughout the week.

"We do DJs on Wednesdays and alternating Saturdays, and live music on Thursdays," Herrlein said.

Bands such as San Francisco's Lovemakers often play on Friday nights.

"It's great to have really good live music playing, rather than satellite radio," he said.

Next month, the restaurant has plans to start hosting latenight dance parties as well, from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Bistro 7 also boasts a full catering menu and offers this service both at the restaurant and offsite.

Maria S. Dias is a freelance writer.