Skip the trick and treating festivities and head over to the Inventing Room on Halloween for some of the more creative sweet bites you've ever tried. Chef Ian Kleinman will open his Willy Wonka-like lab and dessert shop located at 2020 Lawrence on October 31 at noon.
The blue-hued 18 seat space is enthralling. Kleinman crafted a room that incorporates a variety of pipes, farm and garden tools, and other vintage pieces, most of which belonged to his maternal grandfather, whose portrait hangs in an art piece created Joel Bryant. The back-to-the-future-like installation will evolve during the life of the new shop as Kleinman plans to add new elements to keep things interesting.
What really keeps things interesting though is the show happening behind the counter. There is cotton candy being made, marshmallows being burned, and what looks like a witch's brew bubbling constantly. The liquid nitrogen action takes the cake: The freezing gas comes out of the tank at -321 degrees Fahrenheit and is used to make a variety of frozen treats to order. Ice creams and sorbets, for one thing, come with an ultra smooth texture and unbeatable freshness. Frozen caramel corn will make you seriously rethink the regular kind and so will the flash-frozen carrot cake cookies. The menu offered also includes things like compressed fruit in coconut milk with salted caramel, banana Foster ice cream with olive oil cake, and keylime and 'smores truffle bag.
The Inventing Room will serve from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Private parties are welcome - for kids in the mornings and adults in the evenings, outside of regular operating hours.