Peachy Picks Lily's at The Roger Smith Hotel
The effort that goes into making the wine list superb at Lily's at The Roger Smith Hotel is equal to the edible menu, and we admire that. Lily's is a diamond in the rough that locals and tourists need to experience because Lily's offers some fabulous food for reasonable prices, and they have the only wine list we've seen that has classifications for local, sustainable, organic and biodynamic-quite impressive. You know Peachy Deegan is not liberal, not a tree-hugger hippie, and not into all of that for the sake of it alone, but she IS into excellence. And if every biodynamic wine (that means they follow the farmer's almanac, they are extreme organic...) is as excellent as the Gruner Veltliner Sepp Moser from Austria, well then, we'll have to become more biodynamic.
Lily's was first featured in Tasty Tidbits:
http://www.whomyouknow.com/2011/08/tasty-tidbits-lilys-restaurant-at-roger.html
And, we are pleased to say they have graduated to Peachy's Picks.
Their attentive staff headlined by Manager Kevin Gill and Sous Chef Michael Clayton, their commitment to individuality in cuisine at a solid level, and their quintessential New York atmosphere is sure to delight both locals and tourists alike.
And they have a great roof we've told you:
http://www.whomyouknow.com/2011/08/city-that-doesnt-sleep-henrys-rooftop.html
http://www.whomyouknow.com/2011/08/tasty-tidbits-lilys-restaurant-at-roger.html
And, we are pleased to say they have graduated to Peachy's Picks.
Their attentive staff headlined by Manager Kevin Gill and Sous Chef Michael Clayton, their commitment to individuality in cuisine at a solid level, and their quintessential New York atmosphere is sure to delight both locals and tourists alike.
And they have a great roof we've told you:
http://www.whomyouknow.com/2011/08/city-that-doesnt-sleep-henrys-rooftop.html
Peachy Deegan began with the market salad: watercress, hot house cucumbers, radicchio, shaved fennel and herb creme fraiche which they were happy to serve on the side like she wanted.
Peachy tries to eat salads as often as possible and we love it when restaurants add creative vegetables like this. She began sipping on a Paul De Costa rose from Provence that is perfectly crisp for summer.
The buratta we also sampled and this quality is right there in competition with some of the Italian places we reviewed! It lasted about 0.5 seconds because we just adored the bold creaminess of the high quality cheese; the tomatoes were also lovely.
MMMMMM! What you should order is the Papperdele! Peachy did.
Mussels, sausage, hot cherry peppers, garlic, parsley, white wine and parmesan have a party in this Papperdelle, which was perfectly al dente. The ingredients were fresh, everything was cooked properly, and the combination is a winner.
See how happy Sous Chef Michael Clayton is! You will be just as happy to be there dining.
Mussels, sausage, hot cherry peppers, garlic, parsley, white wine and parmesan have a party in this Papperdelle, which was perfectly al dente. The ingredients were fresh, everything was cooked properly, and the combination is a winner.
See how happy Sous Chef Michael Clayton is! You will be just as happy to be there dining.
And here is Kevin Gill with one of the wines he chose:
The atmosphere is creatively engaging, with artwork by owner James Knowles. His wife does all of the flowers here and is the designer for all of the rooms of the hotel; her father started The Roger Smith Hotel.
Our esteemed panelist adds:
As part of the Hotel Roger Smith, a boutique establishment, Lily's is easy to overlook while walking by. Inside, the atmosphere is a combination of modern art and old-world cantina. Quite honestly, my expectations were not particularly high, but my pre-judgement would be proven wrong.
To start, I was pleasantly surprised with the mussels, served in a coconut milk, ginger, and saffron broth that gave it a bit more flavor than a standard mussels appetizer. This was paired with a glass of Austrian Gruner Veltliner Sepp Moser, a bio dynamic white wine. Great thought was obviously put into the wine menu as all the offerings were either local, sustainable, bio-dynamic (ultra organic and all natural), or organic wines. The Sepp Moser was just right; light and crisp. We were also treated to the burratta (creamy mozzarella) that was among the best I've ever had.
For my entree, I feasted on Pork Belly that was served on a bed of cheesy grits and topped with pickled cucumber and pickled onions. I applaud the chef for offering a seemingly simple but delicious dish that one would be unlikely to find anywhere else in Manhattan. Married to a southerner, I could truly appreciate the grits and the pork belly literally melted off my fork. I enjoyed the Millbrook cab franc for my next wine which was robust with hints of woody flavoring. By nature, I am not a desert person, but our butter milk creme brulee and a pineapple tart was a nice ending to a wonderful meal. In all, Lily's menu items are familiar enough to order without hesitation with just a little personal twist to make it an experience.
To start, I was pleasantly surprised with the mussels, served in a coconut milk, ginger, and saffron broth that gave it a bit more flavor than a standard mussels appetizer. This was paired with a glass of Austrian Gruner Veltliner Sepp Moser, a bio dynamic white wine. Great thought was obviously put into the wine menu as all the offerings were either local, sustainable, bio-dynamic (ultra organic and all natural), or organic wines. The Sepp Moser was just right; light and crisp. We were also treated to the burratta (creamy mozzarella) that was among the best I've ever had.
For my entree, I feasted on Pork Belly that was served on a bed of cheesy grits and topped with pickled cucumber and pickled onions. I applaud the chef for offering a seemingly simple but delicious dish that one would be unlikely to find anywhere else in Manhattan. Married to a southerner, I could truly appreciate the grits and the pork belly literally melted off my fork. I enjoyed the Millbrook cab franc for my next wine which was robust with hints of woody flavoring. By nature, I am not a desert person, but our butter milk creme brulee and a pineapple tart was a nice ending to a wonderful meal. In all, Lily's menu items are familiar enough to order without hesitation with just a little personal twist to make it an experience.
