“Making food is like making music,” says Steve Brown, owner and executive chef of Lily’s on Main in Ephrata. “There are no new notes or rhythms that have never been heard before; the drumsticks a drummer uses are essentially the same. And the same foods, and all the ingredients, have been around for ages.”
“There’s just different ways of connecting it together,” he says.
And Lily’s is all about connections. The food, the décor, the building itself—with its 1930s grillwork, open geometric lines and elegant sweeps—and its culinary team are a tight band of musicians whose instruments are a total extension of themselves: seamless, smooth, impossible to separate.
No wonder it’s been chosen as a warm-up venue to the Berks Jazz Fest: Not only do many of the finest musicians seek out Lily’s when in town, but some have played in the building, which houses two beautifully restored movie theaters featuring family-friendly movies and quality musical performances. It glows in its original neon, with 1938-era walls and ceilings, and velvety seats with the original seatbacks.
PERFECT PREVIEWS
The Lily’s experience gives new meaning to the phrase “dinner and a movie.” Allow ample time, though, because there is no skipping the appetizers. Each is utterly original: butternut squash wontons, flash-fried calamari, crab and lobster spring rolls, house-made gnocchi, and a sumptuous cheese plate which includes cave-aged cheddar, Maytag bleu, and goat cheeses.
The chef’s winter comfort choice of appetizer is a high cube of spiced, braised pork belly served next to a diver sea scallop, which sits atop fanned-out, thin-sliced apples edged red and purple from the huckleberry sauce, lending a touch of tart-fruity-sweet to pull up that open-fire flavor of the pork and its unlikely companion, the succulent scallop. Paired with Reinhertshausen Rheingau Riesling ’08, from Germany, the combination of textures is what sets this appetizer apart.
Lily’s baked tomato soup is absolutely inspired: this fresh-made wonder comes in a bowl that’s cheesed over (like a French onion soup would be) with Swiss and provolone. Made with “a bit of cream,” according to Brown, the softly red soup is thick and thoroughly blended for lots of body, yet it is stunningly light. The secret to this creation, confides Brown, lies in its beginnings: he uses fresh herbs, letting the branchy thyme and rosemary unlock their flavors first, adding the leafy basil and oregano later to the broth base.
A salad of baby green spinach leaves topped with a hearty chunk of goat cheese comes next, with riffs by sun-dried cranberries, dates, and hazelnuts as a deep brown sherry vinaigrette captures every note. The salad’s freshness is matched with a Domaine de Martinolles Unoaked Chardonnay, ’10, France, keeping the mood light. Other salad options are Cobb, warm spinach, grilled Caesar, and a crab and avocado salad made with jumbo lump crab, cucumber, tomato, and remoulade dressing.
ARCHITECTURAL ENTREES
Grilled Kobe meatloaf, a staple at Lily’s, is a veritable building. Admire away: this American Kobe beef and pork meatloaf layer is lifted up by mashed potatoes at its base, then embellished by a repeat flourish of swirling mashed potatoes above, and finally topped off by two gaufrettes (semi-curled potato waffle-wafers) for spires. The darkly rich tomato-onion gravy on the ground floor kicks like Buddy Rich. This entree brings every red-blooded American back to a distinct taste of home—to good ol’ American home cooking —even though mom herself would be the first to say that meatloaf never, ever tasted this good.
Fish is so fresh, it’s announced at table. In stark contrast to the skyscraper meatloaf entree, the rainbow trout entree is a Frank Lloyd Wright: long and low, compact, nature-loving. The boneless fillet is lightly dusted with pecan and perches lengthwise on a bedrock of mutedly colorful vegetables, which Brown dubs “roasted root vegetable hash.” These al dente bites of carrot, rutabaga, parsnip, turnip, cippolini onion, and Brussels sprout complement the trout’s mellow tones.
The braised boneless short ribs are slow-cooked for three days — in red wine — so they practically fall into the fork. Hark to a red wine for a special occasion, and sip a Domaine du Cros Marcillac, ’10, France, to make the sturdy meat come full circle on the palate. A pumpkin polenta romances this dish.
Amish duck, venison, raspberry chicken, crab cake, and filet mignon three ways tempt as well. The vanilla crème brulee leads straight to sweet dreams.
A menu unlike any other; all dishes plated thoughtfully; intimate tables distinguished by individually unique lamps, art-deco style—Lily’s outclasses and outperforms in every way.
From downtown Reading, it’s 25 minutes away, an easy drive down 222-S to the Ephrata exit (322). Look for a tall building with glassed windows at 124 E. Main, next to the quaint “Telephone Building.” Take the gold elevators or curving staircase up to the 2nd floor.
LILY'S ON MAIN | 124 East Main St., Ephrata | 717.738.2711| lilysonmain.com
BY MARIAN WOLBERS | PHOTOS BY HEIDI REUTER
