Lillie's Victorian Establishment

by Michael Barbieri
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Walking into Lillie’s Victorian Establishment on East 17th Street is like stepping into another world.  The mood is set by soaring ceilings, huge frosted mirrors and ornate Corinthian columns behind the bar, tufted red velvet banquettes, backlit stained glass panels, and crystal chandeliers.  

Named for Lillie Langtry, a successful British actress and socialite in the late 19th century, the place has the feel of a grand drinking hall.  The enormously long antique marble bar and other furnishings were purchased from a Victorian mansion in Belfast, Ireland, and they transport you back to another time, and place.  But this is hardly the stuffy, over the top home of a famed Victorian figure.  The vibe is loud, cheerful and fun, with ingeniously crafted cocktails, over 50 domestic and imported beers, an impressive selection of whiskeys, scotches, and wines, and a nicely varied menu of traditional pub food and other offerings.

My partner and I dropped in for dinner on a Tuesday night, and the place was crowded - not too much so, but still quite busy for a weeknight.  We were escorted to our table by the friendly hostess - a tall table with high stools and one of those velvet banquettes I mentioned.  The menu is fairly simple - pub grub, sandwiches, a few large plates, sides, and a few desserts.  We started with two excellent cocktails: I had the Mezcal Gold Rush - Mezcal, honey syrup, lemon juice, and lavender bitters.  The drink had an earthy sweetness, with a slightly floral undertone.  Very nice!  Vincent chose the Strawberry Rhubarb Margarita - served on the rocks, and made with Sauza Blue tequila, strawberry purée, lime juice, agave, and rhubarb bitters, it was very sweet, but pleasantly so; almost like a really tasty cough syrup.  Later in the meal, I ordered a second drink - Lillie’s Elixir, made with Bison Grass Vodka, Angostura D’Amaro, Stella Artois Cidre, cranberry juice and a hint of fresh ground nutmeg.  The cocktail had a depth of flavor that gave it a vaguely scotch-like taste, which I hate, ordinarily, but this drink won me over.  We were told that the mixologist’s name is Johnny Sweat, and he creates all of the cocktails for Lillie’s, not only in Union Square, but at their sister location in Times Square as well.  Good job!

We selected a few of the dishes from the Pub Fare section of the menu, as appetizers.  The Crispy Calamari were lightly fried, not greasy at all, tender, rather than chewy, and they came served with a decent spicy marinara sauce.  We also ordered the Pub Nachos - yellow corn tortilla chips, cheese, scallions, pico de gallo, sour cream, and fresh guacamole.  The portion was fairly large; so much so, we had to take some of it home with us.  The guacamole had a nice hint of citrus, and the chips, although covered in the various ingredients, never went soggy.  A minor quibble, though: as much as we enjoyed those two dishes, they were rather run-of-the-mill.  They both could’ve been on the menu in any pub.  Our next dish really knocked us out, however - the Curry Fries-Irish Style!  A big helping of excellent french fries - crispy outside, fluffy inside, smothered in an addictive curry gravy.  We could’ve eaten those all night!  One of our favorites!  From the selection of sandwiches, we tried Lillie’s Cucumber Sandwich.  Made with thinly sliced cucumber, cream cheese, fresh dill, and tomato, all on fresh wheat toast, this was hardly one of the little finger sandwiches you’d find at granny’s tea!  It was hearty and delicious, although maybe lacking in just a tiny bit of salt to make the flavors pop.  Luckily, there were tiny salt and pepper shakers on each table; something that is a rarity in many restaurants nowadays.  Problem solved!

For our main courses, we chose from the Large Plates: Vincent tried the Chicken and Kale Ravioli - perfectly cooked little ravioli with a nice mild flavor - a good balance of chicken and kale in the filling.  Served in a tasty white wine and tomato cream sauce, the dish was also in need of a bit of seasoning, but otherwise, we really enjoyed it.  I had the Shepherd’s Pie - chopped Angus beef, mixed with tender peas and carrots, covered in a layer of fluffy baked Yukon Gold mashed potatoes.  I’ve had many shepherd’s pies in the past, and this one got the flavors exactly right.  The memory of that traditional flavor came flooding back!  I do wish the ratio of meat to potato had been more balanced - there was a LOT of potato, but no matter, it was still delicious!

Finally, dessert!  One of the listings in the desserts section reads Dessert of the Day.  We asked, and it turned out they had two - Apple Pie and Chocolate Mousse Cake, so we ordered both.  The apple pie was house made, and the flavor was very traditional, but again, it was a bit ordinary.  The chocolate mousse cake was from an outside bakery, and it was cold, creamy, and very good; served with a berry compote that made the dessert much more special.    

Despite my little criticisms, my partner and I enjoyed ourselves at Lillie’s Victorian Establishment.  The food was good, the cocktails were top notch, and the place itself was a lot of fun.  There was great 70’s and 80’s rock playing over the sound system, our server, April, took great care of us, and the place was a feast for the eyes, as well!  

As we were getting ready to leave, I had a thought: I have a rather legendary group of school friends - actors, singers, and artists all.  They love to have a nice drink now and again, and I know they enjoy good pub food.  This would be a place I’d definitely come back to with all of them in tow!  The booze and the laughs would fly, and we’d all leave happy and sated!  

Lillie’s Victorian Establishment, I’ll be back!

 

Michael Barbieri

Food & Entertainment Writer