Saturday night we were trying to decide where to go...we wanted something different. Lilly's had been on my mind for a couple months as I had not been in there in 4 or 5 years and I had seen a mention here on the forum. My exposure to Kathy Cary's food over the years was usually via La Peche in Holiday Manor before Mojito's took over that space. On the other hand I had only been to Lilly's 2 or 3 times in the last 10 years - my mistake.
We arrived on time for our reservation and were warmly greeted by the hostess at the door and immediately seated in the front near the bar. You get 3 menus - food and wine, mixed drinks/beer, and a bourbon menu. There were 4 or 5 pages of Kentucky made hootch - I'm not a bourbon drinker but enjoyed perusing the list. I think the top listed was around $50 a glass. Pappy VanWinkle was there as well.
Then menu has salads, small plates, and entrees. We ordered a pate' and frites finished in duck fat with Kentucky Tavern sauce. The pate' was excellent - very rich with a subtle taste of liver - it was paired with apple, cornichons, and a creamy Dijon. The fries were cooked perfectly and hot - crisp on the outside and soft and steamy inside. The KT sauce was a spicy take on Henry Baine.
My wife was not all that hungry so she had a bistro salad and French onion soup - both of which seemed to please her. My son tried their "JD Buttermilk Fried Marksbury Chicken Thighs — Root Vegetable & Shiitake Hash, Chicken Liver Gravy". He was enthused as the dish was a take on comfort food with marked refinement. My taste confirmed that it was delicious.
I had a trout special which included extremely lightly encrusted trout over a bed of couscous that had peppers, capers, etc. along with some lightly finished vegetables. I was very pleased - the fish was done perfectly. Again as with my son's dish there was a sense of a refined comfort food. I had a nice glass of Silverado Sauvignon Blanc that really balanced out the richness of the dish.
When things are going so good - don't stop so we ordered dessert. Peppermint Ice Cream — Peppermint Bark & Fudge Sauce and Almond Chocolate Torte with Coffee Buttercream & Amaretto Sauce. I won't go into detail - but both very really good - I forgot to ask if they make that ice cream or buy it from Comfy Cow - either way it had the perfect amount of peppermint to cream ratio. The almond chocolate torte was decadent. My son ordered a double espresso as well.
Service was perfect on a busy night. Kathy Cary was assisting in delivering plates and making the rounds and quite gracious. On balance, the food was better than I anticipated and the bill for all 3 of us with drinks, apps, dinner, and dessert was right at $200 including a 20+% tip. Not a cheap night out - but a very good value IMO.
I was pleased to discover that one of the more mature fine dining restaurants in our fair city is firing on all cylinders.
