I am sure I could come up with a whole slew of puns for this new restaurant called LaSalle Power Company, but I just might blow a fuse.

LaSalle Power Company (years ago, the building housed the LaSalle Street Cable Car Powerhouse) really needs to think hard about what it wants to be -- food with entertainment or entertainment with food. Placing the proper emphasis on either of those will determine how long a life this place will have.

If it's entertainment with food, it might make a go of it, provided the entertainment is good. Because right now, the food needs some work. The idea, the way I read the menu, is that LPC is going for trendy with a retro backstory: Sliders (menu headline: "Slider Kitchen"), "Sides and Small Plates," "Breakfast All Day," "Produce" (aka salads) and "Sandwiches."

I have no problem with all of that. But wait -- how about a category called "Honey, did you shrink the food?" I cannot believe I paid $3.50 for one mini Reuben on mini rye bread. This was a two-bite wonder, at best. It was so small that the ingredients got past my taste buds without notice. And the slider known as "lobster salad on mini roll" translated into $4 for two bites. Shocking! I don't care how good the lobster salad part was (it was good, but not great), this is highway robbery.

Even though it cost $3.50, I am cutting some slack on the "mini Chicago-style dog." The hot dog itself was excellent, the mini-bun was nice and the traditional Chicago hot dog fixings were all in place.

LPC needs to take a closer look at that whole "slider" arrangement and, well, rewire it. For example, maybe charge another half-dollar and give us two of those mini Reubens instead of one. Ditto for the hot dog, and so on.

But there were better things in store (and the prices for most of the other food weren't all that bad). Under the "Breakfast All Day" listings, don't miss the truffled corned beef hash with two eggs any style. This was a really good dish. The hash had good texture and an interesting flavor (the subtle amount of truffle oil did the trick). I asked to have the eggs poached, and they could not have been poached more beautifully (and they came in a separate bowl to mix and match hash and eggs as needed).

Under the "Sandwich Shoppe" heading, you will surely enjoy the Cuban sandwich. LPC got it right in every way -- from the pork loin to the smoked ham to the cheese, pickles, mustard and grilled bread. From the perfect texture of the bread to the abundance of the filling (and the side cup of excellent giardiniera), this is a Cuban that is worth every bit of its $9 price. And you get a choice of potatoes or side salad. I had the sweet potato fries, which were pleasantly crisp and very enjoyable.

Finally, from the "Produce" department, I chose the Cobb salad. It was a "retro" classic in that it had all the right stuff -- avocado, hard-boiled egg, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, blue cheese crumbles and the all-important shredded chicken (the only way that it should be part of a Cobb salad).

Key lime pie was the dessert of choice. It was not great, not bad. A little more chill and a little more kick of lime would have helped, but nothing was left on the plate. And if you really want to go retro, order the burger and a milk shake, even though the milk shake is listed under desserts.

Pat Bruno is a local free-lance critic and author. E-mail brunoeats@aol.com. Listen to Pat Bruno talk about food and wine Tuesdays at 6:23 p.m. and 10:23 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 7:53 p.m. on WBBM News Radio 780-AM.