Lily’s is a new restaurant (tapas, small plates, new American) in White Plains, NY. I was there with a new work friend who enjoys food, especially oysters, as much as I do. Food is such an important part of our lives. We use food to bond with people and to love.
Every time I think of the meals I had, the sensations of a particular meal and of the companion(s) come flooding back almost as fresh as it had just happened. I associate food with emotions, colors, and the sensory experience it delivers through the texture and taste. In this particular case, I remember Harrison’s sunny demeanor, his optimism, sincerity and commitment to the business; I also remember the joy of sharing oysters and our critiques of each dish.
OCTOPUS bean salad, red pepper coulis, orange-saffron reduction, and pepperoncini. Harrison had never had octopus before. He was an octopus virgin before that day. I was honored to introduce. On the evaluation scale, this dish was between a 6 and 7 on a scale of 10.
KALE SALAD: cider vinaigrette, apples, endive, grapes, strawberries, parmesan, bacon, almonds. This was well executed and fresh with the late Summer ingredients. This was a 7.
MARINATED BEETS SALAD: frisee, mache, fresh ricotta, citrus, almonds. This was a 7.
TUNA TARTARE: cilantro, lime, guacamole, crispy wonton. This dish bombed big time. The tartare smothered or choked in sauce was not a pretty sight. The wontons were not crispy and tasted like pointlessness against the tartare swimming in the orange sauce. This was a 3.
OYSTERS: east and west coast oysters, cocktail sauce, tabasco, lemon, & mignonette. Now the oysters took the crown. This was the best of the entire meal. Blue Point oysters won over the west coast ones. Decent in comparison to the other oysters I had. Read about the best oyster experience I had, click here. This was an 8.
Lily’s is not bad for the White Plains’ location (a suburban population with a somewhat homogeneous food preference and is not social-economically diverse; sadly this describes most of the tri-state suburban areas). Lily’s is excellent for business lunches and probably also excellent for casual dinners. Is it highly memorable, other than the oysters? No. But again, we eat because we love so they get a pass for today. Over all, the food experience is a 7 and the dinning experience is a 10.
This experience took place at
169 Mamaroneck Avenue
White Plains NY 10601
914.997.5600
info@lillyswp .com.
Peilin Corbanese 